New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-19
OCCUPATIONS FOR WOMEN.
New Ways Of Earning Living-Modern
Professions Omen to Then.

What would people have thought ffty years
ago 20 see a woman Of education. culture and re-
hnernent serving as prison keeper? Who but TWEEN
tieth century children would speak OF the lady
COP ?" said the Rev. Anna Garln Spencer. in her
recent lecture on New Professions Open 20
Women at tho Brooklyn Institute.
'T an not speaking OF old professions. long car
RED on n the home. and now opened again 20
women IN another FORM she said. Il am speak
ing OF absolutely new professions. which have
arisen from the development OF our civilization and
which are open 20 men and women alike
7 called tho first woman Of whom 7 spoke a
prison keeper She IS IN reality superintendent OF
a great retormatory Tor women Eou may see her
sitting Office. directing all the affairs 81 that
great State institution. dominating those poor. IN
taught uncontrolled women by tho power or her
personality. I visited recreation pier one day,
and a happy little child OF the tenements. who was
my hostess FOR tho day. called OUT Oh. there she
comesT
'vho'7 said I She turned upon with scorn
inueasurabe- why. don't you know she said
The lady COP u was the police matron. some
times called the careake- at the recreation centres
At another post OF duty she IS called the probation
officer. But whatever she does and whatever she Is
called she stands az exactly thu same point be-
tween the young life great city and its dangers
that the chaperon does in circles more polite She
Is there 10 watch over youth and inexperience-
The pauper class is old. made up of dropped peo-
pie But the criminal class is young. from seven
seldom becomes criminal And often IT is criminal
not because II is worse than other people. but be-
cause its circumstances have been worse. How
idIoc put boys IN jail because they have thrown
stones! The worst use you can make OF any human
being is to put him where he cannot possibly i'm
prove So we have invented the probation the sus-
neuded sentence IN which the sentence IS not ex-
ecuted during good behavior And from that has
come the probation officers. women as well as men
the lady COP again. Then we have the parole.
when tho sentence must he executed. but the pris-
oner is set free because OF good conduct, and dur
Ing good behavior And women are parole officers
well men
In old times It was very simple thing 10 help
the dependent classes. II people were hungry, feed
them II they were ragged. rausack your old
clothes closet II they couldn't pay their rent, pay
It Tor them. That was the simple creed Of an
earlier day left TO each individual to carry out
for himself according 10 his conscience. But now.
suppose in a certain tenement house there Is a
family which IS making an heroic struggle to keep
IN the ranks; 10 overcome misfortune 10 educate its
children remain selfsupporung and self-respect-
ng. and suppose right BESIDE then mere IS announcer
fore. and since lie mas found II much easier
has found that he is the object OF much more
courtesy and consideration as a dependent than he
rnaSt IL Jn5eTHined and he Schemes 10 keep il
going to have the first famiy2 Society has
grown too vast and complicated 70 be left TO in
dividual charity IT Is the age Of specialization,
and SO has arisen the profession OF philanthropy in
which women are largely engaged.
at is a very difficult thing TO be a social doctor.
TO diagnose a that you can tell exactly why
a man is not self-suppOrting. II requires trained
suecIalfsts There is a danger that will intro
duce TOO much Professionalism that VIII care
too for the organization when once have
seen that the organization IS necessary But that
OF doing things. There some who stand by the
old way. and claim that charity IS eliminated by
organization. I sat in conference once with a
number OF rich women. some Of them exceedingly
rich. and they were discussing Just how much a
woman could do with SO 50 a week, when she had a
disabled husband and family Of eight 10 for.
They discussed the kind OF food she could buy,
the ways she could practise economy, and finally 1
Friends. I do not think there ia any woman
on earth who keep family OF eight including
I think a woman who Is caring for sick husband
and six children has enough to do without having
responsibility for their support. Now, call the
trained investigator from the other room. and see
proportion as charity has grown scientific. tho
phrase adequate relief has increased the lips
OF its workers. There IS no danger Of stinting
sanized charity There is danger that Will
become doctrinaires, that we will become excessive
~ orthodox; but again that this danger is not
so great as dangers attending the old methods
And now 70 the best of all. All this
other is remedial work. Preventive work comes
when YOU put inspectors in Office: inspectors to
that children go 10 school; that they do not go 10
hours: that they do not work in ignorance. vice
and unsani:ary surroundings. Inspectors to sec
that tenement house laws carried cut. and
people are forced TO live like animals. In the
way we can set benehcent laws carried out is 20
pay people to that they So here Is another
and growing profession for women well men
that of Inspector"