Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-03
THE WOMEN.
Their dause EspOused, and an Enemy
Smashed-TnO school Question
and Female Visitors.

!. EDITORS APPEAL-Appearing form
d erly before the public as a candidate 70
the office OF School Visitot, 1t may no
be improper to say q few words as Il
7 the why's and wherefores of go unusua
II step-unesual only In Democrat,
America. In ~aristocratic England tn
= high ladies of the land have long beer
sitting at the school boards and giving
. their best thoughts and attentions to thu
0 supervision Of the schools. For NOR
T than a year past certain friends Of tn,
: public schools, and certain ladies en-,
I gagged therein, have repeatedly urged
. thus position upon me. Other duties
5 prevented an earlier acquiescence in
I their wishes. l have long been of tbs
opinion that the principal aus of the
; downfall and utter ruin of SO many o
my sex, is to be found in their inability
3 to maintain themselves. This inability
} comes, in part, from a false and surface
education; in part from thepooT pittancC
f too commonly paid for WOman's work.
In no trade or profession, ave one, is il
the rule to give equal pay for eQuGi
WOTk. The one honorable exception is
the stage. An actress is paid according
to her ability, Just as actor is paid
&N|bAhAiiA W LID tsFliAlys III Al OillCI
professions or trades to which women
have resOrted to earn an honest support
for themselves, a distinction is made in
favor of masculine work. The tailoress
scarce gets a third as much for precisely
the same work as a tailor receives. The
women teachers in this city receive
one-third less salary than men teachers,
for the same quality and quantity of la
Dor. This appears to me, not only I'M
just to women teachers, but a gross wrong
to the taxpayers of the city. Taxpayers
have a right to demand that no such IA
yoFiteism shall be used in the expendit-
ure of their money. The press of Mem
phis has been very out-spOken on this
matter, and many protests from private
persons have been made; yet, stil that
unjust distinction continues. Believing
there should be a reform in this matter, in
or out Ofthe board, Ishall do what | can
To bring it about. Determining the sala-
ries OF teachers, however, ] imagine
must be but a small part Of a school Wis
itor's duty. Public schools are not run
for the benefit of teachers, but for the
benefit of the pupils. L must always be-
lieye il is especially and peculiarly 3
woman's duty to watch with the most
anxious attention everything. in what
ever quarter, pertaining to the education
OF children. Few, if any men can 50
well understand, 81 readily sympathise
with children, as women can. Men,
preOccupied, engrossed by business af-
fairs, know little of the needs of chill
dren-the restrictions, the freedom pro-
motive of their health of body as of
mind. L believe wherever children are,
there should women be. Wherever regu-
lations and rules for the study, play, or
punishment of children are discussed
and decided on, there should women be,
with their large maternal experiences, /
and ineradicable maternal tender
ness. With some shadow and show of
prOpriety men may rule supreme in
courts and congresses, in pullpits and
places of bargain and sale, but when it
comes to the care of children, hopeless
" perverse, indeed, is that mind that
does net see this is woman's heaven-or-
dained province. So plain is this propo-
sltlon, ii seems vain to state il. Yet
daily paper in this city was thrown into /
a pitiable state of mysteries at the bare /
idea of two Memphis matrons, both
mothers Of a goOdly number Of school
going children, becoming the visitors OF 1
said schools. Had those grave and So
Der matrOns prepared to wade the Mis-
sissippi, or to dance the Can Can on the
bluff, to a gaping group of street mack
erels, the morbid sensibilities Of that
daily would not have been so sorely
shocked. That mind must indeed be
strangely perverted; its ideas ofright and
wrong must be in a hOpelessly muddled
condition, which, because certain moth
ers propose to give a little time and
attention to the schools in which their
children are taught, goes off in a panic,
and talks wildly Of cessIpOOls, and cor
and political arenas, and pur-
ty, and strife, and turmoil, and rude
sbOCtHgS," and all the other old trash
have heard so often. 1t really is
time men stopped talking that sort of
nonsense. Thinking women pay not
-he lea attention to it, Ond the unthink-
an If no avail on either side.
To issue a protest against the right or
DrOpriety of women engaging in the
management of schools is exactly on a
par with a profess to keep them from the
nursery. Every school room is a nur-
the mother who does not look after
iuch nurseries is Tecreant to her duty,
myself, | am frank to say, since my
Boys have been old enough to attend
choOl, Ihave been a voluntary and self
appointed visitor TO their schools. Ill
seen some things l think should
lever be seen. | have known Over a !,
hundred little ones, as you may say,
into one room, and not q large /
com either. One woman was expected {
O implrt instruction to that restless,
nervous, fidgetty mass of infant human
ty. That under such circumstances the 1
HaCtrunafaAn = n .La- q =. - 1 =
ay. But sham teaching is not the {
worst that comes from o~ver-crowding. !
is engendeTed, and if, as too I
,tten happens, ventilation is neglected,
he air in such rooms is positively pOis-
nous. l have too often found those s
chool-rooms ~perceptibly offensive. The ]
Importance of ventilation can never !
e over estimated; it should be again {
nd again impressed ON the minds of T
eachers. In the treatment of children {
be first consideration should ever be ]
he health of the body. School learn r
ng is but a secondary affair. b
The esteemed Daily whose delicate
disabilities so suffered at the idea of
lothers interesting themselves inI
chool matters, seemed to imagined those
lothers intended to indulge in the .
leasures of electioneering, after the
.me-honOred custom of politicians.
,othing can be further from our 4
loughts. We intend to inaugurate -
ute another fashion of seeking office. =
We propose to rest serenely on our dig
ity, leaving everything to the sober
ense Of the community. No man will y
e invited to swallow anything stronger y
water, or to chew anything worse T
bread. If, las the Daily seemed to !,
link) whisky drinking and tobacco Il
is the high road to the schools, Il
e will get there. Any man y
lOosing to travel that road, may GER n
Iinly become our successful rival, for :
e a attempt no competition of that q
UT. Respectfully, IN
+. a. AERIWETHER. -
Ayers CHERRY PECToRAL-The v
orld's great remedy for Colds, Coughs u
nd Consumption. Y