The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-05
The Woman Errant; by the commu-

The Woman Errant; by the Commu-
 This book discusses the problem Shall a Voman work in the world? Of course this question is answered by some with the unanswerable dkase: She must. For such the way Is long |, and hard hnd wearisome. For women usually step into the world wholly de- void of training. She is expected to do a mans work as well as a man or else drop out. A man has training for work for battling with life drilled into him with every breath after the spoken words but greet him into the world: Ca man child is born" A woman has [ draining with every breath she draws that directly units her for fighting the world and working for living, even If Nature had not already handicapped iher for the race. Yet she often wins tout. Unfitted, untaught, untrained, unskilled she yet wins and holds a place with the worlds competitors.
 The Commuters Wife. from her shell tered nook of home. watches the strug- Igie and makes comments on the wosh, CTS. First, she holds, women snouid not work unless necessity compeis them. These who labor in large fields at necessity's bidding, she theorizes keep a sweet sanity. a gracioushesa and charm that are lost by women who go out to buffet the waves From choice.
 It is very doubtful if any women go out into the fields even as gleaners eN' -~ ~cept from necessity.
 Ruth had felt the pinch or want ere she went into Boaz's field to glean after the reapers. True, she found pleasant companionship among the gleaners sunshine and joy of tasks well done, and a rich husband to shelter the rest of her days from need. But Ruth WIS one among many gleaners. The others probably gleaned the globe the rest of their days.
 As far as the working out of her problem goes, The Commuters Wife Is partial She metes out her rewards and her disapprovals as fancy takes her. Sukey Brandon, who is discon- tented with home, an impossible father Gin real life it Is a we'll attested fact that the daughter resembles in mental characteristic her father, but fiction pays little regard to proven realities), sand more discontented with step. mother, goes out into the world to win home for herself and two sisters. That she leaves father and step-mother to a sort of aftermath honeymoon and tho loneliness of aid age doesn't seem to matter. Sukey, thanks to the wide reaching influence of Barbara and the large purse of a helpful Lady Bounti- full, makes her home, teaches school. developes a negative--into a positive lover-and lives happily ever after.
 A second instance of the working g woman Is Rose, the stenographer, who takes for lesser pay the job of her sis ter Delia's lover. thereby postponing indefinitely Delia's marriage. Pretty restless, charming Rose, her type is piu tn n nf the home Della might be glad that .t is work of the elegant young fellow Rose has chosen to take and not the "elegant young fellow" himself. II the microbe of outside work had not taken Rose the microbe of aquisitive capacity surely would have seized her and quiet Della would have been re- garding a love affair. not postponed but lost forever to her
 The chief knot of the problem is ., wound about the Woman Errant a Ivory Steele.
 She leaves for the love of winning ar Independence in the world a home oi wealth. a devoted lover. She battles bravely and wins to find all is dust and ashes. It is the old story of woman's need for love surmounting all other needs. The problem is: Does work blot out the need? In Ivory Steele's lire the answer IS: NO, ana happily she has faithful lover in Dr. Roberts
 Barbara, the Commuters Wife, pays in passing a pretty compliment to tn. Southern women workers in New York
 There are a little group of womer find charming. Seemingly they have not stepped outside the door of hom, shelter through any dissatisfaction witf their lot, but rather through a trair of circumstances go out from hom, that they may keep at least the hom, idea together; at once talented and self reliant, the best womanly instinct nev CT leaves them for a moment. The, are all graciousness vivacity, ant charm; nor do they forget that they ar, ladies or deem 1t necessary to coucl the fact in words when. clad in rub bers and raincoats. they face the stress of weather In their daily routine. Now as 1t happens, almost all of this littl, group are Southern women"
 And now a word about Barbara her self, the charming Commuters Wife who has charmed all the world witt her Garden Book" and her "Experi ence Book" and now with this he "wonder Book" was there ever a wise philosopher than Barbara. These thre books, The Commuters Wife" tn People of the Whirlpool" The Woman Errant," are written with delicacy o