New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-01-27
Il. NETWORK DAILY TRIBUNE. MONDAY JANUARY d. 1873

the rich girl to dust her splendid parlors 1t
is discreditable to tho poor girl TO dust inc
splendid parlors of somebody else, for money
II is women who thus ruthlessly make bard
the way for women. At this moment
fragrant case occurs TO us. An army OIL
fcer of reputation was suddenly retired,
a few years ago. In delicate heaitn'
and understanding no business DuC hi9
profession of engineering he was LOT
more than a year out Of employment. Ills
wife. q SLOWLY educated girl of great capacity,
saw that she must take the laboring oar. one
knew that her fimsy accomplishments anu
superficial requirements were worthless I'D tne
market. She procured clerkship at ~
week. Her faithfulness, rapid comprehension
of the business, facility at accounts talent for
correspondence, and well-bred manners, won
her quick promotion. In few months she
found herself the responsible manager Oh
concern of large value. at a salary OF gov
week. She maintained her family in comfort
and at last obtained a situation Tor her nus
band. But-and this butts jailer to LEAD out
a most mOnstrous maleiactOr-from the mo-
ment when, as she said, she came down I'D
+" the world" she gave up all her distinguished
acauaintances, refused to let her oldest friends
know where she was, and felt herself socially
disgraced Now, here was woman all pluck
capacity, generous self-forgetfulness, heroism'
who. at the supreme hour of her womanhood,
could thus curously insult herself and sup
pose that she was maintaining proud sell
respect. She measured her world Alright. IL
did feel that she had come down, and, noble
as she was, its estimate Of work Tor pay had
degraded hers and her.
The question seems too simple to argue. Is
not lady she who illustrates fine ana
strong character by thoughtful culture ana
gracious manners7 What matters 1t whether
she be rich or pOorq What matters 1t whether
she work for pay, or simply because by reason
of her ladyhood she must abhOr lazinessf
man who lives on relatives or friends to whom
he is a burden, forfeits the name of gentle
man. Work is his patent of gentlllty. why
should woman in that plight be hindered
from honorable toll? This moral ligature that
withholds our girls of so-caled position from
manual labor is crueller and more mischiev0us
that any French corset or Chinese slipper that
ever manned or tortured.
for the same work, ,much of this feeling would
doubtless disappear. 1t is partly because they
receive the wages of underlings that they are
estimated underlings. 1t is superfiuOus to say
that we have demanded andIhave accorded
equal pay fOr,equal work without regard to sex
since the day thirty years ago when Margaret
Fuller took her hOnored place upon our stan
But private belief does not Tx market rates
And this is not wrong for philanthropy to
set right, nor even for statutes to amend. 1t
is q matter to concern political economy. 1t
is because there is glut of work that there Is
a famine of pay. In some of the professions
and in one or two very nice handicrafts
women are as well paid as men, because the
demand for brains is in excess of the supply,
and the buyer does not ask of what sex
is the seller, but only OF what SKILL On the
other hand, if there be plain sewing In this
city for two thousand seamstresses, five
thousand pairs of hands demand it. If an
advertisement requires ten shoD-glrls, six
hundred rush to answer it. But let all handl-
crafts be open to women as to men, let train
ing and apprenticeship be within their reach
and the question of dignity and the question
of wages may safely be left to adjust them
selves. OF man woman has the right to de-
mand fair play. OF society she has the right
to demand training schools. Of woman she
has the right to demand the recognition of
honest labor as in itself honorable and dig
nifed And we think that the Reception of
Saturday night will do much to hasten the
cesson of all these claims.