The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1910-04-07
WORK FOR MARRIED WOMEN.
Professor Thomas Views on Her
Position in the World Of Today.

lieu WOuldll OSSuPJ hNIoNAA' a
few decades ago the question,
even if addressed to advanced STU
dents OF sociology, would scarcely
have been regarded as one invol-
wing anything seriously problem
attic. The answer would be simple
"a married woman should occupy
herself in making d home for her
husband and rearing her children.
Further elaboration of this obvious
answer might suggest that the
ideal wife. In order to make true
home, would participate sympa-
thetically in whatever interests
her husband, and would be I'M
ceasing in her care to provide her
children with high incentives to
right living. But her occupation
would still be limited to that one
sphere of activity-the home.
The sociology of today, how
ever, does not content itself with
the simple answers Of the past.
Woman's position in the world
has become a sort of storm center
with many students of social
science, and the old ideals, popu-
larly voiced in the fCtions of
Dickens and Thackeray, have
been called in question. Copper
fields Agnes may have been capa-
Bile, intelligent, devoted to wifely
duties, but was she, after all, the
best kind of wife? a soCiologist,
in analyzing her character today,
might find her very charming and
lovable, quite superior to Dora,
David's first matrimonial venture,
but he would, in all probability
if he were very up-to-date soCiolO-
gist-dismiss her finally as being
altogether too narrow in her way
of looking at things and making
the best of her opportunities.
Such, at least. would be the at
titude, it is safe to say, of W. l.
Thomas, professor Of sociology in
the University Of Chicago.
A passage in one of Professor
Thomas articles deploring the
"present abnormal and almost i'm
possible matrimonial situation, "
suggested to the interviewer the
opening wedge Of a question::
Why is the matrimonial situation
abnormal and impossible?
because our married women
have not, as a rule, interests and
occupations that render them in
dependent of their husbands, - was
Professor Thomas quiet answer.
dependence of the wife on the
husband is one of the chief Obsta-
Giles in the way of a truly normal,
happy marriage. "
But in rearing children and in
making and running the home is
there not enough work, and of a
suitable kind, for women to under
take?"
A child is only an incident in
the life of woman. The woman
whose activities are restricted to
the rearing of children must in
evitably find herself, sooner or
later, without employment, If
her children furnish her with her
only, or her chief, occupation, she
will be Oslerized at the age of 40
or 80. There is nothing more
serious, OF course, nothing more
important to the future welfare of
the community than the rearing
of children. But the woman who
knows nothing, through her own
practical experience, of the world 5
"-ivities, whose b ORION is
limited by the boundaries of her
home. is really untitled to bestow
the best care on her children and
is preparing for herself an unutter-
ably dreary old age,
"There is no question of
woman's ability" continued Pro-
fessor Thomas, Ito take up the
work of the world. The difficulty
lies in her lack of practice. "
I "And in her strength to add
outside work to her already con-
fning duties as wife and mother, +"
was suggested.