The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-10-13
Mrs. Oliphant on the Grievances Of Women
Fraser's Magazine

! FRASER Magazine.
do not pretend to understand eithe
Man or Woman, in capitals l onl
know individuals, of no two of whom
could | say that think they are entire
ly equal. But there are two, visibl,
standing before the world (Which i
made of them) to be judged according
to their works, and upon these works
wish to ask the reader his and he
opinion.
This Is mine to start with-that when
God put two creatures into the world
| q hope that persons of advanced intel
ligence will forgive the old-fashioned
phraseology, which perhaps is behind
the age) it was not that one should be
the servant of the other, hut because
there was for each a certain evident
and sufficient work to do. 1t is needless
to inquire which work was the highest.
/ } Judgment has been universally given
in favor of the mans work, which is
that OF the protector and food producer
Though even here one cannot but feel
that there is something to be said on
the weaker side, and that it is possible
that the rearing of children might seem
in the eyes of the Maker, who is sup
posed to feel a special interest in the
human race, as noble an occupation, in
its way, as the other To keep the
world rolling on as it has been doing ssol
all these centuries, there have been
needful TWO creatures, two types of
creatures, the one an inipossibility with
out the other. And it is curious
thought, when we conc to consider it,
that the man, who Is such a fine fellow,
and thinks SO much of himself, would,
after all, be a complete nonenity with
out the woman whom he has hustled
about and driven into a corner ever
since she began to be. Now it seems 20
me that the first and largest and most
fundamental Of all the grievances OF wo-
men in this: that they never have since
the world began, got the credit Of that
share of the work of the world which has
fallen naturally to them, and which they
have, on the whole, faithfully perform
ed through all vieissitudes.
/ scarcely remember any writer who
has ever Yentured to say that the half
of the work of the world is actually &C.
complished by women; and very few
husbands who would be otherwise than
greatly startled and amazed, if not in
dignant, if not derisive, at the sugges-
ton of such an idea as that the work
of their wives was equal 10 their own.
And yet, for my part, ! think it is. So
far as | can see, the workingman's wife,
who has to cook and clean and wash and
mend, and do all the primitive services
of life for her family, has harder and
more constant work than her husband
has; and rising upward in the ranks of
life L think the same balance goes on,
at least until that level of wealth and
leisure is reached at which the favorites
of fortune, like the lilies, toll not,
neither do they spin. But | am not
concerned with those heights. What
dukes and duchesses do, and which of
them work the hardest, will scarcely
tell upon the argument nor am deep
ly versed in the natural history of mil
lonares. But so far as | am acquainted
with the facts of existence, the woman's
hands are everywhere as full of natural
as are those of the MANI
The mans work lasts a certain num-
Der of hours, after which he has his
well-earned leisure, his evening to him.
self, his hours of recreation or of loung-
ing; but his wife has no such privileged
amount of exemption from toll. Her
work is tEnever done" She has the
evening meal, whatever it may be, to
prepare and clear away, and the chill
dren to get to bed, and the mending TO
do, in the hours when he is altogether
free, and considers himself with justice |
to have right to his freedom. In very |
few cases does it occur to the woman to |
grumble at this, or to wonder why her |
lot should be harder than his 1t is |
it is her share. The whole |
compact of their married life Is based
upon this. thai she should do her work |
while he does his; and hers is the share
which IS never done" / do not say a
word against this law of nature; but
object that while this is the case, the /
poor woman who works so hard is con-
sidered as passive object of her hus-
bands bounty, indebted to him for her
living, and with no standing ground or
position of her own. She is SC con-
idered In the eye of the law and
hough the foolishness Of the sentiment
$ too manifest in her individual case to
,e insisted upon, yet she is implied in
he general sweeping assertion which
Includes all married women s.MeR
must work and women gaust weep, says
he ballad. iiFouId Ike to know what
be fsheIWomen Of CUR seacoasts say to
bis luguhrious sentiment. or how much
me they find to indulge IN that kind
{ luxury Il