The Washington herald., 1911-08-25
READERS CONTEND THAT GIRLS
SHOULD BE TRAINED TO- WORK
UNLESS SURE OF SUPPORT
The resnonse to the invitations EXTEND
BY JULIA CHANDLER MANI.


ed Herald readers to discuss any interest
ing question is always gratifying. In
the present instance it is particularly So
The letters that have been sent me on the
subject of woman's work in the business
world display great depth of thought, ana
the angles from which the matter is seen
are widely different.
Owing to the length of arguments pre-
sented, both pro and con, 1t will not be
possible to publish them all at once, but
each writer's view will be given
eventually, and every reader of The Her
AIDS Page for Every Woman is invited
to send an opinion upon the subject
But Makes Lives Harder.
Here is reply to the letter published
Wednesday from a Washington mother:
Dear Madam-I should like to answer
in a few words the letter written by
mother to The Herald, in which she says
she is training her girls to look with
dread upon working outside of their
homes.
: She is perfectly right, if she is abso-
lutely sure that the support of her girls
will not be taken away before they are
grown and comfortably and happily mar
ried.
up in that way-well able to keep house,
but only that who, through the passing
away of parents and the cessation of in
come have had to go out into the world
and work, and have found the struggle
doubly hard because of lack Of proper
training and dread taught them by the
mother.
Reading both Miss Garside's article.
which started the present discussion, and
seeing Mr.. Kemper's letter contesting
her statements. the Rev. Daniel l. Reed
sends me the following argument:
In The Herald of August q, the read
er's attention is called to four questions.
i. Do you agree with Miss Garside in
her statement that women can accom-
plish the work of two people without
neglecting either occupation?
Cannot Agree with Miss Garside.
IT cannot agree with Miss Garside here;
because the human mind is SO consti-
tuted that it cannot be at its best 5ivid-
ed. Two occupations mean a divided
attention, divided effort, divided energy.
and divided time In such case
neither occupation gets the attention it
should have. and what is the result?
In the majority of cases, half-done work
And a thing half finished is unfinished.
That is why the Good Master in Ma thew.
yi:24, said. no man can serve two masters.
because in the attempt he would half
do it, which is equivalent of not doing
1t at all
Should Train Girls to Earn Living.
DO you think that mothers should
train their daughters to womanhood
with the idea of going out into the world
to earn a living "
ITO this I answer yes. unless that
far iS a m 10 hot
ter sufficient means to live on without
resorting to work outside of the home.
Otherwise that daughter should be
trained to meet and grapple with the
knotty problems of life, whether it will
be her good fortune to escape them or
not.
1T is far better to prepare her for
them, even though it may be her good
fortune to early marry a good man and
escape them, than to neglect this all
important preparation, and in after years
behold her a shipwreck on the shore of
life. All for the lack of early and prop
er training Of self-help.
Good Marriages Exceptional.
'Au girls do not meet with the good
opportunity and privilege of becoming
the wife Of a good man. In this day,
it's rather the exception and not the
rule. Necessity, the mother of inven-
ton. forces upon US self-help. There
fore, no girl, in my humble Judgment,
should brave life's chilly winds without
preparation.
World Better for woman's Work.
''3. Do you believe that homes are nobler,
that the financial status of the world is
better, because of the work of women?
ITO this I must answer yes
There are many homes right here in
this city. to say nothing of the hundreds
of other places, that, We're it not for the
work of some good and faithful wife.
or mother. or daughter, would soon sink
to shame and poverty Indeed, the world
is made better by work of woman. Time
and space will not permit a further
statement
Moral Conditions Higher.
"A Do you think that social or NOR
al conditions are higher for this reason,
or do you think, with Mr.. Kemper, that
close contact with men in business robs
woman of her charm &c.
Il verify believe the social and moral
conditions are higher because of woman
contact
Il cannot agree with Mr.. Kemper that
close contact with men in business robs
woman of her charm. &c. The pres
ence of woman in the commercial world
is one of the most important things that
could happen to man. Instead of robbing
her of her charm. she robs him of his
harm. She acts on him as a refiner,
which makes him more neat in his dress,
more careful in his habits, and more
chaste in his language
woman's Influence Uplifting.
Perhaps it has been Mr.. Kemper's
misfortune to work wholly among men;
hence has not had the opportunity to ex-
perience the beautiful, wholesome, and
uplifting influence woman wields uncon-
sciously over man. and how he in turn
Is cultured and refined in a marked de-
gree because of her immediate associa-
ton. God knew what He was about
when He made Eve for Adams help
meet.
The presence of woman in the shops
stores. public buildings, Offices, &c,
serves as fabrication that prevents the
grind Of the great wheel Of daily activ- |
ity that moves the commercial and in
dustrial world to greater achievements.
- DANIEL L REED"