Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-01-18

. tered, but now, while in good house an
environed by all properties. learn how
do some kind of work that the world mus
2 have as long as the world stands. Tur
your attention from the embroidery of f1n
slippers, of which there is a surplus, an
make useful shoe. Expend the time i
which you adorn cigar case In learning
how to make q good, honest loaf of bread
) Turn your attention from the making o
, flimsy nothings to the manufacturing of i'm
, portant something's.
, Much of the time spent in young ladies
seminaries in studying what are called th
"higher branches might better be expended
in teaching them something by which thel
could support themselves. you are goins
to be teachers, or if you have so much as
sured wealth that you can always dwell
in those high fegions, trigonometry of l.
course, metaphysics of course, Latin
and Greek, and German and French and
Italian of course, and hundred Other
things, of course, but if you are not expect
ing to teach, and your wealth is not estab-
lished beyond misfortune, after you have
learned the ordinary branches, take hold OF
that kind of study that will pay in dollars
and cents in case you are thrown on your
own resources. Learn to do something
better than anybody else. Buy Virginia
Penny's book entitled 'The Employments
of Womep," and learn there are five hun
dred ways in which woman may earn a
living.
''No, noP says some young wom'n, 81
will not undertake anything so unromantic
and commonplace as that" An excellent
author writes that after he had, in book,
argued for efficiency in womanly work in
order to success, and positive apprenticeship
| by way of preparations prominent chemist
advertised that he would teach clas q
of women to become druggists and -
apothecaries, if they would go through
an apprenticeship as men do, and printer
advertised that he would take class of wo-
men to learn the printers trade, if they
would go through an apprenticeship as men
do. and how many, according to the ac-
count of the authoress, do you suppose ap-
piled to become skilled in the druggist
business and printing business? Not one!
One young woman said she would be will
ing to try the printing business for six
months, but by that time her older sister
sister would be married, and then her
mother would want her at home. My sisters,
it will be skilled womanly labor that will
finally triumph.
"But," you ask, swhat would my father
and mother say if they saw l was doing
snch questionable work ~ Throw the
whole responsibility upon the pastor of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, who is constantly
hearing of young women in all these cities
who, unqualified by their previous luxuri-
GUS surroundings for the awful struggle of
life into which they have been suddenly
hurled, seemed to have nothing left them
but choice between starvation and dam
nation. There they go along the street
seven o'clock in the wintry mornings
through the slush and storm to the place
where they shall earn only half enough for
subsistence, the daughters of once pros
porous merchants, lawyers, clergymen,
artists, bankers and capitalists who brought
up their children under the Internal delu-
sion that it was not high-toned for women
to learn profitable calling. Young women,
| take this affair in your own hand and let
there be an iusurrection in all prosperous
families of Brooklyn and New York and
| Christendom on the part of the daughters
of this day, demanding knowledge in Occu-
pations and styles of business by which they
may be their own defense and their own
support, if all fatherly and husbandly and
brotheTly hands forever fail them.
| l have seen two sad sights--the one q
woman in all the glory Of her young life
stricken by disease, and in week lifeless
in home of which she had been the pride.
As her hands were folded over the still
heart, and her eyes cl sed for the last sum-
Der, and she was taken out amid the lamen-
tations of kindred aud friends, l thought
that was sadness immeasurable. But
have seen something compared with which
that scene was bright and songful. 1t was
young woman who had all her days amid
wealthy surroundings, by the visit of death
and bankruptcy to the household, turned
out on cold world without one lesson
about how to get food or shelter, and into
the awful whirlpool of city life, where
strong ships have gone down. and for
twenty years not one word has been heard
from her. Vessels last week went out on
the Atlantic ocean looking for shipwreck-
| ed craft that was left alone and forsaken on
the sea few weeks ago, with the idea of
bringing it into port. But who shall ever
| bring again into the harbor of peace and
hope aud heaven that lost womsnly immor-
tai. Driven in what tempest, aflame in
what conf1agration, sinking iuto what
abyss? o God, help-O Christ, rescue
My sisters, give not your time to learn
ing fancy work which the world may dis
pense with when hard times come, but
connect your skill with the indspensables
of life. The world will always want some
thing to wear and something to eat and
shelter aud fuel for the body, and knowl,
edge for the mind, and religion for the soul.
Aud all these things will continue to be the
uecessaries, and if you fasten your energies
upon occupations and professions thus re-
lated the world will be unable 10 do with
out you. Remember that in proportion as
you are skilful IN anything your rivalries
become less. For uuskilled toll, women by
the million. But you may rise to where
there are only thousand; and still higher
till there are only a hundred and still
higher till there are only ten; and still
higher in some particular department till
there is only unit and that yourself. For
a while you may keep wages and place
through the kindly sympathies of an en-
ployer, but you will eventually get no more
com mpensation than you can make yourself
worth.
Let me say to all women who have al
ready entered upon the battle of life that
the time is coming when women shall not
only get as much salary and wages as men
get, but for certain styles of employment
women will have higher salary and more
wages for the reason that for some styles of
work they have more adaptation. But this
Justice will come to woman not through
any sentiment OI SdllanIry, nOJ because
woman is physically weaker than man and
therefore ought so have more consideration
shown her, but because through her finer
natural taste and more grace of manner and
!quicker perception and more delicate touch
and more educated adroitness she will in
.certain callings be to ner employer worth
Ito per cent. more or 20 per cent. more than
the other sex. She will not get it by ask
ing for it, but by earning it, and it shall be
hers by lawful conquest.
Now, men of America, be fair and give
the women chance. Are you afraid that
they will do some of your work, and hence
harm your properties? Remember that
there are scores Of thousands of men doing
women's work. Do not be afraid. God
knows the end from the beginning, and He
knows how many people this world can
feed and shelter, and when it gets TOO full.
He will end the world, and, if need be, start
another. God will halt the inventive facul-
ty, which by producing machine that will
do the work of ten or twenty or hundred
men and women, will leave that number OF
people without work. l hope that there
will not be invented another sewing ma
chine or reaping machine, or corn thresher,
or any other new machine foi the next five
hundred years. We want no more wooden
hands and iron hands op5 ctool hands and