CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY.

One of the most pressing social problems of the day is how the immense number of women—greatly outnumbering the men—in England at the present time are to be supported. The obvious answer is, that they must be taught and encouraged to support themselves. This little book is written in the hope of directing their attention to some suitable and remunerative¹ employments that are not universally known, and it is also hoped it may prove useful to parents who are anxious to arm their daughters for the battle of life with a weapon no one can take from them.
"When land is gone, and money spent,
Then learning is most excellent."

And a thorough knowledge of some remunerative employment would do more to make them independent of "the slings² and arrows of outrageous³ fortune"10 than the possession of any amount of money, especially in these days of bank failures and general depression of trade.

The great difficulty ladies usually find in securing congenial and sufficiently⁴ well-paid employment arises from the pressing necessity they are generally under of earning money at once, which prevents them giving the necessary time to learn whatever calling they may wish to adopt. I have endeavoured to ascertain⁵ as exactly as possible the time required to learn all the occupations I mention, as well as the cost of tuition, and, in most cases, I subjoin the rules, or give extracts from the prospectuses⁶ of the different schools and classes where ladies may receive the necessary instruction, thinking it may help many to decide upon what they are most fitted for, and what they can best afford to undertake. I have also collected as much information as I could for those whose circumstances make it essential that they should at once receive remuneration for their work; but I must remind them that generally what is worth having is worth waiting and working for, and they must not expect to be as well paid as their more fortunate sisters, who are able to give time and money to learn a business thoroughly⁷. The superficiality of girls' education is very much against them when it becomes a question of how they are to earn their living. If they were taught even one11 thing thoroughly they would probably be able to turn it to account; or at least they would have acquired the habit of learning accurately⁸, which is all important, and one which, I am sorry to say, most women are sadly deficient⁹ in. Industry, determination, accuracy, and perseverance¹⁰, would, I am certain, be quite sufficient to overcome almost all the difficulties women at present find in supporting themselves. For those who do not possess or who will not earnestly endeavour to acquire these qualities, I fear this book will be of little service. I have had to listen to bitter complaints of the careless way in which ladies execute work that is entrusted¹¹ to them, of their want of punctuality and business habits, and their ineradicable conviction that they are conferring a favour upon their employers by working for them at all. All this sort of thing naturally makes large employers of female labour reluctant to try ladies, if they can get sufficient work-girls, who, whatever their faults may be, are at least free from the affectation and conceit¹² of some of their superiors in the social scale. Why do not ladies make up their minds to remove this reproach from their class by giving a good day's work for a good day's wage? I heartily¹³ wish all women would decide once and for ever to give up the notion that it is humiliating or degrading to work for payment; to my mind the only shame in the matter is in the cases where12 full value is not given for the money received, when of course it becomes more or less an affair of charity.

It is a great pity that girls are brought up to think that the only way in which they can dispose of themselves that will give satisfaction to their friends is to get married, and if from various causes they fail to achieve this end they will be looked upon more or less as social failures. Although I am perfectly¹⁴ willing to admit that a happy marriage is the best fate that can befall a woman, surely an unhappy one is one of the worst; and how many of these would be prevented if women only had something else to do and think about, some other means of advancing themselves in life!

I wish parents could be induced to treat their daughters more in the way they treat their sons—that is to say, when they leave school have them thoroughly trained for some profession; it would be much better for them, and many of the difficulties of the "woman question" would disappear, as the untrained women of middle age who have suddenly to depend upon their own exertions¹⁵ are those for whom it is almost impossible to provide any suitable occupation, especially if they object or are unfit to become hospital nurses, and have not sufficient capacity for arithmetic to learn book-keeping. I must refer any of my readers who want personal advice as to their qualifications for13 different occupations to the Society for Promoting the Employment of Women, 22, Berners Street, Oxford¹⁶ Street, W. Miss King, the Secretary, or Miss Lewin, the Under Secretary, are both able and willing to give advice and reliable information; no fee of any kind is charged. This excellent society has been in existence twenty years; during the whole time a free register has been kept, by means of which many hundreds of women have obtained situations or temporary employment. Visits from applicants¹⁷ average about ten daily, and the office has been a centre for the collecting and diffusion¹⁸ of information on all subjects bearing on the employment of women; while many whose names are never entered on the register are put in the way of procuring¹⁹ training or employment, and are warned against persons who, by alluring²⁰ promises of easy ladylike employment, tempt²¹ the unwary to spend their slender means in lessons that are worthless.

With an income which, from all sources, including subscriptions²² and donations for special purposes, has only averaged ￡319 7s. 6d. per annum, it has trained yearly on an average, thirty young women, obtained regular employment for sixty-three, and occasional employment for one hundred and forty-two.

I must take this opportunity of acknowledging the great kindness I have met with during my search for information while compiling the book. With one14 exception, I have everywhere been treated with the greatest courtesy; all my questions have been most fully²³ answered, and every facility given me for obtaining all the particulars I could possibly desire.

I find that, after common sense and business habits, the qualification most likely to be useful to a woman is a good knowledge of drawing; so I advise any one who has any taste in that direction to sedulously²⁴ cultivate it.

I am much interested in a scheme for starting a School of Tapestry²⁵, where ladies could be apprenticed²⁶, and after they had acquired the art, work regularly, as they do at the Royal School of Art Needlework. There is nothing in the nature of the work to prevent women doing it, although it is an occupation that has long been monopolised by men. The necessary apprenticeship²⁷ would be at least two years.

A scheme has lately been set on foot for organising classes for teaching girls who are anxious to obtain engagements in superior houses of business, the regular routine of office work, book-keeping, &c. Inquiries²⁸ may be addressed to Miss Franks, 23, Mortimer Street.

I wish I could convince women of a truth they seem singularly slow in comprehending—that is, that if they are to compete with men on anything like equal terms, they must, at the very least, give the same time15 to learn their business that men find necessary. There is always a demand for really skilled labour, and this skill is worth almost any present sacrifice to obtain; besides its pecuniary²⁹ advantages, the knowledge that one can do something really well (not in an amateur fashion) confers a most gratifying sense of power and independence. I do not agree with those people who think it a hardship for women to have to work for their living; on the contrary, I believe if an average of happiness could be ascertained³⁰, it would be found the toilers had a far larger share than the idlers, and when trouble and disappointment come, as come they will, they must remember that—
"Their fate is the common fate of all;
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary³¹."

1 remunerative   

adj.有报酬的

参考例句：

• He is prepared to make a living by accepting any remunerative chore.为了生计，他准备接受任何有酬报的杂活。
• A doctor advised her to seek remunerative employment.一个医生建议她去找有酬劳的工作。

2 slings   

抛( sling的第三人称单数 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往

参考例句：

• "Don't you fear the threat of slings, Perched on top of Branches so high?" 矫矫珍木巅，得无金丸惧？ 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• Used for a variety of things including slings and emergency tie-offs. 用于绳套，设置保护点，或者紧急情况下打结。

3 outrageous   

adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的

参考例句：

• Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
• Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。

4 sufficiently   

adv.足够地，充分地

参考例句：

• It turned out he had not insured the house sufficiently.原来他没有给房屋投足保险。
• The new policy was sufficiently elastic to accommodate both views.新政策充分灵活地适用两种观点。

5 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

6 prospectuses   

n.章程，简章，简介( prospectus的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Forms and prospectuses will be available at53 bank branches. 申请表和招股书可于五十三家银行分行索取。 来自互联网
• Galaxy Yintai fiscal dividend securities investment funds to update placement prospectuses. 银河银泰理财分红证券投资基金更新招募说明书。 来自互联网

7 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

8 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

9 deficient   

adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的

参考例句：

• The crops are suffering from deficient rain.庄稼因雨量不足而遭受损害。
• I always have been deficient in selfconfidence and decision.我向来缺乏自信和果断。

10 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

11 entrusted   

v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He entrusted the task to his nephew. 他把这任务托付给了他的侄儿。
• She was entrusted with the direction of the project. 她受委托负责这项计划。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 conceit   

n.自负，自高自大

参考例句：

• As conceit makes one lag behind,so modesty helps one make progress.骄傲使人落后，谦虚使人进步。
• She seems to be eaten up with her own conceit.她仿佛已经被骄傲冲昏了头脑。

13 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

14 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

15 exertions   

n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使

参考例句：

• As long as they lived, exertions would not be necessary to her. 只要他们活着，是不需要她吃苦的。 来自辞典例句
• She failed to unlock the safe in spite of all her exertions. 她虽然费尽力气，仍未能将那保险箱的锁打开。 来自辞典例句

16 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

17 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

18 diffusion   

n.流布；普及；散漫

参考例句：

• The invention of printing helped the diffusion of learning.印刷术的发明有助于知识的传播。
• The effect of the diffusion capacitance can be troublesome.扩散电容会引起麻烦。

19 procuring   

v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的现在分词 )；拉皮条

参考例句：

• He was accused of procuring women for his business associates. 他被指控为其生意合伙人招妓。 来自辞典例句
• She had particular pleasure, in procuring him the proper invitation. 她特别高兴为他争得这份体面的邀请。 来自辞典例句

20 alluring   

adj.吸引人的，迷人的

参考例句：

• The life in a big city is alluring for the young people. 大都市的生活对年轻人颇具诱惑力。
• Lisette's large red mouth broke into a most alluring smile. 莉莎特的鲜红的大嘴露出了一副极为诱人的微笑。

21 tempt   

vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣

参考例句：

• Nothing could tempt him to such a course of action.什么都不能诱使他去那样做。
• The fact that she had become wealthy did not tempt her to alter her frugal way of life.她有钱了，可这丝毫没能让她改变节俭的生活习惯。

22 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

24 sedulously   

ad.孜孜不倦地

参考例句：

• In this view they were sedulously abetted by their mother, aunts and other elderly female relatives. 在这方面，他们得到了他们的母亲，婶婶以及其它年长的女亲戚们孜孜不倦的怂恿。
• The clerk laid the two sheets of paper alongside and sedulously compared their contents. 那职员把两张纸并排放在前面，仔细比较。

25 tapestry   

n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面

参考例句：

• How about this artistic tapestry and this cloisonne vase?这件艺术挂毯和这个景泰蓝花瓶怎么样？
• The wall of my living room was hung with a tapestry.我的起居室的墙上挂着一块壁毯。

26 apprenticed   

学徒，徒弟( apprentice的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I was apprenticed to a builder when I was fourteen. 14岁时，我拜一个建筑工人为师当学徒。
• Lucius got apprenticed to a stonemason. 卢修斯成了石匠的学徒。

27 apprenticeship   

n.学徒身份；学徒期

参考例句：

• She was in the second year of her apprenticeship as a carpenter. 她当木工学徒已是第二年了。
• He served his apprenticeship with Bob. 他跟鲍勃当学徒。

28 inquiries   

n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释，等候进一步调查。
• I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

29 pecuniary   

adj.金钱的；金钱上的

参考例句：

• She denies obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception.她否认通过欺骗手段获得经济利益。
• She is so independent that she refused all pecuniary aid.她很独立，所以拒绝一切金钱上的资助。

30 ascertained   

v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The previously unidentified objects have now been definitely ascertained as being satellites. 原来所说的不明飞行物现在已证实是卫星。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I ascertained that she was dead. 我断定她已经死了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。