Show MARRIED WOMEN AS WAGE EARNERS WAGE WAGE- By By Dorothy Dix Du WORKING girl writes me an ex exceedingly exceedingly ex- ex x- x A letter In which she Inveighs against married married married mar mar- ried women who arc wage earners and declares that the they take tako tho th bread out or ot the working girls girl's mouth She also accuses the woman who has hns both a husband and a Job of ot being a pig who wants wanta more than her share of tho good things s of ot lire life Softly little sister eleter The woman who works outside of ot her home borne after she sho Is married la IR oftener to bo be pitied than criticised for in ninety nine cases out of oC a hundred It Il means t that her husband husband husband hus hus- band Is Incapable of or supporting her and that to the burden of ot wifehood and often otten motherhood she has to add that th of ot making a living Sometimes tho the husband Is la the victim of ot unfortunate circumstances lIe IJo loses his a health or is Ie thrown out of ot work And sometimes sometimes some some- times he Is la just plain no account and lazy In either olther case the woman who must go 0 out and earn the food for tor her fam- fam Ily ly and then than homo and cook itIs It ItI ItIs Is I as pathetic a figure as you OU can find lInd It It Is hard enough h for tor a n. young girl to have to stand behind a counter or pound a typewriter all day but how infinitely worse wore for tor the woman who hits has been been boen up half of the tho night nursing an nn Invalid husband hush or listening forthe for tor forthe i the footsteps of ot a drunken one and perhaps cowering away from his blows or who has left a little sick child at home mme and whose heart stands still with fear every time a strange footstep draws drawe near lost It be bo someone bringing her ber ier the bad news she dreads to hear Tho The home Is Ie tho the goal of or practically eVer every womans woman's Not many married married mar mar- marred ried red women leave leavo It willingly to go S-O out Into nto the world to work t and when ono one does become a breadwinner you OU will willInd find Ind that she ahe has almost Invariably been driven to It by stern necessity Of Ot course m ray my correspondents correspondent's view that hat the woman oman who is 19 married and who lies lias ostensibly a n husband to support support sup sup- port her should not compete with unmarried unmarried unmarried un un- married women In the labor market is isa isa a natural If It a prejudiced one As a matter of or fact ho however er e It has hal n no Every ono one of ot us In Justice has a 0 rJ ht to life lite liberty and the pursuit pursuit pursuit pur pur- suit of happiness in our own way and and ana sh sho that It if tho time married woman feels feel eel can he host hest t help holp herself by working out out- it H lf or side alda of ot time the home Instead of ot ofin In ino typewriting t to o coolIn cookIng cool cook that sho prefers hi right to do as al Ing In she sho has a n perfect sho pleases In tho matter mattor C Getting married married mar mar- ried sled didn't change her talent ints and should not curtail her har privilege of ot using them The Tho theory of or society Is that evar every everyman living liv living liv- liv man Is la able to earn a comfor comfortable In ing for tor himself and hla his family This should be ho true but under present economic eco ceo nomie conditions It is not always tho the caso case There are plenty of ot men who dothe do tho the ver very best the they can cnn and yet yot can never nover keep koep tho th wolf a away aY from tho the door Should not the wife of such ouch a aman aman man havo o a 0 right to shoulder her hor gun and help make war on the common enemy poverty ert I There arc are other men mon good and true I and lovable who are born without any any business faculty Just as most of ot us are arc born without a 1 tenor voice Many of these men marry women who havethe havethe have havo the talent for tor vetting getting on that the husbands husbands hus hus- bands lack Shall such wives Bit sit down and fold CoM their hands and lot Jot their families families fam tam Illes starve because If Ir the they go out to work worl they will compete with ried women Again there Arc aro many young couples who aro are In love and who could marry comfortably on tho the combined earnings of ot both but who must forever remain apart If Ir the wife gives up up her Ier Job on her hor wedding da day If It a wife lre can help her husband more mor b by earning money than she can cnn by cooking his hie dinner and find washing his shirts Is there any reason she shouldn't do It There aro many cases In which a mans man's future prosperity could be assured as- as as assured by his wife wire holding onto her Job and bringing In a little necessary money for tor a a. year car or two after artar marriage mar- mar Nor d ides does es It seem eem fair 11 to ask the j woman who h JI 1 Thousands of or dollars dollar an an of or time fitting herself herself her her- self to follow some profession lon or calling call call- callIna ing Ina to give It up Just because she sho marries marries mar mar- ries and some single h woman would like 1110 to havo have her place A groat roat deal 1 of the tho mo most t valuable work In tho the world IB is done dono by married I women because matrimony whether itis it itIs Is 18 happy or miserable broadens a womans woman's wo- wo mans nian's outlook and deepens her sympathy sympathy lh thy and comprehension Also tho married married married mar mar- ried woman who Is a wage earner has haa settled 9 dO down for tor a lire life Job nt at whatever what what- whatever ever fiver she Rhe Is doing as a general thing whereas tho the l worker Is looking forward forward for tor- ward to matrimony to emancipate her hor train from slavery to hor her yardstick or ledger And It would be a distinct loss to the I world If It It ft t were wore deprived of ot the services sen leeR ices or of its ls married women workers Iho Tho real rel objection to married women being wage earners is not that the they compote Compete with vilh young girls but tho moral effect it has haR on their husbands There aro are some men who are arc spurred on n to greater Beater efforts b by the fact tact that their wires wl arc out in the world tolling tolling- tr trying to help thorn by making mone money but unfortunately tho the majority m of ot husbands husbands hus hus- bands hands whose wives can support them let them thorn do It Time The statistics of ot factory factory fac fac- tory towns whore many women omen wor work in the tho mills mill show that tho the men contribute contribute con con- tribute very little to tho the family faintly quer quor The They spend their money on themselves s. s and leave their wives t to feed teed and clothe Iotha tho the family All AJl of or this makes makos the problem m of or the tho wn earning wage wife one that cannot bo be settled by an any blanket rule It has to be he worked out In each individual cn case cage c on Its own merits not by denying tho the married woman the right to compete com coin pete pate with the unmarried one But tho the lure of the business world t I Is not so great rent to o women woman as ne man many sup sup- Pos pose Evor Every womans woman's dream Is of or her own home homo her own fireside her hor own man able with his hia good right arm to ld for Cor hor her and sho sha does docs not often otten after marriage apply for her hor old Job unless j her hor castle In Spain has fallen In reins about her cars ears |