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THE WOMEN OF THE PERIOD.
by our travelling correspondent? .
LONDON, 12th January.
In the early days of Parliamentary -warfare
in Victoria, when tho protective policy, xvhich
has dono so much to ensure its progress, was a
pestilent heresy, eschewed by ail politicians
who aspired to be thought statesmen, a speaker,
tho late Sir. Heales, I think, xvas urging
upon a; wearied and inattentive House
the noecssity for finding other employ
ment for tho rising generation of young
Australians than shepherding and gold mining,
whioh in thoso days were considered by many to
be tho only proper occupations for a Victorian
youth. What are we to do with our boys?
ejaculated Mr. Heales, "Marry them to tho
girls " retorted Sir. O'Shanassy. Tho rejoinder
was, of course, no argument, but it turned tho
laugh against the speaker. He would be
a bold man who would pretend to solvo
tho social difficulties of this country in a
manner so easy and simple. 'The boys do
not want to marry the girls, and even if
they were ever so willing there are not enough
of them to find husbands for all tho eligible
spinsters in the British Isles. Hundreds of
thousands of females know that thero is no
chance of them ever becoming wives, and they
turn their energies into another channel than
that whioh was anciently supposed to be tho
proper sphere of a woman.
Whatever the cause may he there is no doubt
about tho effect. Women are asserting them
selves moro .and more every day Those who
aro compelled to gain their own livelihood aro
invading all sorts of occupations which a few
years ago were regarded as the exclusivo
property of tho sterner sex. Thoy aro no longer
content to bo domestic servants, factory hands,
milliners, shop girls or governesses. Thoy
becomo clerks, type writers, shorthand
writers, nurses, detectives and artists of
various kinds. The prejudice against women,
even thoso of gcntlo birth and breeding, working
for their bread, is rapidly fading away, even if
it has not altogether disappeared. The gover
nesses . of to-day occupy a very different posi
tion, both intellectually and socially, from
that enjoyed, or rather, I should say,
suffered, by their predecessors of tlie
past generation. They have, as a rule,
passed some examination or another,
which gives them a defined status, and tho
diploma of xvhich shoxrs, if it shows nothing
olse, that at some period of their lives they had
acquired, either by study or by cramming, a
certain amount of knowledge.. Nursing is tho
occupation of another class of young women,
many of whoni, although well bred and
well educated aro content to undergo tho
drudgery inseparable from tho lifo of a pro
fessional nurse, especially during her novitiate ;
and when she is attached to a hospital she has
to rise at 6 a.m. to scrub the floors and perform
other work which was formerly considered
menial. Another set of girls go on tho stage,
and are quite content to go through all the
drudgery of the profession, to play
small parts, bo bullied by stage mana
gers, and walk miles and miles during
tho dreary weather of a London xvinter with
tho view of gaining a livelihood for the present,
and in tho future blossoming out as Lilly Lang-
trys and Mary Andersons. It is quite pro
bable that this invasion of tho stage by a class of
educated young women, who formerly were
taught to believe that an appearance behind tho
footlights was- tho suro fororunner of social
ostracism, if not of social degradation, will even
tually do something to improve tho English
stage. At present tho race of lady actresses
have dono nothing moro than teach thoir com
rades how to dress and how to fashionably
bear themselves like gentlewomen. Up to the
present none of tho new school of actresses
have shown any genius, and fexr of them seem
to possess moro talent than fell to tho shore of
the old school, who for tho most part xvere
recruited from amongst tho ranks of the
theatrical families, who brought up thoir sons
and daughters to tho stage just as other people
trained their children so as to enable them to
carry on tho family business.
I do not proposo to take any notice of the
young ladies who study xvith tho view of join
ing ono or another of the learned professions. So
far thero aro no female lawyers in Great Britain,
although there are several in the United States,''
and attempts aro being mado by the women of
Belgium, Italy and even Spain to follow the
examplo of their American sisters. The lecture
platform, has been rushed by women although
thoy have not yet attempted to enter the
ranks of tho clergy, regular or irregular,
orthodox or heterodox. Thero are, however, a
considerable number of lady doctors in Great
Britain, and an even , larger number of women
have studied medicine with the view of going to
India and practising tho art of healing amongst
the inmates of the zenanas, xvho aro proventod
from calling in the aid and advice of a European
doctor, and are at tho mercy of a number of
ignorant Hindoo females, who know nothing of
anatomy, and very little else, xvith tho excep
tion of a slight empirical knowledge of the
effect of certain drugs. The political women are
a class by themselves. Tho Primrose League
has beon a huge success, and in some parts of
England it wields an enormous political power.
The prinoipal lady of tho habitation is usually a
personage of great importance in the county,
frequently a peeress or a baroness, or a lady
ship of some sort. In her train are a number of
women who aro on tho selvage of society, tho
wives of doctors, lawyers, brewers, manufacturers,
and wealthy farmers who are anxious to get a
footing amongst the local magnates. And these
in their turn have a following of their own
amongst the spouses of shopkeepers and trades
men, who, although never likely to bo admitted
into tho Holy of Holies of county exolusiveness,
may yet aspire to an invitation to an afternoon
tea at tho mansions of Mrs. Rector or Mrs.
Solicitor. Still farther off are the xvives of the
laborers and artisans xvho know that coals and
beef at Christmas, flannels and soup daring the
winter, and employment throughout the year
are more likely to come their way and' that of
their husbands if they join the ranks of tho
Primrose League, and porsuado their menkind
generally to vote tho T017 ticket. The Liberal
ladies are folloxving, although after a long in
terval, the oxample of their imaginative sisters,
and during recent eieotions a vast amount of
canvassing and a fair amount of speaking have
been achieved by the xvidow of the late Professor
Fawcett on behalf of the Liberal Unionists, and
by Lady Aberdeen and by Lady Sandhurst in
tho interests of the Gladstoniaus.
It was not to bo supposed that women having
placed themselvos so much en evidence in other
walks of life would leave Club land altogether
alone. It xvaa not very eaBy for them to mako
a lodgment, but everything oomea to him who
waits. They are not allowed, as visitors only,
at more than one club. Hurlinghame, the nexv
olub, the Lyrie and several of those nondesoript
establishments xx-hich have been called into
oxistence on the banks of tho Thames for the
purpose of mingling metropolitan pleasure
with semi-rnral pursuits — boating, lawn tenuis,
racing, pigeon shooting, Ate.— welcome them with
oagernoss. Ono club— the Alexandra— is for
" ladies who are eligible to be presented at her
Majesty's draxving room," an elastic phrase,
xvhich may mean anything or nothing in these
democratic days, when peeresses keep millinery
shops, when dukes become directors of hotel
companies, and when even tho Prince of "Wales
himself seeks tho companionship of Colonel
North, the Nitrate King. But perhaps your
readers would take more interest in the Somer-
ville Club, a modost establishment in .Oxford-
street which is exclusively for women, and is in
tended to be self supporting, although the
entranco fee is only half a guinea, and the
annual subscription is limited to the samo
modest sum. Tho olub was founded about
eight years ago, whon the subscription xvas
even lower than at present, but it was re-,
organised last year on lines which its com
mittee consider to bo financially sound. It
numbers at present about 800 members, and
affords, on a somewhat small scalo it is true,
all the advantages which con be obtained at an
ordinary club.
Of course there aro in London an innumerable
number of clubs for women, xvhich are, in their
inception, more or less philanthropic and charit
able, and xvhich have been called into being by
persons of both sexes who xvisli to elevate tho
condition of working women, and ameliorate
tho conditions under xvhich their lives are
led. But these institutions aro not, properly
speaking, clubs. They do good xvork, but there
is too much of tho spirit of patronage about
them to mako them popular amongst the
thousands of women in London who, whilo they
have to obtain their livelihood by tlieir own
exertions, possess the foclings of ladies and aro
anxious, at all costs, to preserve their independ
ence. Tho clubs for working women aro ex
tremely useful — but thoy arc not, in tho proper
meaning of tho term, clubs at alL Tho Hon.
Maude Stanley, in an article praising the results
of tlieso institutions upon tho manners and
morals of tho poorer class of girls in London,
xvrites as follows : — " Wo come at last, but
not least, to the most important aspect
of a girls' club, the moral effect it has on those
who belongto it. The constant presenco of ladies
in these clubs imparts to tho young women a
refinement of manner, a dislike for tho vulgar,
flippant and silly jokes we have so often heard.
They learn that good manners do not mean
pride and distance to one another, but
courtesy and helpfulness. This may seem
but tho outsido of tlio platter, tho veneer
of life, but is it not most true
that 'manners make man,' and that weseein
manners the reflection of tho inner man, and
that as tho mind becomes filled xvith higher ob
jects, tho manners will bccomo moro polished
and refined. Wo shall find in all clubs more or
less, according to tho x'ioxvs of tho promoters,
somo distinct religious teaching xvhich xvill
so seriously affect tlio girls that thoy will cast
off all dangerous pleasure and evil companions.
And wo must always bear in mind that the
dangers surrounding working women aro very
great. There aro the temptations of the dancing
rooms, the music halls, tho low dramatic
performances in country towns, or in
booths set up by strolling actors, and we
know the ill effects on the morale of the girls
of theso sensational and unreal dramas, In ono
club we know of a band of purity formed
amongst the more quiet members, and one of
their roles was not to frequent these theatrical
performances, tho girls knowing, from the
higher teaching which they had received,
the evil they got from them. Again,
we often find an utter neglect ef all religious
observances ; no place of worship is attended,
and the heart grows cold, and is closed to all
spiritual lifo ; but in tho club the girls learn
through tlio Bible classes, through the addresses
given, through the fow words spoken to them
hero and there by the earnest worker, that there
is another world besides that xvcary work-a-day
world on which our hopes and aspirations may
bo sot, and from whence xve can get the help
needful to make tho lifo a bright, happy and
useful one."
Tho objects sot out by Miss Stanley as thoso
of Working Women's Clubs aro laudable in the
extreme, but institutions suchasthote described
by lior are not clubs. Now the Somerville is
essentially a club, aud xvhilst thoro is a certaiu
goody-goodiness amongst some of its members,
others plunge into all sorts of abstruse
speculations, and discuss problems in
politics and philosophy about which
women a fow years ago scarcely ventured
to form an opinion. Social cvening3, at which
gontlemenmay boinx-ited, are occasionally held,
and, unxvorthy as I am, I have beon moro than
oneo invited to partake of the hospitality of a 5
o'clock tea. But a glance at tho appearance of tho
ladies present was sufficient to shoxv mo that
they regarded the. olub as a very serious affair,
and that xvhile within its portals they wero very
much in earnest. Thoy came thoro to work, and
auy disposition they might havo had for flirtation
xvas left at the door of the club. Moro of the
members appeared to belong to a class above that
of shop girls and milliners, and appeared to bo
recruited from amongst tho largo number of
young women who como to London to study art,
musio and literature, to copy manuscrijits
at tho record offico or make extracts from
books at the British Museum, aud gene
rally work in the humbler departments of
letters. To young ladies situated as tho
majority of these aro, alone and friendless in
Loudon, even although they may havo homes
elsewhere, tho Somerville Club is a welcome
homo of peace and happiness. If they are bent
on study there aro classes where professors more
or less competent teach languages and seionee ;
thero is tho literary and roading room ;
there aro weekly lectures; and thoro
is a weekly discussion class for ladies
only, at which intending vestrywomen,
county councillors and members of school
boards can practise their pinions beforo essaying
a full flight, coram populo. One of the most
active leaders in the debating class is Miss
Annette Bear, tho daughter of Mr. J. P.
Bear, an ex-member of the Legislative Conncil
of Victoria, and-I hear on all quarters testi
mony to the zeal, ability and tact shown
by this Australian lady in the management of
the club, and of her generosity towards her loss
fortunate sisters.
A glance nt tho subjeots discussed at these
evening lectures xvill shoxv the varied nature
of tho topics' about whioh the mombers of tho
Somervillo Club interest themselves. The
season commenced last November with an ad
dress — partly with electioneering objects, I
fear— from Mrs. Maitland, one of the
candidates for the school hoard on "tho
coming election contest." Tho next lecturo, by
Mrs. Oscar Wilde, the clever wife of the apostle
of æstheticism, xvas delivered to ladies only, and
was entitled Clothed and in our Right Mind.
As Vicountess Harberton took the chair, xvo may
assume that the question of divided skirt was
moro than touched upon. Next followed a
lecture by a German lady, Miss Hagomanu, on
Frederick III., Gorman Emperor ; his
life, aims, successes and disappointments
from a German point of view." A social
evening preceded an address, by Mr. Harold
Hodge, on County Councils, xvith special refer
ence to women, and a leoturc by a lady phy
sician, Dr. Julia Mitchell, on Characteristics of
Russian Literature. I was allowed to hear
Mrs. Ormiston Chant, a most eloquent woman,
with a voice as soft and silvery as that of
Sarah Bernhardt herself, lecture on tho Women
of America, whom sho does not think
are so much in earnest as their English sisters,
oven although somo of them havo been most
successful in obtaining for their sex admission
into professions from which they are even now
excluded in other countries. But the suffrage
movement does not appear to havo mado so
much progress in tho United States as in
Great Britain, xvhere it is now regarded
as fast entering upon tho domain of prac
tical polities. Towards tho end of the preseut
month of January there is to be a debate on
Home Rulo for Ireland, in xvhich Mrs. Bryant
is to be opposed by Mr. K. O. Arnold Forstor,
of the Liberal Union Club, and Lady Margaret
Sandhurst is to take the chair ; and later on
there is to be a leoturc and discussion, for ladies
only, on George Meredith's novels, a lecturo by
Mr. B. F. C. Costelloe on Tho Socialism of
Duties and tho Rights of Man, and, finally,
experiments in Hypnotism. A largo and
varied storo of intellectual pabulum, tho
only doubt on my mind is whethor the lady
members of the Somerville Club will be ablo to
digest it all.
The objects and rules of this olub are vory
like those of the institutions monopolised by the
sterner sex. It is stated to ho situated in a
position accessiblo from all parts of London, and
the rooms, xvhioh aro open from 9.30 a.m. to
10.30 p.m., aro light and cheerful. If
six or moro members wish to remain
till 11 p.m. they can do so, and on Sundays
the club is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mem
bers are at liberty to make appointments or to
meot friends at tho olub, whioh is well pro
vided with light refreshments at moderato rates.
The principal newspapers and magazines are
provided, and a distinguishing feature of the
olub is the frequent discussions and lectures
held on Tuesday evening, and the broad, general
and non-party ground taken as regards tho
political, social, literary and other subjects dealt
xvith at theso meetings. The other rules are
those common to all olubs, aud chiefly treat
upon matters of finance and domestic economy.
Such is a brief epitome of the work now being
dono by the Somervillo Club. What xvill be its
effect and that of tho numerous imitators which
have arisen and may be expected to arise in the
greatcentres of population in Great Britain, the
United States, and the Greater Britain of tho
British colonies, upon the morals, manners and
physique of the women who will bo tho
mothers of the next generation, tho toachers
of tho young, and tlio counsellors and com
panions of tho adults, the middlcaged and
young? A vast change is slowly but surely
taking plaoo in the relations between the sexes.
It is impossible to stop or even check the develop
ment, but it should not bo difficult for wiso men
and wise women so to guide it that some of the
most apparent evils at least may be avoided. At
present our greatest thinkers and xvriters havo
contented themselves xrith ridiculing tho
mox-cment for xvliat is termed by its advocates
the social and political emancipation of
women. It has survived ridicule, and is
strong enough to sweep away mere antagonism.
Possibly the next attempt, that of advice and
connscl, may bo moro successful. The changed
relation of women towards men is a leap in tho
dark, which no one can regard without a
certaiu amount of misgiving, although our
doubts and distrust may bo quite unnecessary.
But that society is on the eve of a mighty change
no porson who watches the signs of the times
run vrtib)f+n
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