New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-06
Now It's "Self-Raising" Children, and Frank
p. Walsh, Chairman of Industrial Rela-
tons Commission Who Advocates Them.
Confesses He Doesn't Understand
Talk About Mothers Bringing Up"
Their Young Urges More Liberty and
Less Compulsion in Child Training.

TO sEy-isn't it, really? Because
women always have worked, of course,
When we hear all this hue and cry
about women working | can't help be
ing a trife amused. II sounds for all
the world as if women had always sat
around home doing nothing but anus
ing themselves, and then suddenly a
great whistle had blown and they'd all
got up as one woman at the signal and
gone into factories and stores and
shops and Offices. And some people
seem to think that some day that same
whistle VIII blow again, and at the
signal women will 90 back to their
homes and stay there. Strange what
sCme people do think, isn't it?"
"Will you say anything about the
work which women have done for the
commission in comparison with that
which men have done?"
There isn't anything to say, really,
except that they've done work, just as
men have. A number Of our investi-
gators have been women, and Marie L.
Obensuer has been in charge Of the
special Investigations in regard TO
women in industry. As regards women
on the witness stand in general, am
reminded OF lawyer who said once,
When you are cross-examining
woman. it is just like sticking your
hand into barrel of rattlesnakes of
course you may not be bitten
Women Make Disconcerting Witnesses.
"Of course il sounds foolish TO talk
as if there were any real, defined diff
ference in men and women when it
comes TO intelligence or answering
questions. But it has seemed to me
sometimes that there was certain d.
rectncss about women that men don't
have. Sometimes this is disconcert-
ing.
81 remember once wncn was 9
young lawyer beginning to cross-ex-
anime an elderly woman whom / had
known all my life. That would have
been all right if it were not for the
balancing fact that she had known me
all my life. / don't suppose anybody
can feel any great respect for a man
whom she remembers from his knickcr-
booker days. Anyway she didn't feel
any for me. Nor did she hide her feel
ings, for as ! began TO question her,
she said to me in a determined tone:
Now, look here, Frank Walsh, don't
you try to tangle me up and get me to
tell something which isn't so. For you
can't do it. 1t was disconcerting, but
TO quote Kipling, 4 learned about
women from err"
"Of course, on this commission that
directncss is just what we want. We
are not trying to prove anything. We
are trying to discover facts. And
women have been Of great value TO US
in getting at the truth Of things. But
then, so have men"
"Has the commission given any spe-
cial attention TO women in Industry"
| asked.
Eyes, and there will be at the hear
ing in Chicago testimony about women
and their work. Marie l.. Obenauer has
had charge of that branch of our in
and will bring out many in
teresting things. There will be COM
prehensive reports on the work of
women in department stores and in
telephone companies. Interstate com
petition and the minimum wage, as
we'll as the general drift Of industry, |
will be considered
Minimum Wage Desirable.
"You believe in the minimum wage"
Eyes. It isn't everything, by any |
means. But il is something. Oh, ] !
know that many people who have given
il a great deal of thought are opposed !
to il, saying that what the minimum .
wage will prove to be is maximum /
wage, but il seems TO me that it Will I
be one step in the right direction.
"A suffragist? Why. I've been one |
all my life" he said, in answer 10 my .
question. at least, | can't remember /
when it didn't seem TO me self-evi- ,
dent thing that women should vote.
suppose I've heard all the arguments