The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-04-29

the pedagOg0eS cannot lmpart.
A Letter from q Lady Correspondence
womanss Grievances-.social Pre50. |
dices Twenty Years Ago.
Po1Sr DOUGLAS, Mimi, April 1875.
Editor Anti -Monopolist
/ have been spending halt an hour this
afternoon, looking at the ice running. We
are SO near the Mississippi that it gives
one sensation Of awe, to see it pushing
along, full from bank to bank. Sometimes
breaking open large cake; sometimes
crowding closer and closer. till one great
fragment is thrown up stranded on the
back; occasionally shooting massive
pile straight upward in the center. Anc
then the grinding and cracking, and the
dirt and the refuse! Altogether it makes
one think Of political caldron. could
but think Of the resistless force driving it
along, and wonder what would be our fate
if like the Susquehanna it became gorged.
How many disadvantages woman en-
dures! For instance, i'll could, when any
thing frcts me, take team and start
across the country; or if when I was
lonely. could shut up my house and
saunter off to the neighbors or 60 to the
store Of rainy day like the men. But |
am q woman. I cannot harness or drive
my own horses, so must stay at home
and wait convenient season, when per-
haps, my house work could not be neg
Elected. fit was morning, must wait
till afternoon, before could 60 out. And
what would all creation say, to see me
out Of rainy day; or to see me sitting
quietly in store doing no more than my
brother man does there! The store is
the farmers club room. The escape
valve when domestic malt ferments; tt I
resort for lonely hours the place to see
each other, and do outside errands, de
tail gossip, and exchange thoughts with
the village notables. claim the right o
woman to jus: such place.
When l see young man swinging
csrelessly through the years Of his youth
with no particular aim or purpose in life
> wonder at him. I wish he could b
, placed in the position in which | found
myself twenty years ago, with living to
make and no way to make it. Teaching
!, school was indeed honorable, but il
? country places not particularly remuner
: alive Not sufficiently so, with its Ions
;, vacations and low wages. to induce one t
= follow it for life. Printing Offices wer
. not as numerous as now, and the idea
hiring female type-settcrs was not new
!. but yet novel, and they were caution
about adopting it. Dentistry! Shall
. ever forget the open mouthed wonde
g with which certain dentist,received m
application to become an apprentice
= Not that was very anxious to becom
= one, but then, as now, delighted ]
~ waking people up. A lady, he ti
=. had not sufficient strength, and beside
). it was very offensive to work ov'
n dirty and diseased molars. ve'
70 likely; but fancy every tas
e which has since fallen to my lot, has o
- been particularly delicate. What
~ - then called Daguerrean, gave me mo
10 encouragement, but the outlay Of tin
ID and money were too far beyond me, a
60 / was forced to turn my back upon ev
at that trade. Some few ladies were at tn
~ time following the medical profession, b
. Ihad not sufficient confidence in mys
"A to attempt to tip the scales Of life .
j death, but I now know that if had be
10 left free and clear to follow the bent
90 my own inclinations, like the aspiri
:Se young man Of to-day, there would ia
= been good house-keeper spoiled to ma
nv poor lawyer. And this brings me arou
II again to near the spot from which
~ started. When I do see an ambitls
rs. young man who aims at some goal
ms which only years Of patient, hard Ia
~ can bring him, then know what envy
"a Then / see liberty for him, and RENE
AN Der how every good thing Was under i
or and key, Is it were, for me. And wh
ths Because l was . woman. But N
an close. Respectfully Yours,
ou- n