The sun., 1910-05-15
'BRTTGIN'S PENNTLBSS BRIDES
CONDITIONS DUE TO ANTI
OUAFRD PREJUDICES.
Ways 70 IndependenOe Initiating GRls
Int Mystery q Parents Business
AasOeiatlan of Women win MenS
ARaRs-TFagedy - Empty HVes.

ApsOrlatlSn of women win Msn's
ARaRs-TFagedy ~ Empty lives
In an IDEAL condition Of society no idle
woman should live upon the earnings OF
man. says Lady McLarsn IN the London
Daily Chroniels. The WOmens Charter
asks the sympathy Oi husbands bsoausa
Il seeks 10 relieve men Of this great 10
sponsibility. while At the same time f
increases the happiness Of women.
Women contend that All persons In good
health and who have had . suitable tram
ing ought TO be abls TO keep themselves.
and that this applies not only TO men, but
also 20 all women who have no young chill
dren actually dependent upon them
Married women occupied with the rearing
Of children are performing useful and
necessary work for the benefit OF the
State. and Il IL admitted that such women
are rightly entitled TO q provision.
There arc moreover large numbers OF
married women actively engaged In COOK
ing. WashinR. Cleaning and mendinE
who are both OvsrWOrked and under
remunerated for the heavy labor they
perform. Thasa women undoubtedly
earn their livelihood by their own exer-
tions. Wssss, however. to-day thouaands
Of women who have no young children.
Who do personally no cooking. cleaning
or other manual work and who never
tholsss are living upon the earnings OF
men.
This condition Of thIngs b brought
about by the antiauated prejudios OF
sooisty. which locks upon woman a. =
creature waiting TO be q wife and mother
or utterly exhausted after performing
these duties. Thus has arisen a oOndi-
tiOn Of social life which prevents women,
through no fault Of their own, from be-
coming economically independent
Tho actual facts show the error Of this
point Of view. Az the present time leas
than ons-half Of the adult women Of this
country are married. One-quarter are
either widows or will marry. One-quar-
ter never marry.
Women contend that when a man has
supported the mother OT his young chill
dren his responsibility for the feeding
Of adult women ought normally TO DO at
an end. and even In this task tbs WOmen's
Charter seeks 10 hslp the husband. lt
aims by altering the laws Of inheritance
70 secure dowriss for wives. In the case
of parent dying without a will IL gives
20 every daughter q share Of the property
equal 20 that Inherited by every son,
Il further makes the suggestion that \
certain small part Of the property Of every
father and mother should be reserved by
law from the power Of any will and should
he equally divided between the children.
Thus in all CLASSES pOasessing property
no girl could for the future be penniless.
Failing inheritance the charter seess
TO M W every girl such a training as would
NAL . her seif-suppOrtinE. before marriage
al laaat. and u opaRs 20 her branches
Of the public service for which her facul-
ties are fitted In this way q girl who
inherits nothing would b. able 20 earn
her own living and probably also 20 save
somethinR 20 help 90 make q home for
herself aud her childIhn when she might
marry
The German maid servant however
Doorly paid. accumpliahes this by a sys-
Tern 0f State insurance. She contributes
out Of her wages. Her employer and the
State both add 10 the contribution and lon
marriage this accumulated sum Ia handed
10 her England IL the only country In
EUROPE Ia which the bride often comes
pennilesa into her married home.
Even in the higher ranks % society
the evil result u our present system "
evident. Portionless girls Gre taught
70 spend freelv and are CNpected % marry
men able % pay for all thsir acquired
ns,eds In such a position a woman has
a limited choice Ia marriage or n often
landed ln a position a. painful a. u n un-
lust Fvarv father ought 10 consider II
II il night ~ bring up his daughter 20
expect nxurss which she cannot herself
sarn. unless that father proposes 70 leave
her enough money 10 pay Tor them. To
make a woman dependent upon marriage
FOR all the expensive pleasures which she
has been brought up 10 regard ~ neces-
sary IL simply 10 uder her Tor sale
l. Il then suggested that all Dortionless
girls should 70 Oul ~ clerks Or teachsrs2
srtainly not These professions Elay De
useful 20 some. but there is no doubt that
the best Eav Of making women independent
is 20 associate them with commer,e NJ
fathers would initiate their daughters into
he mysteries OF the paternal busineas the
problem Oi making women selt-suppOrting
gould BE- frequently solved
Take for instance the land owning
classes. who under modern conditions
may find themselves in straitened cir
There IL scarcely an es-
late IN the country which could not he
made more productive " daughters
brought into the business youthful energy.
devotion. and scientific knowledge An
H. assa
live agriculture. poultry keeping. central
iiairies and cheese factories. frnt and
vegetable growing. u not fully developed
In addition 70 this the bookkeeping on
many estates leaves much 70 be desired
Tenant farmers accounts are Of ten
Irregularly kept Il indeed they are kept
at all, and without intelligent book
keeping no one can know what branches
0f agriculture aro bringing In profits
TO keep such accounts for every farmer
would bo useful work for wives and daugh-
ters.
II We turn TO the commercial claases We
find tho problem Of wOmen's work might
he solved In much the same way John
Stuart Mil In his book on Political Econ
omy.- points out that In his time most
shOpkeepeFs kept accounts hardly worthy
Of the name and this n oftan true to-day
There IL scarcely a shop or a business
which the energy and talent Of daughters.
ii associated with the management.
might not help 10 improve. In drapery
aud provision warehouse expansion IN
new lines Il almost without limit and many
WOmen are quite capable Of running
subsidiary OfshOota of tho paternal
business with profit both % themselves
and 20 the family.
Even IN tho professional classes. the
aaaociafion Of women with mems work
mil ght bs made 90 heneft society. The
doctors daughters should make up his
medicines In the country, and super
yise his nursing hOms in the town By