The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-07
''PEN-PICTUREs OF POOR GIRLS.

From the Baltimore american,
"a FEMALE REPoRTER.--As ladies' who go out OF
their sphere expect to be criticized aud are not
afraid to see themselves as others them, there
can be no harm in transferring the following PEN
picture OF a female reporter, who recently in
professional attendance at a Woman Suffrage Con-
vention in DAYTON, OhiO:-
"'Miss Saie NJ Joy represented the Boston
POst She distinguished herself by her generally in
dependent, don t-care-acent air, and by the number
or books she carried under her arm and Kept her
table. She walks with something OF masculine
stride, and always carries pencil IN her hand. She
has the Bostonic affection for eye glasses, wears
sailor hat, and dresses neatly but plainly AS she is
not preeminently ga thing of beauty" 7 should
think her chances of remaining "a Joy forever are
good
'1he photographer might have refraned from
throwing that last BRICK"
We clip the above precious morsel from
recent issue of the Sun. The gallant young
man who drew the ''pen picture" was no
doubt merely venting some personal spleen
on Miss Joy for ''beating' him in his own
profession, but we think he might have taken
his revenge in a manner that would have been
less wounding to the young lady's feelings.
1t is not the first time in the history of Jour
nalism that jealous youngsters have solaced
their wounded vanity by making ugly pic
lures of their rivals, and we should dismiss
this malicious Bohemian and his ''pen-pic-
ture' without a word of comment were it not
for the editorial suggestion that a woman is
out of her ''sphere" when she becomes a ''re-
POibSt' lAC1o 10 u uinpOSlIlOu III bOuno quar-
tiers to sneer and snarl at every woman who
tries to earn an honest living outside of the
ordinary avocations to which the
sex has hitherto been confined. When
ever young lady dares to compete with
men in any of the pursuits of indus
try which they have arrogated to them
selves, she is compelled to encounter storm
of ridicule and detraction which few have the
courage to provoke. Every popularity of
dress and figure Is mercilessly caricatured,
and she is fortunate if the purity of her
character is not assailed. 1t is a brave woman
indeed that dares expose herself to these
poisoned arrows, which wound and sting, if
they do not kill. No wonder that the timid
and sensitive shrink back, and choose poverty
and misery in the stations to which an un-
reasoning public sentiment has assigned
them, rather than endure the gibes and filings
whlch every unprincipled scrlbbler Is at
liberty to throw. No wonder that the few
fields in which they are grsciously allowed to
CLEAN are crowded to repletion, and that the
sorrowful ''Song of the Shirt" is repeated
every day In the experiences of thousands of
young women who are compelled to sew for
wretched plttaRce because they fear to at
tempt to do anything else.
1t is no doubt very desirable that every
woman should have a husband and home,
and that the warmth of her affections and the
skill OF her hands should be expended in
making that home happy, but in the very
nature of things this cannot be- The number
OF women who do not marry is increasing
every year, and of course thenumber who must
earn their own support is increasing in the
same ratio In few years it will be impossi-
BILE to restrict them to the employments to
which immemorial custom has assigned them
The sharp necessities of existence will as
sert themselves in spite of ridicule and de-
traction. We need more girls who dare to be
pioneers in these new fields. We commend