The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-05-23
Women's Work.

" Men take the world IN the rough,
and do the work !; women help, and
come in for the finishing off," said
Rachel, Just as Frank Sunderline chang
ed his place and joined them. We
could not handle those, for instance, .
she said, with a shy, quiet sign toward
the carpenters tools, and lowering her
already gentle voice.
Men break in the fields, and pillow,
and SOW, and NOW and women ride
home on the loads,-is that it?" said
Marion, laughing, and snatching her
smile from a bayfield, with toppling
wagons, that the train was at that mo-
ment skimming by. "Well, may be
All is, shall look ont for my ride.
After things are broken in, / don't see
why we shouldn't get the good Of il.
"Value is what things stand for, or
might procure, isn't it?' said Ray,
turning to Sunderline, and taking him
frankly and friendly into the conversa-
tion.
"No fair - cried Marion. "He
| dosen't understand the drift of il. Do
you see, Mr.. Sunderline, why a man
| should be paid any more than n woman,
for standing behind counter and mea-
suring off the same goods, or at desk
! and keeping the same accounts? I
don't? And that's what I'm complain
ing of.
"That's the complaint of the day,
know" said Sunderline. And no
doubt there's a good deal Of special I'M
fairness that needs righting, and will
get it. But things don't come TO be as
they are quite without reason, either.
There's principle in it ; you We got to
look back to that"
Well ?" said Marion, gleefully in
terroeatory, and settling herself with
an air of attention, and of demurely
giving up the floor. She was satisfied
to listen, if only Frank Sunderline
would talk.
al believe / see what you meant, he
said to Ray. "About the value that
things stand for. A man represents n
certain amount of power in the world.
"Oh, does hep put in Marion, with
an indescribable infection. I" I'm glad
to know"
"He could be doing some things that
a woman could not do nc all-was never
meant to do. He stands for SO much
force. You may apply things as you
please, but if you don't use them nc
cording to their relative capacity, the
usual value has to be paid for-some-
where"
"That's a nice principle T. said Ma
rion. like that. ] should like to be
paid for what / might be good for y
Frank Sunderline laughed.
"It's a good principle because by it
things settle themselves, in the long
run. You may take mahogany, or Pine
to make q table, and one Will answer the
common convenience of table as well
as the other but you will learn not TO
take mahogany when the pine will serve
the purpose. You viii keep 1t for
what the pine wouldn't be it for;
which wouldn't come TO pass If the pine
weren't cheapest. Women wouldn't
get those places 20 tend counters and
keep books, if the world hadn't found
ont that it was poor economy, as gem
eral rule, TO take men for it.
"But what do you say about mental
power About pay for teaching, for in
stance?" asked Ray.
"Why, you're coming round TO my
side I" exclaimed Marion. "I should
really like TO know where you are y
81 am wherever / can get nearest to
the truth of things" said Ray.
"That," said Sunderline, " is one Of
H. sts, Ois-l:A;aa Al.--t 50 rs~tting riOhted
Women are being paid more, in proper
ton, for intellectual service, and tho
nearer you come to the pure mental
power, the nearer yon come TO equality
IN recompense. A woman who writes
clever book, or paints a good picture, or
sculptures n good statue, can get as
much for her work as n man. But
where time is paid for,-where it is per
sonal service, the old principle mt the
- &c in No. nm
the wildernesses, men sail the seas,
work the mines, forge the iron, build
the cities, defend the nations while
they grow, do the physical work of the
world, mike way for all the fnishings
Of education and opportunity that como
afterward, and that put women where
they are to-day. And mon must bo
counted for such things 1t is mans
work that has made these women's
platforms. They have the capital Of
strength, and capital draws interest.
The right of the strongest isn't neces-
sarily oppression by the strongest.
That's the way look at it. And /
think that what women lose in claim
they gain in privilege"
"Only when women come to knock
about the world without any claims,
they don't seem to get much privilege
said Marion.
. 81 don't know. IL seems rude TO say
so, perhaps, but they find a world ready
made to knock round in, don't they?
And it is because there's so much done
that they couldn't have done them
selves, that they find the chances wait
ing for them that they do. And the
chances are multiplying with civiliza-
ton, all the time. You see the ques-
tion really goes back TO first conditions,
and lies upon the fact that first condi-
tions may come back any day,-do como
back, here and there, continually. Put
man and woman together on the primi-
tive earth, and it is the man that has
got TO subdue il the woman is what
Scripture calls her,-the helpmeet
An my notion is that if everything was
right, woman never should have TO
knock round alone. 1t isn't the real
order Of Providence. think Provi-
dence has been very much interfered
with
"There are widows" said Rachel,
gently.
Yes and the 'fatherless and wild
ows' are everybody's charge 10 care for.
/ said-if things we're right. i wish
the energy was spent in bringing round
the right that is used mp in fitting
things to the wrong"
"They say there are too many wo-
men in the world altogether !" said Ma.
rion, squarely.
81 guess not-for all the little chill
dren," said Frank Sunderline and his
tone sounded suddenly sweet and ten
der.
"A Troy druggist sent his clerk out
to drum for sales of oil. He carried
card of the proprietor and a picture OF
his girl in his side pocket. He called
upon a man on River street, and tossed
a card upon the counter, saying that no