Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-07-13

By Frederic J. HaSkin

ever, is being done with the greatest efficiency in
Europe, and in Germany the women are said to be
even stocking and working before giant blast fur
But it is significant that large percentage
of relief work is concerned with such employees
The physical endurance of women is not a mat
ter that can be accurately gagged and determined
When the so-called frail first entered the bust
ness world there was great hullabalOo concern
ing its physical unf1tneSs, but the survived
with disconcerting success. But individual.
either man or woman, can work for long hours at
one occupation, do night work and overtime, eat
poor food and remain physically fit Nor he
possibly be efficient. France and England have
found that laborer does less work in ten hours
than in eight
So far as the unmarried woman is concerned,
the drawbacks to industrial opportunity linn
tied. Many such must support families in the place
of father brother, but usually there is
mother to look after the smaller children and the
home. Some manufacturers dislike to employ any
but unmarried women Shortly after the United
States declared war, cotton mill owner in the
south made tour of all the towns and rural dis
tricts of his section and offered employment to
many unmarried women as he could find who were
dependent upon their married sisters. The position
of such women, Of whom there is a large number
throughout the south, is often unpleasant. They
are expected to do the work of servant In the
household without pay. The married sister usual
ly considers 1t a favor to have her sister there
at all.
The cotton mill owner recruited whole army
of unmarried sisters therefore, and then he built
hotel The hotel had conveniences and facilities
that most of the women had never seen before
Each woman paid from $40 to $50 month
for her services in the mill and had a room and
bath to herself free of charge.
Such an institution Is too nearly ideal to be
common. The usual factory worker lives in a ten
ement, eats too little food gets too little fresh air
and outdoor exercise. Take the Italian quarter OF
New York. for example, where the women are all
foreigners and mostly ignorant-so ignorant that
they believe that New York is the United States
Ask an italian woman, who should have gone to
school, but hasn't IL she was born In the United
States, and she will often answer, "No-in jersey
Or If she happens to be foreign-born ask her how
she will say years How long have you
lived in New York;" you inquire
IT toll you-seven years!" she WIN reply
In this quarter most Of the women are what
might be termed industrial specialists The ma
jority of them, too, are married. They are away
from their homes at work the greater part OF the
day and as might be expected, the homes are In
bad condition, the rooms dirty and unsanttary and
the children undisciplined or cared for.
Conditions are worse in this section than IN
most places. They may not be regarded as repre-
sentative of the whole country. But here Is e1-
actly the married woman employees great indus
trial problem-the of her children. It is a
problem which has many phases In most cases.
the children would be much better OF under
mothers supervision, but 1t has also often proved
better to have the household payroll in the hands
of the mother. The married woman worker will
rapidly become more numerous as the war goes on
Her problems must be worked out in practice
rather than in theory. What Europe has done
will preyent some mistakes but for the most part
the United States will have to learn for itself.
The nation can count natural aggressiveness and
pluck of the American woman to keep her from
being unduly imposed upon. Supplemented by
wise local and national legislation her fight for
proper working conditions has every prospect on
success. a