The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-10-21

ian Temperance Union, ana While
the victory over the saloon has not
been won, yet untold good has been
done, and with the he'll p of husbands,
fathers and brothers success will
eventually crown their efforts.
The public school unions which
are being organized in many towns
afford both women and men an op
portunity to assist the schools in
the proper training of the rising
generation. Public spirit should
fill a large place in woman's heart
besides the elastic duties of wife
and mother.
In no other country do women en-
joy, under the sanction of custom,
such freedom in going where they
please, and doing what they please
as here in the great republic. A lady
may travel alone from one end of
the country to the other and no
social law has been violated, and If
our girls wished to become con-
ductors on the trolly-car lines, as
they have in Chill, or take up al
most any other line Of labor hereto
fore performed by men only, they
would be subjected to little if any
censorious criticism.
The extent to which women are
employed in productive pursuits
will be shown in the 1910 census.
More than ten million women are
today employed in gainful occupa-
tions in this country, roughly dis
tributed as follows: Four million
in domestic service; one million
agricultural! laborers; three million
in manufacture; one million in
trade and transportation; one mill
ion in the professions. The lines of
work in which women are most
commonly employed are as: teach
ers. dressmakers, laundresses, tex
tile workers, saleswomen, stenog-
raphers, retail dealers, bookkeepers,
telephone and telegraph operators,
and clerks. The last census showed
women engaged in some unusual
positions as follows: 253 bankers,
45 brokers, 1871 officers of banks,
1888 manufacturers and officials of
companies, l53 builders and con.
tractors, PSI wholesale dealers, 154
boatwomen and sailors, 879 watch
women, policewOmen, and detec-
tives, 50 bootblacks. 1920 hunters,
2O motOrwornen and Chauffeurs, 13
street car conductors, 81 break
women,7 steam car conductors, 2
roofers, 1875 plu ni>trs, IS plasterers,
167 brick and stone masons, 241
paper hangers, l75 painters, $40 car
painters, II mechanics, 1913 black
smiths, 81 machinists, 1870 workers
in iron and steel, 500 brassworkers,
1173 workers in tin, 100 lumber
women, l13 woodchoppers, 373 saw
mill employees, 40 bartenders, 2086
saloonkeepers, 9M draywomen, 1924
undertakers, LII stationary engi-
neers and tirewomen, 1917 stock
raisers, 400 electricians. 81 civil en-
gineers, 3 mining engineers, II sur
veyOrS, 24S chemists, II Stevedores,
7S lonyshorewO,nen, and 1892 bar
berS.
In some parts Of the country there
are strong prejudices to the en-
trance OF women into industrial life.
These objections are mainly theo-
er place for woman is in home
supported by man." their willing
ness to accept low pay; the bad con-
ditions under which they are fire..
quently forced to work, with the re.
sulting injury to health; injury to
morals, from working with men;
| competition with men, depriving
| men Of their occupations, lessening
their respect for women and ire
quently making men dependent
upon women, decentralization of the
home when married women with
young children are employed.
There is no question but the Civil
War period forced many women to
seek employment in gainful pur-
suits, and having once got taste
of industrial life, they will never
| relinquish the hold they now have.
There are advantages arising from
the entrance of women into the in
| dustrial field. These advantages
may be summed up as follows: the
| training resulting from industrial
life under social rather than per.
sonal relations; the development of
| technical skill and the utilizat ton
of special abilities; the breadth of
| view obtained from contact with
men, the moral training of selfsup
port; and the importance OF econo.
mic independence.
! Many reasons are offered by the
laiety why women receive lower
wages than men. To the politica
economist few points are plain
why her wages are low: her position
as new economic factor; her low
standard of living; her frequent
partial support; the insuffic,ency Of
her technical equipment or pvepar'
alton for life's work, often due to
the expecta ton of marriage; the re-
stricted field of employment; he1
! peculiar political position lshe can: