The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1906-12-06
What the American Federation Of Labor has
Accomplished for
THEIR EMANCIPATION AND I1p1 1FTrNc
now 0reat Many Other Forces IN Society Could Aid in the
Good Work as Viewed by Eva Mcdonald Valesh-
All Women Should Lend Helping.

Club women find much intel
lectual stimulus in their varied
lines of work. They are able to be
helpfdl in many movements for
good government and good citizen
ship. 1t is an evidences of the
broadening of their work that in
many sections they are beginning
to make inquiry as to what has
been done for wage working women.
They are beginning to ask, "What
can we dos
Naturally the vast majority of
working women have neither time
nor opportunity to avail them
selves OF the many avenues of self
improvement which the moro fortu
nate woman, who is not com PEELED
to work for daily wages may find
i'll her club association. Yet there
is no doubt but the average wage
working woman would be glad to
avail herself OF similar intellectual
and social activity were her con.
ditions OF employment such tha
she could find time and strength tc
take up some of the diversified
lines OF work which proftably oc-
cupy SO many club women.
When club women ask what has
been done to make life more livablc
for wage-earning women, tho
answer is, that SO far the Ameri.
can Federation Of Labor is the only
force in society which has concern.
ed itself to any great extent with
active and practical work for the
advancemedt of wage earning
women.
The advent of woman into the
industrial world is comparatively
recent, so that the American
Federation of Labor in the twenty
five years of its existence has had
ample opportunity to know how
unjust, how degrading, have been
the conditions which have sur
rounded women workers.
AS d new element in compara-
lively new industrial system, wo
man has suffered severely from the
very first. The American FEEDER
alton of Labor, either in it's direct
work Of organizing the wlg learn
ing woman into trade unions or in
the more indirect, but far. reach
ing movement for the cultivation
Of an enlightened public opinion as
to her wrongs and her rights, has
done a remarkable work, and one
for which it has received little ap-
probation outside the ranks of
those it has helped.
Women of the shop and factory
have suffered even more than men
in the modern march Of CONNER
cialism. Women, as less able to de-
tend themselves and less cognizant
of their rights in the industrial
world, have in many cases, been
the victims of treatment so heart
less as to be almost unbelievable,
Much has been accomplished by
the American Federation of Labor,
but much more remains to be done.
Every organization, every indi-
vidual working for the betterme f
of society, is concerned in the con-
dItions under which wage earning
women work and what life means
to them outside of their daily toll.
Ii other women, more fortunately
situated, will exert themselves to
aid the working woman to obtain
just and fair conditions of employ.
ment, they will be doing a work
quite as important as any which
has ever engaged their attention.
Such work must be undertaken,
however, in the broad spirit of be.
ing willing to first thoroughly in-
form themselves as to what has
been accomplished, what
are the gr latest abuses now in exist
NE, and what is the best way of
cooperating with the forces al
ready at work on the problem.
Surface ph 1anthropy and pat
ronlzing attitude are even more ex-
asperating-to the victim-.n eco-
nomic relations than in some OH ,r
directions. I by no means wlsl to
imply that club women as a rule
approach their work III any such
spirit. Earnestness, thoro1ghn SIS,
md an intelligent unselfshness