THE EEVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT AMONG WOMEN. 16S- 



gun, is next to the fact of it noticeable. It has acquired a re- 

 spectable, not to say remarkable frontage in literature, on the ros- 

 trum, and in the halls of legislation. For thirty years, from pul- 

 pit, press and platform, in club and in social circle, it has had the 

 benefit and hindrance of approval, protest and discussion; enlisting 

 the dignity of conversation, the brilliancy of wit, the contempt of 

 sarcasm, the repartee of humor, and all the vicissitudes of a ques- 

 tion so much at home among the people as to be equally every- 

 body's and nobody's business. And yet, should the history of this, 

 movement be attempted, the details would be found unsatisfactory,, 

 its methods unattractive and its results vaguely defined. 



II. 



Of the causes moving to this unrest and protest among women, the 

 difficulty of finding suitable and remunerative employment is con- 

 spicuous. Here, as in the beginning of human effort, the question 

 for woman is first one of shelter and sustenance, and without the 

 world before her, as it has eyer been before man; for the great 

 highways of occupation are either positively or practically closed 

 to feminine industry; and in those open to women it is the almosfi 

 universal rule that they are met with less wages for the same work. 



The best argument for this inequality of compensation is based 

 upon the usual responsibility of man for the family maintenance. 

 This leads to the questiou, How, then, when a woman receives from 

 one-fourth to one-half of that paid a man for the same service, is 

 she to maintain a family lett to her care? It seems very unsatis- 

 factory to be told that such persons are exceptions to the rule of 

 generally provided-fbr married women, and the case must be met 

 in some other way than that of labor and compensation for it;"* or 

 that, " women left without natural protectors, ? must take upon 

 themselves the pur-^uits of meJi in order to live at all," and that 

 '*'for these aberrations from general law special arrangements must 

 be made." So far from stajing this revolt, women are not even 

 pausing to press the old question, " Gentlemen, what is this other 

 way. and when are those special arrangements to take effect?" 

 but are moving upon results with the api)arent purpose tf making 

 their own arrange mi^nts. 



*" Social Science and Women Suffrage." By Rev. C. Caverno, Academy Trans- 

 actions, Vol. I. 



