The day book. [volume], January 13, 1914, LAST EDITION, Image 26

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
ence' was exerted by women, it was
almost invariably by the wrong wo
men!" "That is true, too," Miss Wald
agreed. "Years ago .. Mrs. Sydney
Webster said that American men are
not really good husbands, that they
pet and spoil their women, but that
they do not permit them to influence
them or to participate in their se
rious affairs. Recently a foreign
critic, in writing his impressions of
the United States, said that he could
not see that our women received se
rious consideration except that here
and there a .woman like Jane Addams
is respected and her opinion carries
weight. He thought the mass of
American women without influence."
"Yet the judges in New York
courts have often told me that the
most serious domestic difficulties
which they have to solve result from
the foreign wife's sudden realization
of her improved status," I objected.
Miss Wald laughed at this first
fruit of the suffrage campaigns. I
asked her if she had found the new
ideals of women had produced any
effects on their desire to marry and
make a home.
"No," she said. "It has not chang
ed their wish- to marry, but it has
changed their choice of husbands. It
is very interesting to observe this
change in our settlement girls. As
a result of the influences they have
absorbed here, some of them have
asked "the men who were courting
them certain questions about their
past lives and their fitness for mar
iage. A man perhaps would not like
it and a girl would refuse him. Later
she would meet some man who un
derstood and respected her questions
and liked her the better for them.
In the course of my conversation I
expressed my gratification that,
through the radiating influence of the
University Settlement, the feminine
newcomers in our republic are learn
ing the new and only real morality,
the morality which rejects the an
cient falsehood that what is poison
for the goose is merely peccadillo for
the gander.
"So many persons do not appre
ciate what splendid personalities exist
among our foreign population,' Miss
Wald replied.
"There seems to be a contagious
misunderstanding that the poor for
eigner is ignorant. Yet anyone with
extended personal acquaintance with
the immigrant knows that, because
of the handicap of ignorance of our
language and customs of our coun
try, intellectual men and women are
found at operating . machines, are
peddlers, and are very numerous' in
the needle trades. They have thought
deeply, read widely an dhave sacri
ficed much to get to this land of
political-equality.
"As an instance of the intelligence
of some women employed in factor
ies, I must tell you of a young im
migrant girl who resented the charge
made by a foreign man that America
is materialistic and that its greatest
names are Rockefeller, Harriman
and Morgan. 'Those are its richest
men,' the girl replied, 'but the great
est men are Abraham Lincoln, Walt
Whitman and Edward MacDowell!' "
ALIENS MUST SHOW EARNING
CAPACITY TO ENTER U. S.?
Washington, Jan. 13. Aliens seek
ing admission to U. S. would be re
quired to show that in year previous
to their entry they have earned 30
per cent as much wages as would be
paid for similar labor in U. S. under
bill introduced by Rep. Gillett, Mass.
Measure would also authorize presi
dent to bar aliens coming from
Philippines, Hawaii and other foreign
countries on this principle.
o o-:
A host who was nervous and in
experienced rose hurriedly at the
conclusion of a song one of his guests
had given. "Ladies and er gentle
men," he said, "before Mr. M. began
he asked me to apologize for his
voice, but I omitted to do so er
so I er apologize now!"