The Osceola times., 1888-01-07
W0MAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMEN lE JOURNALISM.

h'Iii 4ltNt Adu something 10 90
with women on newspapers. Among
the first TO write regularly and accept
ably in this city was Mrs. Hannah
Sheppard for years an esteemed and
valuable editorial writer on the Star.
She wrote SO well on industrial mat
ters, generally. and with such discrim-
ination on that delicate topic, the in
evitable conflict between capital and
labor, as TO attract the attention of
James Gordon Bennett-he James
Gordon Bennett, / mean-who sent to
ask If itwerc a proper question, the
name Of the author of those articles.
Jennie June, Mrs. Ellis, Mrs. Wash
burn, Lillian Whiting, Minerva Smith.
Mr. Battle and Miss Glenn, daughter
OF our old friend Sam Glenn, once ed
itor of the Boston Herad, and for years
man among the men Of the New
York Hcrdld, have made marks in
journalism Of credit and profit; while
Miss Nellie Hutchinson, of the Tribune,
Miss Amllia Barr and Nellie Bly. of
the World, have done such significant
WI n 90 w titttNN AAtNlli dbcbluNtll III Alt
very van Of contemperaneous writers.
Nellie By is the young woman whose
voluntary incarceration a few months
ago made sensation from Maine to
Georgia and its story was copied in all
the papcrs of the land She came to
my office last summer from Pittsburgh,
where she had been working on local
papers, and said she wanted something
TO do. | gave her letters TO the chief
editors in the city of New York. upon
whom she called, and interviewed them
on the subject of women in journalism.
Her reception was courtcously chilling.
Like the guests invited by the man
whose story is told IN the Bible Forth
with they began every one 10 make ex-
cuscs, and show to her how utterly
impossible it was for a woman to sue
reed in what they were pleased 70 call
iournali-m-for we are all "journai-
ists' now, Rchomianism being entire
ly swept away by the lesson of alleged
'rcform' except when she wrote
about fashions.
That nettled Nelly.
Being nattlcd she was stung to ac-
tion.
She went to work and produced fif-
teen columns of sensation, which mono
of her critics had thought Of or could
have accomplished if they had tried,
turned it into the paper to which she
had promised it aud received about
onc-third as much for it as would have
been paid to any one Of four or five ex-
perts, had they been smart enough to
think Of the idea
There is no reason whatever, there
can bc no argument whatever, against
girls working on newspapers, in pub
fishing establishments OF any sort or
kind. but in that branch of work, as in
every other, experience is what tells.
First comes the natural gift. then the
disere,on, the ingenuity the informa-
ton born Of experience.
Nccdle-work, shop duty, nursing are
laborious and underpaid occupations.
The time will undoubtedly come
when women will practice in our
N'NA 10 4 'f'hbN "a AN'l NAltb " III ~
popular in the pulpit, because two at
least of the great denominations will
Of necessity bar them out leaving to
them the more arduous, less conspcu-
Gus and poorer paid branches of rclig-
ious po-iuuctOryisms, teaching visita-
tion, private ministration. The life of
a scAool-teacher. conscientious,
pain.-taking school-toacher is the
hardest known TO mortal existence
and the poorest paid.
Jus. see what school-teacl er is,
no one will deny, l suppose, the
truth Of the old proyerb that "as the
twig is bent the tree inclines.' and
Yet We send cur little twigs TO be bent
day after day. year in and year ont,
knowing nothing and caring less Of the
mental attributes. the physical condi-
tion, the moral status Of the person
who is To bend the twig aud incline the
tree. If We are heavy tax payers, we
Erumbir because the Board of Educa-
ton wants $50 much money to pay
the teachers.
II we are not heavy taxpayers we
don't feel sufficient interest in our own
children 10 see that the men and
women who are to mold their char
arter., in whose hands are influence
that are to train and direct, in very
many instances, their whole future;
we don't care enough about the people
10 see that they are comfortably
housed, that they are conveniently
placed during school hours, even that
they are paid enough money to keep
body aud soul together As you all !
must know, n school teacher has no !
time 10 herself for outside occupation. |
llrr school hour begins, to be sure,
with the tinklo of the bell, but her |
s. .hool hour does not end when the |
merry troop rush from the school !
house door If bad children are "kept |
in'thc teacher stays as well, and when
She gets to her 'palatial" three-story- !
baCii-room she can not throw herself |
uruu her bed and rest, she can not at |
tire herself in becoming costume and |
accompany friend to the thcater, to !
the opera or wherever She must read |
little Tommy Jones' composition. she |
must correct little Mary Browns |
arithmetic, she must puzzle her tired. !
wcuricd brain over the conundrumistic |
reports required from her and figure |
,,ff r,.,,p.t fr,a t,ntiI tho ,vnnJo,. - bn,. |