Evening journal., 1912-12-12
THURSDAY DEC. IL. 1912.
WORk.DAY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS.

NOkk-DAl OF NOMEN AND Gihbe.
n an eighthour day be regarded as long enough
Federal, State municipal ompoye, and II
day be long enough, and by many
persons too long. for a strong working what
sonable ground is there for the contention that ten
hour working day is not long enough for woman,
who a rule is weaker than a man? There spe
cial reasons why the girls and women of a nation
should be protected from the injurious effects long
working day Those reasons, which bear vitay upon
the future Of our nation known generally that
1t needless discuss them here 1t seems to us that
men employers Of women who work such employees
longer than ten hours day should give heed to those
special reasons and fall in heartily with the sensible
argument that ten-hour day is long enough for any
girl who. by stress circumstances is COM
PEELED to work outside her family circle. In years
gone by it has been the theory many employers Of
and girls that they should be overworked and un
derpaid II poor commentary upon modern times that
in our country there thousands Of employers,
and women. who yet hold to that theory. There is.
however hope for the future in the fact that
and girls coming to a realization OF the true worth
Of their services and what constitutes fair days
work for fair wage, and that. in their work for
shorter hours and better pay they have the support
Of undetermined and publc-spirited men and
women in this apd all other States
The campaign by which the working man won fair
hours and wages lasted many decades. and the end is
not yet He still is lighting to retain what he has
won and TO gain other things to which he thinks he
rs entitled. The victories ne has won have BEEN
rule, the fruits Of organization and cooperation sup
ported by far-reachng and overwhelming public senti-
ment
The industrial and commercial emancipation Of work.
ing women and girls viii in the same way The
agencies which working now to bring it about
organization, agitation, cooperation determination
and legislation The and working conditions de-
sired by and for and girls the industrial field
Will not come in a week, month a year. The fight
must be prosecuted step by step, and the ground won
must be held against all comers while the struggle
continues new ground That Is the plan OF campaign
that being pursued in Delaware and in every other
place where apnreciable measure Of progress in
The emancipation movement Is being made Where
there is one employer Of and girls who volun-
tariy viii give TO them the hours wages and working
conditions to which they entitled thcre are one
hundred who grant them only when recourse is had
70 compusion II viii he seen therefore how neces-
sary it is that any movement shorten the hours or
lenghon the wages of working woman or girl shall
have behind it intelligent direction and influential
force and how vital e is that the energy exertcd shall
not be scattered and made impotent but that IT shall
DO concentrated and made effective In short would
be the height Of folly 20 endeayor 70 remedy I'm one
al the injustice suffered by working women aud
grls Such effort probably would result in nothing
of practical value because the energy OF those working
in good cause would be distributed in many chan
neis
In kindred movements it has been found 20 be much
more practical and effective 70 out 10 accomplish
good thing and TO do H. and that DONE to begin
working for the next most important thing that re-
mains to be done in the general ameoraton plan For
instance let us suppose that the working women and
girls in a community worked too long aud too
hard; that their unfair and that the condi-
tions under which they arc compelled 70 work are not
what they ought TO be- There three things which
ought to be remeded The enthusiast might suggest that
effort be made to remedy all Of them at once The
practical worker would taking up one of then,
now, and concentrating an the energy Of the moyenen,
upon the accomplishment OF that desired result leav-
ng the others TO be dealt with in the same effective
way in succeeding concentrated campaigns
peawareans who are in doubt relative 10 the wisdom
Of the ten-hour law movement for working women and
girls that has BEEN nauguraed here by the TenToui
Law Committee should take the trouble to inform
themselves upon the subject Such a law. or something
even better is in force in twenty-nine states in IN,
Union and many Of those States are among the mos
progressive in nation. The Delaware bin viii b,
drafted along the lines Of the laws in those othe
States in which the people hold the opinion that
ten-hour day is long enough for any working woman
or girl who is unfortunate to be compelled I,
go out and work for the support of herself and II
many instances to play the OF the bread-winne
for others