National Republican., 1888-01-09
WOMEN WAGE WORKERS.
FIRST OF A SERIES OF SERMONS ON
WOMEN BY REV. DIR. TALMAGE.
Be Copgrntuiates single Women on
Their Happy Escape from the Thrai-
dom of MarriaE e-vocations Which
Women May Profitabiy and Success
fully Pursue.

BROOKLYN, Jan. s.-The Rev. T. De Witt Tai
mage, d. d., preached at the Tabernacle this
morning the first Of q series Of sermons to the
women Of America, with practical hints for
men. The subject Of this discourse was "The
women who heht the battle Of life Alone" and
the textwas from Proverbs xiv, 1-"Every wise
woman buildeth her house." DR.. Talmage
said.
Woman mere adjunct 10 man, an appendix
to the masculine volume. an appendage. sort
ofaiter- thought, something thrown in TO make
things eyen-that is the heresy entertained
and Implied by some men. This Is evident TO
man ia evident TO them, because Adam was
first created and then Eve. They don't read
the whole story or they would SSI find that Ss
hawk were created before Adam, so that
this argument drawn from priority OF orea-
tIon might prove that the sheep and the dog
independent creation and was intended, II she
chose, to live alone, to- walk alone, act alone,
think alone, and 6ght her battles alone. The
but never says II ia not good Tor woman to be
alone, and the simple fact Is that many women
who are hsrnessed for life in the marriage re;
| they were alone. God makes no mistake, aud
| the fact that there is such a large majority OF
| women in this land proves that He intended
l
Who are those men who. year after year,
hang around hotels, and engine houses, and
theater doors, and come In aud out to bother
| busy clerks. aud merchants, and mechanics,
| doing nothing even when there Is plenty to
| do? They are men supported by their wives
and mothers II the statistics OF any Of our
would fnd that a vast multitude Of women
| not only support themselves but.masculines.
| A great legion of men amount to nothing,
| and q woman by marriage manacled to
one OF these nonentities needs condol.
| ence. A woman standing outside the. mar
| rage relation is many thousand times better
| of than a woman badly married. Many
bride, instead of a wreath Of orange blossoms
| might more properly wear q bunch of nettles
and nightshade, and instead OF the Wedding
| March more appropriate tune would be the
Dead March in Saul and inste Id of banquet
| OF confectionery and ices there might be M IRE
| appropriately spread table covered with ap-
pies OF sodom, which are outside fair aud In
side ashes.
Many an attractive woman of good sound
sense III other things has married one OF these
men to reform him. What was the result!
rapGcious and cruel set about TO reform Il, aud
said: II have mild disposition, and like
peace and was brought up in the quiet of
'S%s day dE1ns ,he ha''yalsE yyulsare had
declared he would give up bis earniyorous I s
herd, at an altar of rock covered with moss
and lichen the twain were married, bald
headed eagle officiating, the vulture saying
thee endow, and promise TO love and cherish
till death do us part" But one day the dove
in her fight saw Sn the ySplturea a,6 busy at
promise me that you would quit your carni,
yorous and filthy habits II married you?'
"Yes." said the vulture, ."but ifyou don't like
stroke OF beak and another. flerce clutch OF
claw the vulture left the dove eyeless and
wingless and lifeless; And fock Of robins
flying past cried to each other and said, 'See
there that comes from doves marrying q
Many woman who has had the hand of a
} young inebriate offered but declined 1t, or who
was asked to chain her life TO man selfish OF
of bad temper and refused the shackles, will
bless God throughout all eternity that she es
capped that earthly Pandemonium.
Besides all this. in our country about one
! | million men were sacrificed In our civil war
and that decreed q million women to cell
| bacy. Besides that, since the war, severR
| armies of men as large as the federal and con
!, under malt liquors and distilled spirits so fnl
OF poisoned Ingredients that the work wa
, done more rapidly, and the victims fell Will
:, stroyed every year by strong drink before MAJ
. the war one million one hundred and hft
: thousand men slain and DEGREES one millio
one hundred and ilfty thousand women :
: women are unhappy in their marriage, AM
s the fact that the slaughter Of two million on
Q hundred and fifty thousand men by war an
| rum combined decides that at least that nun
. bel of women shall be unbalanced for life, m
text comes In with cheer and q potency au
! appropriateness that never saw in !. betor
| when II says, every wise woman buildeth he
!. house'-that is, let woman be her own archi
! tect lay out her own plans, be her own super
/. | visor achieve her own destiny.
!. | In addressing these women who VIII have
fight the battle of life alone, congratulat
on ShT escape tp be
1 n n nj hpr hup 10 nU
+, ofyour own. Think of the bereavements yo
I which you will not have TO run, OF the care
y you will mover have to carry, and Of the OF
], portunlty Of outside usefulness from whic
r, marital lite would have partially debarre
:. you, and that YOU are are free free Il
a. responsibilities OF household can seldom b.
: God has not given you hard lot as compare
L with your sisters. When, young women sha
:, make up their minds at the start that masci
d line companionship Is not n necessity In ordC
d to happiness, and that there Is strong prob
!. bilitY that they will have to fight the battle
~ life alone they will be getting the timbt
: ready ior their own fortune, and their sa
= and axe and plane sharpened for us constru,
;. tion, since every wise woman buildeth he
a, AS no boy ought to be brought up withol
a learning some business at which he could ear
I. livelihood. SO no girl ought 70 be brought u
q The difficulty is that many family go sailiI
Dr. on the high tides of success, and the husban
acumen for the welfare of his household, bl
10 one day he gets his feet wet, and in three da,
, pneumonia has closed his life and the daugi
bread @ and nd the there is nothing practical that the
q can do. The friends OF the family come In an
hold consultation.
that is a use,ul calling, and II you have grei
-, genius for it 90 on in that direction But the
y are enough music teachers now starving
l. death In all our towns and cities to occupy a
| q n
door steps of the city. Beside that the dauG
D. ter has been playing only for amusement al
6ny at the foot 81 aGe da 70 oS I
o and harp and flute and organ have climbed.
N Put The bereft dau9hters as saleswomen
IN stores" says another adviser. But there IN!
er must compete with salesmen of long eXpei
=. ence or with men who have served an a
a. premiership In commerce, ana who began
shop boys at 10 years OF age. Some KIN
hearted dry goods man having known u
l. father now gone. says, I'VE are not In need
u any more help just now, but send your daugl
and VIII 90 as we BY tine
~ y up, "Why do not the female employees of th
r establishment get as much wages as the ma
L. employees For the simple reason N MAJ
fortune behind that counter, while the MAJ
20 have from the day they left the public scho
AZ | Leen learning the business.
i, How Is this evil to be cured start Gle
NJ qacE in the home S cad aud teach your daug
% ters that life Is an earnest thing and that the
ut that they will have TO lSht tho battle of II
il, alone. Let every father and mother say
~ their daughters; Now, what would you do
:, livelihood II what now own were Swel
" away by financial disaster, or old age or dea
ss should end my career,
decorative work" Yes that is beautiful, Al
,s- II you have genius for Il so on in that dire
m tion. But there are enough eusy at that II,
al to make a line of hardware from here to /
al East river and aCl Css the bridge.
swell, could make recltatious In pub,
y. and earn my living MS a drametist cou
n render King Lear or Macbeth till your hi
would rise on end, or give you Sherdans RI
or DiCkenss Pickwick." Yes; that is beau
ful art, but ever aud anon, as now, there is
epidemic OF dramati2ation that makes nv