Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-09-17
LETTER OF THE WOMEN OF THE
SOUTH TO MIX. PEABODY.

Ma. PEABODY -
Dear Sir-The earnest philanthropy
OF your character induces us to prefer
making the following representations
to YOU personally, instead of convey ing
them to you through the distinguished
gentlemen whom you have appointed
agerts of your beneficence.
Although you have intrusted the
expenditure of this sum to these t, us
tees, SO high is your character for pru-
dence and judgment, that we are GER
tain any advice from you as to its
dis posal will be all-powerful with
them.
The present state of that section OF
your native country in which we live,
is in every respect distressing; but
there is one circumstance which de-
serves especially to employ the kindly
brain and hand Of the philanthropist-'
we refer to the condition of the women
of the South. Until the late war we
had never been compelled, owing to the
form of society under which we were
born and reared, to labor for our own
support. Affluence was the rule; pow
erty the exception. During the war,
when it became necessary for us to ex-
ert ourselves in the most arduous and
unaccustomed duties, our conduct prov
ed that we lacked neither the will nor
the ability to labor perseveringly, and
to bear with fortitude every burden
which it pleased God to lay upon us.
The issue of the war has deprived
thousands of us of our only means OF
support. Harder to bear than this, its
terrible vicissitudes of slaughter and
disease have taken away from many Of
US the strong arms and brave hearts of
those who would have counted it all
Joy to labor for us.
For instance In the State in which
this is written, where the voting popu-
lation before the war was but seventy
five thousand, official records show that
more than thirty thousand died, on
battle fields, in hospitals, and in their
homes from wounds or sickness, during
those years of anguish. Probably
every one of these had at least one wo'
man dependent upon him for support.
In too many cases the happiness of
more than one was involved in the life
of the soldier who fell; but certainly,
on an average, each was the protector
of at least one woman; mother, wife,
sister, daughter or betrothed, whose
life was left desolate by his death.
From this statement you can form
some idea of the vast number OF wo-
men in the South who have been sud-
denly thrown upon their own resources.
We do not complain of this; we
yield to the will of Him who doeth all
things we'll and who doth not willing
ly afflict the children of men, We do
not ask for any help except the oppor-
tunity to help ourselves. Owing TO the
former condition of society in the South,
there are only two occupations open to
us-Teaching and Sewing. For the
former pursuit many of us are unfit
either from temperament or from not
having been educated expressly for this
occupation. The latter employment is
so sedentary that many of us have not
strength and health to enable us to pur'
sue it. However, in spite of these HIM
ORANGES, so many of us have been COM
PEELED to engage in these pursuits, that
the remuneration which they afford has
necessarily become, as general rule
pitifully small, owing to the great com.
petition in both.
We believe that portion of YOU
noble gift could in no possible way bt
80 useful to our impoverished section
as by employing it in the establishment
: of an institution whose whole design
should be to open new fields Of labor tt
the women of the South, and to fit then
to cultivate these with ability. Sucl