The Endowment of the Daughter. ABSTRACT OF AN ARTICLE BY MR WALTER BESANT.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 274, 20 June 1888, Page 4

The Endowment of the Daughter. ABSTRACT OF AN ARTICLE BY MR WALTER BESANT.

Not long ago Air Besant wrote a story to show the terrible struggle to live which is day by day going on in our midst among women of the middle classes. In this month's "Longman's Magazine" he once more take.-- up the question, and suggests another solution. Having called attention to the existence of necesßitcus gentlewomen in the land — which he attributes to Iho depression of agricuH.me, to the enormous increase ot the cultivated classes, to largo families ol girls, and to the revolution of opinion as regards woman's work —Mr Besant sums up the present state of things as follows : — The world contains a gicat open Market, where the demand foi first-class work ot e\cry kind is practically inexhaustible. In literature everything really good commands instant attention, respect, and payment. But it mu&b be really good. Publisher me always looking about for genius. Editors — even the much abused editois-are always looking about for good and popular writers. "Buttho world is critical ; to become popular i equircs a combination ot qualities, which include special training, education, and natural aptitude. Art, again, in every possible branch, oftbr.-> > ('cognition— and pay loi good wook. But it must be really good. The vvoild is even more critical in art than in literature In the theatre managers aio always looking about toi good plays, good aetoin, and good actres-es In scholarship, women who have taken Honours at Cambridge command good salaries and an honourable position if they can teach. In music, a leally good composer, playoi, or singer is always leeched with joy and the usual solid nuuks of approval. This is one kind ot market — a most wontleiful maiket, truly- a market full of most splendid prizes ot both praise and pudding. But there is another voiy different kind of maiket outside. Here there arc long lines ot stalls, behind which stands the gentlewomen eagerly otloiing their waies. Alas! Here is Ait in evciy shape, but it is not. the Art which we can buy Here die paintings and drawing-, here aic coloured photographs, painted china, art embroideries, and line work. Heie aic ofl'eied oiighml songs and oiiginal music. FTeie aio standinu long lines of tho->e who v\ant to teach <md are most melancholy because the} have no degiec 01 diploma and know nothing Here aic standing those who wait to he hired and "will do anything in which "general intelligence' will show the w.i). Lastly, theie is a whole quarter at least a quaiter--ot the market filled with stalls covered with MSS., and there aie thousands of women ofleiing these MSS. The pubiisheis and editois walk slow'y along before the ttall.s and receive the MSS., which they look at and then lav down, though their wiiters weep and wail and w ring theii hands. Pie^ently theie comes ilonga man gieath le-emblmg in the expiession of his face t he wild and savage wolf trying to smile. (He lepresents some litciai v society or publishing agencj.) His habit is to take up a MS., and piestntly to express, with the aid of strange oaths and ejaculations, uondei ami adinira tion. * Foie (Jad, madam '' he sav=> ' 'tis tine ' 'twill take the town by storm. Tis an nnmoital piece ' Your own, madam? Truly 'tis wondcitul ' Nay, madam, but J must have it. 'Twill cost you tor the printing of it a paltry sixty pounds or -o. And for return, believe me, 'twill piovcameie Potosi." This is the confidence tiicK undei another form. The untoituuatc woman begs and boirows the money, of which she will never again see one farthing ; and if her hook be produced, no one will ever buy a copy. The women at these stall's aio always, changing. They glow tiied of waiting: when no one will buy thov go aw a\ . A few maj be traced They become t vpc-w ulu s •, they become cashiers in shops: they sit in the outer olhcc ot photogiapheis and receive the \isitois ; they 'de\ i!' toi literary men ; they makecN tracts : (hey conduct resc.uches and ! look up authoi itics; theyaddiess envelopes; ■'Oine, 1 suppose, i^o home again and contiive to li \ c, somehow, with their i elationWhat become- ot the resi no m.in can tell. This is how matters stand at present. And now Mr Besant como to " certain , pre\cntati\c steps which may be applied — not for those who arc now m this hell, but tor those innocent children whoso lot it may be to join the hapless band." There is. of course, the absolute dut\ ol teaching gills, who may some day have to work for themselves, some trade or profession. The duty is obvious, but it is not piaetised. There toic, Mr Be-ant relies moic upon the extension of the French .system of providing a dot. His scheme shall be stated in his own w oids :—: — Take a thousand pounds — thirty-five pounds a year— as a minimum. Take the ease oi a professional man who cannot sa\e much, but who is resolved on endowing his daughters with an annuity ot at least L"35 a \ car. There are ways and means of doing this which nro advertised ficely and placed in everybody's hands. Yet they seem to tail in impressing 1 the public. One docs hear among ones piofessional fiicnds of the endowment ot gills. Net one does hear, constantly, that someone is dead and has loft his daughters without a penny. First ot all, the rules and legulationsof the PostOfhce, which aic published every quarter, provide what seems the most simple of these wa\s. I take one table only, that of the cost ot an annuity dcfeired tor twenty-live years. If the child is five yeais of age, and undei six, an annuity of j l'l, beginning after twenty-live years, can > be purchased for a yearly premium ol l'2s 7(1, or for a payment of Cl 2 3s Bd. The premium to be returned in case of the child's death. An annuity of L' 32, therefore, would cost a yearly piemium of L' 22 Osfxl, or lumpsum down of C 426 8s <W. Thcro arc many insurance olhces also which make provision lor f ho endowment of children. Mr Bcsant instances one ; but we have quoted enough to shov\ in what his scheme really consists. He considers it essentially a woman's question— one which mothers should look to. And for my own part (he adds), I think that no woman should lie forced to work at nil, except at such thing as pleases her. When a woman marries, for instance, she voluntarily engages herself to do a vast quantity of work. To look after the house and bring up the children involves daily, unremitting labour and thought. If she hns a vocation for any kind of work, as for art, or letters, or teaching, lot her obey the call, and find her happiness. Generally, she has none. The average woman — I make this statement with complete confidence — hates compulsory work ; she hates and loathes it. There are, it is true, some kinds of work which must be done by women. Well, there will always be enough for these occupations among women who prefer work to idleness. . . My brothers, let our girls work if they wish ; perhaps thoy will be happier if they work ; let them work at whatever kind of work they may desire ; but not — oh ! not — because they must.

Mrs Harriet Beecher Bbo\ve, authoress of " Uncle Tom's Cabin," is reported as becoming mentally incapacitated.