St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1865-12-21
MRS. JANE g. gWIssHELM ON FE.
MALE CLERKS. !
A STRANGE PICTURE or WASHING
TOM. ~
Pieces of Painted Impertineni,ce. !,
- - - = = : ~ = III !
Eyebrows Of Black Lead or Lampllack

CJeO1oSsS "a A1Asac> A@c~u Or AampD1acks
ooiNSGt:Ri ooNGREsss' EtsssXss''' IN r. FAULT, !.
Evils that Should be r R,el,meaied.
. . Washington is, perhaps. the very worst
place in the country in which to make any
great pioneer movement in reference to
woman's social position. It is, to all i'm
tents and Spdrposes, a.SQafl4n city, sand
Mle'centre Of 'snob;sni. - Here IS ~the focus
Of that system Of education South which
makes all labor degrading and of our com :
mon schoel'education North, which teaches
that manual labor is at most tosbe regarded
as q means 2of reaching the Presidential
chair. As our boys and men are all ex-
pccting to be Presidents, so our girls and
women must all hold, themselves, IN readi-
ness to preside in the White House; and in
be more at a discount, than in this, capital
Eof tie government Of the people: -sPerhaps
two-thirds Of all important places in the
departments are held by Southern men, or
men who, by long residence here, have be-
come thoroughly Southsrnized. If the free
tabor system, for men, in the rebel States,
meets its principal obstacle in the ignor-
ance of the employers, what must be the
difficulties thrown in the way of, the free
labor system for women, by men whose en-
tire habit Of thought regards the sex as
slaves, drawing room divinities, or toys
OF the clerks employed here, there is not
one; in twenty who, can 20 into a room
where women are employed, and transact
any business with. one of them WITHOUT in
some way reminding her Of her womanhoo
They are ''sorry to trouble the ladies'" OF
they ''hope the ladies are quite WELL" or
cit is pity to have ladies shut up ir Offices
such fine weather." or SIT is bad for ladies
TO come out in such unpleasant weather. ~
In some way, the ladies' are to be; deferred
to or: encouraged, and their shortcomings
excused because they are ladies. The idea
Of treating them as copyists and. clerks
simply this and nothing more, is beyond
the mental caliber of almost any man with
whom they are. brought into personal >rcla.
tions, while the .'ladies,'1' in their depend.
emf position, feeling no. assurance of con.
tinued employment ON any settled princi-
pie, naturally resort to personal favorile.
,su as means of getting bread. >5...- II .
There is radical error in the manner of
appointing women. 1t is not every man
who is fit for any pioneer movement, and
to expect that all women or even majori-
tv, are fitted for this, advance lost on the
picket line of civilization, is expecting su-
perhuman, perfection of the feminine halt
Of humanity. Yev such is the system, OF
want Of system, on which, this grand cxper.
iment has been inconsideratcly tried. Tc
get an appointment no qualifications, are
required. except influential friends; and
something near one-,hird of all the appoint
ments are. from the District or its ,immedi.
ate vicinity, and, Of course, are women 81
the Southern idea that a;woman's personal
charms and decorations are her stock in
trade-wemen who have as little idea o|
themselves as Competitors for bread IN tle
worlds h.bor market, as have the men with
whom tliey are associated Of them in such
a relation. Of the Northern women ap-
polntcd,f Sic is not always those whom the
Some Hsnorabie Senator or Representa-. & II
tive has female friend without visible
means Of Support. lie gets her q place,
and she makes her Appearance, perhaps O
might have been slowed away in the cata.
combs in the days Of the Pharaohs for all
one can, tell Of her age, but who studiously
assumes ths airs Of a miss of sixteen. Her
wrinkles are filled out with pipe clay or
;some other kind Of liglit-coiored mud !; her
eyebrows are made, OF black lead or lamp
black, or something in, that line, : her hair
is dyed until it is. dead, enough to satisfy
any respectable undertaken Of the proprie-
ty Of burial; and one wonders that she
does not add a setting of green leaves to
tile magenta-colv,el roses on her thin
cheeks. She comes tripping in on the toes
Of her ,infinitesimal CATERS, ges off her
things, and displays u head which reminds
one Of drop chandelier trimmed for ball
and undergoing the process Of dusting.
while her pins, chains, bracelets, frills, and
other fixtures would set up tin box ped
dlcr in trade. She es,ab i.hes herself at
her table, opens her basket, gets out her
beads, and goes to counting and stringing :;
lone, two, three. four, and then q large
one one, two, three, four, aud knott" for
you see, she is a philan,hropist, and kindly
instructs the lady at the next table ia the
mysteries of this becoming and lady like
employment The superintendent gets
fdgety, and brings this interesting toiler in
Aic "OlAShOP !" PicCC " Wilt4HS " COpy.
The lady looks injured, and as the superiu-
tendent is, Of course, Southern gentleman.
WHO has been selected for that place with
special reference to his amiability, he feels
like ''a hor,id wretch" The dainty little
hands take up the pen. and the dainty lit
tie brain keeps on, tone, two, three, four,
and large one one, two, three. four, and
. loop :'Loop?" Yes. Beg pardon! !!
I said .'.knot," bat is . af.'loop'' which comes
after the second four. sita,lsA s5as ,.l<
The writing finished, it is sent off by q
messenger, and presently y clerk al pears
with it in his hand. He looks weary, has
found q mistake, and is directed TO the lit
tie bead-monger, who drops, her hands in
her lap and her head on her left shoulder.
cooks her right eye It him n 4 ike 2 canary
making representations about tic weather,
says something silly, and the poor man be-
gins to scratch his head. The conference
lasts some time: The man rctires bataed
and swenring ..not loud. but Deep" the.
other Indies exchange. rlaiices and smiles.