The Washington times., 1903-03-08

tion ago. and later than in most foreign
countries. but while this is bad n some
respects. il is good in others.
Surely il is better for children to re
brought up in sanitary homes and prop
erly trained than for them 20 be hud He'd
in One-room cabins and born OF pareh.s
with no ideas beyond the next rays
meals. The ambition Of most American
working fOlk-and it seems pitiuIly Tea-
sOnable and wise. considering the diff
Guilty Of attainment in some placss-is 20
raise their families step above those ef
the European peasant; to give their chill
dren the chance they themselves never
had: 70 own their homes and have ncney
in the bank
The girls CT a family may work Wien
they DO not need 10. but oftentirnes the
parents. relieved Of the burden OF their
support lay up money or are enabled to
be independent OF public aid. In this dag
and generation there are very few work
ingmcn whose incomes are equal TO the
strain Of supporting grown children. ami
IL is coming TO be the understanding that
girls as well as boys shall at maturity
become supporting
A Matter of Necessity.
Whether this is good or bad for the
nation. II is a necessity. from the
writer's point of view. Writers who
look at this matter from the point OF
view of the educated classes frequent
" fail to see that the distance which
divides the self-respe self-sup-
porting artisan from the submerged
tenth" is. from a money point of view.
very small Tn, failure Of a savings
bank. a long Gt OF illness. the death
OF the breadwinner. may wipe it out
entirely
The assumption of Mrs. Van Worst IS
that the ambition which leads working
women 10 aspire toward a slisbsly bet
ter conditicn Of life than that TO which
they were born is foolish. The infer
encc OF President Roosevelt seems 10
be that this ambition is due 10 self
ishness. coIdness and ease-lOving lazi-
ness Is it possible for a woman 10
have written this book without seeing
that such ambition is all that saves the
American working woman from falling
into the very state OF unambitious and
|unssnsiti~e dulIncss which creates the
I squalOr of mill towns
Ambition which leads TO selfish ends
I NAV be foolish. but surely il is better
than animal seIf-induIgence and sloth-
/ Is 81 any better. - speak plainly Tor
woman to earn her own living, that
I she may have some of the deoencies
/ of life. than FOR her 20 dispense with
/ those decencies. marry for the sake Cf
support and bear children who are not
} so much reared as raised like ami
mals2"
The One Great Problem.
II is not 100 much to say that this
/ is precisely the problem which con
! fronts thousa nds Of American girls boru
in the lower stratum OF the laboring
class. They are doing their best TO
solve IL by demanding the right kiad
of homes when they marry. Until they
get those homes they prefer TO support
/ themselves.
II IS not a question of the number
OF servants TO be kept Il is a question
Of a decent place in which to do their
own housework. They have not the
choice between luxury and poverty. They
have the CEcsce between poverty and
semi starvation. Some OF them, per
heps find their wage-earninE position
/ too comfortable 10 exchange for the du-
ties Of any home. But they are the ex-
/ ceDtions.
The trouble with the American birth
rate is -ha. both men and women Of
our race are, unconsciously perhaps.
trying TO save themselves and their chill
drel from cropping TO the level Of the
Polish and Hungarian peasant II this
il selfish luxury. IL is a new kind. (New
York; Doubleday, Page & Coz