Newark post., 1913-01-01
Working Day
For Women

f an eight-hour day be regard
ed as long enough for a Federal,
State, or municipal employe, and if
a ten-hour day be regarded as long
enough, and, by many persons, too
long, for a strong working man.,
what reasonable ground is there
for the contention that a ten-hour
working day is not long enough for
IA woman, who, as a rule, is weaker
than a man? There are special rea-
sons why the girls and women of a
nation should be protected from the
injurious effects of a long working
day. Those reasons. which bear vi
tally upon the future of our nation,
are known so generally that it is
needless to discuss them here. 1t
seems to us that men employers of
women who now work such employ
es 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 woman
or girl who, by stress of circumstan-
ces, is compelled TO work outside
her family circle. In years gone
by it has been the theory Of many
employers of women and girls that
they should be overworked and un-
derpaid. 1t is poor commentary
upon modern times that in our
country there are thousands of en-
@'S' oHiE $Sn way sRs Ys@lss y e yet
hold that theory. There is, how
ever, hope for the future in the fact
that women and girls are coming
to realization Of the true worth OF
their services and what constitutes
A fair days work for fair wage,
and that, in their work for shorter
hours and better pay, they have the
support of many noble-minded and
public-spirited men and women in
this and 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 fight.
ing to retain what he has won and
to gain other things to which he
thinks ne is entitled. The victories
he has won have been, as a rule, the
fruits of organization and cooper
alton, supported by far-reaching
and overwhelming public senti
ment
The industrial and commercial
emancipation of working womer
and girls will come in the same way
The agencies which are working
now to bring it about are organiza
ton. agitation, cooperation, deter
mination and legislation. The wag'
and working conditions desired b.
and for women and girls in the i'll
dustrial field will not come in
week, month, or year. The figh
must be prosecuted step by step
and the ground won must be hel'
against all comers while the strug
gle continues on new ground. Tha
is the plan of campaign that Is be
ing pursued in Delaware and Il
every other place where any ar
preciable measure of progress in tn
mancipatiOn movement is beln
made. Where there is one employ
er of women and girls who volur
tarily will give to them hours
wages and working conditions t
which they are entitled, there al
one hundred who grant them onl
when recOurce is had to compulsiol
1t will be seen, therefore, how nece!
sary it is that any movement
shorten the hours or lcngthen tn
wages of working woman or gil
shall have behind it intelligent d
rection and influential force, an
how vital it is that the energy e!
erted shall not be scattered an
made impotent, but that it shall |
concentrated and made effective. |
short, it would be the height OF foil
to endeavor to remedy IN one yea
all the injustice suffered by wor]
ing women and girls. Such an e
fort probably would result in not
ing of practival value because II
energy of those working in a goo
cause would be distributed in t(