Litchfield enquirer., 1873-09-25
woMAN's WORK,

ed to their condition in life and that sis
 ters were denied admittance to lucratiy.
 Invocation open to their brothers. Last
 weeks Sentinel takes exception to oul
 statement as follows:
 AS far as the professions are concerned, they
 can study law, medicine or divinity, and ma!
 Paacsce or preach, provided they can fInt
 clients or congregations, the same as men.
 We do not desire any controversy witl
 our neighbor about mere words. We die
 not say nor do we claim that there is an,
 law denying women the right to enter eli
 ther of the three '1earned professions !,
 We might. indeed claim, taking into con. sideration the Myra Bradwell case in Hi. nois, that no woman could study law ir Connecticut with any certainty of being admitted by our judges to practice. What we do say, however, is that women desir ing to earn their own living and willing to do so, are practically denied the op. portunity in any but one of the learned professions and that even in that the field is as yet but very contracted one.
 Take, first, the practice of law. No ju. dicious parent would think of educating daughter as lawyer: for, it would be very doubtful, in the first place, whether she would be admitted to practice at all by our courts; and second, if admitted, her sex would in all probability prevent her obtaining any employment even though thoroughly qualified. Setting aside. therefore, the point of legal dis qualification, we say that woman is practically denied the chance open to man of earning livelihood by the practice of law.
 Then as to the ministry. The Sentinel affirms broadly that, "The ministerial of- flee is also open to women" This is a mistake None of the "orthodox" denom- nations, so far as we know, admit women to their regular ministry. It is possible that the Methodists have done so to lim- tied extent; but Episcopalians, Presbyte- rians, Baptists, Catholics, Congregation alists, and we believe Methodists, do not admit women to their seminaries nor. to their ministry. Universalists and Unita- rians are the only denominations so far as we have seen that have ordained women as pastors. How long is it since Dr. Guy Ter was publicly censured by his ministe- rial brethren for recognizing the right of woman to preach? Practically, therefore, women are denied the chance of earning a living by preaching the gospel.
 Women can undoubtedly enter upon the practice of medicine with fair chance of success. The census of 1870 registers, indeed, but 525 female physicians to 62,- 383 male; the former are as yet confined, mainly to special branches of city prac- tice. They find great difficulty in obtain ing proper instruction, and are not always recognized, we believe, as regular practi- tioners by the medical societies. Nev- ertheless, we have no doubt that compe- tent woman physician can earn living.
 It is not stating the case fairly to say that in ''business" women have the same chance as men. A woman may indeed en- ter upon few. branches of trade, deal in millinery, fancy goods &c; but the more lucrative kinds of s'business" are not open to her. She may find employment as a saleswoman, or even as book-keeper, to a limited extent, in retail establishments
 But, even when possessed of the necessa- ry capital, she cannot, as matters now l stand, compete with any reasonable chance I of success with male bankers, brokers, i'm porters, wholesalers, manufacturers, and others engaged in those lucrative kinds of business by which men make fortunes in our large towns and cities. Perhaps a woman might succeed in these, to her, totally untried fields; but she would in- evitably meet, at first, such difficulties as only uncommon energy and ability, could overcome. fatt -d f-.5..a I..a s.-.s As employees women are paid less than men for the same work. Such statistics as we have seen show that they receive as teachers from one half to two thirds the salaries of men doing the same work. No doubt, as the Sentinel claims, much of their educational work is very poorly done. It is worth what they are paid for it. Even. in so plain matter as setting type "by the piece" the printers unions only allow women compositors two thirds the pay given men for precisely the same work. We might multiply instances, but the fact that women are practically con-
 fined to so few avocations has not on- ly made it difficult for them to obtain em- ployment but has cut down their wages to the starvation prices.' la.a,.l L...
 In treating this question we have made no account of the social pressure that keeps woman dependent by rating nearly every kind of woman's work as socially degrading" What we say is that, were woman, disposed to do her best, and to fit herself thoroughly for work, she could not reasonably expect at present to find employment, in but one of the three 'slearned professions" that but few kinds | of business, and those not the most lu crative. are now practically open to her; and that, consequently, she has this pres ent excuse for her present idleness and dependence that she is practically refus- ed employment suited to her condition in life. That this excuse will pass current for all time is precisely what we do not claim. Women should make every effort to enlarge their present narrow range oi employment That they are making a strenuous effort. and that their sphere is visibly enlarging, year by year, werejoice to see. That it will require, like all great social movements, years and generations
 for its full accomplishment, is more than probable. It is an effort we shall always