86 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences^ Arts, and Letters. 



reckoned with married men, it is because "coming events cast 

 their shadows before." They may both be reckoned now for 

 what, as a rule, they are to be. The injustice is not great in 

 reckoning man from the beginning as the wages-producer and 

 compensating him as putatively responsible for the mainten- 

 ance of a family. The wife at marriage enters into the enjoy- 

 ment of any surplus the husband may have gained. If this 

 discussion is not understood, we would like to ask a question 

 Vfhich, we think, can be understood. 



When the wages of women are everywhere equal to those 

 of men, how can a mechanic hire the female assistance which 

 Ms wife again and again in her motherhood must need ? His 

 'day's wages can only offset the wages of the help he hires and 

 then where shall the family subsistence come from ? 



Unjust as the present system of wages may often seem to be 

 to woman, it is questionable where we can put our hand in to 

 remedy it, without doing more damage than benefit. We are 

 convinced that no system of reform respecting wages can be 

 sound which does not plant itself immovably by the side of 

 woman married and regulate everything primarily in the light 

 of her highest interests. 



We are pushing the principle of inviduality to a destructive 

 extreme. It is a surface question in sociology to ask simply if 

 the wages of one individual ought not to be equal to that of an- 

 other for the same work. Behind this lies the question " ought 

 not families to be supported, and how can this be done ?" 



Business with its great motto, " You buy best where you 

 buy cheapest," has respect only to this principle of individ- 

 uality. But the interests of business are a narrow foundation 

 on which to rest a social system. A society that followed 

 business maxims only, would be barbarous, infernal. If social 

 science desires to be of service to humanity, it must impress 

 society with the idea that the necessities of families must 

 be looked to in settling the principles of compensation for work. 

 When this is done, other things being equal, we shall find that 



