The Crittenden record. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1904-1907, 1905-08-04
Shall Girls Work?
By Rustic.

Lui'"i' VII youI suCCeSSS III employing
female help in your composing room,
and | sincerely trust that you may find
congeniality and that peace of mind
that passeth understanding" There
are large numbers of girls, concerning
whom there is but one answer to the
question. 1t is the answer of necessi-
ty They must earn their daily bread
Mothers, sisters and brothers are some
times dependent upon them. For them
a life of leisure, if it were desirable. is
not possible. To many of them the
daily routine Of life is weary round,
yet not, perhaps, so wearying or cloy.
ing as the life Of the ceaseless pleasure
seeker.
If there are many girls who are com
PEELED TO work by the necessities Of life,
there are thousands who are not. What
shall they do? There is an education
which consists in learning how to be-
waited on, and there are girls who have
learned II TO perfection. 1t is the art OF
being served instead Of being service.
able. The needs Of the working girl
and the girl Of fashion are evident. The
one needs opportunity for leisure: the
other needs to use the opportunities
which leisure brings.
The question Of work for girls has
been answered in various ways indifTer-
ent countries and ages. In ancient
times women worked. like Penelope. at
the loom, or were skilled. like Helen.
in the arts Of embroidery, and woman
still clings with great tcnacity and
with true instinct and wider applica.
ton TO the birthright Of making things
beautiful. which is part Of her mission
In the world. Under the stress and
priyation Of colonial days our grand.
mothers, whether Puritan or Dutch.
worked and oycrworked with ncmcn.
dous energy In the home. and there !.
many farmer wife today who works
as hard as any Of her Puritan. Dutch
or Bohemian ancestors. hut the accu.
mutation Of wealth. the increase Of IN.
ventions and the multiplication Of ser.
wants have relieved the housewife and
her daughters Of a good deal Of
drudgery. Penelope's loom Is not Sc,
up IN the home. bu, In the factory. and
Helen's needle runs more quickly IN
the sewing machine. though dcft fin.
gers summon IL again Tor Christina,
gifts.
In this country the question Of what
girls shall do has been answered IN two
ways First. by extending 10 woman
The advantages o. higher education.
and secondly, By opening 10 her a great
number Of vacations which were form.
crly closed against her. The higher
education IS even becoming fashionable.
but u has been established on such 4,
solid basis that the one who acquires b
Is petty sure 90 be- something NOR.
than fashionable when she gets through
The higher education would be- worth
hut little n this We're not the result
But We. 10 90 siin further in IN.
education Of our girls. No boy b. con.
sIdercd we'll prepared Tor the tasks "
life unless he IS able o. earn his own
living Tie ought 20 be- able 10 do
something more, but this. at least. is
felt 20 be incumbent upon him. With
girls. education was formerly merely
ornamental and In fashionable schools
which are simply meant 10 be- school.
" fashion, Il Is stlll so. We are quite
II the belief, 10 be- SUR. that any
woman who Looks after the WAYS ~
her household and takes care Of her
children. earns her way In lie as Ger.
ainly a. her husband Il is small
matter whether he raises the flour and
she hakcs !, or she raises the -four and
he hakcs Il. But all women can not
b. brcad-hakcrs and home-makcrs
The rcycrscs of fortune. too. are some.
times rapid and severe. and some Of
the most painful cases which have
come 10 our notice have been those Of
women reared IN refinement or,luSury
who have been brought face To- face
with the question. How shall they
earn their daily bread" Sometimes a
home could be- saved. a family could b,
Kept together, a small income could be-
picccd out Il the daughter or sister had
learned how 10 earn a little money. and
then' What is quite as importnnt. how
90 spend IT, Again and again We have
been asked a. find planes Tor women
Who needed to d1 something and vet
knew how 90 DO nothing which IN,
world really wanted done.
But the strongest argument for
teaching girls TO be not only good. bu,
good Tor something, rests not upon
capriecs Of fortune or the necessities Of
existence, but upon the relation Of
work to life and character. More and
more Il Is evident that the world needs
The work Of women, not merely for the
sake Of women but for the sake Of the
M-urL Lie In-a-.- ...LL-I IL.