The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-21

day, with free board, but their passage paid
from the East to the West, and back, if they
wish. Yet, with such liberal conditions, they
find it hard to get farm-hands.
Just at this time, also, thsre is good pay
to be obtained by laboring masons, ETC.. in
the large cities, as there is a great deal of
building going on. In Philadelphia a mason
now receives four or five dollars day, and
in New York he may get six This is, of
course, considered high wages. But at this
rate a good mason will earn 1876 week, or
$50 month. Allowing $40 month for
board and lodging, there is a clear gain of
$130. In what European city, except per
haps London and some other large cities in
England, could such wages be had
While it is thus apparent that laborers,
even knowing little or nothing of the English
language, need not fail to get work, it is very
different with those seeking employment
more of the head than of the hands. Pc Sple
who do not desire literally to earn their bread
by the sweat of their brow, and who have
neither the means nor the English Ian
guage at their command, had better not
come here. BY this 1 do not mean to say
that head-work is not well paid. But the
departments in which such labor is pro-
fitable are overstocked, so that no pressing
need exists for more workers. Any one not
master of the English tongue cannot support
himself in this way here. The large cities
are full of book-keepers and clerks, who often
make but poor living by their labor. If
the vigor of their youth is past, and they
have families to support, it requires a con-
stlnt struggle to keep their heads above
water. The demands which their position
makes upon them exceed in most cases their
means Of meeting them, literally as the large
business houses pay their book keepers.
What has been said of men applies to
women, although honest, industrious servant
girls in large cities at the East can as rule
find employment more readily than men, ia
proportion to the numbers of each. Domes-
tic service has its evils in America 1t
seems as if the political character of the
country had affected that relation also, for
as every four years change of administra-
tion is likely to dislodge many of the State
officers, so too domestic servants appear to
like nothing SO well as change. A servant
girl who has remained whole
year in any family is regarded as
rather wonder, as the mistress
of a house will often change her servants every
eight weeks, or even more frequently still
Mistresses blame servants for this state of
things, and 05ce 0erSG. Neither understands
the true relation which should exist between
them. The Eastern States of America are
blessed with more women than men. l have
already in former letter stated that the re-
suit of this is not only an effort on the part
of women to open new avenues for their
activities, but also to obtain for themselves
political rights equal to those of men.
In my wanderipgs through the splendid
Patent Office in Washington, where in large
glass cases are to be seen models of every
article invented in America, 1 have been
much struck with the part which women have
taken in the mechanical inventions of the
country. In departments connected with
clothing, they have taken out patents for all
imaginable contrivances. will only mention
few as examples of the objects for which in
past years women have had patents granted
them There are in the first rank Of inven.
tions flat-irOn, mosquito-net, a spooling
machine, corset-hooks, table-washer toilet
powder, clothes drier, ETC. An unusually in
ventive lady has already taken out her sixth
patent. The practical education of women
has of late years made great advances in the
United States, and the departments of labor
open to them have been greatly multiplied.
So long as the woman's rights movement
limits itself to the domestic world, we heartily
bid it God.speed. But as soon as it over
steps these bounds, and tries to enter the
political field, it becomes a distortion which
only awakens feelings of disgust W. FL
Riebl, the well-known writer has said some
| where, ''Woman can do whatever man does
but she must do it differently" by which he
means that woman had better keep within
| the bounds set for her by custom and pro
| priety. If the women of this country who sc
strongly advocate the right of their sex TO the
ballot, etc., would be convinced of this truth
they would speedily give up the idea which
SO unfortunately possesses them.