The Washington herald., 1913-02-23
WOMANS ACTIVITIES DUE
TO ECONOMICAL UPHEAVAL
Women Are Rendering Efficient Service in the Industrial
World, as Private Citizens and as Public Officers.

ing. The average yearly income of the
Polish men is $S75 for the larger percent
age Of them, and s25 for the smaller.
| The typical cost OF living for a working
| mans family in Buffalo Is from $365 to
sT35, which is from sll0 to SEQ more than
he receives. There is hardly need Of re-
cording the result. which is, of course,
that, out of the whole number of Polish
women, 81 per cent are In factories, and
all the rest are in hotels, laundries, junk
and rag shops. Surely no one would call
this condition due to "deplorable rest
lessness'' in women,
The census report of 1903 showed that
1875 per cent of industrial wage-earners
in the United States were women-the
proportion increasing yearly.
The story of woman's work in remuner-
ative occupations Is, in the main, one
that wrings the heart with pity. for her
hours have been exhaustingly long. her
wages tragically small. and the condi-
tions surrounding her labor often SO in
sanitary as to impair her health. for
which conditions there are, of course.
logical reasons.
Temporary Expedient.
There are two facts which have made
II impossible for the vast army OF women
who are wage-earners Qargely in the in
dustries) to command pay commensurate
with their work. and more humane hours
The first Of these Is that woman usually
resorts to money earning as temporary
eXpedient TO tide her over until she mar
ries, or. II she Is married already. she
often assumes mans burden because the
legitimate bread winner for her family is
sick, or because his wages are INSULT
cient TO meet the cost of living. The
cause does not so much matter as the
fact that she is there temporarily, and
because OF this temperatures she has not
equipped herself for the work she does
as has the man who expects to make u
his life business In her case she works
when pressed into earning money by real
and actual need. and only so long as this
pressing need exists.
The knowledge OF these thousands of
bread-winning women, who are working
under such conditions, goes further per-
haps than any other cause to turn the
thoughts of women who avc well up in
cultural circles toward the improvements
accredited women in public affairs, among
which is their effort In almost all the
beneficient and humane enterprises; their
tremendous work toward the improve
ment OF the common lot Of those who
do the menial work OF the world; their
for pure milk: their revival
of juvenile citizens leagues; education
of housekeepers in sanitary conditions.
with the object OF their improvement:
investigation into the evil influences of
many amusements which attract the
young American girl; the establishment
of Fairgrounds in the congested districts
of large cities, and other works equally
as vital
Her Remarkab able Activities.
Prof. Beard says. in setting forth the
facts which concern womans contribu-
tion to civic interests. that ''it is highly |
probable that the next few years will
see the widespread enfranchisement of
and in summing UP the evolu |
tion of city government, he adds:
Any fair valuation Of popular move !
nents in cities to-day must take into !
account the remarkable activities of
women as private citizens. electors, and
public officers. Since 1889 Kansas has had
at least twenty women Mayors. Recently !
the auditor of Pueblo. the treasurer OF
Ieadville, the city clerk OF Colorado
Springs and one of the aldermen in Du-
range, all We're women. They are rem
dering as efficient service their male 4.
colleagues in office, and In many in |
they have made marked i'm !
provements on their accession to office"
Yet, a man accredited with intelligence
and broad -mindedness sat in my office the
other day and informed me that women
do not possess the capability 10 VI der .
stand civic affairs" and that ne, for one.
would fight their effort to gain an equal
say-so with man in the making of the
laws which govern their conduct no less
than they govern his.
Doesn't II make you smile?