The Indianapolis journal., 1885-05-25
DESPOTISM OF THE NEEDLE,
Or. Talmages's Plea for the Overworked
and Underpaid Sewing-WOmen.
Girls Should Be Taught Trades by Which
They Can Earn Their Livelihood-The
Ballot Not a Proper Remedy.
speeiaI to the lnd.anap.lis journal.

BROOKLYN, May 24-Dr. Talmage preached
in the Brooklyn Tabernacle this morning on the
subject, "The Despotism of the Needle, or ads
course on Women's Wages Before the SER
mon DR.. Talmage explained the epistle of James,
where it says: "Be not many masters, which he
said was a reproof for those who are disposed
to be bossy in their disposition. The opening
hymn was:
Mid scenes of confusion and creature complaints
How sweet to my soul is communion of saints.
The text was from Ecclesiastes iv, l. $50 re-
turned and considered all the expressions that
are now done under the sun; and behold the tears
Of such as were oppressed, and they had no COM
forter, and on the side of their oppressors there
was power Following is the sermon in full:
Very long ago the needle was busy 1t was
considered honorable for women to toll in olden
time. Alexander the Great stood in his palace
showing garments made by his own mother.
The finest tapestries at Bayeux were made by
The queen of William the Conqueror. Augustus,
The emperor would not wear any garments ex-
eept those that were fashioned by some member
Of his royal family. So let the toier everywhere
be respected The needle has slain more than
the sword. When the sewing-machine was in
vented some thought that invention would ale
viate woman's toll and put an end to the despot
ism Of the needle. But no; while the sewing
machine has been great blessing to well-to-do
families In many cases, it has added to the stab
of the needle the crush of the wheel, and multi
tudes of women, notwithstanding the reinforce
ment of the sewing machine. can only make,
work hard as they will, between two and three
dollars per week.
Tie greatest blessing that could have hap
pened to our first parents was being turned out
of Eden after they had done wrong Adam
and Eve, in their perfect state, might have got
along without work, OF only such slight employ
ment as a perfect garden, with no weeds in it,
demanded. But as as they had sinned, the
best thing for them was to be turned out where
they would have to work. We know what a
withering thing it is for man to have nothing
to do. Old Ashbel Green, at four score years,
when asked why he kept on working, said 81
do so to keep out of mischief" We see that a
man who has large amount of money to start
with has no chance Of the thousand prosper
Gus and honorable men that you know, nine hun
dred and ninety nine had to work vigorously at
the beginning. But l am now to tell you that
industry is just as important for woman's
safety and happiness. The most unhappy WON
en- in our communities to-day are those who
have no engagements to call them up in
the morning; who, once having risen and
breakfasted lounge through the dull forenoon
in slippers down at the heel and disheveled hair.
reading Ouidas last novel; and, who, having
dragged through wretched forenoon and taken
their afternoon sleep. and having passed an hour
and half at their toilet, pick up their card case
and so out to make calls and who pass their
evenings waiting for somebody to come in and
break up the rnonotony. Arabella Stuart never
was imprisoned in so dark dungeon as that.
NO HAPPINESS IN IDLENEss.
There is no happiness in an idle woman. 1t
may be with hand, it may be with brain, it may
be with foot; but work she must, or be wretched
forever The little girls of our families must be
started with that idea The curse of our Amer
lean society is that our young women are taught
that the first, second, third fourth, fifth, sixth,
seventh, tenth, fiftieth, thousandtl thing in
their life is to get somebody to take of them
Instead of that, the first lesson should be how,
under God, they may take care of themselves
The simple fact is, that a majority of them do
have to take Of themselves, and that
too, after having, through the false
notions of their parents. wasted the
years in which they ought to have learned how
successfully to maintain themselves. We now
and here declare the inhumanity. cruelty and
outrage of that father and mother who pass their
daughters into womanhood, having given them
no facility for earning their livelihood. Madame
De Stael said 'It is not these writings that
am proud of, but the fact that have facility in
ten occupations, in any one of which could
make livelihood"
You say you have a fortune to leave them. O
men and women, have you not learned that like
vuitures, like hawks, like eagles, riches have
wings ami fly away9 Though you should be sue
cessful in leaving a competency behind you, the
trickery of executors may swamp it in night
or some officials in our churches may get up
q mining company and induce your or
phans to put their money in a hole in
Colorado, and if, by the most skillful-
machinery. the sunken money cannot be brought
Up again, prove to them that it was eternally
decreed that that was the way they were to lose
it, and that it went in the most orthodox and
heavenly style. Oh, the damnabls schemes
that professed Christians will engage in, until
God puts His fingers into the collar of the hypo-
critics robe and rips it clear down to the bottom
You have no right because you are we'll off, to
conclude that Your children are going to be as
well off, man died leaving large fortune.
His son fell dead in a Philadelphia grog-shop
His old comrades came in and said, as they bent
over his corpse What is the matter with you,
Boggseyl" The surgeon standing over him said
"Hush up! He is dead' "Ah! he is dead!'
they said. Come, boys let us go and take a
drink in memory of poor Boggsey!'
Have you nothing better than money to leave
your childrenl If you have not but send your
daughters into the world with empty brain and
unskilled hand, you are guilty of assassination,
homicide, regicide, infantcide. There are women
toling in our cities for 81 or S2 nar week