The sun., 1908-01-12

4 HlINIUNINNN
shows that occupations are interchangeable
between the sexes. In many tribes the
tanning Of hides. the gathering and
preparation OF material for clothing as
well ~ sewing are in the hands Of the
women, but in east central Africa all the
family's sewing is done by the men, and 40
much has custom made sewing strictly
the work Of the male that a wife "can obtain
a divorce II she can show a rent in her petit
coat In ancient Peru men did the spin
ming and weaving and women the field work.
In Abyssinia the washing OF clothes for both
sexes is done entirely by the men. and among
certain Arab tribes all the needle work is
performed by them. Generally among
savages hunting has been wholly in the
hands Of the men. yet in British Columbia
among certain Indian tribes the women
have been found to be nearly as good hunters
a. the men. Among Tasmanians il was
thu women who were accustomed to dive
for fish, to climb the tall. smooth barked
gum trees for opossums. and to dig up the
roots with sticks in addition to looking
after their children. Fighting has mostly
been done by the men. yet women have
engaged in battle occasionally and even
habitually among the ancient Teutons.
recently In Australia and Africa, The
AmASons OF Dahomey are historic. and
while their feats may have been exaggerated
the fighting quality OF a regiment Of female
warriors numbering about 2. 500 was vouohed
for by Capt. Burton as late at 1852. when
he saw them marching on an expedition.
These fighting women are carefully trained,
and in the mimic warfare in which they are
sometimes exhibited by the King to foreign
visitors they have shown remarkable pow
ers OF endurance. fortitude and apparent
insensibility to pain. In a word. there is
but little work usually deemed proper for
man alone that woman has not done. and
very little OF woman's work. 80 called. that
has not In some tribes been done by men.
While men are ordinarily taller. larger
and stronger than women, Of which fact
Darwin has doubtless given the correct
explanation. contrary instances have been
observed among some tribes where the
women are as large and strong as the men
and better formed. fact which doubtless
may be accounted for by q difference in
social customs DR.. Densmore submits
that. II We accept Darwin's theory that the
superior stature and strength Of man are
due 20 his struggles. exercises and outdoor
life. We have suggested therein formula
for developing woman to plane Of physical
equality with her brother. The formula
is simply to induce women 20 take up out
door life and pursue such exercises and
occupations as have proved physically
useful TO men. Our author reminds us
that an encouraging start has already
been made in this direction. During the
last two decades eminent educators have
strongly urged girl students and women
generally to engage in athletic and out
door sports. with the result that many
have taken up bicycling. golf. swimming.
tennis and even basketball. Il is popularly
believed that the girls and women Of this
generation are markedly taller. stronger
and healthier than those OF a generation
ago. DR.. Densmore. indeed. would not
deny that the American game OF football
is too arduous for girls to engage in. or that
basketball as sometimes played may be
also. but he denies that the abuse OF any
exercise is an argument against a reasonable
use Of it.
II is unquestionably true that thirty or
forty years ago the great majority Of well
conditioned and cultured people looked
with horror on the proposal that woman
should be admitted to colleges and per-
mtted-to invade the professions and other
gainiui occupations previously mOnopolized
by men. At that time the only OCCUPATIONS
outside Of the home that were open to
women were teaching, sewing and do
mestic service. The barriers are now
broken down. and as compared with the
circumstances in which she found herself
half a century ago woman has entered into
an industrial and professional paradise.
By the census Of 1900 the gainful occupa-
tons Of women in the United States and
the number employed in each Of them
are classified, and il appears that the total
number Of females thus occupied is ,929 900.
as compared with "a 200 900 males. Nearly
100000 were engaged in domestic service,
over $4,000 in manufacturing. $4,000 in
agriculture, sos 900 in trade and transporta-
ton, and 43I 900 in professions, down to
ss 600 stenographers and ~ 900 telephone
and telegraph operators. Among unusual
empoyments OF women we find that 5,5s2
are BARRIERS, $3.50 steel and iron workers,
LIS workers in tin, 2,0s6 saloon keepers,
i,e47 stock raisers, l.759 painters, 1870
hunters, 0O6 draymen, so7 watchmen,
policemen and detectives. There were
57l machinists, a. civil engineers, l9S black
smiths, rs longshOremen and n stevedores.
OF bankers there were 253 and Of brokers As.
In fne, women are engaged in all but nine
OF the 3O2 breadwinning occupations OF
the country. According to a report OF
the census bureau dated May, 1907, the |
number Of women at work more than
doubled in the twenty years from 1880 |
to 1900. As the new life upon which women
are entering is made up OF the exercises
and struggles that tend to develop the
faculties and powers in which until lately !
they have been deficient it 10 probable /;
that year by year women will he found !
in m increasing proportion in all profess !
sonS and in all callings requiring intel I!
hgence, indnstry, sobriety, Conscientious I:
ness and the higher traits generally.
"
II Womans general inferi ority TO man
at the present time has Deen brought about |
by environment and heredity, and by those |
agencies alone, one would expect to find !
occasional examples Of individual women !
manifesting the same mental powers that |
make men eminent. This is precisely what |
has happened. Confning himself to |
strictly historical facts. the author adduces |