Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-03-04
LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP,
Emotionalism and Labor Troubles
Women and the Girl
Strikers.

With the iaunty air characteristic of
the American man when considering the
vagaries of his woman kind, the editor
of an important paper recently referred
to the gushing activities of college girls,
and the alumnae of women's colleges, in
regard to now famous strike as being
on the whole desirable. even though they
do not always take into account the
rights of employers. The contention of
this editor is that it is wholesome thing
to bring the well-to-do girl into contact
with her poor sisters, however perniclous
or futile her efforts in their behalf may
be; but while one may admit the truth OF
this so far as the well-to-do girl is con-
cerned, it is open to criticism from the
point of view of the poor sister.
A more complex matter than this par
ticular strike it would have been diff
cult for the amateur philanthropists to
have found, or to have prec1pltated them
selves into. and the astonishing thing TO
those who think women ripe for suffrage
is that the cOllege-bred women among
the champions of the girl strikers should
have made no effort to get at the facts
of the whole situation. The agitation
has been based on the assumption that
it was all a clear case of oppression,
and that the employers have been who'll
ly in the wrong and on this theory, halls
various kinds of disorderly conduct coun-
tenanced. But when the strife had been
raging for weeks, and after some manu-
facturers had been forced to the vail,
a volunteer cOmmittee-headed by DIS
tinguished physician-did some research
work including inspection, on it's own
account. and its recently published re-
port ought to sober up the women enthu-
siasts who have rushed into the fray
without really knowing what the row
between immigrant girls and the largely
foreign employers is all about
One interesting development is that so
far from being a girls affair solely, the
men employees number from 20 to 40
in some instances 50-per cent. of the
working forces, while another pregnant
fact is that the whole industry lacks
proper organization, and therefore that
the most urgent need is not a fierce bat
Ting for imaginary rights OH either side,
, nut the development of an intelligent
plan of business procedure. And this
| certainly Is not likely to be brought to
| pass by inflammatory appeals to immi-
grant girls to stand out for their rights
whatever those may be. Indeed. the
! result for the poor ignorant girl is de-
| plorable, as she is encouraged to enter
| tain opinions, and to commit lawleSs
acts that not only heget her arrest, but
| that are likely to make her an embit-
| tered member of the community and Ito
| her own discomfort to urge her toward
| anarchism.
As for the women of position. and es-
| pecially the college-bred women, their
reckless championlng of a cause which
| it has been proved they have never taken
the trouble to investigate thoroughly
that necessary job having been left to
be underta ken by others-has been a sad
| commentary on their boasted superior
/ ity. If the gentler sex is to continue
without Tor perhaps later with the bal
lot. to interest itself practically in i'm
portant public questions, it is suggested
! that it take to heart the teachings of
the homely old maxim. which lays such
stress upon preliminary study.-Look be-
| fere you leap!-Vogue.