With Her in Ourland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Author:Charlotte Perkins Gilman [Gilman, Charlotte Perkins]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Fiction, Literary, Science Fiction, Dystopia and uchronia
Publisher: Feedbooks
Published: 1916-01-05T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

More Diagnosis

OUR study of American problems went on now with persistence. Ellador was as busy, as patient, as inexorably efficient as an eminent surgeon engaged in a first-class operation. We studied together, she wrote carefully, from time to time, and read me the results—or part of them. And we talked at all hours, not only between ourselves, but with many other persons, of all kinds and classes.

"I've seen the ruined lands that were once so rich," she said one day, "and the crowded lands now being drained by a too thick population. (Those blind mothers! Can't they once think of what is going to happen to their children ?)

"But here I see land in plenty, carelessly skimmed and left, or not even skimmed, just lying open to the sun, while your squeezed millions smother in the cities.

"You are used to it, to you it is merely a fact—accepted without question. To an outsider, it seems as horribly strange as to see a people living in cellars thick and crawling, while great airy homes stand empty above.

"My study is mainly to get at your state of mind, to understand, if possible, what mysterious ideas and convictions keep you so poor, so dirty, so crowded, so starved, so ill-clothed, so unhealthy, so unhappy, when there is no need of it."

"Now look here, Ellador! That's rather s'trong, isn't it? You surely don't describe the American people that way."

Then she produced another of those little groups of assorted statistics she was so fond of. She gave the full wealth of the country—as at present administered, and showed that it ought to give nearly $2,000 to each of us. "That is per capita, you see, Van, not per family. For a family of five, that would be nine or ten thousand—not a bad nest egg, besides what they earn."

Then she showed me the estimate made by our latest scientific commission of inquiry, that "fully one-half of our wage earners do not receive incomes sufficient to maintain healthful conditions of living." A World Almanac was at hand, and she pointed out on page 228 the summary of manufactures.

"Here you have enough to show how people live in this splendid country, Van. See here—'Average number of wage earners 6,615,046. Wages, $3,427,038,000'—which, being divided, gives to each $518 plus—less than $520 a year, Van. Less than $10 a week—to keep a family—average family, five; $104 a year, $2 a week apiece fdr Americans to live on. And you know what food and rent costs. Of course they are not healthy—how could they be?"

I looked at the figures, uncomfortably. She gave me a few more.

"Salaried employes average $1,187 plus—that's a bit more than twice as much. About $4.40 a week, apiece, for Americans to live on."

"How much do you want them to have?" I asked a little irritably; but she was sweetly patient, inquiring, "How much would you be willing to live on—or how little, rather? I don't mean luxuries; I mean a decent, healthy life. Think you could do it on $4.

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