The Washington times., 1919-12-31
4 Plea for the
Girls
BY DIR. WM. A. MckEEVER-
Rrofesser In the University of Kan
sas and an Authority on ChilA
TYnfuinE.

. young man nus mofA
IN right to marry till he has
proved himself in some kind
Of work or business.
No young woman has a right to
marry till she likewise can make q
living by means of her own work or
wit
In either case, where q young
person takes a life partner in such
a useless and helpless condition.
there is q wrong against the self
and a fraud against society. No
matter how wealthy a groom may
be, IL his bride is unframed, as
stated above, she becomes a para
site whom the sweat and privation
some one down the line must sup
port.
Marriage Is just as much a busi-
ness as merchandising. The idea
that a young man Is TO support"
the young woman whom he marries
is, therefore, some more Of the same
kind of fraud and self-deception.
Every girl should learn at least the
rudiments Of some business employ
ment as preparation for the true
citizenship which an honest mar
riage should imply. Housekeeping.
sewing, teaching. clerking, report
ing. drafting. painting-any of
these and scores OF other occupa-
tons. even briefly followed, will
prove a girls worth and will con-
tribute something useful and re-
spectacle to her married career.
training equally with boys. But
what have we really done to meet
such demand? The extent to
which We have always neglected the
girls and favored the boys In our
educational system never ceases to
be a matter OF deep chagrin to me.
Until about century ago the gem
eral education Of girls was neither
attempted nor thought desirable.
Ali the first high schools were for
boys only, and all the early-day col
leges were for young men only.
II might seem at first thought
that We have finally dropped this
traditional one-sidedness, but we
have not The modern play move
ment has been principally a boy
service, a system OF games for boys,
and the Juvenile club idea has been
featured ten times less for the girl
than for her brother. or the many
thousands OF letters which have
come to my desk from anxious
parents during past years esti-
mate that not less than so per cent
have shown the same one-sided in
terest-
The country is now well supplied
with private, municipal. State, and
national vocational training sys-
tens; but they are nearly all con-
Quoted primarily in the interest Of
boys Here we have an aggravating
and pathetic assumption that the
vocational problem of girls 10 a
negligible affair, the old-fashioned
idea that a young woman Is to be
snapped up by matrimony and her
relations to business and earning a
livelihood thereby ceases.
Let US drop all this fraud and dis
honesty in the education OF our
daughters. For every girl thrown
upon the matrimonial market
weak and dependent creature we
lessen the chance OF reasonable
success on the part Of the man who
takes her, and We pave the way for
another possible divorce
Us AicAN responsible
for knowing how to do something
that T. self-supporting and self-re-
roa-'taS. And. especially, let US
demand that the vast sums OF money
now allotted by the nation and the
states for vocational training shall
be Invested equally in the interest
OF both young sexes.
The vocational training of boys
Is at best only a trying and test
ing. The learner is simply given
start In the right direction. So
with girls They have the same
inherent right TO have their hidden
talents tested and tried and in
spiFed as have their brothers. Do
mestic science-about TIE only vo-
cational subject now given them, is
lar 100 narrow and limiting
There are endless lines of ability
latent IN our growing girls, any Of
winch. u encouraged properly, will
enrich the personality and add so
much OF worth to the married ca
reer, to say nothing of the positive
gain TO society.
Let US give our daughters the
same opportunities for becoming
altogether human that we accord
our sons.