Evening star., 1933-06-18

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I type of American mother looked
upon her daughter with ambi.
i tious eyes. She was the mother
! of the early 1900s, even o
+ decade before. The machine, II
industry, had by this time freed hel
home of many of the tasks Of hel
| mother. The machine, in the home
had lightened much Of the load OF
household drudgery.
Upon the newly won leisure Of this
American m her there then was
breathed the teachings of q generation
OF older women-and their new philoso-
phies Of womankind.
And, listening to this new philosophy
the American mother, in large num-
bers, was convinced, and spoke to her
daughter.
This is new world for women" she
said. Woman leaders tell us that the
times demand that future American
women do their share of the work for
the world. They tell us that women
have brains comparable to the brains
of men, And to meet the demands OF
this new world, am going to give you
the same education that has always
been given to your brothers"
Some such words as these were spoken
to mary Of the daughters Of America.
Daughters listened-and went to college
Then they embarked upon q strange
new world. They took up" school
teaching and nursing. They found
careers in the professions, the sciences,
the arts and in business, until now, 20
or 80 years later, there are more than
500 occupations at which the employed
women of America work.
When the mother of 1900 endowed
her daughter with the education which
had previously been reserved for her
sons, she doubtless thought that she
had solved her daughters problems.
Knowledge-was it not power? But If
this same mother could return today
and study the status of these working
women of 1888 she would most certainly
shake her kindly head.
This mother, returning, would have
observed band Of college girls riding
to Washington q few weeks ago under
the slogan, I'VE Are the Unemployed
Brain Trust" and Starvation Is q
Logic We Did Not Learn in School"
Studying the statistics on the trained
professional woman, the mother of 1900
would find that of the 500 occupations
listed for her daughters today, "a per
cent of these are pursued" by IS per
cent of the working women, and that.
therefore. there is great croWding in
certain vocations. She would find that
the two most ancient and honorable
occupations OF women-nursing and
teaching-had become so crowded that
educators are imploring girls not to
prepare themselves to be teachers. and
that many hospitals already have closed
their nurses training schools out Of
regard for graduate nurses wondering
where next months rent is coming from
With high concern the mother who
helped to inaugurate this day of the
self-supporting woman would then look
to the recent graduates of our women's
colleges. And she would behold hun
dreds and thousands of graduates, shin
ing with youth and ambition. but facing
an economic system where work. so 1t
is estimated, is lacking for at least
out Of every 10 graduates.
Pertinent Questions.
At last, however, the mother of 1900
would see something that would cheer
her disheartened spirit. Surveying COL
lege graduates from 80 years of age to
so and. beyond-the girls who got their
education from 1895 to 1920-she would
find reaSSuring majority of them
working and prosperous in a world
where many OF their brothers are un-
employed. She would find among the
reporting members of an important
association of women 1000 of these
prosperous middle-aged professional
cipients Of salaries ranging from a liv-
able $4,000 yearly to $4,000 and more
rarely $4,000. And she would observe
that their feet are firmly planted de-
spite the economic hurricane
Teachers, doctors, lawyers, statisti-
clans, home economics experts, business
executives in department stores, in real
estate Offices, in banks; specialists in
photography, decoration, vocational
guidance, personnel work; artists, sculp-
tors, pioneers in the editorial rooms
of the book publishers, founders of
their own businesses-these 1000 rep
resentative women between 80 years
and GO, college graduates, graduates
of professional schools and schools of
specialized training, are extremely well
of in world shaken by the depres-
sion. And observing them. this old
mother would ask some pertinent ques-
tions.
If these 1000 women are so snugly
entrenched in their jobs, why are many
other women In such desperate straits?
Since there seems to be such sad
overcrowding in certain professions,
what are those professions in which
there are openings and a future for
the working women starting business
life today?
What does the young woman be-
ginning in 1888 need of preparation?
Should we prepare the girls of this
present year differently? What new
technique do the new times require?"
These are questions that any mother
of today. any daughter of today, may
ask with high propriety. And within
the last few weeks these questions have
been variouSly answered.
At the American Woman's Associa-
tion in New York a most comprehen-
Sive survey Of the "white-collar wom-
an" made two years ago, has been sup
plemented recently by series of round
table conferences and reports. At the
National Federation of Business and
Professional Women's Clubs a commit
tee of distinguished women, all leaders
in their fields. has studied the present
outlook and has advocated new atti-
tudes and new trends for the educa