The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-06-16
Women and Public Work
By THE GENTLEWoMAN.

Owing TO the savage inslstence
of some of the country's leading
men on the mental inferiority Of
women there has grown up in some
quarters during the past few weeks
disposition to deny tho utility Of
the public work of women alto
gether. AntaSonistic as these men
are towards the handling Of great
political questions by women, do
not think that even they would 60
TO this extreme.
Their main contention appears to
be that women are prone TO act
from emotional rather than intel
lectual motives, and that in the
consideration OF critical affairs of
state, reason alone should be the
guiding factor. They would not,
however, deny that there are many
branches of public work in which
this quintessential quality Of wom
ms nature can play very impor-
tant part, and indeed Is more likely
to arrive at iust results than the
cold, logical eXactltude of men.
The best answer TO those mlsogny-
nists who deny the utility of wonl-
ems public duties is the magni6-
cent work which is being per
formed by them IN those spheres
of action to which they have ad-
mittance-charitnbl institutions,
the administration Of the probation
duties and educational commit
tees.
While most sane people will ad-
NIT that there ls room for educated
women in certain sections of public
life. il is not SO easy to define what
sections of womanlind should be
allocated to this or that particular
kind Of work 1t is agreed that
the broader the outlook for woman
the more sympathetic and valuable
is her influence in the home, but
the extent of her outlook depends
altogether upon individual circum-
stances-tbe status of the woman
herself, whether she be married or
single. the extent of her family,
and the ability of her husband to
enable her to delegate a portion Of
the response blllties Of the house
hold onto other person s shoulders.
1t is desirable that every wom-
An, whatever her condition may be,
should occasionally get outside the
atmosphere Of home duties. Large
masses of the womanhood of Amer
lea can only do so through read
ing Then it Is impossible for
Young mother to engage in public
duties. Her first duty is towards
her children OF that responsibility
no one can entirely relieve her
When a child s mind begins TO ex-
paUd and the faculties OF his soul
to awaken nothing can compensate
that child for the lack of his
mother 8 compaDionship and care.
II may be an old.fasnioncd idea
but iii is none the less true that
the claims OF the home are para
mount. When = woman undertakes
the duties and responsibilities OF
matrimonv no amount of work done
elsewhere will atone for any neg
lect OF the interests of the house
mold But when these are fulfilled
then by all means LET woman shed
her gracious influence abroad. Rus
KIN spoke IN no uncertain voice on
the question. "Both men and
women have personal work aud
duty relating to their own home,
and public work or duty as mem
bers OF commonwealth.
Sir Almroth Wright suggests
that woman lacks sense of pro.
portion. Is not this due to cen
turies of error during which sho
has enjoyed no breadth of horizon
outside the four walls Of the housed
Apart from the vote, and woman's
entry into the questionable stmos-
phere Of politics. there is nm am
Die field at tho nrnsonf molnpnf for