The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-01-27

|
in Washington Hall. We are indebted
line of the lecture:
The subject, ga Struggle for Life"
was one full of meaning and was han
died with decided ability. We need not
attempt. in the limited space at our dis
| posal, to furnish those readers who
were deprived of the pleasure of par
taking of the literary feast afforded,
anything more than faint idea OF the
| subject matter discussed. She remark
| ed that great deal had been said about
woman's work. Some may. perhaps,
| inquire what need there is for further
argument by her upon subject which
| has been thoroughly discussed by the
best speakers in the country. She would
tell them why. 1t is because she is
more interested than many of the ora.
tors. "Stop preaching and go to fight
ing" would be the theme of her dis
course. The world belongs to those
who will take it, say the af1irma-
not for women to take such gifts. 1t
| is not good thing for one life to do the
work of another life. She did not wish
to blaze in jewels and wear laces. for
which she had given no equivalent.
Work is the normal condition OF every
| human being. and any one denied the
privilege or the means of work withers
and fades. Nay, more; the effort to do
nothing is much harder than the effort
to do Something. Walking is great
deal easier than standing still. 1t is
not a good thing to release any soul
from Toll and Responsibility. In the
Malay Language the word for flower
and woman was the same. Men liked
to pluck moss roses and heliOtrOpe and
pansies, and perhaps daises and geran-
| Iun blossoms, and wear them in their
button holes, but what of sunfowers
| l,OO 70 ? Tho the
daisy is carefully plucked from its
garden bed and transferred to the but
ton hole to be carefully guarded and
shielded from all harm, and so
long rs it's sweet fragrance and
delicate beauty lasts, all is well, but
when its leaves wither and droop, and
Its color is gone, the hand which pluck
ed it is either placed in pride or shame
over the flower to shield it from public
view or it is cast aside to be trampled
under foot. Just so is it with woman,
and every one can make the applica-
ton. Better let the flower remain in its
garden bed, growing stronger day by
daV in its conflict with the wind and
rain, and shedding its fragrance upon
the free air, able to take care of and
maintain itself. Invalidism is d char
acteristic OF American women. Com
pei the hands and brain of Il man to lie
idle, and he would soon fall heir to in
Vulnerable diseases, or rear a numerous
progeny of distempered tancies. a
privileged class cOuld not be maintain
ed in Il republican community without
the contngiOn spreading to other class
es where it should not. 1t is Il tWO-edgeu
sword, intlicting wounds alike upon
the victim aud the one who holds the
weapon.
Miss Dickinson stated that the press
and large portion OF the public had
pursued her with various epithets as a
man hitter. That depended on the
man. But She would advise her mas
culino friends never TO take wife un-
less pure and unsellish love were given
and returned at the same time. The
shallow arrows of sophistries which
the Hollands and the Todds present
about wOman's vocation were thor
ouehly riddled and ruined. Their
empty logic starts with the nssump-
ton that only that class exist who can
quietly enjoy home and eXpaCt mar
rage. Miss Dickinson showed that the
question is not whether women shall
leave homes to combat with the world,
but whether being out, those women
shall have work, choice of work, and
fairly paid work.
The root OF the evil is in the training,
or rather in the want of training.
True philanthropy would dictate the
establishment of training schools in
every home, and in every town, and in
every city for the cultivation
/ OIL Lal6ulh O6NeiOpCu NY 6lA 10
for whatever trade or profession
she may be adapted by nature.
Society trains to look upon labor as
ANYTHING but ennobling. The profess
sions are OVercrowded with yOnng men
Inv the same demands of society.
Make work honorable aud respectable
for women, and all decent work will
bo honorable for men. The underpay
of women was condemned. 1t was the
conseq uence of overcrowding the field
of labor. In the majority of cases
man would prefer to labor. Boys and
Girls w9re differently taught upon the
Subject of work; the one learned that
work was an honor; the other that 1t
was disgrace. The first named was
trained to do his work as man should
do it. Tue girl grows TO womauhood,
and she has no time TO acquire Il trade.
She must do her work wiIhOutiprepar-
alton, and consequently without skill,
unless she turns to the needle, The
question might DO asked why these
women did not change their garrets
for kitchens? They were not prepared
; for the life OF servant girls; and even IL
thew were they would be met with
thousands of foreigners, and the
misery would be but changed from one
GLASS 10 another.
The lecturer did not lay all the blame
at the door of man, but In earnest, I'M
passioned words, which thrilled to
every heart, appealed to woman to be
lust to herself. She advised the women
of America to take the matter into their
own hands to cultivate their own
brains: to learn how to do their own
work we'll and skilfully, Badly done
work deserved nothing but underpay.
She would not have the women make
roads, and shoe horses, and pillow lands,
Int she would send into those employ
ments men who were now filling posi-
lions that could be occupied by women.
The doors of colleges should be thrown
wide omen to women; let them enter
and become skilled physicians, and
four fifths of the women would prefer
to pour into their ears the story Oftheir
weaknesses rather than tell them to
the Young men that are annually
thrown upon the world from medical
schools. And so 1t was with all the
, professions. Women should have free
access to them. They might become
ministers and lawyers and fill any pro-
fession they choose. The idea was
ridiculed that respectful BILE women would
be insulted in new spheres of work and
action.
The scarifying of the Government
clerks at Washington was fearful in Its
0uiet severity. With her unsurpassA-
Gle sarcasm she depicted the men who,
while petitioning for twenty per cent.
increase of their salaries, not only did
not ask it for the women clerks in the
Treasury Department, but expressly re-
uuested that it should not be extended
10 them. AT the time these. men were
receiving from $1,000 10 $3 600 year,
no woman had more than 5000. These
gallant creatures are mostly single
| oil "a