The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-01-18
Should DAUGHTER Go Out to Work?


When q girl has finished her schooling
and arrived at years Of comparative
maturity, Is it best for her to remain at
home, making herself useful about the
house, or should she seek some kind of
work outside?
This is a question by which many
families are confronted and by which
they are apt to be somewhat perplexed.
Of course, there are cases which do not
admit of doubt. Where the fathers
income is inadequate or only barely
sufficient for the comfortable support
of those who are dependent upon it
there can seldom be much room for
hesitation. As he has spent a large
part of what he has made in rearing
his children he has probably arrived at
middle age without having been able to
set much aside against his declining
days, and where that is the case it is
clearly the duty, and it will nearly al
ways be the desire of his sons and
daughters alike, to assume the burden
of their own maintenance, so that dur
ing his remaining period of productiv-
ity he may be able to save as large
proportion as possible of his profits or
earnings against the contingencies of
the future. Under those circumstances
the daughter will seek some remunera-
tive employment as a matter not of in
clination but of duty.
But suppose the case where the ia
Their is in a position to keep his family
in comfort and to provide for his own
future as we'll, suppose the daughter is
in no necessity whatever to labor for
her bread, but is entirely free to make
her own choice so far as any financial
ic onn0ornnA what fhpn
would be the wisest thing for her to do?
1t is difficult to lay down rule which
shall be of universal application, be-
cause so much depends upon particular
conditions, but it may be said without
much danger of going far astray that
the girl who leaves the shelter of the
home for the turmoil of the market
place merely for the purpose of obtain
ing little more pocket money, or of
enabling herself to dress little better
than would otherwise be practicable,
therein makes a mistake, which, before
all is over, she may expect to have
cause to regret.
There are several reasons which
might be given in justification of this
opinion. One of them is that the young
woman who does not need to work IN
competition with others has no moral
right to do so, because she inevitably
takes the place of some one else to
whom wages are a necessity. More
over. as she is free from the obligation
of supplying her own wants she can at
ford to accept less than living rate OF
pay, and thus, by becoming voluntary
worker, she does those an injury who
are compelled to work in order to pro-
vide themselves with the means OF SUBJ
sistence. These are days in which great
stress is laid upon the rights of the in
dividual, and it will be argued that the
young woman in question is at liberty
to. pursue her own interests, or what
she conceiveS to be her own interests,
without any regard to the welfare OF
others. In limited sense this is true;
the law allows her that privilege.
But none of us living in state OF
civilization are really free, that is IN
morals, equity and religion, to direct
our course by merely selfish consldera-
tions. We are bound to pay some re
because to the community we are IN
debted for most of the comforts and
conveniences we enjoy. The very
basis of civilization is cooperation, and
its progress depends upon our all work
ing together for the common good
The principle of individualism, that is
every one for himself and the devil
take the hindmost, has been carried
too far. 1t dominated the nineteeth
century, but one need not be much of
prophet to foresee that during the CEN
fury now current the contrary prln-
ciple of collectivism will come to the
front and profoundly modify the activ-
tiles of existence.
The conclusion of the whole matter
is that for the young woman who
doesn't have to work for wages home is
| the best place. Philadelphia Enquirer.