The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-03-28
THE SEARCH FOR
WOMAN'S PLACE
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN


WASHINGTON, D. ca change
in the attitude of the enlightened
toward that knotty problem of wom-
ans 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 woman's entrance into
industry has greatly reduced her
value as mother that there are only
few kinds of work women can
safely do, and that poverty and fact
DRY work between them are costing
thousands of lives of women and
babies every year.
The feminists of a quarter of a
Gentry ago demanded loudly that
woman should have complete eco
nomic independence. 1--WE demand
all labor for our province" wrote
Olive Schreiner, one of the most elo-
quent and influential of the early
feminists. An then the war came
along, the women got just what Olive
demanded. Most of them had never
heard of feminism and had not per-
sonally demanded anything. They
got all labor for their province be-
cause 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 End husbands who could sup
port them. A little group of women
at the top demanded economic in
dependence. They got it by going
into the arts and professions and to
some extent into business. At these
occupations they were remarkably
successful. They won places in the
working world without sacrificing
either their femme charm or their
right to motherhood. But 1t does
seem as IL these leaders Of the fem
mist movement did not fully realize
that only a very few women can 90
into arts and professions, that for
the great majority of them work
means eight hours 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 injury to
their own health and that of their
children.
Back to the Home
This fact the feminists themselves
have just lately realized. Several
recent intelligent books on feminism
set forth the new viewpoint in very
convincing way. That long discarded
and much ridiculed motto, "Woman's
place is in the home" seems to have
been hauled out of the attic, busted
off, subjected to a few revisions and
qualifications and placed on the wall
again.
At least these recent writer's seem
to have reached the conclusion that
woman should be protected from all
sorts of work which in any way in
jures her usefulness as 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 profession If
she chooses and that women in the
arts and professions have as good a
chance as men. They admit that
every woman should be given every
opportunity to fitAherself for any
Find Of work her health will stand.
But they see that motherhood is her
most important function, from her
own viewpoint 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