The Red Cloud chief., 1876-01-20
Ashamed OF Earning Money.

lin sorry I've kept the dinner WALL
Ing" said l 20 Ichabod, "bnt it was
unavoidable. Miss Curtis, a lady
agent for a little machine r.r marking
books, clothing, etc had detained me
from my woik for nearly an hour,
wearying me with a perfect torrent Ct
apologies ard explanations for being
thus employed. l bought one of the
machines cut of pity for her mother,
who is a poor wild d sewing woman
living in the suburp5-but almost re-
Rented of it afterwards"
''Surely, my DEAR" said Ichabod,
"you ought rather to feel glad that 1t
is in your power to assist any poor girl
who is endeavoring to earn her own
living.
Earn her own lIving!" cried /,
"You could not insult her more deeply
than 20 intimate that she is selling
those things because she is poor and
needs the money. She says that she
does it for pas,ime: ma thought a little
out door exercise would be good for
her. She gets SO tired of sitting aIound
doing nothing, and size might as well
30 it as cot, as she has so much
leisure time /; and SIZE makes Ear
more eff ri to conceal her necessities
thar to sell her machines. The long and
the sh ort of the story Is, that she is
ashamed of her occupation-a!raid
that people will think she is 4 poor
girl and obliged 10 work for her daily
bread. Now, Why should this lie so?
II a man undertakes to pursue any
branch of business or trade, from
banking TO selling peanuts or ped
ding csbbages, he does not bore one
with a long preamble and set OF reso-
buttons respecting his family affairs, nor
his reasons for being engaged in such a
business; neither does he intimate that
he does it only by way of amusing him.
self. He very plainly gives you to un-
derstand that it is your money he is af:
ter, for which he is willing to give you
an equivalen. in whatever article he
deals. Women expect men to work
they feel a supreme contempt for the
man who is satisfied to live as a depend.
ent on the bounty Of his friends; yet
they snoer coldiy on those of their own
sex who are willing to labor and accept
a remuneration for that labor. Here is
our neighbor Mrs. Jones, who takes
boarders for company She gives up all
her large airy chambers, reserving only
the attic tor a sleeping apartment for
herself and family-slaves early and
late, as only the keeper of a boarding
house does slave is the first one up in
the morning, and the last one to 90 TO
bed at nights harrassed with cares
which the supervision Of such a Large
family necessarily entails upon her; yet
she assures you, with a bland smile, that
her house IS so large-so much more
room than she needed, you know
that she filled it with boarders for the
sake of their company. Does any one
believe this little fiction? II is not
generally known that her husbands
salary is small and insufficient to meet
the wants of their growing family,
and that all this extra amount of bak-
Ing and working over the hot stove
this sweeping and busting, and making
OF ocds--this sacrifice of her comforta-
BILE sleeping rooms TO strangers, while
she occupies the poorest-ls not for the
pleasure she takes IN the society of her
boarders, but for tine money they pay
herr And Mrs. Jones attempts TO prac-
iice This deception because she ooes not
want 10 be stigmstiz,d as poor. Her
false pride prevents her from seeing that
in the estimation Ct all sensible people,
these sucrifces and ,fforts to assist her
husband are in the highest degree com
mendable. Society has ordained that
woman may perform the most Elenisi
Offices for her own household and it
causes no remark; il is only when she
performs these labors for the household
of some o else, and receises pay for IL,
that VIC held aside our skirts to let her
pass and cry away with her. There is
scarcely one woman in a Luudred VINO
possesses the moral courage to say, y
can't ford it, when a Gem.nd is made |
on her purse 10y one of her oxn rank.
We women are so weak when cur social
standing is at stake. 1t is easy enough
to turn a way an importunate book
agent or troublesome peddier, BY siying
that you have no money, or you cannot
afford to buy. but when the solicitor is
lady acquslntsuce-on OF 'ouf own
se,'-who comes in elegantly gloved and !