The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909 1910)

C >> Charlotte Perkins Gilman >> The Forerunner, Volume 1 (1909 1910)

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62

"Most of us, however widely interested in the higher education, are
still--and find in this our highest honor--wives and mothers." These
novel titles called forth another round of applause.

"As such," continued Mrs. Dankshire, "we all recognize the
difficult--the well-nigh insuperable problems of the"--she glanced at
the gallery now paying awed attention--"domestic question."

"We know how on the one hand our homes yawn unattended"--("I yawn while
I'm attending--eh?" one gentleman in the rear suggested to his
neighbor)--while on the other the ranks of mercenary labor are
overcrowded. Why is it that while the peace and beauty, the security
and comfort, of a good home, with easy labor and high pay, are open to
every young woman, whose circumstances oblige her to toil for her
living, she blindly refuses these true advantages and loses her health
and too often what is far more precious!--in the din and tumult of the
factory, or the dangerous exposure of the public counter."

Madam Weatherstone was much impressed at this point, and beat her black
fan upon her black glove emphatically. Mrs. Thaddler also nodded; which
meant a good deal from her. The applause was most gratifying to the
speaker, who continued:

"Fortunately for the world there are some women yet who appreciate the
true values of life." A faint blush crept slowly up the face of
Diantha, but her expression was unchanged. Whoso had met and managed a
roomful of merciless children can easily face a woman's club.

"We have with us on this occasion one, as we my say, our equal in birth
and breeding,"--Madam Weatherstone here looked painfully shocked as also
did the Boston Marrow; possibly Mrs. Dankshire, whose parents were Iowa
farmers, was not unmindful of this, but she went on smoothly, "and whose
first employment was the honored task of the teacher; who has
deliberately cast her lot with the domestic worker, and brought her
trained intelligence to bear upon the solution of this great
question--The True Nature of Domestic Service. In the interests of this
problem she has consented to address us--I take pleasure in introducing
Miss Diantha Bell."

Diantha rose calmly, stepped forward, bowed to the President and
officers, and to the audience. She stood quietly for a moment,
regarding the faces before her, and produced a typewritten paper. It
was clear, short, and to some minds convincing.

She set forth that the term "domestic industry" did not define certain
kinds of labor, but a stage of labor; that all labor was originally
domestic; but that most kinds had now become social, as with weaving and
spinning, for instance, for centuries confined to the home and done by
women only; now done in mills by men and women; that this process of
socialization has now been taken from the home almost all the
manufactures--as of wine, beer, soap, candles, pickles and other
specialties, and part of the laundry work; that the other processes of
cleaning are also being socialized, as by the vacuum cleaners, the
professional window-washers, rug cleaners, and similar professional
workers; and that even in the preparation of food many kinds are now
specialized, as by the baker and confectioner. That in service itself
we were now able to hire by the hour or day skilled workers necessarily
above the level of the "general."

A growing rustle of disapproval began to make itself felt, which
increased as she went on to explain how the position of the housemaid is
a survival of the ancient status of woman slavery, the family with the
male head and the group of servile women.

"The keynote of all our difficulty in this relation is that we demand
celibacy of our domestic servants," said Diantha.

A murmur arose at this statement, but she continued calmly:

"Since it is natural for women to marry, the result is that our domestic
servants consist of a constantly changing series of young girls,
apprentices, as it were; and the complicated and important duties of the
household cannot be fully mastered by such hands."

The audience disapproved somewhat of this, but more of what followed.
She showed (Mrs. Porne nodding her head amusedly), that so far from
being highly paid and easy labor, house service was exacting and
responsible, involving a high degree of skill as well as moral
character, and that it was paid less than ordinary unskilled labor, part
of this payment being primitive barter.

Then, as whispers and sporadic little spurts of angry talk increased,
the clear quiet voice went on to state that this last matter, the
position of a strange young girl in our homes, was of itself a source of
much of the difficulty of the situation.

"We speak of giving them the safety and shelter of the home,"--here
Diantha grew solemn;--"So far from sharing our homes, she gives up her
own, and has none of ours, but the poorest of our food and a cramped
lodging; she has neither the freedom nor the privileges of a home; and
as to shelter and safety--the domestic worker, owing to her peculiarly
defenceless position, furnishes a terrible percentage of the
unfortunate."

A shocked silence met this statement.

"In England shop-workers complain of the old custom of 'sleeping
in'--their employers furnishing them with lodging as part payment; this
also is a survival of the old apprentice method. With us, only the
domestic servant is held to this antiquated position."

Regardless of the chill displeasure about her she cheerfully pursued:

"Let us now consider the economic side of the question. 'Domestic
economy' is a favorite phrase. As a matter of fact our method of
domestic service is inordinately wasteful. Even where the wife does all
the housework, without pay, we still waste labor to an enormous extent,
requiring one whole woman to wait upon each man. If the man hires one
or more servants, the wastes increase. If one hundred men undertake
some common business, they do not divide in two halves, each man having
another man to serve him--fifty productive laborers, and fifty cooks.
Two or three cooks could provide for the whole group; to use fifty is to
waste 47 per cent. of the labor.

"But our waste of labor is as nothing to our waste of money. For, say
twenty families, we have twenty kitchens with all their furnishings,
twenty stoves with all their fuel; twenty cooks with all their wages; in
cash and barter combined we pay about ten dollars a week for our
cooks--$200 a week to pay for the cooking for twenty families, for about
a hundred persons!

"Three expert cooks, one at $20 a week and two at $15 would save to
those twenty families $150 a week and give them better food. The cost
of kitchen furnishings and fuel, could be reduced by nine-tenths; and
beyond all that comes our incredible waste in individual purchasing.
What twenty families spend on individual patronage of small retailers,
could be reduced by more than half if bought by competent persons in
wholesale quantities. Moreover, our whole food supply would rise in
quality as well as lower in price if it was bought by experts.

"To what does all this lead?" asked Diantha pleasantly.

Nobody said anything, but the visible attitude of the house seemed to
say that it led straight to perdition.

"The solution for which so many are looking is no new scheme of any
sort; and in particular it is not that oft repeated fore-doomed failure
called "co-operative housekeeping."

At this a wave of relief spread perceptibly. The irritation roused by
those preposterous figures and accusations was somewhat allayed. Hope
was relit in darkened countenances.

"The inefficiency of a dozen tottering households is not removed by
combining them," said Diantha. This was of dubious import. "Why should
we expect a group of families to "keep house" expertly and economically
together, when they are driven into companionship by the fact that none
of them can do it alone."

Again an uncertain reception.

"Every family is a distinct unit," the girl continued. "Its needs are
separate and should be met separately. The separate house and garden
should belong to each family, the freedom and group privacy of the home.
But the separate home may be served by a common water company, by a
common milkman, by a common baker, by a common cooking and a common
cleaning establishment. We are rapidly approaching an improved system
of living in which the private home will no more want a cookshop on the
premises than a blacksmith's shop or soap-factory. The necessary work
of the kitchenless house will be done by the hour, with skilled labor;
and we shall order our food cooked instead of raw. This will give to
the employees a respectable well-paid profession, with their own homes
and families; and to the employers a saving of about two-thirds of the
expense of living, as well as an end of all our difficulties with the
servant question. That is the way to elevate--to enoble domestic
service. It must cease to be domestic service--and become world
service."

Suddenly and quietly she sat down.

Miss Eagerson was on her feet. So were others.

"Madam President! Madam President!" resounded from several points at
once. Madam Weatherstone--Mrs. Thaddler--no! yes--they really were both
on their feet. Applause was going on--irregularly--soon dropped. Only,
from the group in the gallery it was whole-hearted and consistent.

Mrs. Dankshire, who had been growing red and redder as the paper
advanced, who had conferred in alarmed whispers with Mrs. Ree, and Miss
Massing, who had even been seen to extend her hand to the gavel and
finger it threateningly, now rose, somewhat precipitately, and came
forward.

"Order, please! You will please keep order. You have heard the--we
will now--the meeting is now open for discussion, Mrs. Thaddler!" And
she sat down. She meant to have said Madam Weatherstone, by Mrs.
Thaddler was more aggressive.

"I wish to say," said that much beaded lady in a loud voice, "that I was
against this--unfortunate experiment--from the first. And I trust it
will never be repeated!" She sat down.

Two tight little dimples flickered for an instant about the corners of
Diantha's mouth.

"Madam Weatherstone?" said the President, placatingly.

Madam Weatherstone arose, rather sulkily, and looked about her. An
agitated assembly met her eye, buzzing universally each to each.

"Order!" said Mrs. Dankshire, "ORDER, please!" and rapped three times
with the gavel.

"I have attended many meetings, in many clubs, in many states," said
Madam Weatherstone, "and have heard much that was foolish, and some
things that were dangerous. But I will say that never in the course of
all my experience have I heard anything so foolish and so dangerous, as
this. I trust that the--doubtless well meant--attempt to throw light on
this subject--from the wrong quarter--has been a lesson to us all. No
club could survive more than one such lamentable mistake!" And she sat
down, gathering her large satin wrap about her like a retiring Caesar.

"Madam President!" broke forth Miss Eagerson. "I was up first--and have
been standing ever since--"

"One moment, Miss Eagerson," said Mrs. Dankshire superbly, "The Rev. Dr.
Eltwood."

If Mrs. Dankshire supposed she was still further supporting the cause of
condemnation she made a painful mistake. The cloth and the fine bearing
of the young clergyman deceived her; and she forgot that he was said to
be "advanced" and was new to the place.

"Will you come to the platform, Dr. Eltwood?"

Dr. Eltwood came to the platform with the easy air of one to whom
platforms belonged by right.

"Ladies," he began in tones of cordial good will, "both employer and
employed!--and gentlemen--whom I am delighted to see here to-day! I am
grateful for the opportunity so graciously extended to me"--he bowed six
feet of black broadcloth toward Mrs. Dankshire--"by your honored
President.

"And I am grateful for the opportunity previously enjoyed, of listening
to the most rational, practical, wise, true and hopeful words I have
ever heard on this subject. I trust there will be enough open-minded
women--and men--in Orchardina to make possible among us that higher
business development of a great art which has been so convincingly laid
before us. This club is deserving of all thanks from the community for
extending to so many the privilege of listening to our valued
fellow-citizen--Miss Bell."

He bowed again--to Miss Bell--and to Mrs. Dankshire, and resumed his
seat, Miss Eagerson taking advantage of the dazed pause to occupy the
platform herself.

"Mr. Eltwood is right!" she said. "Miss Bell is right! This is the
true presentation of the subject, 'by one who knows.' Miss Bell has
pricked our pretty bubble so thoroughly that we don't know where we're
standing--but she knows! Housework is a business--like any other
business--I've always said so, and it's got to be done in a business
way. Now I for one--" but Miss Eagerson was rapped down by the
Presidential gavel; as Mrs. Thaddler, portentous and severe, stalked
forward.

"It is not my habit to make public speeches," she began, "nor my desire;
but this is a time when prompt and decisive action needs to be taken.
This Club cannot afford to countenance any such farrago of mischievous
nonsense as we have heard to-day. I move you, Madam President, that a
resolution of condemnation be passed at once; and the meeting then
dismissed!"

She stalked back again, while Mrs. Marrow of Boston, in clear, cold
tones seconded the motion.

But another voice was heard--for the first time in that assembly--Mrs.
Weatherstone, the pretty, delicate widower daughter-in-law of Madam
Weatherstone, was on her feet with "Madam President! I wish to speak to
this motion."

"Won't you come to the platform, Mrs. Weatherstone?" asked Mrs.
Dankshire graciously, and the little lady came, visibly trembling, but
holding her head high.

All sat silent, all expected--what was not forthcoming.

"I wish to protest, as a member of the Club, and as a woman, against the
gross discourtesy which has been offered to the guest and speaker of the
day. In answer to our invitation Miss Bell has given us a scholarly and
interesting paper, and I move that we extend her a vote of thanks."

"I second the motion," came from all quarters.

"There is another motion before the house," from others.

Cries of "Madam President" arose everywhere, many speakers were on their
feet. Mrs. Dankshire tapped frantically with the little gavel, but Miss
Eagerson, by sheer vocal power, took and held the floor.

"I move that we take a vote on this question," she cried in piercing
tones. "Let every woman who knows enough to appreciate Miss Bell's
paper--and has any sense of decency--stand up!"

Quite a large proportion of the audience stood up--very informally.
Those who did not, did not mean to acknowledge lack of intelligence and
sense of decency, but to express emphatic disapproval of Miss Eagerson,
Miss Bell and their views.

"I move you, Madam President," cried Mrs. Thaddler, at the top of her
voice, "that every member who is guilty of such grossly unparlimentary
conduct be hereby dropped from this Club!"

"We hereby resign!" cried Miss Eagerson. "_We_ drop _you!_ We'll have
a New Woman's Club in Orchardina with some warmth in its heart and some
brains in its head--even if it hasn't as much money in its pocket!"

Amid stern rappings, hissings, cries of "Order--order," and frantic
"Motions to adjourn" the meeting broke up; the club elements dissolving
and reforming into two bodies as by some swift chemical reaction.

Great was the rejoicing of the daily press; some amusement was felt,
though courteously suppressed by the men present, and by many not
present, when they heard of it.

Some ladies were so shocked and grieved as to withdraw from club-life
altogether. Others, in stern dignity, upheld the shaken standards of
Home and Culture; while the most conspicuous outcome of it all was the
immediate formation of the New Woman's Club of Orchardina.

THE HOUSE OF APPLES

There was a certain King; young and inexperienced, but a man of resource
and initiative; an efficacious King if he did but know it. Being new to
his business, however, he did not, as yet, exert himself particularly.

This King, as it happened, was mightily fond of apples; but he was, as
aforesaid, youthful and inexperienced; and too much overwhelmed with new
duties, glories, and responsibilities, to be very exacting.

As a matter of expediency his stewards and servants strove to please
him. As a matter of course they gave him what he wanted, when they
could. As a matter of fact his table was provided with the best the
market could afford.

The market, however, could not afford to do very well; at least its
products did not satisfy the King.

"What is the trouble with these apples!" said the King, "Bring me
another kind!"

They brought him several kinds--as many as three or four.

"Bring me more kinds!" said the King.

"These are all that the market affords, O King," they replied.

"Confound the market!" said the King, "I will consider this business
myself."

Then the King consulted his books about apples; and the heads of
departments in his Bureaus of horticulture and of Commerce. Having thus
added to his information, he then went out to study the facts; and he
found that the facts were these:

Apples grew as easily as ever they did; and there were really more kinds
instead of less. People liked apples as well as ever they did, and
there were more people instead of less.

Yet in the country the orchards were neglected and the apples fed to
pigs or left to rot; and in the city, the fruit-stalls were loaded with
the monotonous tasteless apples of commerce, cold-stored from time
unknown; and those that were cheap were nasty, and those that were not
nasty and not cheap were by mo means as high in quality as they were in
price.

Then the King issued a Mandate, ordering his subjects far and wide to
send him samples of all kinds of apples that were grown; with their
names and histories and habits.

After this he made a tour of state, visiting his kingdom far and wide,
and studying Appleculture in every quarter. And he consulted the people
separately, in different places, saying, "Why do you not raise more
apples of this sort and of this?"

And with one accord the people answered him--"It does not pay!"

This his Financial Advisers explained to him, outwardly with deep
respect, but inwardly with derision at his inexperience, that there was
no market for these varieties of apples, and they discoursed on The Law
of Supply and Demand.

Then the King called upon his people to write everyone a postal card to
him, stating the kind of apples they would buy if they could; and how
many barrels or bushels or pecks or quarts they would like to use in a
season, if the price was $2.00 a barrel, or five cents a quart.

This furnished employment to many mathematicians and staticians and
tabulators for many days; but when all was done the King found that the
desire of his people for apples averaged a barrel apiece per year. And
the King briskly multiplied the number of his people by the price of a
barrel of apples, and obtained a great sum.

"Ah!" said the King. "This is 'The Market,' is it not?"

But his Financial Advisers laughed in their sleeves, saying solemnly to
him. "No, O King--this is merely an estimate of the idle desires of the
people--with two large Ifs in it."

"But this is 'the Demand' is it not?" said the King.

And his Financial Advisers put down their sleeves and said, "No, O King
this is but a desire--not a demand."

But the King was fond of apples, and obstinate.

So he caused to be built in every city a House of Apples; and appointed
to each an Apple-Master, to carry out his will. And he commanded all
his common carriers to carry apples in their season, so many carloads to
a city, according to the desires of his people. And he offered to all
fruit-raisers, from the humble Farmer to the haughty Horticulturist,
such and such a price for such and such apples; the number thereof to
increase as the population increased from year to year.

In the House of Apples was an Exhibition Hall, showing waxen examples of
every Apple upon earth; and a market where Apples were sold; the
short-lived Apples in their season, and the long-lived Apples the year
around, and some were costly and some were cheap; and in the autumn the
market was flooded--so that then all people could buy apples for a
song--to their hearts' content and their bodies' comfort.

Golden Porters, crystalline and winy, were to be had in their brief
season; and succulent sweetings, to bake with molasses; and
gilliflowers, purple and mealy, and little scarlet sapsons, of which one
eats without counting. Then the people bought more even than they had
intended; and the farms found apples were a paying crop and cultivated
them; and the common carriers lost nothing, for their carrying grew
greater and the payment was steady and sure.

Now the King was really pleased at this, for he loved Apples and he
loved having his own way--as Kings do. Also he delighted in the
glorious array of Apples in his Houses; to look at, to eat, and to
smell.

"It is worth the Price!" said the King. "I know what I want and I'm
willing to pay for it."

But when the Reports of The Apple Masters came in, Lo! There was a
Great Profit for the King.

"There is no harm in that!" said he. And he showed the report to his
Financial Advisers--and his sleeve was across his mouth.

And the name of that King was Demos.

OUR ANDROCENTRIC CULTURE; or, THE MAN-MADE WORLD

VII.

ETHICS AND RELIGION.

The laws of physics were at work before we were on earth, and continued
to work on us long before we had intelligence enough to perceive, much
less understand, them. Our proven knowledge of these processes
constitutes "the science of physics"; but the laws were there before the
science.

Physics is the science of material relation, how things and natural
forces work with and on one another. Ethics is the science of social
relation, how persons and social forces work with and on one another.

Ethics is to the human world what physics is to the material world;
ignorance of ethics leaves us in the same helpless position in regard to
one another that ignorance of physics left us in regard to earth, air,
fire and water.

To be sure, people lived and died and gradually improved, while yet
ignorant of the physical sciences; they developed a rough "rule of
thumb" method, as animals do, and used great forces without
understanding them. But their lives were safer and their improvement
more rapid as they learned more, and began to make servants of the
forces which had been their masters.

We have progressed, lamely enough, with terrible loss and suffering,
from stark savagery to our present degree of civilization; we shall go
on more safely and swiftly when we learn more of the science of ethics.

Let us note first that while the underlying laws of ethics remain steady
and reliable, human notions of them have varied widely and still do so.
In different races, ages, classes, sexes, different views of ethics
obtain; the conduct of the people is modified by their views, and their
prosperity is modified by their conduct.

Primitive man became very soon aware that conduct was of importance. As
consciousness increased, with the power to modify action from within,
instead of helplessly reacting to stimuli from without, there arose the
crude first codes of ethics, the "Thou shalt" and "Thou shalt not" of
the blundering savage. It was mostly "Thou shalt not." Inhibition, the
checking of an impulse proven disadvantageous, was an earlier and easier
form of action than the later human power to consciously decide on and
follow a course of action with no stimulus but one's own will.

Primitive ethics consists mostly of Tabus--the things that are
forbidden; and all our dim notions of ethics to this day, as well as
most of our religions, deal mainly with forbidding.

This is almost the whole of our nursery government, to an extent shown
by the well-worn tale of the child who said her name was "Mary." "Mary
what?" they asked her. And she answered, "Mary Don't." It is also the
main body of our legal systems--a complex mass of prohibitions and
preventions. And even in manners and conventions, the things one should
not do far outnumber the things one should. A general policy of
negation colors our conceptions of ethics and religion.

When the positive side began to be developed, it was at first in purely
arbitrary and artificial form. The followers of a given religion were
required to go through certain motions, as prostrating themselves,
kneeling, and the like; they were required to bring tribute to the gods
and their priests, sacrifices, tithes, oblations; they were set little
special performances to go through at given times; the range of things
forbidden was broad; the range of things commanded was narrow. The
Christian religion, practically interpreted, requires a fuller "change
of heart" and change of life than any preceding it; which may account at
once for its wide appeal to enlightened peoples, and to its scarcity of
application.