WORKING WOMEN.

West Coast Times, Issue 3973, 27 December 1881, Page 2

WORKING WOMEN.

Under the above heading, an American paper gives an account of the women in New York who are self-supporting. They number some seventy-five thousand, not including servants, and many of them belonging to highly respectable families, and may be considered comfortably off. This shows how the prejudices which formerly existed with regard to ladies working for themselves are gradually wearing off, and the fact of their so working does not cause them in any way to lose caste, as years ago would have been the case.

A leading lawyer and politician in New York has trained his three daughters eaGh to a different line of pecuniary independence. A leading society belle in the same city could, we learn, at any time support herself by her own technical skill.

There are women lawyers, ministers, physicians, one of the ablest in New York being the wife of Dr Jacobi (Mrs Putnam Jacobi), and in every way his equal in the profession. Female reporters, critics, and editors of papers are also to the fore. One of the leading illustrated family papers (Harper's Bazaar) has a lady editor, while in art and literature women are holding their own. The dramatic profession is the " woman's profession." As at present constituted, a clever woman has in it decidedly the advantage over clever men. Decorative art opens many new fields of employment for ladies. Wood carving and wood engraving are peculiarly well adapted to the delicacy of touch women possess, as also to their artistics tastes. One woman wood-carver in S,t Louis earned last year as much as £500, so expert is she in the art. In decoration of pottery, in china painting, panel painting, dress, parasol and tapestry painting, women— those with talent especially—excel, while there are other and less well-known employments which have beeu taken up by our cousins across the water. For example, one lady earns a very decent livelihood by teaching, privately, ladies of. neglected education who

are desirous to supply the deficiencies of early life. This lady has many pupils from whom she receives from 12s to 20s. per lesson. Another lady educates birds instead of women, and in training canaries finds a pleasant and pecuniarily profitable employment. Another designs bonnets and dresses, and adds considerably to her inconie by offering "suggestions" to leading milliners and modistes who pay handsomety for the said suggestions. Few people are aware of the extent to which women are employed in the service of the Government of the United States. In the Treasury department alone there are 1285 female clerks. One of these— she is in the office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue — receives a salary of 1800dols. per annum ; another, in the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, 1600 dols. There are fourteen female clerks whose salaries are 1400dols. each, fifty-six draw I2oodols. each, foity-six lOOOdols, each, four hundred and thirty-five 900dols. each, two 720 each, thirty-eight 560c1015. each, one 600d015., three 480dols. each, several 240d015. each, and eighty-five 180 dols. each ; these last are the sweepers, cleaners, &c, There are 377 engaged on piece work : the rest are employed by the day at sdols. to 75c. each. All the departments of the Government employ women as clerks ; the Treasury, however, affords more opportunities than the otheis. During the time of the pressure of work on the Census Bureau, the superintendent had 1286 persons attached to his office, and of these no less than 577 were women. As far as regards clerical labor generally, ouch as correspondence, the tabulation of figures, and all mattes requiring painstaking and patience, women clerks have proved themselves quite equal to those of the other sex ; it i 3 only when engaged in sturdy routine operations which involve great mental and bodily fatigue that they exhibit less endurance than men, and this it not to be wondered at.

Most of the European Governments employ women to a much greater extent than lormerly in the various branches of the public service , chic-fly as telegraph operators and in post-offices. Strict examinations as to educational qualifications and health are required in most instances, and the appointments thow a good deal of favoritism, the relatives of wellknown civil and military functionaries standing the best chance.

In France and Austria restrictions are placed on marriage. In Russia those employed in the telegraph must be familiar with no leas than four languages the pay is, in many cases, very small, much less everywhere than in the United States. In Austria, some fifty cent 3 per day is about the rate at which female clerks are remunerated, one third less than the ecrubbers and sweepers receive in Washington. In the employment of the Government of this country 7 dob. 50 cent per week is the highest compensation given to a female employ c, and she sannot obtain that unless she has worked her way up from the lowest rank, in which the pay is very small indeed — about 2 dols. per week. The advantages women workers have in America over their sister toilers ia this country are therefore very considerable, especially as regards the Governmement female clerks.