MERRY ENGLAND.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 723, 24 January 1910, Page 3

MERRY ENGLAND.

| lliss Jones; 1 the chief woman inspector I under tho. Bradford 'Corporation, >; inyher quarterly:report,' .states /that .married womon' in tho West, of Yorkshire, in addition to tho. bearing of- children and- : caring for the -home, are often , expected partially and'sometimes; wholly to support, the.family. In' a number of cases tho wives worked . all. day - in ' the mil and on their return tidied tho home, baking and washing for tho family. Many did .Knot: : retire until' midnight, rising again early, in order •to - mate some. preparations /for. . tho .midday meal before going to work. In the dinner hour they quickly 'prepared'the.-v mealy served thefihusband and: children,, swallowed": their';' own food; far. too 'hurriedly, and again: hastened back: to ■ their duties. Their lives' often, appeared'-to ; be little hotter than those of slaves, and .many at - 45 . wore littlo -hottor ' than'' broken down.-womon, prematurely aged. If 'a community;; was : to : bev: judged' 'by - tho status- ot its women; certainly the condition: -of; reminded one :of . tho' coolie women in India or, those.; of many: of-;.th^African; tribes, 'whero women' wero' more or - less beasts of- burden., -Tho moral effect ■ upon ' tho men: was very fdisasHwusiV-'lt' encouraged them in selishness and idleness,: and many/of them "becamd: 'exceedingly : .lazy. •.Miss Jonespoints out however, that were married women" wholly prohibited -from working. in the mills there ■ would be other dangers' to face, for a larger wage implied greater home comforts and better housing, and many: moral evils would be' increased—people would simply shirk the legal bond of. marriage. ,- -'. :<