The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-06-14

swarm Of duties whtch.do not proper
ly belong to her. and which greatly
interfere with her discharge Of those
which do.
British Minimum Wage Contrasted
To return to our unhappy sisters
of the pave: The problem they pre-
sent is not to be solved by the enact
ment of q living wage, although the
public owes women support In their
resistance to inadequate wages and
overwork A living wage must be
enacted In terms of our current mon
ey; and what is adequate today. will
be inadequate a year hence, utterly 80
FIVE years hence. and a good basis
for starvation ten years hence. With
the gold mines of the world pouring
their billions OF the metal into the
worlds bullion markets, what is the
use of enacting that those who work
for us in factory. store or mine
shall receive a specified amount Of
that metal for their work.
And then such an enactment carries
with it the dismissal OF thousands OF
workers who are not worth so much
to their employers, while only the
best will keep their places. This re-
suit has been reached in the British
coal mines, and men who have pass
ed their prime have been turned off
long before they are entitled to an
old age pension. because they cannot
earn the legal minimum wage What
will be the condition OF the Older
American women under that rule, and
who Will take care of themr
.If Men Would Let Us Alonc!"
Nor IL Inadequate compensation for
their labor the cause why so many
women fall into the evil way. The
first reason for that Is In the seduc-
ton OF young women by men. and
that Philadelphia woman says that in
this had business employers have
taken vile part In too many cases
The inexperienced girl is ffattered by
attentions which are as dreadful as
those by which the rattlesnake fascin-
ates bird. and result in a far dark
err tragedy. Along with this diabolical
seduction comes the suggestion of
fine clothes, unhought pleasures, and
all that the foolish woman thinks as
needful to make her lot tolerable.
But in most cases the play upon her
affections Is the chief and the wick
eldest means to her fall. Rarely does
woman sell herself for material adj
vantages of any kind.
That which should have been one
Of the hottest feelings of her heart
Is used Tor ner ruin, ana Inen she Is
cast aside as of no further concern
to her destroyer IT men would let
us alone." comes the cry from the
underworld. and no one can doubt its
sincerity If those who should have
been their protectors and friends, had
not turned their betrayers and their
most deadly enemies, the story would
have been different. even II there had
been neither foolish finery on the one
side, nor starvation wages on tho
other,
Christian Women the Real Power.
The retrieval Of such falls Is the
hardest problem before modern So
ciety. Nothing will be achieved
through the activity Of the police, ex-
cept the suppression OF the White
Slave trafflc. There the State and
the law are on their rightful ground
But they accomplish as good as moth
ing when they attempt TO suppress
vice or reclaim the vicious. For that
we must go back to the example of
Our Blessed Lord who found this I'M
happy class among those who heard
Him gladly, and who rescued them
from a life OF sin to one of holiness.
He invoked no law. He claimed them
as His Fathers children. and the
riGhtful mArnbers OF that holy king
dom. which He came TO establish