LIVINGS, AND HOW TO EARN THEM.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10215, 10 December 1898, Page 3

LIVINGS, AND HOW TO EARN THEM.

CtKTHTA IN Tin! ME-BOORNE L_-bn_' ' The hour wherein' a woman realises that she must "turn to and do for herself' is no* by any means invariably one of anguish and foreboding. People hive come ..to tho conclusion that it is chiefly by reason of that chorus of "Poor thing! How awful!' that rises from the ever present army of weak and helpless women wnenever a sister woman elects to earn her own living. Taken all round, and looked at honestly, it-will be found that the average business woman is quite as happy as that other whose wants are provided for by labours not her own* it seems a big.thing to say in the face of so much competition, and the difficulties that naturally beset the woman who is "on her own." At the mere suggestion the pessimist; ranges up a few odd thousand overworked, underpaid and ill-fed women as proof: that woman is unfitted to hold her own as a bread winner. The same rjessimist fails, however, to say anything about those other thousands of listless, idle, unoccupied women— ' half of them, at least being mere "hangers on" to the generosity of some male creature who has more than enough to do with nia money without supporting relations who have no legal claim upon him. The whole matter resolves itself into one big fact ~: congenial occupation moans a happy, and therefore a good and useful life. If a woman finds that occupation* in husband, home and family, so much the better, but if sheseek and find it elsewhere, she is in no wise to be pitied. To say that no woman would work from choice is to make use of a worn•ut sophistry. ; If a woman is .worth her salt at all there is absolutely no position m life wherein she is not -a "working woman. The wife and mother has her trials, and she has her recompenses, and exactly the same remark applies to business women. There is much to be said on both sides, and without waiting to say it, let us get to those who at the present moment are face to face with. the problem of how they can earn their livings. The irst question a woman must consider is in. what direction lies her natural bent. And in dealing wiuh embryo women workers it is most astonishing how very few there are who can answer this' question readily. If statistics were taken on the average answer it would probably be proved to.be "Goodness knows!" The fact is lamentable, but none the less obvious, that not one parent in a thousand hasv awakened to the dire necessity there is for providing all their daughters w_th education of a sort that they can turn to account exactly as a boy can do. It speaks volumes for the grit of the average working woman that she has, by her own' exertions, turned herself to some good account at last, though there is no" calculating what a" degree of sound technical education would have saved thousands of those in her rrtnks. Setting aside then the very small percentage of girls who have been properly trained to earn their own living, we get back to the first question—in what lino of life can certain women earn their living? In Engkwid a Central Employment >Burenu is doing excellent work for the benefit of those not altogether capable of answering this question for themselves. When a would-be worker applies to this bureau she is not asked, as she might be here, what position she wants to fill. She is questioned as to what she can do, and is then offered a position that those in authority consider she is best capable of filling. The result works to the benefit of both employer and employed, and the unhappy mistyess who has engaged a lady help is not left to struggle with a girl who would he incompetent even as an assistant nurSa - maid. .In time we will doubtless have such a bureau here—already there are ladies doing ' its work on a small scale; but for the present the average' woman must'depend'on -" herself; Let' such an one sound "herself by . asking if she can sew, if she can teach, jlif, she can keep house, fee.,;, and let,,her,; be/ guided by her honest, convictions.% If she knows she lis better as a housekeeper than in any other'capacity, let her consider the situation rationally, and elect to abide by her strong'point. If'she, can teach, there.'is" , work for her to do ->axid if she can sew-the some, remark, applies. 1 , away;- the * idea'- -,'•' • ket' is .overstiocked ' ' with:. gOdd , i. That l[ it..'y'most' " oerta_t_ly X ■-' ITieimtrained ■ to give coronr-.to this "The de_oandU_ for'first chjss -workers was never* greater/r. than it is to-day. Take,, for "- first of the three "occupations'* touched on—'. ' that of housekjeeping. , If .. that she istiunking of-taking ; ," there \is an immediate outcry' from.ll tljxMJeL .- who-have atte/npted this for themselve&ttqfj,. • "The whole thGng is overdone."- ;;The womaln ' • is nonplussed J and though she is quite; snre,of herself as a housekeeper >heVgo« , iifl_». willingly into some other line, of- businesses . <". Now, look at this, question from another, point of view—not that of the - boarding house keepers;'.How;,many,,Jfl_oJljk ' homelike boarding houses have, we ,gdHin '-,■ , Melbourne or the. suburb*.?* ;.;There< areola-'. • good many,really comfortable places^whose'.' tariff is prohibitive to the arrearage,less man or woman, and , there' * toe*- *■''•• , very few pleasant homes' where payiqg guests are taken at,a'moderate'intei r There* '.- |_s far "too much lanjdlady" ;in mQst, . ' less expensive boarding houses. I '-The ~ ''sitting-rooms are ugly and cpmfortles^/and'. l "a house furnished with, pleasant "bed*aifctitfgi:< *■ * rooms" is practically an uniamwn,quantity., f'*. Whatever' "those who : have, tried It?, {m&f. . gay, there is plenty, of good capable, business-like tousdkeep«,,"to (t -Bc>'/-.. complish, not only in! Melbourne; but.put^or"./ . it, Of this there, ia- more to Bay later' dn.»,- >•' - • Then as.to sewing, is there a.hoijj»;miß; . - : ' tress who has never experienced,, tHa* diffi- v , / r culty there is in getting a good*all round"^-, visiting' Bewing woman? Thejr contej joerr** '- ' t'airily, these' v few.' good ones f ~,\bufc '. .elusiveness is Thexp ,..", are indifferent ones by the' pwref'; but'first ff/j----class, white , workers,, cjul-',.. ' dren's dress makers and ■ such;- like mdi-; >; viduals, are rare as., the proverbial bh» v „ , •moons. - . > • '';?"«' ' %i Teaching is another thing reputed to be,, so terribly overdone, and that teaching ' cS w;>, - it used, to be is therer ha »no t maaner>of.. doubt. -Still, the woman with ,the.' natural ' gift of imparting knowledge T has,'a hundred;.and one profitable directions, in whi^h\__jßV.,--can work that gift. Details regarding d&f, ' ferent "occupations" for .women will-be fciveiv. . ' in due course. There is Vtrork* and plenty -,' of it, waiting to be done both 'in the town and in the country—and work,-xooreover,," , * that women, and women only, are bsafc , capable of performing. We may have male ■>' dress makers and female lighthouse / but the fact remains that the more abao-\j, lutely feminine in character is - the work a woman elects to perform, the more likely is she to meet, not only with with that good comradeship .with workirJjf „ men that goes to salt* the lifer of the average * business woman. Human nature is ,o_ay' - ' human nature after all, and the moßt chanC-; , ing of women-who "takes the bread-ironr .- men's mouths" is not occupying a- position* ,- that other women need envy. , -U