Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-01-16
Woman Has Advanced in Profess
sionaI and Industrial Life,
Says One of Them.
IS HUSBANDS REAL PARTNER
Shares With Him the Cares Of Busi-
ness, Especially in Its Financial
Aspects-Many Take Up
Legal Profession.

the Philippine Islands to the United
States, has recently been visiting WON
ems clubs I'm New York city, telling
what she has already told the women
Of Washington. They have fine systems
of education, she says, good schools.
and a high degree of economic useful
ness. Nine. De Veyra wore, in giving
her talks, one of the beautiful gowns
of the Philippines, a delicate pine
apple fabric. hand-woven and hand
embroidered. shaped like gauZy-
winged butterfly.
Things are made very easy for the
Filipino woman in many ways" she
said. 1.-The professional opportunities
are as good for her as for the men.
Women are already members of the
Philippine Bar associatiOn-something
which is impossible for the women OF
Great Britain-they are in business
for themselves, and they are success
full practicing physicians. Laws made
for our women combine the best or
Spanish and American precedents.
Made Easy for Women.
Everything has been made much
more simple for us than for either the
American or Spanish women. Married
women hold their property in several
ty, and they are guardians of their
own children. OF the property which
accrues to- married couple. the wife
is half administrators. and these are
vested rights which cannot be taken
from her. 1t is not unusual for the
mother of family to have not only
a household leadership, hut economic
control. NJ. De Veyra, who is Interested
in history, tells me that before the
Spanish came we had matriarchal
system, and this has made the Pilip-
Pine women self-respecting and val
liant. .---
"Of our 3,141 islands, only 400 are
Inhabited the principal ones being
Luzon, Mndanao and Visayas; yet
even in rural little BarriOs you will
find some sort of woman leader One
old woman who has had seventeen
children, thirteen having lived TO grow
up, and who has many grandchildren
and greatgrandchildren, still exercises
full sway over the family, and has the
last word to say in all financial affairs.
The married children as well as 9th
ers look up to her, not only as moth
er, but as an adviser.
women, when they marry. go into
partnerships with their husbands.
While the men handle the workers,
the women attend to the finances, act
as cashiers, pay the workers, and over
see much Of the business. They have
equality with men in everything ex-
cept in voting, which the governor gen
eral has recommended in his messages
to the legislature. When ii was first
recommended the women had not
made much of an effort to gain the
vote, but this year appeals came from
he provinces and women's clubs and
associations. In 1907 there were only
thirty women's clubs, but now there
are 307. A petition signed by $4,000
women was sent TO the lawmakers
who granted a joint legislative hear
ing on woman suffrage. Three Filipino
women spoke. Two of them were prac-
ticing lawyers, and the one who was
said TO have made the best speech was
Nine. Conception Calderon, widow of
the man who wrote the constitution
of Mallolos.
Adept With Needle.
Mime. Calderon is successful bust
ness woman, owning a fish farm and
an embroidery enterprise. This indus
trial problem has not reached the
Filipino women to any great extent
except through the cigar factories and
in embroidery There are, believe,
five big American embroidery firms in
the Philippines, and one of them I'm
Manila employs 1000 women. Every
thing In the underwear business, ex-
cept the weaving of cloth. Is done by
hand the hemstitching and even the
seams are sewed by hand.
"Women who have children and can
not go to the factories take the work
home and are paid by the piece. have
heard Of one of these workers. from a
woman who has an embroidery bust
utSS, WIN tluhC ola NhChliStS ~ udy
at 80 cents q chemise, every stitch
by hand. She has saved a great deal
Of money besides taking care of her
children.
"All of the pineapple cloth is made
by the women In their homes on hand
made looms. made by an ordinary car
penter. Comparatively little of II is
made nowadays. for II Is slow work,
and the women cannot afford to do Ii. /
Any one who wishes II must give
special order. and II is expensive.
1--WE are interested in the Philip
pines in progressive legislation. in
public health measures and day
nurseries. and the women have in
troduced profit-sharing plan in Bill
bid and other prisons. They have
police matrons and indus
trial teachers for the insane.
"The Woman's Club of Manila is
member of the Federation of Women's
Clubs, u. s. A., and now the women
are federating their own clubs"