The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-29
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
information Bureau
FREDERIC J. HASKIN. Director.
Washington, ID. @.
SEARCH FOR WoMAN's PLACE.

| cnanSe IN the dlliIuuo VI iiic SiliiSht
ened toward that knotty problem of
woman's proper place in the scheme
of things is shown by the great inter
est which has been aroused in this
country by the Sheppard-Towner bill,
and by many state measures which
have been passed pensioning and
otherwise caring for motherhood.
This change is based upon the dis
covery that womans entrance into in
dustry has greatly reduced her value
as a mother, that there are only
few kinds of work women can safely
do, and that poverty and factory work
| between them are costing thousands
of lives of women and babies every
year.
The feminists of a quarter of a cen
fury ago demanded loudly that woman
| should have complete economic indie
| pendence. I'VE demand all labor for
our province" wrote Olive Schreiner,
one of the most eloquent and influ-
entail of the early feminists. And
then the war came along, and women
got just what Olive demanded. Most
of them had never heard of feminism
and had not personally demanded
anything. They got all labor for their
| province because all the men were at
the front. OF course. even before the
war, the number of women in industry
was great and growing. The reason
| for their presence in the factories
was not that they had been inspired
by visions of economic independence
| but that it was becoming increasingly
hard to find husbands who could sup
port them. A little group of women at
| the top demanded economic independ
ence. They got it by going into the
arts and professions and to some eX-
tent into business At these occupa-
| tions they were remarkably success
| full. They won places in the working,
world without sacrificing either their
feminine charm or their right to
| moth erhood. But it does seem as il
these leaders of the feminist move
n1ent did not fully realize that only
very few women can go into arts and
professions, that for the great major
ity of them work means eight hours
a day in a factory with very little hope
of progress. The great bulk of women
have gone to work because they had
to. and the results have often been in
jury to their own health and that of
their children.
Back TO the Home.
This fact the feminists themselves
have just lately realized. Several re-
cent intelligent books on feminism set
forth the new viewpoint in a very con-
vincing way. That long discarded and
much ridiculed motto: "Woman's
place is in the home" seems to have
been hauled to the attic. busted off,
subjected to a few revisions, and quail
ifications, and placed on the wall
again.
At least these recent writer's seem
to have reached the conclusion that
women should be protected from ali
sorts of work which. in any way in
jures her usefulness as a mother. and
/ they are forced to admit that many
kinds of industrial work are in that
class. They agree that the woman OF
brains should follow a profession il
she chooses. and that women in the
arts and professions have as good
chance as men. They admit that every
woman should be given every oppor-
tunity to fit herself for any kind OF
work her health will stand. But they
see that motherhood is her most i'm
portant function, from her own view
point in most cases, and from that of
the state in all cases.
| The trouble is that woman is now
in industry by the million For the
most part she is not there by choice.
She is there because she has to be in
order to eat. Therefore merely to
establish the conclusion that she
should come out again Is futile. She
is going to stay there because she has
to. And industry itself is going to
try. to keep her there because she
furnishes a cheap labor supply.
What is to be done. then? The
answer of the scientific feminists is
that laws must be made protecting her
! from conditions that menace her
health and her value as a mother, and
giving her all possible aid in caring
for herself and her child. England
and France have gone much farther
than we have in protecting women in
factories by laws regulating hours and
character OF employment prescribing
rest periods and the like. They have
also gone much farther in providing
care for women during the prenatal
land maternity DeriOdS.
The Sheppard-Towner bill is the
most advanced step yet taken in this
country. 1t Is chiefly an educational
measure. providing for the instruction
} general supervision of the Children's
bureau. As originally drawn. the bill
provided also that actual medical care
could be given by the state when 1t
was needed. This obviously socialistic
measure was stricken out by the sen-
ate, which then passed the bill with
a reduced appropriation. It will
doubtless come before the house at an
early date 1t has attracted so much
favorable attention that there is little
doubt of its passage in some FORM
The proponents of the bill have made
out strong case to the effect that
: something should be done for mother
, hood in America. A few extracts from
the hearing before the house commit
tee will give in brief space the main
facts upon which the demand for this
' legislation is based:
Wasted Lives.
: I'VE are still sacrificing the lives
: of as many mothers as we did 10 years
: ! ago. In 1918. $4,000 made the su-
preme sacrifice-shall I say for
motherhood? No. Rather paid the
t supreme sacrifice to lack of suitable
INSTRUCTION, to absence of prenatal
care, to unskilied and bungling obstet-
RIGS, and to dirty hands Reliable
l statistics indicate that the maternal
mortality this year will be about 15
per cent higher than the preceding
year.
: The infant mortality rate and the
y maternity mortality rate are an index
fof social well being. Every factor that
lessons the infant and maternity NOR