The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-12

Eyebrows OF Black Lead or Lamp
biRet---COuEress in FaulT-.-EVIIs that
Should be RemedIed.
Washington Is, perhaps, the very
worst place in The country in which to
make any great pioneer movement in
reference to womau's social position.
Il Is, to all intents and purposes, u
Southern city, and the centre of snob-
ism. Here Is the focus OF that system
of education, South, which makes all
labor degrading, and Cf our common
school education North, which teaches
that manual labor is at most to be re
gurded as n means of reaching the
Presidential chair. As our boys and
men are all expecting to be Presidents,
so our girls and women must all hold
themselves ready to preside in the
White House; and in no city in the
world can honest industry be more at
discount than in this capital of the
government of the people. Perhaps
tWO-thirds of all impOrtantOplaces, in
the departments, are held by Southern
men, or men who, by long residence
here, have become thoroughly South
.ernized. II the free-labor system,
for men, in the rebel States, meets its
principal obstacle in the ignorance OF
the employers, what must be the diff
cuitieS thrown in the way of the free
labor system for women, by men whose
entire habit of thought regards the sex
as slaves, drawing-room diYinities or
toys? OF the clerks employed here,
there IS not one in twenty who can go
into u room where women are employ
ed, and transact any business with one
of them without, in some way, remind
ing her of her Eomanhood. They are
"sorry to trouble the ladies'" or they
"hope the ladies are quite well, !" or sit
is pity to have ladies shut upin offices
such beautif weather." or "it is bad
for ladies to come out in such unpleas-
ant weather." In some way the la
dies are TO be deferred TO or encouraged,
and their shortcomings excused be-
cause they are ladies. The idea of treat
ing 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
relations, while the ''ladies, :" in their
ance of continued employment on any
settled principle, naturally resort to
personal fnVOritism as means of get
ting bread.
There is a radical error in the manner
of appointing women. II is not every
man who is fit for any pioneer move
ment, and to expect that all women, or
even majority, are fitted for this adj
vance post on the picket line of civili-
cation, is expecting superhuman per-
lection Of the feminine half of humani-
ty. Yet suclI is the system, or want OF
system, on which this grand experi-
ment has been incOnsiderately tried.
To get an appointment Ro qualifica-
tions are required, except influential
friends; and something near one-third
of all the appointments are from the
District or its immediate vicinity, and,
of course, are women of the Southern
idea that woman's personal charms
and decorations are her stock in trade
women who have us little idea of them
selves as competitors for bread in the
worlds labor market, as have the.men
with whom they are associated of them
in any such relation. or the Northern
women appointed, it is not always
those whom the work wants who get
the places.
Some Honorable Senator or Repre-
sentative has IA female friend without
visible means of support. He gets her
place, and she makes her appearance,
perhaps little piece of painted imper-
Thence, who might have been slowed
away in the catacombs in the days OF
the PharOhs for all one can tell of her
age, but who StudiouSly assumes the
airs of a miss of sixteen. Her wrinkles
are filled out with pipe clay or some
other kind of light-cOlored mud; her
eyebrows are made of black lead or
her hair is dyed until it Is dead enough
to satisfy any respectable undertaken
of the propriety of burial; and one
wonders that she does not add setting
of green leaves to the mRgentu-colored
roses on her thin cheeks. She comes
tripping in on the toes OF her infinitesi-
NAL CATERS, gets of her things, and
displays head which reminds one oil
drop chandelier trimmed for ball
and undergoing the process of busting
while her pins, chains, bracelets, frills
and other tiXings would set up "A tin,
box peddler in trade. She establishes
herself at her table, opens her basket
gets out her beads and goes to counting
and stringing; lone, two, three, four
and then n large one; one, two, three
four, and knott" for you see, she is 1
philanthropist, and kindly instruct,
the lady Mt the next table in the mys
teries of this becoming and lndy-lik,
employment. The superintendent get,
fidgety, and brings this interesting
toiler in LIES workshop a piece o
writing to copy. The lady looks in
jured, and rs the superintendent is, o
course, Southern gentlemen, who ha,
been selected for that place with specin
reference to his amiability, he feels like
ga horrid wretch.n The dainty littI,
hands take up the pen and the dainty
little brain keeps on lone, two, three
four, and a loop" LOOP" Yes. Bef
pardon! I said "knot,n but it is Il
loop" which comes after the secouC
four.
The writing finished, it was sent of
by messenger, and presently clerE
appears with it in his hand. lie looks
weary, has found mistake, and is di
rected to a little beRd-monger, who
/ drops her hands in her lap and her heaC
on her left shoulder, cocks her riRh
/ eye at him like canary making prog
nostications about the weather, saw
something silly, and the poor man be
\ gins to scratch his head. Tho confer
ence lasls some time. The man rstiTei
| battied and swearing mot loud bu
deep" the other ladies exchange glancei
and smiles, or perhaps see nothing
wrong, while not one begins to com
I prehend the "deep dRmnation' of til,
whole affair, or to know that then anC
there every woman in the room "fel
/ Hat and richly deserved soto fall.
Another, pure as New England frost
I bright as BUTTON" active as a bee
I does rs much work in the month ant
7 does, II as we'll as any man in the de
/ partment, but her book is wanted 10
/ reference. She wants TO surprise somJ
! friend with n pair Of socks for 4 new
| baby; and while her book Is gone
/ whips out her knitting and goes ninbf,
/ to work Some clerk comes into tn
room, goes ont and reports that tn,
! women In that room do nothing blu
( knit.
Still another comes sailing in abou
/ 81 o'clock, gets on her wraps sinks in
( to her chair with the air OF a willow
I wand cracked in the middle; languidl,
I asks some one TO call a seFvnnt send
said servant, with her compliments, I,
+ the head OF the bureau for the loan OF hi
morning paper reads it leisurely Will