A young woman's lament 1893

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:18 am

From the Boston Globe, June 25, 1893.

Shelley · Post by **Shelley** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 11:04 am

Excellent article Harry. Shines a little light on the frustrations of Emma and Lizzie's predicament. No career- and not especially wanting to have to get married to live, left a girl feeling a burden on her father. Especially fearful was her situation if the father had not provided for her unmarried future.

I was recently reading a bio of Beatrix Potter who cared for invalid and elderly parents but still managed to paint and write and find a way to make some money although she had to go through a lot to do so. Of course Potter managed to make a happy marriage with a supportive spouse. Same might be said of Louisa May Alcott and so many gentlewomen of that era who had to be creative in making a buck, sometimes using a man's name if they were writers. This dependence would be the one big negative for me wanting to go back in time and live in the era.

twinsrwe · Post by **twinsrwe** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:21 pm

Shelley @ Wed Jul 23, 2008 10:04 am wrote:... Shines a little light on the frustrations of Emma and Lizzie's predicament. ...

It sure does!!!

Harry, thanks for this enlightening piece of information.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:39 pm

GREAT article Harry. I agree it certainly does give a perspective on what Lizzie and Emma might have been thinking.

Nadzieja · Post by **Nadzieja** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:04 am

Thanks for the posting Harry, it was very insightful. I can't imagine how it felt for a shy girl to have to be "pushed" into her coming out party. I would think it would be very frustrating to realize all your doing is looking for a provider. I was asking my aunt (who is 95 years old) about my grandparents, and she told me that it was different back then, women didn't marry for love, they married to survive. I wish I could remember the name but there is a financial adviser on tv who is a woman, and she was telling one of her call in guests that "A man is not a financial plan."

Susan · Post by **Susan** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:37 pm

Great find, Harry, thanks. Its very interesting to get the perspective of a young woman of that era, the wish for a means of supporting herself and not relying on a husband alone. I think it gives us an idea of what Lizzie and Emma may have been thinking, their distaste with being dependent on their father and stepmother unless a husband happened to come along and not being able to earn a wage for themselves. Makes me wonder if at Emma's age in 1892 if she was considered to have had her chance and that was that?