THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3191, 12 May 1879, Page 1

THE EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN.

» -It would tiot be nttpleasant if we'feould ''iij;'genenll]r! that ai;e in excess atridng;6s 'becaus¥ tlle^ fir^ Tree from the I necessity of lootiD^ tftePtW means of exi»tence.p Tjhiriip no doubt t^ae.pf a cer'tkin'propbttidtfjOf ttie'in; but ft' is very far [gfei.'fiißin^ tru* of the majority. In the

exp*ctejdl;o;;fngiigejin i&j gainful occu(;a Pf/|op, tlje . daughterg' naturally neither 'foiPnor spin.'" Among the poorest classes o^S:,9^?TihJlfl4»^9.dpg nt^ s are almost as constantly set to work as/the:BOD8 > but ,Ht|ll;an; a.tbiftlefs/; untraided faßhion, and with the idea constantly present to their minds, as well aa to the minds of their parentv, that - their; wage-earning occupatiopja. of a|Btrictly'pnoTUipa»,U intermediate, and temporary character. They look out to be.mamed,/and«e-content to earn a few^*hij|inggr r .w,«etjiy jun^f; thai time, of marriage comes,—Among' the classes between the bighegt and;the lowest there is e«ery tariety in i the training of girls, and the rule may be laid down^.tbatithe status 0$ i.he, family may be measured by the degree 3 qf;Care/;with which the daughters ■tare, ..preserved from the suspicion of be.coming dependent upon themselves. -We r mnst allow.this ,to,be, extremely natural, 'evWi'tiwtigh^ Wei mj^^cjubt'iti wisdom. The father 1 iwh'o* is in*'easy circumstances .probably finds in the presence of his daughters at Koine tnej^reatest charm of his domestic life. Their dependance upon him bindi them towards him in links of affection such as do,not attach to the sons, and if he thinks of the future it is, perhaps ; withjpme regr ; etthat the time mayicome when some impertinent young man, whose future character must he! taken on trust, will comeiand carry'away.from*him the creature he holds-dearest in the world. This is an engaging and most agreeable relation*! and it leadsJtoo" many whose meant ido.<aot justify! such conduct to train their, daughters in nelpleißneili until some, miserable chance- throws them without a resource upon the cruel: mercies of the worid." This it'so common an experience -Jthejower^..mjddJjB v j;lasj v .that i: 4l' ls :aln%st^ matter of regret that all fathers, even- the' ■■ wealthiest, do not follow the practice of the Eoyal families of Germany respecting' their sons -in 'giving 'their daughters an edaeation £th»t would'make :^hW#rtfolDe^^re'e:!ln'd(^'onde'st'!dY-the !!Vicilsitddei nOWe; should be spared the expense if 'Wome^'w^erß'^duca^^s^is^ dent of others" l-lf / '-neWßwyV,v.iin4v,'-Hrere ' taught regard as a duty the acquisition i.ge»M99 s a yri.*PP?»r/Mf V? iwholly, retrograde^ since it,is the; characteristic of savage life f foe the-wpmen to .do.all the hard work, and the! civilization of a; tribe jin ay/often be me»sured>by the degree of (emancipation of itsiwomeni from servile labour; but the free co-operation of women in the industrial life of society is wholly tfiffefentf from: thei^.force,d,labour, and we are irresistibly di'awn'^ijie opiniohthat the sentiment which leads so many parents to rear their daughters in idleness is vicious and ought to be overcome. In the United $tates women are employed in many ways unknown here; they* are, for instance, employed as clerks in Government offices to an extent that may surprise Jus/^who u^e theip'services only income deparimentß of the Post Office; but 1j; may saiil that id the United States labour is , stijl relatively scarcer tban in Europe. If 'jiowever,' we turn to France, we know that, women take a large share in .the business ( of the country. t ( It often seems," „ indeed, as if the wife was working while the husband was idling and that the wife worked in order that the husband might be idle; but a more intimate knowledge of French social life convinces us that both husband and vufu

generally work together with equal zeal in maintaining the business of the household. It must be added that single women are

trained in France to be self-supporting in « methodical mariner Unknown among ourselves. The young women who receive in France the elements of a general education followed by a special training for* *ome branch of industrial work, do earn their,,own living; and the, pi;ospecL ,'held out to them of continuous employment is so good that the machinery 'rec^uired for training them is supported by students willing to pay remunerative fees for Jfcheir instruction. If women arc to be ta'ugjt'it to be self-dependent, it must be by bringing them to trades which are already full, aad. the result will be a competition with men and a fall of wages. This is an opinion vrery, generally held, and it does undoubtedly operate to create a prejudice against giving women an industrial training. It mut^t be tolerably evident on reflection that i^he world cannot be made poorre.by the conversion into productive -agents of person* who are at present mere unproductive consumers. In Paris, in iin.;lß6fl,' there were 304,920, niten and x .111,891 f women engaged* in industrial I operation* : in 1872 the ,totaJMbad risen to ,346^120,, men and ,174,437 women. The number of men had considerably increased, though the number' of women had increased in greater proportion. This will be found to'brthe general result of converting idlers into worker*.—The Times.