The Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1870-1871, 1871-05-07


have seen yearly incomes of fftesn hun
dred dollars in all their. lives Even the
schools to which the young women flock
ere not made Of east-iron. Il have known
ayoung woman 90 highly valued that the
COMMITTEES Of the school, having already
raised her salary TO the highest legal stan
dard, offered, her . third more out of their
own pockets to secure her continued stay,
and offered in vain. Tho rush TO- TIE
schools ia 20 great that the psy,is pstma-
nently. and generally low; yet good
teacher is hard to find. Sixty and q
hundred teachers apply for q single situ-
alton in . single school yet in that same
school the principal says despairingly to
the parents, who all want their children
in Miss AS class. that, he would have
Miss A. cat up into twenty pieces, If he
could, 90 that she might teach them Ill.
In the heart Of New England, in q most
highly cultivated community, an attempt
was made to substitute female for male
principals in the higher grades of schools.
A salary wesproposed nearly If not quite
as large as the average salary Of the cler-
gyman in the vicinity ;and the commit
tee who had been for years conversant
and connected with schools, knew of only
one woman within q radiust of thirty
miles whom they. were willing to entrust
with the experiment I have, heard q
woman complaining Of. injustice. of the
partiality shown to men. and affirming
that she could not live on her, salary,
when that salary was four hundred dol
lars year, when she had received only
the most slight and common instruction
from the most common schools-an ex-
perience that could in no sense of the
world be called education,-and had at
timed culture sufficiently indicated BY
the fact that she found offense in being
spoken of as female teacher, instead of
a lady teacher! Now, 1 admit that it is
very exasperating to have a man in. the
next room no better, and no better edu-
Gated than you, doing the same work that
you do, and getting twice as much pay.
It is still more exasperating to have him
sit over you, and getting three times as
much pay. But where there is a glaring
discrepancy not only between q woman's
work and her wages, but between her
duties and her fitness to perform them,
it would be encouraging to see her efforts
not wholly confined to the former. But
have hea4 d her speak ten words for in
crease OF pay where 1 have heard one for
improvement in performance: Men may
be no better than women, but women are
not half as good as they ought to be.
When you have secured to. uneducated
female teachers the same salary which
,lneducated male teachers receive, when
YOU have paid for awoman's shabby work
the same wages which yoapay for mans
shabby work, have you really elevated
societyl Non haveindeed, brought sbout
an, equality; but it has not been by =
leveling-up proessa 'iossa H:d s-lf
Poor work is the fatal disability, not
poor pay. Good work may be . slow,
butitis sovereign remedy. Yet women
viii not sdminister il They have not the
to devise, the courage to COM
mence, the perseverance to carry out re
sponsible undertakinga They have not
the patience, the sense, the wisdom to
work faithfully under some osher persons
responsibility. 1t is' easier for them to
toll on in the old fats, to i've from hand
to mouth, to be serfs to heartless employ
ers, to complain of part;slity, and cry
out against inj1stice, than it is to striks
silently into untried paths, to begin cir
cumstances. and defy injustice, and COM
pei respect, and control fate. They are
not greatenough to help themselves. or to
let other people help them So they suffer,
and are not strong. ea .o 9- H a-R 4
ENGLISH CHURCH ESTABLISH.
~ H,v aior .MENT. 700 10 ro,isa q.
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