The Hattiesburg news., 1909-08-10
TO PROTECT EA 40
Of French WORKINGWOMEN
London Times.

of some enormously large and impor-
tant subject, such as the debate on
church and state, often makes one
thing more of playground for a lot
of amusing school boys than House
of Representatives. There does
however, occasionally crop up some
proposition de loi" which is of in.
terest, and it is of such a one that
am about to speak.
The gentleman's name is NJ. Grus
jean, and his proposition partakes Of
the nature of the married women s
property act in England. What he
asks for is the protection of the
gains and salaries of the married
women" and his aim is to protect
the women of the lower classes, for
married women of the lower classes
work in this country, and do not
as in England, sit and mind the
home. Take, for instance a married
couple in the country. One of them
is perhaps not quite as strong as it
is necessary for the successful peas
ant to be. For the peasants in
France work very hard, and what, /
am afraid, the British workman
would not call "nourishing food is
their lot-eggs, vegetables and vege-
table soups, with perhaps meat once
a week, being all they are in the habit
of having.
| They then decided to come to
Paris leaving their progeny with
the parents of one of them, or else
out at nurse. In either case they
have to pay for the board and lodg-
ing, not to mention the clothing
of their child or children. In Paris
they go out as domestic servants
together if they can. separately If
they can't Well, every sou the wo-
man earns she has to give to her hus
band. AS a rule l am bound to say
the husband is a good, quiet sort of
man, whose sole dissipation is a
glass of absinthe or some other
"aperitif," which he takes now and
again out of his wages, sending the
rest and the savings of his wife to
the bank for a rainy day in the case
of trouble to either one of them. or TO
the "petiol." But the people to be
provided against are the bad-natured
men, "les coureure," as 1t is quantity
put, absinthe drinkers, and those who
think only of themselves, and not at
all of 'la famille." Such men exist |
in every country, and their wives hav-
ing been already protected against
them in England, it seems only fair
that they should be so protected in
France, where the woman is far more
likely to work after marriage than in
other countries.
M. Marcel Provost, who has given
us in the past such beautiful inklings
into the life of the dainty and per.
fumed "Parisienne," the graceful little
whose couple is "boudoir
roulant," and whose "etat dame" is
given to sudden changes, writes on the
subject a most excellent letter. which
appears in the Figaro on the subject
If the defense of quite another tyre !
Of womanhood-that of the humble
little worker of whom have Just spok.
IN. NJ Marcel Provost should like
o remark. ought to receive palms for
10 very kindly sticking up for the
air sex, for was it not he who, some S
ime ago, was pursued by an infuri-
ted lady, and made by her to appear (
n the full light of the most odious
ind of publicity? I fancy so. And I
ct here We find him again interested {
\ women, and this time not at all in /
he kind of women which furnished '
i'm with types for his "nouvelles let t
'es de femmes, and for his still bet. s
er known, and toh, vombien shok S
lgD "demi vierges." Well this il
reat authority on matters feminin Il
lys that he thinks that the intention o
NJ. Georges Grosjean is surely one Of
at is much to be praised. But that e.
his (the novelist's) opinion, what Ia
, is to be reproached with is his man.
r of presenting the subject and his pl
mt of boldness. st
To quote NJ. Marcel Provost: "The di
thor appears to be too anxious that to
should not be taken for the cham tr'
m of Les Droits de Ia Femme" by
ly He seems to say, for example. da
he woman has in her 'menage," as e1
property all that she gains" Is say OF
that equal to declaring a principle th'
; le of bringing about the disso- no
- Of family life. Is it using revc' lor
mar, language? It is a good thing ou'
,oal, of a right as a right, and OF tin
buse as an abuse. Ing
" right of the woman to dispose OF
K, of her gaIns once established, no
o GAINS will he protected, as is tlh
tber property; by the general law. OF