New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-04-22
CHANCES FOR WOMEN.

! The recent aRitations among Hired Workers look
ing to an advance of Wages have produced some graft
fyipg results Stubborn, unreasOning conservatives,
whe have hitherto scofed UNNECESSARILY at the idea
of sWomans Rights and at the alleged necessity
for an enlargement of WOmans Sphere, have all at
once seen new light and come out uncOmmony strong
in the character of champions and beneactors of WO
man. But yesterday, they could perceive no other
employment suitable to her but sewing on her hus-
bands buttons and nursing her chidren-no matter
whether she happens to have any children or notbut
to-day she is fattered and petted, and eulogzed,
peculiarly qualified by nature to do almost every
thing hitherto esteemed the business of men, and che
great safeguard Of Society against the inclination of
masculine workers ask too high wages for their labor
Into Typesetting and sundr other vocatons they have
already been indicted with all the honors and should
the present state of things continue and the differ
ences between Employer and Employed be multiplied,
we shall expect to female engineers and conductors
in charge of Railway trains, with grave deacons and
vestrymen arguing in church meetings that st. Paul
has long been totally msapprehended aud that each
church is under apostolic injunction to call woman
rather than its pulpit whenever the former can
be had twenty-five per cent. the cheaper.
Well: the holdbacks are right in this instance, if
never before. Woman ought to have wider range OF
employments; she ought TO be better paid for her
work. and she cannot have the latter without the
former So long as there in our city, for example,
ten intent on earning livelihood by making Shirts to
every one who seeks to his subsistence by making
Hats the latter class Will inevitably be far better paid
than the former. No amount of preaching, exhorta-
ton sympathy benevolence, will render the condition
of our Working Women what il should be so long as
the Kitchen and the Needle substantially their only
resources.
Yet our hangbacks have jumped forward SO suddenly
that they are more likely to break the rotten harness an
TO extricate the mred load Acting under the impulse
of nersonal and sordd interest, they considering
only how far Woman may subserye their needs, and
NOT how the worlds needs may be made to subserve the
elevation of Woman. Just at present we hear a loud
cacklipe about the employment of Women in Type set
tng as if scores of them had been employed thereat
for number of years past ana it seems 10 be the
op;non of some that Typography is the predestined
Josbua of Woman just about to lead her out OF the
wilderness of dependence excessive toll and efficient
ocomnense into the Promised Land of abundance and
freedom.
Now il is an old truth that educated, intelligent in
tellectual Women can set type, and under favorable
o;rcums ances, make good business OF IT, The work
.or;res no considerable exertiOn Of strength and its
4
nan reousites are quickness Of eye and finger good
;ndoment and intellectual capacity. We estimate
the services of competent young woman at type'set
tine as worth in this City 50 per week after the first
srtpeht "a per week after three months practice Sc
DER week after one year. and IS per week after two
ros,s That this is very much better than Women Of
the requisite capacity do in the vacations to which
thew have hitherto been almost wholly confined, We
| need hardly remark.
True Women can never be fully equal to Men as
typesetters. There is often job of lifting or lowering
forms placing or removing heavy furniture &C. to be
done in printing Office, for which will always be
better qualified than women. Making up pages, taking
proofs, &C. would be found rather trying work for
women. And in Daily Newspaper Office, especially
that of Morning paper, they would be very much out
Of place. The usual crowd the frequent hurry the
protracted nightwork the irregular morning hours Of
quitting VARYING cspriciousy from midnight to daylight
al reader such place unit for women to work in