The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1873-11-26
WOMAN IN AMERICA.
A Letter from, emily Faithful so tho R1di-
tor of Tho London Times

tor of Gho London Times
Judging from the remarks made on
this subject Mt the Bradford and Nor
wioh congresses, the idea ia toIernhly
prevalent that women in the United
States can adopt with ease any profess
sion for which they arc qualified
confess that about n year ngo I started
for the United States, on my inquiry
into the condition Of tho women and
children. fully imbued with some such
notion, Eight months tour through
America and conversations with the
presidents Of Harvard, Cornell, sud
Michigan universities, Professor A@as
eiz, Henry Ward BeeCher. Gen. Oliver
(chief of the Massachusetts labor bu-
roau), Senator Sumner, DR.. Bellows,
Mrs. Stanton, Lucrotia Mott, etc, fair
ly dispelIed it. IT is quite truo that
female doctors with moro or less IF n
recognized degreo) abound in America:
in nearly every city | found more than
one in excellent practice and rcpute in
one denomination the clerPywoman has
received due ordination, though she il
still somewhat of n rGrG Gris. -Four or
five ladios have secured n footing in the
legal profession, and there IL scarcely n
newspaper staff in the United States
which does not include one or moro Ms
bona fdC reporters, l~ntervjewers or crit
ic. Thousands, of course, find ocOupa.
ton in teaching aud the usual indus
trial occupations, hundreds as watch
makers, printers, and telegraph clerks
others hnvo obtained postmastCrshipa,
so eagerly sought after in the United
States, and some have entered the gov
ornment offices at Washington. But
English women must not hastily arrive
at the conclusion that because of those
things their trans-Atlantic sisters nre free
from all the INSTRUCTIONS of which they
complain. IL ia true that there ia no
lass in America answering to Our UNI
fortunate governess class, but the wo-
men there as we'll as here are complain
ing of unequal pay; "in fact, says my
friend Grace Greenwood-the talented
Washington contributor Of the New
York Times-'twe live by sufferaDce."
Take the treasury clerks for example
(they were admitted bySalmon =. Chase
and Edwin M. Stanton, thanks to the
.exigencies Of the civil war;. I WINS told
of Miss M. O., who does the work Of n
FL, 900 clerk for a salary Of 1900. Mrs.
L., performing duties for which a man
would receive 81, 800, being a woman,
gratefully accepts half. In the internal
revenue there is a lady, who for nine
years has held n responsible position.
and is, by The admission Of more than
one commissioner, the ablest clerk in
the department, yet she receives the al
most traditional female government pay
of 5000, and has TO see boys she has
herself instructed in the simplest duties
placed over her head. In the govern
ment printing office $50 women are re-
from 81 per day to 5000 per
year. In New York, at the Western
Union Telegraph Company, the female
superintendent, although her ability Ia
indiBputable, receives q considerably
lower salary than would be offered to q
man under the same circumstances.
A warm discussion has been carried
on during the last few months about
inequality In the salaries paid to
male and female teachers, which Ia felt
ns n great injustice by American women.
In short, / do not fear to say that |
the demand on the other side Of
Atlantie-for equal education, equ-
81 wages, equal opportunities, in o word,
IN equal chance in life-very much
ike our own. And as for female suffer-
age, / assure your readers that in Bos-
ton, Philadelphia, and New York I was
surrounded by people who regarded ii
with an aversion which would be grnte-
'uI TO the hearts of Mr.. Bouverie, Mr..
Hope, and the bitterest Eng
.ish opponent of that measure. In short
seems TO be yet all opportunity
or an honorable rivalship, in seeing
which country shall first rate a woman's
work at it's true value.