The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-05-05
Female Employment.

We have hitherto discussed this sub
ject incidentally in our columns, and the
opening Of spring presents fitting op-
portunity for saying few words further.
Everybody knows that in so called civil
lied communities, the labor of females is
very i'll paid. Nor does it matter, that
they are so well qualified as the other sex
for the avocations they engage in, for that
consideration seldom or never raises their
wages to the standard which is paid for
similar work, when performed by males.
For this reason those employments
which are light, and do not require strong
muscular powers, should be committed
entirely to females, so that by extending
the circle of their usefulness, their wages
as class might be augmented. And
this would be the case, if both men and
women would assist female operatives to
take and keep the positions which they
are as well or better qualified than the
male sex to fill. Unfortunately, however,
we have, among us, a superabundance
of efeminate men and silly women, and
through the combined influence of these,
female labor has so deteriorated in value,
that there is scarcely any inducement
for girl to qualify herself for the prose-
cution of any useful pursuit.
A female can get employment as the
teacher in primary school, OF as private
instruetress; but in these capacities, tho
she may display as much or more ability
and industry as school mistress, her sal
ary for the same kind of services is hard
ly fourth of what we pay the latter
And this rule holds true as to almostany
occupation which she can engage in, un-
less she becomes successful author, ac-
tress, or singer.
Ifthe male sex would only engage in
manly occupations, the demand for fe-
males would so increase that they would
be able to sustain themselves, and sup
port, as many ofthem do, aged parentsor
relatives. But this cannot be generally
the case, until the stalwart forms which
now dance attendance upon women at the
counters of our retail stores, shall betake
themselves to employments which will
not be libel upon their manhood.
Nor will women be able to support
themselves properly and respectfully until
their own sex shall patronize those shop
keepers who employ exclusively female
attendants, as they would do if they en-
ployed only males. There is sort of
sickly sentimentalism, as wicked as it is
affected, which whines about the distress
to which the female sex is subjected from
ill-paid employment. and which, at the
same time, vii, allow its possessor to
avoid retail stores where females only are
in attendance. Such women are the chief
causes of the poverty and suffering of
the more INDECENT of their sisters.
While this sentiment prevails, and it is
altogether too universal, shop keepers
will employ genteel young men, we'll
knowing what will be the effect thereof
and the same cause, conversely acting,
will cause the employment of pretty girls,
as venders of cigars and attendants in
saloons, where men resort. The men, of
course have right to bestow their Gus
tom where they can be waited upon by
pretty girls: and the ladies have the
same right to purchase, OF at least to over
haul goods where they can be waited
upon by agreeable gentlemen; but let
these classes cease their pretended SYM
pathy for those, whom, by their predi-
lections of this sort, they deprive of en-
ployment.
IF this were not the true reason for the
employment of males in aTocations
whiehcanbe better performed by females,
females would be employed for their
services can be had for less than one half
the wages which would procure quite as
good female attendants, in every respect
save the one we have noticed. And if
our saloons and cigar shops employed as
many hands as do our retail stores, We
would not press this point for then, the
females would stand as good a chance for
employment as the males. But the re-
tail stores occupy an hundred eaeminate
men, where the saloons, confectionaries,
milliners' shops and cigar shops do .
single enc and therefore the odds, IN
catering to this caprice of the sex, Is
vastly against females.
We don't expect that the gentlemen
engaged in feminine occupations viii vol
unfairly reiinquish them in favor of fe-
males ; they certainly win not, while the