The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-11-12
An Overmatcked Man.
Boston Transcript.

ges ls the tile oi an article written ON Mir Charles W. Elliott, who must not De confounded with Iresident Eliot of Har- ward J'ni, ersity." says Mrs. ulia Ward Howe in the beginning of her remarkable paper entitled The Industrial Value of Women" in the Y ovember NorM .fmry- lrg,r Prr-rrr,. l. -,s -~ei!, pe.aaps- ;ha; Mrs. Howe insists upon this distinction at the start otherxise some careless reader. remembering bnly President Eliot's we'll known opposition to higher education tor women, might make him father more ar- rant nonsense than he IS ever likely % put into print Mir. F. lliotts paper appeared in the .AoyM .fMeyierg last August. and. without Mrs. Howe word for l. every reader who knew aught of the tenor of feeling on the woman question knew II could not fail 10 provoke much com naent.7 It remained. however. for Mrs. Howe to raise the article to the dignity Of serious consideration. and so ably has she performed her task that Mir. Charles w. Elliott may be said to have well earn ed the distinction of being known hence forth as the MT. Elliott de- olished by Mrs. Howe. l. is but poetic justice. too. that a woman should thus attest her market value to the man who sravely asserts that woman to-day seems ,o be the least val uable of created beings. most of all in those countries that call themselves civil ized- But il is doubtful if so careless q gleaner of facts and loose-lointed reas- oner as NIT. Elliot, has shown himself to be will take in the full force and fine irony of the situation. 50 careless and sweep ing statement. says Mrs. Howe can hardly be met as if t were serious and bOna1fde expression on the part of per son of sound minG. 1t is. however. I far sample of the spir;, which perades the whole article And Mrs. Howe might add. is sample of the spirit which prompts seven-tentas of the adverse com men, people ot sense are forced to listen 10 in social life. l. IS because a farrago of obsolete sentmentalties and material val uations. like Mir. Eilott's. so seldom sees the Ugh, of pr.n, tha, his paper has any value al all. Il IS especially valuable to women of Mrs. HoWes views as affordin ' them so exoellen, an opportunity of prov ing that logic or the want ot |. Is entirely independent Of sex.
 For one who at all takes he trouble .o think. Mir. Elliott certainly gives most tempting opportunities for reply. as when he cites the opinion of German pro- lessor unnamed. that the woman of the present day is worth about one-eighth as much as the corresponding man. and that :" out of Europe horses are more val uable than members of the fair sex. Our country people who have travelled in Europe and seen the low-class German woman yoked in with the donkey and the mule. will appreciate the peculiar ritness of German making this valuation. how ever little it applies as yet to any class of women in America.
 After showing the sordid one-siGedness of Mir. Elliou's view. and giving aL unbi- ased synopsis of the causes of inequality in the pay of men and women. Mrs. Howe refutes Mir. Elliotts assertion that wo- mans competition degrades and impov- erishes mans work. She cites as exam pies women who are forced to support no, only themselves bu, others, and adds
 Negatively. therefore. neither the working woman nor her employer has done wrong to the workingman. But what IS the positive result of her work to society She has. in the first place. produced work to the full value of her wages. and probably beyond it. This society gains. By providing for herself she has saved the cost of her support to the community in which she lives. This society also gains. She has also given to the community the example and influence of an energetic worker. instead ot impos- ing upon it the burden of demoralized and demoralizing pauper. For all this ! Mir. Elliott will no; thank ner. if he Is as good as his word. but her friends. neigh bors and relatives will. NIT. Elliott invites us to form our estimate of the value of women in the present day by the amount actually paid them. His es- innate of even this criterion of value ls very imperfect. Bu; supposlng ii to be entirely correct. IS it not true that much of the greatest work done for society Is of sor, that cannot be paid for l; is no, convertible. and has no representation in pounds. shillings and pence. How shall we compute the money value of the discovery of America by Columbus. or state m round sum that If the heroism of Tell. or Winkelried or Washington :: What does a martyrdom amount 10 in coin of the realm Or. to bring such ques- tons down to personality. what was your mother worth to yoi: N'ha; the mother of your children, your friend. your favori,e child or companion Is l, not eyiden, that the greatest values of human life are such as have no representation n material symbol: May we not also SUD- pose that our knowledge of these are very imperfect. and our judgment in conse- quence very inadequate ? II is quite im- aginabe that women should sometimes obtain employment which man world be glad 10 secure. IL may also come 10 pass that women should often mistake the measure of their capacity, as men do, and seek empIoy1ien; for which they are no, fitted To all these evils humanity ls heir. Society looks them in ,he face. bu, as every one IS wiser than any one
 society may be said to know some things which Mir. Elliott does not.
 Ii would be impossible in any selection Of fquosa;ioas to give just idea of the strength and compFehensivenes of Mrs
 Howe's admirable essay. For that t