A CALLING FOR WOMEN.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR.']
SIR,—At the present time, when women are struggling hard on platforms and in pamphlets for what, in an unfortunate moment for the world, was styled their "rights ;" and when hundreds of them, having laid down with more or less contempt their ordinary avocations, without learning even the formul re of new ones, are making a noise without any clear idea of what it is that they want, —at such a time, every practical effort for their rational employ- ment deserves the attention and any help that can be afforded to it by the other sex. Such efforts are being made in several direc- tions by the "Society for the Employment of Women," and it is of one such private effort that I am desirous of speaking, if you will afford me a small space in your valuable columns.
In the employment of women in any occupation which has hitherto been confined to men there are two chief difficulties to be surmounted, quite independent of the difficulty of mastering the business. These are, first, the difficulty of making the buyers or employers believe that the work will be as well done by female as by male hands ; second, the difficulty of rendering the fact that women are engaged in that business, and successful in it, sufficiently widely known. It is to aid the removal of the latter of these obstacles that I have troubled you with this letter, and will now state the facts of the case as brifly as possible.
The employment to which I have alluded, and of which I am about to speak, is that of tracing engineers' plans, one for which women are in every way fitted, and which experience shows them to be capable of acquiring as readily and practising as successfully as men. The first employment of women in this business was at Glasgow, where for some years ladies have been employed by several firms (Messrs. Dube, Neilson, Morlees, Tait and Watson) tracing in the respective offices, the movement being there prompted by the superior cheapness of female labour. One of our largest London firms suggested this employment to a lady friend, and afforded her every opportunity for learning it at their own offices. This lady, having worked there for two years and a half with great success, the "Society for the Employment of Women" rented an office for her, and some other ladies who had also acquired the practical skill neces- sary, and the office now contains some half-dozen ladies, under her general superintendence. During the whole of this year the office has been progressing favourably, but owing partly to the general state of trade, partly to its existence being but little known, there is room for very much more work than has been hitherto received, and for this reason the Superintendent has been obliged to refuse receiving any more pupils. It should be stated that the many elaborate plans executed at this office have been uniformly approved by the firms who have given them, and I speak from personal experience when I say that the work is carried on with neatness, accuracy, and despatch.
Under these circumstances, Sir, I have sought your valuable aid to make this little undertaking better known to engineers and
the public generally. Tracings are often executed by clerks at high salaries, who might be more advantageously employed in higher branches of the business. Tracings, again, are often wanted in a hurry by engineers, and have to be put out for execution. It is no charity that the promoters of this under- taking ask, only that they should have a fair field and no favour ; and this they will no doubt obtain, when the facts are more widely
known.—I am, Sir, &c., IIARRY QUILTER. P.S.—The address of the Superintendent, from whom all par- ticulars as to remuneration, &c., may be obtained, is,—Miss Crosby, 42 Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster.
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