Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-12-09
WHY WOMEN SHOULD WORK.
Miss Emily FaithfulPs View ON the
Duties of Her Own Sex.
New York Times

| New York Times.
Miss Emily Faithful, of London,
addressed an audience in Chickering
Hall last evening on 1.-THE Changed
Position of Women in the Nine
teenth Century" Col. Frederick A.
ConkIing introduced Miss Faithful,
who read her lecture from manu-
script in a clear and distinct voice,
and with easy self possession Many
of her expressions were warmly ap-
plauded. She took the ground that
women should work as well as men,
and said that the idea that woman
unsexed herself by striving to earn
her living was not only erroneous,
but ridiculous. Unfortunately,
women do not have the
advantages and appliances that
men have in the various branches
of industry. The memorable laws of
custom deter women from doing
many things which ought to be per-
fectly legitimate for them to do In
the face of the increasing preponder-
ence of women in the world, Miss
Faithful said that it was cruel to
put obstacles in the way of their
learning some self-sustaining profes
sion or trade. There are 5 or 6 per
cent. more women than men, and I'M
less women were prepared to encour>
age or advocate polygamy, they must
acquire the means of supporting
themselves. The lecturer drew par
ticular attention to the frequent in
stances where the widows and or
phans of well-to-do men were sud
denly left to shift for themselves
without homes and money. Such
painful occurrences emphasize the
necessity of educating women early
in life to earn their own bread. Pa
rents considered it their duty to
prepare their sons for the battle of
life, why should they not be equally
considerable of their daughters?
Miss Faithful urged that it would
be good thing for humanity if each
and every girl could be taught
trade or profession early in life.
No girl had the right to assume that
she. would be clothed, fed and cared
for always. She should be prepared
to go through life as a bread-winner
If need be. There was a great diff
ference between the past and the
present acceptations of the term
gentlewoman. In olden time the
term meant one who exercised an
active supervision of the food and
clothing of the entire estate. The
very name of ''lady" signiied bread
giver. The gentlewoman of the pres
ent day, however, holds herself as
being too fine for work. The fact of
her being '1ady" must needs ex-
empt her from doing any kind of |
work. 'Idleness," said Miss Faithful |
sis always discreditable in woman"
The lecturer had no objections to in
nocent social entertainments, but she
strongly condemned the growing ten
dency among society women
to give themselves up entirely
to the pursuit of frivol>
Gus pleasures. Without the proper
of their natural abilities
and energies, young women are left
to drift helplessly with the carrent
of life, easy victims of temptation |
that modern social life presents.
Idleness is distasteful even to indo>
lent natures, and while the virtuous
society girl would turn with shud-
der from work, she would accept a
Irritation as perfect godsend. It
had been repeatedly said that there
never was any evil in the world but
that woman was at the bottom OF
it, but Miss Faithful said the facts
of history would show that no great
good had ever been accomplished in
the world that women did not have
hand in it. She did not believe in
the notion that man was the superior
creature and woman merely his
shadow. She maintained that each
sex had its proper and equal sphere
and that men and women were de-
signed to be co workers. A woman
cannot be worthy helpmeet to
man, said she, '.if she is his slave"
The female mind was fully as capa-
BILE of cultivation as the male
mind, and the same tree of knowl-
edge would afford mental food for
both. Miss Faithful spoke of the
gratifying results of the educational
reform movement among the women
in England. She touched briefly
upon the various branches of indus
try IN which women are elgaged, and
commended the work of the Ladies
Decorative Art Society of this city.
In London, she said that women were
making their way successfully into
the several professions and trades,
and large number of female clerks,
telegraph operators, coppists, ETC.,
were employed in the English civil
service. She spoke of her own sue
cessful experience with female types
settlers, and said that Queen Victos
ria had especially commended typos
graphical work done by women. As
for the bugbear that a woman's
chances for matrimony were
decreased by her taking her place
among the working people of the
world, Miss Faithful said that if
man desired a wife who would not
be drag upon him, the fact of her
beng able to earn her own living
would not detract from her value in