The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-06-21
THE PR ES 8.
What 1t Costs to be a Woman.

In ancient Egypt IL was as mucn rs IL
Hebrews life was worth to be born q boy,
as the government was afraid that the
Hebrews would be presently more nume-
rous than their masters, and So ordered
that every male child should be slain. In
Hindostan, America, and some other
places, the great offence seems to be in
being born female A certain converted
Brahmin, Joguth Gangooly, by name, in
a lecture delivered in one of our city
churches, the other evening, stated
that when female child was born
to a house, the general air about the
place was as if funeral were going on;
and, (said he) even the mother, so great
is theprejudice of her education, whilst
her maternal heart smiles with one eye,
weeps with the other" 1t is clear that
the Hindoos do not consider women a de-
sirable institution In America, we are
certainly more tolerant of female exis
tence; indeed it is evident that we have
discovered that women are pleasant things
with which to beguile an unemployed
hour; but still we make them pay roundly
for being women. Each country, and
each city, has its tariff of prices for such
an eccentricity as being born anything
but man. Not that we 60 around and
place certain capitation-tax upon every
petticoat but it amounts to the same
thing in the end,-that is, they must do
something to live; and in paying them
for their work, we strike off certain
amount for the employer on account of
the irregularity ( e. femality) of the en-
ployee. We do not mean that this is an
American popularity either. awe took
some pains" says the Westminster Re-
view, "to ascertain the relative wages of
men and women employed in the same
trades, and, almost in every instance, it
appeared that for the same work, per-
formed in the same time, they received
one-third less, sometimes one-half less,
than men, without any inferiority of skill
being alleged. One master gravely said
that he paid women less, because they
ate less" Now, we reason if the work
was, the same, the time occupied the
same, and the skill not inferior, that other
third or half of the regular mans wages
must have been deducted simply because
of the laborer's womanhood We have
lately examined the woman-tax in Cincin-
natl, and find that in tailoring she has to
pay from three to five hundred dollars
PER ANNUM for her sex; and that in our
public schools she has to pay still hand
somer sum. 1t is generally known that
our female teachers, in this city, are not
surpassed, if equaled, by the male yet,
in the High Schools, where the male
teachers get $3.50, 81 1920, $l,2OO the
women get $1,000, 300, 1904; in the
district schools and intermediate, men, for
the same work, have an average of about
four times as much as the women. Fine
tariff, that,-isn't it? The reason for this
difference would seem to be that woman
is not expected to last as long as man.
her health is more apt to fail, her rainy
days come; then wouldn't it be dread
ful thing to imagine that she had money
laid up against said rainy days2 That's
about as good a reason as the manufac-
turer had who paid them less, because
they ate less. The fact is, that it won't
do to give women quite enough to live
comfortably on and support their helpless
mothers; it makes them too independent;
they will not be compelled then to catch
at an alliance with every puppy who has
an /" establishment" they will not suffi-
ciently cultivate the fine art of husband
hunting. We are sorry if this reasoning
doesn't satisfy any caviler; it's the best
we can obtain on the matter, Besides it
would be wicked and unevangelical
imitation of evil things, to pay women
equal prices The theater pays them
large prices for going before audiences in
low-necked and higl-kirtled dresses.
And then there is certain nameless
course of life, which, if they be pretty,
brings money enough. Whether, how
ever, the "children of this world are not
wiser in their generation than the child
rem Of lightip whether by virtues not
bidding for woman so high as vice,-we
are notaeyery day building steep path
for her down to- the abysses of sOciety--
is a question which the reader hereof
may take home with him to ponder. AT
any rate, as conscientious Journalists, we
must advise all who intend TO be born
hereafter to be born boys, until some
changes are made in the duties on women