Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-03

anu you SOlNt "'''N
her problems"
| That was the way pr. Kate BALDWIN
! one OF the best known women physician'
( in the city, many OF whose patients are
working girls, tackled the question OF
how the thousands OF women VINO na'e
responded to the war emergency ca
for help in the industrial world can best
maintain their physical proficiency
What the war is going TO do FOR
women has been the fabric OF many d
rosy dream in the feminine brain. III
is a question 80 intriguing that IL mas
fairly obscured tie more vital ono OF
what the war Is going TO do TO women
Doctor Baldwin is Of the firm belief
that. given the proper costume, a WORK
ing day of a reasonable number OF hours'
sanitary surroundings and equal pay
with mem the women will come out
Of their war experience healthier ana
better for having had the opportunity
to express themselves in all varieties OF
work.
CALAMITY HOWLEES MISTAKEN
Alarmists speak fearsomely Of occu-
pational diseases that are likely to re-
suit from the wholesale projection OF
women into the industrial world others
20 so far as to say that the next gem
Grafton will show the effects OF the
heavy toll and that nation OF puny
weakings impends. Still others pre-
dict viciousness and Generalization as
the outcome Of the close association OF
women and men IN the same workshops.
a fourth party of calamity howlers
points to the increased incorrigibility
among the children Of Great Britain
,t,, ita. oil ~
4 nth party advances the argument
that woman. whose work has not been
so we'll organized as mans. will be ex-
ploited and that the soldiers returning
from the trenches for their jobs Will face
AN industrial world disrupted.
These problems exist. No one denies
Il. But what sane persons do deny il
that, given the proper attention, thev
constitute any real menace. The Com
sumers' League is at present engaged in
making an exhaustive survey OF the con-
ditions under which women are now
working, and other investigating com
mittees are similarly occupied. IL is
expected that a vigorous protest VIII be
launched against WORKING women at
night, even at Government contracts,
and it is expected that suffragists, So
biologists and wise-thnling persons gem
crally will work their utmost to prevent
any slaclening of the child-labor laws.
The exnerience Of Great Britain ana
France, which countries rushed their
women and children into waf-enlerseh'y
work without due reflection on the con-
sequences. only to find after a year
marked decrease in production Is eN-
pected to be salutary.
BIOOMERS FOR WORKING WOMEN
"Rut women must lave the proper
costume" Doctor Baldwin insisted, u
they are to be efficient, happy workers u
is ridiculous for women 10 attempt 10 w
any work that requires leg moNenie"'
and do it as quickly, as safely ana as
iwell as the men whose places they take
If they are hampered with skirts.
81. ct them get into boomers, IL $ 'he
most becoming costume, anyway, FOR
woman to attempt to farm successfully
i'm skirts or to work in machlne shop
or even to run the machines III 'Ie eN-
tile factories in skirts Is utterly '''''
ulous ,.,t
"Ru, to nut women on the very heari-
es, Kind of work, like sweeping railroad
tracks and that sort of thing, strikes me
as little short of ridiculoues while the
atreets are filed with men VINO shouiu
look after those jobs. - +,
ut isn't likely that a woman VINO Is
used to bearing children and then uo'hs
her houseworl with couple tagging AT
her skirts and another in her arms ioohs
upon the outside war work as heaIs
compared to hers. I know she doesh I.
But I think, just the same we shou'd
protect them. ~. ,
II don't approve OF night work Tor
women. hut I don't base my objection on
.any moral reason. | believe tEat II DIS
missing a woman from work at j or
o'clock in the morning is likely 10 cor
rupt her. that same woman Is lNeiF 10
bc corrunted at or 4 in the afternoon
REASONS AGAINST NIGHT WORK
"I base my objection on health
rrounds. Women who work at night do
moi get the proper rest in the day time
because instead of s'eeping suiiclentIN
,hey'd do some housework. and the
living quarters in the homes of working
peoplc are usually crowded. 1t Is difp
cult to sleep during the day undlsturpen
bv noises from the others of the family !
"But 1 believe the women VIII come
through this experience healthier and
better IL the proper attention Is PAID
them.
"They must not be exploited they |
must receive equal pay with men Tor
equal work. They must have proper |
,yatorv IA facilities--this is extremely es-
they must not be worked
longer than eight hours a day. six days.
a week. Chronic fatigue is one of the |
worst ailments in the world
"Cnder those conditions I believe |
women will he equal to almost any work |
asked OF them
WOMEN AS FARMERS
"They will make good farmers, with |
Ia nxnention of the moving of. haN L