Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1888-01-05
wOMAN'S DEPARTMENT.
WOMEN IN JOURNALISM.

ably IN tnis CITY was MIS- UAnnhn
onFpPHru, for YEARS ah- esteemed and
valuable editorial writer on the Star.
She wrote so well on industrial mat
tiers. generally. and with such discrim-
ination on that delicate topic. tho in
eviiable coufiiet between capital and
labor. as to attract the attention Of
James Gordon Bennett-fhc James
Gordon Bennett, | mean-who sent TO
ask. II il were n proper question. the
name Of the author OF those articles.
Jennie June. Mrs Ellis. Mrs. WASH
burn. Lillian Whiting. Minerva Smith.
Mrs. Battle and Miss Glenn. daughter
Of our old friend Sam Glenn, once cd-
itor Of the Boston Herald. and for years
q man among the men Of the New
York Herald. have made marks in
journalism Of credit aud profit; while
Miss Nellie Hutchinson. of the Tribune.
Miss Amalia Barr and Nellie Bly,. of
the World, have done such significant
work as 10 place them absolutely in the
very van Of contemperaneous writers.
Nellie BY is the youngwoman whose
voluntary refrigeration n few months
ago made n sensation from Maine to
Georgia. and its story was copied in all
the papers 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 courteously chilling.
Like the guests invited by the man
whose story is told IN the Bible. Forth
with they began every one to make cX-
cuscs. and show to her how utterly
impossible II vas for a woman to sue
cced in what they were pleased TO call
journalism-for we are all "iournal-
ly swept away by the lesson of alleged
"reform'-cxcept when she wrote
nJout fashions.
That ncttlcd Nelly.
Being nettlcd she vas stung to nc
ton.
She went TO work and produced if-
teen columns Of sensation, which mono
OF her critics had thought Of or could
have accomplished if they had tried.
turned il into the paper TO which she
had promised il and received about
one-third as much for 1t rs would have
been paid to any one of four or five ex-
pcrts, had they been smart enough to
think of the idea.
There is no reason whatever, there
\ be 10 argument whatever. against
girls working on newspapers. in pub
fishing establishments of any sort or
kind, but in that branch of work, rs in
every other, experience is what tells.
First m the natural gift, then the
discretion. the ingenuity. the informa-
ton born of experience.
Nccdle-work. shop duty. nursing arc
laborious and underpaid occupations.
The time will undoubtedly come
when women will practice in our
courts. | doubt if ever they will be
popular in the pulpit, because two at
least Of the great denominations will
- AAtt'EHNNN b1A Althh ONAIs al II. "
them the more arduous. less conspicu-
Gus and poorer paid branches of relig-
ious perfunctoryisms, teaching vista
ton, private ministration. The life of
n 'school-teachcr. a conscientious.
pains-taking schoolteachcr, is the
hardest known to mortal existence
and the poorest paid.
just see what Il school-teacher is.
No one will deny. l suppose, the
truth of the old provcrb that "as the
twig is bent, the tree i~nclines." and
yet We send our little twiss to be bent
day after day, year in and year out.
knowing nothing and caring less Of the
mental attributes, the physical condi-
lion, the moral status Of the person
who is to bend the twig and incline the
tree. Ii We are heavy tax payers. We
grnmble because tho 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 W
children to see that the men and
'Nh+N ~ a w tlioiA titll Will
artcrs. in whose hands are influences
that are to train and direct, in very
many instances. their whole future;
we.don't care enough about the people
To see that they are comfortably
housed, that they are conveniently
placed during school hours, even that
they are paid enough money to keep
body and soul together. As you all
must know, a school teacher has no
time TO herself for outside occupation.
Her school hour begins, to be sure.
with the tinkle of tho bell. but her
school hour does not end when the
merry troop rush from the school
house door. II bad children are kept
in the teacher stays rs well. and when
she gets to her .'palatial' three-story-
baek-room she can not throw herself
UPON her bed and rest, she can not at
tire herself in becoming costume and
accompany a friend to the theater. to
the opera or wherever. She must read
little Tommy Jones' composition. she
must correct little Mary Browns
arithmetic, she must pazzle her tir ed,
wearied brain over the co~nundrumistic
reports required from her and figure
out averages, until the wonder is her
gray matter is not exhausted and her
brains cris~s-crossed with overwork.-
~ j. Grdphtc.
- -
WlMMEN'S RIGHTS.
An Aliegory by josiah Aliens wIfe-A
Vivid Picture.