Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-07-26
THE wOaEN AND THE LOUISVILLE
OOURHER-

THE wOaEN Ana THE LOUISVILLE
COURIER
On Saturday hast the Louisville Courier
discussed the sunfsct of wom-n's oieims 10
engage in a wider range of avocations than
the world in general has been hitherto in the
habit of according to them. 1t begins by
saying that the demand OF the Geographic
operators that women shall be paid as much
as men when doing the same work sis ex-
oeedipgly courteous, bnt is not apt 10 be ac-
oeded to in the telegraph office or elsewhere"
and that equality in work and wages is not
what the women want or are prepared for"
It adds that Gen. Eckert Is accurate when ne
says that the rule which forces the company
to pay the same wages 10 the women as TO
the men will simply result in excluding the
women altogether, for all other things
wages, labor and experlence-being equsl.
preference will always be gwen to men, who
can be made more generally useful, VINO ex-
pect less consideration and VINO receive ~. a.
The reasons il gives for these ASSERTIONS are
thai the employer cannot trust a woman as ne
does . msn; cannot be a. r1gld, sxscting and
unreleuting. and il he take women he ham
pers himself with in-conveniences and OBJ
structions; as a compensation he pays less
wages, although the wosk done be the same,
(2.0 Woman is not fitted to do all the work
that man doer. She has not "a capacity TO
give and take blows" If women are to dis
place men, "the work they do must be better
than mems work, or else being the sam they
must take lees wsgeF." (3.) When a place is
vacant for a woman there are fifty appli-
cants, for a man only one, and "women's
wages are less because competition cuts Them
down." The weakness of these reasons is
a real forti6cation 10 the demand of the tel
the same work as a man she shall be paid
the same price for il, for first: If men expec,
less consideration than women and receive
less, men can knock those down who insult
them, and 90 10 law with those who iHjure
them, things women do not often do; they
can also organize and conduct strikes, an arl
that women have not yet attained to. liz
this connection the Courier urges the follow
ing considerations employers annot il
they would treat a woman as they do a nan
They cannot be SO rigid, go exacting, SO unre-
lenting. An employer, to some extent, sacri'
fees his independence of action when hs
hires woman TO do a mans work; he ham
pers himself, for inconvenience and restric'
lions are the inevitable result. As n oom
pensatior, therefore, there will be a reduc'
ton in wages, even when the actual wors
done-the came number of words sent, thf
same letters written, the same orders given
is exactly the same" Taking these words al
applying generally TO occupations in which
women are engaged, they are not correct. Gc
to factories where women work; they are
kept as strictly to the time OF commencing
work, and are made So responsible for the
quality of the work, and are subject TO the
same deductions for failing to perform what
is required of them as men. Take the sew
ing women generally, from the pants-makel
up, and they are held as strictly re-
sponsible for what they do and how
they do it as men are; but, most I'm
reasonably, they are paid less than men
Take the women hat wait in stores, act a
book-keepers, or clerks in various businesses
and the same rule holds good. In short
women in business are treated on bushes
principles; that lie, they are not paid accord
ing to quantity and the quality of the worl
done, irrespective of who wss the doer 0
the work. But, says the Courier, the EN-
ployer cannot be as rigid, as exaciing, a
relentless with a woman as with a mann
other words, he cannot be as i~nsolent, as over
bearing, as dictatorial. Plainly the write
OF these words Know the offensive, contempt
IDLE side of human character too often dis
played by the employer toward the en-
ployed. He is not aware that even 'owar'
women, toiling, industrious, csreworn wo
men, the same mean and disgusting trait
can be and are displayed. If he could suf6
GENTLY gain the confidence of some Of th,
workwomen of Louisville working unde
men IS foremen or employers, he would lear
hat portions Of his sex are capable Of NOR
discreditable conduct, and are, not coca
sionAlly but ~habitually, guilty Of it than h
has supposed-Would that his ideas upol
his point we're the correct onesl On an