The Glenwood post., 1912-05-18
WOMAN DOES DUTY
WHO TRAINS FAMILY

81 am glad 1 left school before they
caused girls to revert to the MEDIEVAL
type cf women by teaching them sew
ing, said Gail Laughlin at the discus
sion luncheon of the home education
department of the Woman's club. "It
is mediaeval to teach girls to sew by
hand. What are sewing machines for?
One would think that all present day
education was to train the little g.r.
to make shirt for father. To make q
shir: for father was the little girl:
highest ambition many years ago
Teaching girls to sew in the publis
school is what fills the porches of no
tells with idle girls and women.''
Those at the luncheon heard lot Of
stars:'ng things about the public
schools, The subject of discussion was
"Praetieability of Educating Our CITY
Girls to Be Self Supporting" Mist
of the speakers on the program didl"
show NJ. Only lAree did, and they
said enough :' keep everybody AMPLY
entertained.
81 know of nothing more utterly
pathetic,' said Ellis Meridith, " than
to visit the public schools and see girls
making clothes that will fit neither
baby nor doll when the hooks and eyes
of their own clothes aren't on speak
ing terms and buttons are dangling
from threads. 1t would be much better
to lock these girls up in booths and
have them apply the needle to their
own clothes.'
"Time and time again. said Miss
Mabel Harding, one of the most sue
cessful public stenographers in the city,
81 have advertised for high school
graduate as assistant. l have seldom
found one who could spell or write in
legible manner.
whenever a girl doesn't like to 90
to school, or doesn't like housework, ;"
added Miss Harding plaintively, "her
parents think she would make an aw
fully good stenographer.
In Gail Laughlin's opinion the con-
ditiOns of today make it imperative
that every woman be trained SO as to
be able to do some thing particularly
well for livelihood.
ga woman" said she, "is pre-emi
nently fitted to be a physician. !
think everyone will concede that.
When one of us is out in the country
with no physician for miles around AMI
We take ill whom do we send for! No.
the nearest man. No, we send for the
nearest woman. Women should be az
chitects. A woman complained to me-
the other day that she couldn't find q
house that didn't have the back porch
below the level of the kitchen, making
poor women take more steps than nec-
essary.'
"The idea that our well to do wonl
en- should not work so as not to de-
hood is criminal. We hear that the
world owes each one of us living. 1t
does, but we owe something also to the
world. For the living the world gives
us We must give commensurate re-
turn in labor. Every person has right
to labor.
"By fostering the idea that the
wealthy must not work we are Great
ing parasites. have seen girls of
wealth who had splendid talents. Be
cause they were foolish enough to fear
the world IS SCORE if they turned their
talents to account they wasted them
No one should have wealth unless he
has earned it.
"It is to the well-to-do woman to
whom Hook for the betterment of the
working woman's condition. 1t is the
well-to-do woman who can raise the
wage scale. She is in a position 20
demand just price for her labor. A
needy woman can demand nothing.
"You used to hear and you still hear
about this or that woman being sup
ported by her husband or male rela
tive. How can woman who is house
keeper, chambermaid, cook and nurse
maid be supportedr She is earning
her living many times over.'
Ellis Meridith referred to the fact
that the chairman of the luncheon
hadn't been notified that she was to
be chairman until two hours before
and most Of the speakers invited had
not been asked in time and then gavs
little dig at her sex.
cit is just another instance of wom-
ans unbusinesslike ways" she said.
"Did you ever hear of an organization
of women carrying out programi"
"Did you ever hear Of men carrying
out ones" interrupted Gail Laughlin.