The Washington herald., 1913-05-11
French Inspector of Labor
Discusses american Women
Miss Alice de la Ruelle, Expert Judge of Labor
Conditions, Deplores Tendency of Our Mar
ried Women to Work Outside the Home

| the economic conditions governing our
/ working women, brings to us the French
Woman's idea Of the financial independ-
ence OF so many married women when
she asserts that "a wife and mother
VINO becomes a worker outside of her
nome carries two burdens, which is I'M
| fair"
Believes Girls Should Work.
| When asked by a New York newspaper
| woman II she believed that women should
I be self-supporting and that the profess
slons should be opened to them, Mile.
| de la Ruelle said:
peneve that every young girl should
| be taught some work by which she NAV
| make her living until she is married.
but l do not believe in work for mar
| r1ed women. The idea that a man
should support and take care of his wife
| is right
And when asked to assume that the
woman under discussion had no children
| the Frenchwoman chung to her belief
Il suppose II does sometimes happen
| that marriage is blessed with no chill
dren," she said, but always the mar
ried woman has her husband. Let her
keep a charming home for him. Let her
| interest herself in his business"
I'm my country there is a delightful
| Pal lhCI UctWccH the nuSDdQQ ana
wife of the middle class. 1t is a par
nership which extends through every
interest. Perhaps the wife stands be-
hind the counter of his little shop. Per-
haps she is cashier in his bank. Or
maybe she helps him to collect his rents.
Always she Is the sharer in his business
But that Is very different matter from
being a wage-earner outside the home
She is sheltered and allowances are made
n har ha el1 a.
she may stop work. When the baby is
ailing she need not go out. To me this
seems an ideal arrangement.
Protects Her from Wrong Marriage
"Only when a woman is young she
should be independent Mile. de Ia
Ruelle told her interviewer. For then
she need not marry until the right man
comes; the man with whom she can enter
upon a happy partnership"
Mile. de la Ruelle, who Is the first
woman lawyer Of her country, a graduate
Of the University of Paris, says that
there Is still a prejudice in France
against a woman practicing law, but de-
clares that in cases where children are
concerned there is plenty of room in
this profession for her.
And what Is true of law is true of
every other profession" she went on
There Is plenty Of room for women
workers. Only when they marry they
should go. The married woman who has
husband to support her, and who yet
remains a wage-earner, brings unfair
competition to bear on the single woman
who is entirely dependent on her own ex-
ertions."
But suppose there were a minimum
wage prescribed by law for every woman
worker. We've been hearing so much
about that lately. What do YOU think
Of it?'' Miss de la RuelIe was asked.
French Girl Economist.
att might help" she answered ct do
think that the girl who cannot earn
morally enough money to live on will
often adopt an immoral livelihood. But
the girl who knows how can get along
on so little! The French girl, for ex-
ample knows so many little economical
contrivances. She buys her bit Of din
ner and cooks it herself. deliciously in
stead of paying more for an unappe-
tiZing meal at restaurant. And as for
her clothes-well. she can turn and twist
and retrim her last years gown until it
is a miracle of style and good taste.
And all the time she is studying and
working to fill better position"
Miss de Ia Ruelle praised the American
mans chivalry to woman; his fairness
to her in the business world, and added
another word of commentator for the
splendid way in which she declares
American working women stand by each
other-praise as earnest as was the ex-
preston of her regret of the growing
inclination of American married women
to get out and do a little hustling on
their own account in order to swell the
family Golfer.