As Species Evolved, Woman’s Capacity For Work Increased

Thank you to Willard Rasmussen of Coeur d’Alene who responded to our question about whether it was a positive or negative thing that women outlived men. He’ll turn 84 in a week. He said “I’m in good health, am able to work every day and plan to make it to 100. I sure hope there will be lots of old ladies around to keep me company and do the work.” He also wrote a charming essay titled “Women’s Lib.” We can’t print it all, but here’s a sampling.

“In the beginning God made man. The man was lonely, so God made woman. Life was easy and good. There was only one restriction and that was not to eat the fruit from one particular tree. At the urging of his helpmate , man ate the forbidden fruit. When the easy living was taken from them, it became necessary for man to hunt and fish and form tribes and have a good fight. Woman’s job was to bear the children, care for them, prepare the food, make the clothes, tend the garden, skin the wild game, clean the fish and keep her man happy.

“It took a long time, but finally women’s lib came along. (Women) were now free to work in the factory, hold management positions, run heavy equipment, be an ordained minister and replace man in every job that had been his domain and still somehow manage to do her household duties. Women can now serve in the armed forces and (someday) man will not even have to fight so he will be able to go back to his old ways and spend his time hunting and fishing just for fun. What’s so bad about that? Go for it, fellows.”

Opportunity: Women can make big bucks in non-traditional, technical fields. They just need the proper training and guidance into those professions. The Community Colleges of Spokane’s Institute for Extended Learning is offering a free course “Transition Skills for Trades and Technology for Women.” The Monday-through-Friday classes begin Tuesday and end June 20. For more information, contact Suzanne at 533-3131.

Words of wisdom: Roberta Greene, Spokane City Council member, was on the program at the YWCA Benefit Breakfast. She told the crowd her husband gave this advice about her talk: “Be brief, be bright, then be gone.”

Mark your calendars: The Spokane County Domestic Violence Consortium will sponsor a day-long workshop titled “Religious Response to Domestic Violence” on May 5. The Rev. Thelma Burgonio-Watson of Seattle is the featured speaker. The workshop will benefit chaplains, community volunteers, service providers and religious professionals. Registration deadline is April 21. Call 487-6783.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo