Emmeline B. Wells (5th RS President) did a lot of writing in her day. She had an opinion about everything, especially women; how she should be treated, what she could accomplish, and what she should do with her life.
She wrote under many pseudonyms, including Amethyst, who is the author of this interesting article I found about Young Women, in The Contributor (an early Church magazine for the Youth). It’s important to understand that this article was written in 1881.
The article begins with, “What young women do, and do not do. What their mothers and grandmothers used to do. What the mothers of the future are likely to do, and to be.” Emmeline felt very strongly that women had been doing, and needed to continue doing, independent, skilled work. She was concerned for the youth of her day to stay focused on their independence and potential.
She wrote: “A long time ago in the days of our grandmothers every young lady was expected to know how to card and spin, if not to weave, in addition to her knowledge of all other household employments; and knitting was an indispensable requisite in any young girl’s qualifications. It was the work that could always be relied upon in case all other work gave out. In fact, it became proverbial, that no young woman should marry until she had a pillowcase full of stockings of her own knitting, and usually of her own spinning.” In 1881, machinery was being developed to do the spinning, the weaving, and even the knitting. Young women needed to find appropriate new work to serve as skill and worthy pursuit, or else they would fall back into “dependent mode.”
Emmeline is talking about her grandmother’s time. In this article, she proceeds to complain about the youth of her day (1881); that they are dependent on others (namely, men to take care of them). I have read enough words written by Emmeline to know just where she is going with this. Everything is centered around women’s suffrage. She preached independence and self-sufficiency all of her life.
Abandoned by her husband, back in Nauvoo, she became a wife of Newel K. Whitney’s. She was accepted by his first wife, Elizabeth Ann, but after only three years of being in the Salt Lake Valley, Bishop Whitney died, leaving his family to fend for themselves. Actually, he took the proper measures of care by asking Daniel H. Wells to take Emmeline, as another wife.
Her independence was already deep within her, though. Out of all of Pres. Wells’ wives, being his last and youngest wife, Emmeline was the only one to have her own house and complete autonomy over her livelihood. In this house, she was the paid editor of the Woman’s Exponent for fifty years. This woman paid the price to get Utah women the right to vote. She felt it was her calling in life to teach a woman her true worth, her value in society, and her ability to support and care for herself if ever need be. She is a woman worth listening to, through the ages.
In this article, she recalled the hard work of a woman; filling the fires with coal all day long, more than likely with a babe in her arms. In her day she pointed out how the young girls didn’t have anywhere near the same responsibilities and demands, have little skill but many luxuries, yet say “I have so much to do.” “Why it actually makes me all in a heat to think of it”, she cried.
With all of her words of independence and woman power, she completely believed in the everlasting pursuit of righteous motherhood. She was almost prophetic in these words. “Young ladies, believe me, you have work to do, which will require active exertion of brain and muscle.” This is where she drives home her lesson:
“Mothers ought to devote a goodly portion of the time in teaching their children by the fireside, and in my soul I pity that woman, who thinks the work, which must be left undone when she is gone, of more consequence than the moral or spiritual lessons she is capable of imparting to her offspring.”
In other words, whatever a woman chooses to work at, as well as the catch up work left at home to do, don’t let it conflict with your motherhood and your responsibility to teach the gospel to your children. The woman of the future may not be able to spin flax at her spinning wheel, but “she can make a far prettier picture, with her intelligent face, when she sits with the crown of motherhood upon her thoughtful brow, caressing her first baby.”
Emmeline was all about teaching girls knowledge and skill, aiding a woman to reach her highest potential, which is to become self-sufficient, all with the eternal purpose in view of becoming a Mother in Israel.