The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-22

OF livelihood. The gates are wide opsn, aud
any work that any individual woman thin ks
hertelf capable of, she Is at liberty to try and
prove success or failure att. even as
ms q are trying themselves continually, and
thus prov ng their powers or limitations.
This great change in the outlook and os-
portunities Of women has not been accom-.
plishtd without great difficulty. The young
women who goes out into the world TO earn
Der living now, meets few OF the trials and
discourage that hindered every step OF
the woman on a similar errand in times
within tie men DRY OF many PEOPLE living,
and not ytt Cd.
The women who first went to work in the
United States tres sury department as clerks.
walked every orniDg ard afternoon
through crowd OF Jsering loungers, who
cole cted st the door of the treasury build
ing to see them come and go 10 aud from
III cir y Ork.
In Boston when women were FIRST intro
ouced into prinung offices as type settlers,
the printers formed an assc citation, of which
one OF the ult wss that % member should
work IN any establishment where women
were employed.
From TIE first, men asserted their own 81.
IeriClity TO every possible or impossible wo.
an, ! Y decreeiDg thst she should be paid
when her work was tolerated at all, at half,
or little more than half the wsges recei ved
high and worshlpful ruling sex, and to this
Cay women are working under
the disadvantages of small and
unjust wages, in all departments
or INDUSTRY, II ON sewing shoes 10 teaching
scho. /, The oDly exec piions 10 the rule beiD <
in cssts y here from the nature and charac
ter Of ! er work woman is occasionally
able 10 tx h'r own compensation, or where
some woman holds a place originally H.
tended for n an, and where the compensa
ticn is fixed by law, and so can not be low.
cred during the womsn's incumbency.
witty artist has said that talent can
paint picture, but genius alone can sell it
for what it is or,h.
We may say that al women can work, ont
u takes woman of tran sc sndent genius to
d aw her Iigbtful pay.
Sympathy is precious. The woman who
takes her plsce in the ranks of breadwinners
may expect kindness and consideration. and
she will Iart ly be disappointed. But justice?
All that is different matter.
The greatest need Of our country is the
trained, intelligent labor of men and women.
Skilled labor is in demand in every depart
ment of life. from the kitchen 70 the chem
lists labor atOry, from the kindergarten school
10 the Presidents Cabinet.
There are Thousands OF Unskilled
hands ard unframed minds, so
many that really compe!en.
n-cA VI NOllOu - VI SlCht so4uS Al Uic &C
he or she IL fitted fer.
No time nor opportunity should be lost for
saying 10 youpg women, as well as yonng
men, learn some one thing 10 do, and to do
1T well. Make yourself indispensable some
where, and Just, or at least reasonably fair
compensation is sure to be yours.
The recuniary independence OF women,
however moderate might be their earnings, il
assured to all would help TO settle some oil
the very gravest problems of social life. AT
present, every year is adding thousands 20
he ranks of working women. 1.-The clinging
yine'' is felt to be lot exactly an apt COM
larson when an American woman is in
question, and the future-but it is needless
10 pIophesv. We shall see tie new forms OF
life and OF experiences when they are forced
upon our sight May thew be gracious, sweet
and gentle, as should be the stropg, helpful
and brave