Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 191, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 August 1917 — RECOGNIZE WOMAN AS EQUAL [ARTICLE]

RECOGNIZE WOMAN AS EQUAL

Heads of Industrial Plants Say Can DO Any Work Consistent With Strength Better Than Men. < JOnce man pretended to place woman on a pedestal and worship her. Now, according to Donah! Wilhelm, who reports “The Confessions of a Munition-Maker” In the Century, he is forced to recognize her as an equal, and respect her. < The quotation below states the .opinion of a hardhead* ed factory foreman, on the importance of women .in the world of labor: “Welch, one can see, isn’t emotional. One can trust his judgment of women. . “That is why I was glad he was present in the officers’ room of the company eating quarters when the report was made in detail of the strike scheduled to take place the-follow-ing Monday morning. He made a speech, saying: “ ‘Gentlemen, we’ve all known worn 1 en practically all our lives —ever since we were born, practically. Most of us get to thinking that a woman can’t do mechanical work because they’re always willing to let a mart" use the hammer, that being something he. .tjjinks he can do. But a woman can do it. A woman can do anything that a man can do, and most things better, but men can’t do anything Tiear what women can do. Now-, maybe you can imagine what women can do in mechanics, and I know what they can do. Leaving out big girls, I say women can do any klqd of mechanical work that’s consistent with their strength better than men.’ “Another superintendent, a new man', said he had thrown out a hundred men in his plant ‘back tn Ohio’ and put girls in their places, and he had found them better all around.”