The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-11-23

average American girl, besides, the lat
ter will insist on having the evenings
and Sundays for herself. The conse-
quence has been, that the female serv-
ant question in the thickly-settled
Eastern states and in the larger cities
has entered a very acute stadium. In
fact the question has become a problem.
And yet, the wages for housework are
unusually liberal Private families
have to pay from $14OO to $500 per
month for servant girls, nurses, cham
bermaids and cooks. Hotels often pay
still higher wages. As good food,
lodging and. sometimes, extras are in
cluded, the smart foreign girls are easily
in position to carry three-fourths of
their wages to savings bank, while
many of our stony" sales ladies and
typewriters do not earn enough to
board and clothe themselves, were it
not that they lived at, or were supported
by parents and friends.
Then we have the numerous class of
female school teachers. OF these it can
truly be said that they, and the trained
nurses, occupy the front rank of all the
females who work for living, except
ing perhaps authors and specialists.
A teacher must be we'll educated, must
possess cheerful and patient dispo-
sition, and must live respectable and
virtuous life. To their credit be it said
that the American school teacher fills
these requirements admirably. While
nine-tenths of the American girls work
at something or other, hardly one in a
hundred makes it her object to become
good housekeeper, wife, or educator
for her children. The work in factories,
shops and Offices affords no opportnn-
ity for that kind of education, and
when she comes home from work, she
seldom feels inclined to tend to house
hold duties The natural consequences
are the many unhappy marriages, the
numerous divorces, and that more is
wasted in the United States than in all
European countries combined. We
can stand these things now, though
they are very annoying and uneconom-
ical, but the increase of our population
cannot fail to cause very serious com.
plications.
What has all this to do with college
education? Nothing directly. Only
it tends to show that those many thou.
sands of fortunate girls, whose parents
or guardians can afford to give them q
} college education, do we'll and proper
} to make the most extensive use of this
} privilege. Those girls who have
spent few years at Vassar, Wellesley
Smiths, or some other good college
are the "real ladies" of our land. Tha
by no means implies that they are bet
, ter women, or happier, or more lovabl'
than thousands of their sisters, bu
only that, in addition to other desira bl,
attributes, they have the advantage O
agood education. Most all our first-clas
female colleges are boarding schools ant
the mere living in community of brigh
and intelligent schoolmates, under su
pervislon of highly educated teachers
cannot fail to develop independency
consideration for others, unsel6shnes
and other desirable characteristic whic
more or less spoiled girl could neve
acquire at her own home and in the SC
ciety of more or less indulgent parent
and friends. They also learn, and that
1 not to be underestimated, that a goo
: education, pleasing manners, and
cheerful disposition, are much NOR
admirable attributes for girl than tn
9 mere possession of money, good clothes
: and jewelry. 1880.
$ $ The Stage as