Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-05-28

course WAS to" painful to contemplate
and she was too l'foul to accept s,,ccol
from Til" parents she had ,lisoboycd
Possibly there are errors in this story
1t is only gatllcrcdffrom rumor. DS,
after day, pale, dressed in deep mourn,
ing, she comes to her ,no,otollo,ls work
no one is more ready with gentle and
KIND words to those around hcr--but OF
herself she never speaks. Memory il
rcbetlious, doubtless, butsshc has set
on her sweet, sal lips the seal of proud,
sensitive silence. There arc grand
daughters and daughters of three Sec
rctarics Of the Treasury in that depart
ment; and in another the br"thcr-in-
law of Mrs. Eaton, whose history I
wrote not long ago, and tho son of
Rembrandt Pcale. Men who have
served their country with fidelity and
honor i'll almost every capacity are re-
presented by their willows and orphans
l Wish that l could tell you faithfully
tho stories of all these womcn-not
stories of ancestry nor records of excep-
t'"nai heroism, nor pretty pages of
happy romances-bllt stories of tlisap-
p"intment silently borne, sclf-sacrifice
repeated dali y--of courage, and noble
ness, and resignation nll the more true
and beautiful, because they are I'M.
known or forgotten by all save God
Himself. | wish [ conld show you tho
mothers who are struggling to feed
their children; the daughters who are
working for feeble or invalid parents {;
the sisters who arc educating brothers,
and, the cruclest of all, wives who are
toiling for idle and dissipated husbands!
The intellectual average of the wom-
en- in the department is more than that
OF the men, for the reason that while
departmental work is best for women.
it is poorest for men. The Secretary of
the Treasury. who has been wrongfully
accused of disparaging the ability Of
his lady clerks, is on the contrary very
proud Of them. ",Thcy earn ali they
get and more too" have beside me in
his own hand writing, and he has pub
licly declared them to be, in his opin-
ion, equal in Christian principle, and
superior in intelligence and education,
to the same number of women selected
from any class of society.
THE CAPACITY OF WOMEN TO PERFORM
CLERICAL WORK
is tested beyond contradiction by their
general employment. They were first
introduced to the service in the Treas
ury about twelve years ago, at the in
stance of Treasurer Spinner, who has
been their firm friend ever since. To-
day the aggregate force Of the Treasury,
Interior, ard War depart.
ments is about 1900. The majority of
these arc counters and eopyists at sala-
rics of 5000 II year. A minority occupy
positions OF high responsibility at the
same salaries, which is but half what
men would DC paid for doing the same
work. That is where the grievance lies,
md, though much his been said about
it, the remedy is not yet found. To
tho women who claim higher wages
Gail Hamilton has spoken wholesome
truth in Woman's Worth and Worth
lessness. To men who urge that wom-
en- are paid enough for what they do, it
should be suggested that the salaries
be eqnalized by reduction of the great
81. Civil service has promised to cor
rect the evil by opening doors equally
TO either sex, but that reform itself
stands on such tottering basis that
it's protection has not been worth a
great deal. Many of the women who
applied for examination passed success
[ully, but no vacancies occur for their
or promotion. Among
lao ladies i'll tho Interior Department.,
)nly three resigned i'll four years, so the
chances Of n place are not many. The
,est examinations were passed by the
aides Of the Internal Revenue
Bureau of the Treasury. One of these,
Inc sole instance in the whole service.
= chief of the division ut salary of
800. The experiment of placing
many women under the control of one
s not very successful.
TO those who, sitting with dainty,
die hands, think this life to be so easy,
would tell them they dare to judge
hat of which they know nothing. Let
hem listen to the doctors of this city;
hey can tell Of weak backs and
strained eyes and aching heads and del
cate lungs, gcrminated by exposure
md aggravated by foul air. And let
hem imagine, for this no doctor can
ell them, tho drudgery of constant
work, and all that must be given mp to
t. 1t is very easy to tell of, but how
)ften it is very hard to do. And yet,
hank God, there is q discipline in it
hat no idler ever learns. 1t teaches so
many to be patient, it softens 50 many
hearts, and beyond the feeling of indie
)cndcnce, the i,ol'lcst lesson taught by
t is, that no matter how small the
work, he the self-rcspcct Of the worker
leed never fail while the duty is faith
FULLY done. S. NJ. 3.