Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1905-05-27

~ 6Ana@ e~AAA - ~ ~ NN@~~~-
High Heels, Etc.-Home Manage
ment Ineomparably Superior to
ANY Business Position-Peculiar
Temptations Of Ill-Paid Shop Girls.
BY MARGARET T. SANGsTE2
(Copyright. 1886. by Joseph b BoWles.)
one reason why the labor Of young
women is discounted in the market is
that their tenure OF a position rs very
uncertain. or example. IN a we'll
known township on New Jersey it has
recently been stated that l6 OF the teach
ers. all presumably young and attract
I've girls. are engaged 10 be married. and
the school board must therefore look
about 20 supply the vacancies thus Gre
Ated
Nobody can fail 90 rejoice that mar
risge Is popular ia The community. and
IL is a sign OF wholesome public morals
and of growing prosperity. when young
men WOO young mallens. and new house
holds are established. But the embar-
rassment aad responsibility of school
boards are doubled. when they must be
always on the lookout for those who are
10 take the places OF the marrying con-
tngent
Equally in other lines than the one al
luded TO. this liability 90 change on the
part Of young women Is a factor In the
bargain A firm Ina New York congrat-
ulated itself ON having in It's employ
ment a young woman OF very marked
ability. an ability that was almost
genius. and of trained technical
%
in the niche she occupied that OF buy
ing goods Of a certain kind In Europe
or America this girl was valuable 10
them, and they raised her salary over
and over But one day she handed in
her resignation. she was engaged 20
man in Arizona and he carried her OF,
IS was perfectly right The only shadow
being that after the firm had given their
laie employe a beautiful wedding pres
ent they found themselves compelled 20
hire two men 20 do what one woman
had done
Business ability is not confined 20 one
sex But a man is very apt 20 remain I'm
good place. and when married he is not
removed from the sphere Of daily labor.
but has every added incentive 20 work
hard and faithfully TO support those de-
pendent upon him.
Women complain. often bitterly. that
there IS unfair discrimination against
them in the matter OF remuneration.
They work as many hours as men, and
they do their WORK as well, they az
firm. and why should they be paid less
than men in the same berths2 Why. In
deed? Candor obliges us 20 admit that
this why is very squarely met 10y little
IT, II women taking them as they come,
not Judging from the exceptions, were as
responsible, as steady. as certain to rem
der smooth. equable and efficient serv-
fee as men are. they would not long have
30 much for complaint.
Women cannot free themselves from
limitations that are in a measure the
hampering conditions OF their physical
life They cannot have, or at least they
do not often have. the immunity from
nerves and headaches and backaches
that men enjoy.
Their dress is against them. The cor
set, that need not be an unhygienic part
OF dress. alas too oIten squeezes in a
girls waist and diminishes her breath
ing capacity. A silly notion that high
heels and pointed toes belong 10 an ele-
CANT feminine shoe. leads too many OF
our girls TO endure agonizing fortunes
when standing for hours on their poor
deformed feet. They sacrifice health anC
comfort to a false ideal; and in ouI
stormy winters. a multitude of women
workers are not warm enough. nor ade
quately protected by useful wraps from
wild wind and frigid weather.
Hence. their days on are taken into
account They cannot be treated pre-
cisely as men are Sex and Nature arr
against il. and theories go down before
natural law
And IL is in the order of Nature, too
that the sweetest girls. the most win
ming. the most capable. shall be sough
IN marriage While there are thou
sands and tens of thousands to be fed
the stress of the labor market will con
tinue 20 force women into the ranks tina
toll Strenuous commercial competi
ton has forced young girls into fac
tories and mills and Offices and shop
the wide world round But not yet ha
1t become general that the wages Of
girl are as the wages Of man. Whel
they are. IL is because in a particula
girl a marked and peculiar faculty, facii
ity of high order. and a rare fdelit
have been discovered.
Nevertheless. I. for one rejoice whe
/ hear that in one small borough ST
young women teachers are at the sam
time engaged 10 be married. and that 1
a larger one, 16 young men have court
ed as many girls and persuaded them {
name the happy day. For home. and nc
business, is woman's true sphere.
Let nobody induce you. dear girl. {
think that any work on earth can for a
instant compare in worth with the tas
of managing a home. or that any homo
Is so great as that OF presiding at one
own hearth. Other Issues dwindle In in
portance before this.
Our girls do not marry at SO early a
age as their mothers and their gran,
mothers did. They are not too east
pleased apd are sometimes repealed /