The Washington times., 1903-03-08
THE WOMAN WHO TOLLS" WITH

finer feelings among those whose whole
environment seems formed to destroy
them. Il is also worthy OF attention
as being an honest and earnest attempt
to find out the truth. without bias of
personal prejudice or class feeling: and
such work is not too plentiful. even in
this enlightened age
The best point of the book. however.
is its style. The work has been done
with a force and fneness which is
calculated 10 make intelligent stu
dents OF the labor problem thank
heaven that its point Of view is So sen
sible and kindly; for II such a book
had appeared. written from an opposite
point OF view. il would have gone far
10 damage the reputation OF that great
body Of working people on whom. more
/ than on any other one factor. the future
/ OF this country depends
Necessity of General Intelligence.
/ We cannot have a great republic
with a degraded working class. We
! cannot have intelligent public opin-
| ion without general intelligence. The
| country has just reached the point Of
! debating whether intelligent and am
biticus laboring people are better than
/ these who are possessed OF only in
/ telligence enough TO do their work
and only ambitious enough to make
/ them good laborers. In short. there
/ IS serious discussion whether the dem
\ ocratic ideal Of our fathers or the caste
: system of Europe produces the better
| results.
There are many thoughtful people
who are. consciously or unconsc ciously.
dOdging this fact in their expressions OF
/ opinion on sociological matters They
had better not dodge IL too long. It is
time TO face the problem fairly and
work il oUt honestly and in this process
al ruch hooks as The Woman Who
Tolls are valuable for the awakening
of public opinion.
/ 1t is hardly necessary 20 discuss the
. chapters OF this book in detail One
need only repeat that the investiga tion
is thorough and the descriptions well
written. Now for the conclusions
reached by these two thoughtful wo-
men.
Disadvantages of Women.
+ Mrs. Van Worst found in her expert
cnce that women in factories were
working under greater disadvantages
rhan the men. They we're given tasks
which fl was almost impossible 10 sys-
;ematize. and IN which there was little
chance Of advancement They were re-
uuired 10 40 the thousand and one odd
JOBS" it, which their strength was
. -f-ittered away as the common phrase
is. without much to show for g.. in a
word. they occupied position midway
between that cf men and that OF boys
or children.
This condition is. perha ps. inevitable
In The nature Of thincs women's labor is
IHabIe to interruption and curtailment
Employees say that The chance OF wo-
mans marrying makes il Improbable 70
train her for the position hat man n
her place would take Probably this
disadvantage will remain 50 long as wo'
men laborers are considered as class
and so long a. a woman worker is re-
garded as a woman FIRST and worker
afterward.
The remedy which Irs Van Worst
offers for th!s unsatisfactory condition
OF things is not precisely new. but it &.
the best enc. probably. which has yet
been discovered She SAYS.
The self-supPorting woman should be
in competition only with other sell sup
porting industrial units. The problem
for her class will settle Itself accord
ing 10 just aud natural laws. when Tho
purpose OF this class is equally vital e
all concerned Relief. 81 seemed TO me
could be brought 20 the breadwinner by
separating ircm her the girl VINO ork,
for luxuries."
! How could this be done?"