The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1889-06-14
UNJUST DISCRIMINATION.
Deliberate Cruelty Of which Many Ia
theirs Arc Guilty.

Deliberate Cruelty of which Many Ia
theirs Arc Guilty
i woman the equal of man? The
question has been asked many thou
sands of times and answered with
fierce negatives, which, however, have
been growing fainter and fainter a.
civilization has progressed. Generally
speaking, the greater the degree Of
civilization of the individual man the
more willingly does he concede that
woman was created the equal of tho
other sex. though with different quail
ties. But there are few believers in the
equality of the sexes who carry
th"ir opinions into practice even in
their own families. Theoretically the
girls of a family arc entitled to have
As much spent on their education A. is
spent on that Of the boys; TO have tho
same care bestowed upon fitting them
10 fight this worlds battle n il be-
slowed upon the boys: To have a busi-
ness or profession chosen Tor them and
20 bc fitted for il; TO be furnished with
capital To the same extent with the
boys, and, finally, to share alike with
the boys in the partition of the family
property on the death Of the parents
In how many Canadian homes il this
equitable treatment of the daughters
carried out2 In few, we opine. and
the better of the parents are in this
worlds goods the worse are the girls
likely to fare.
II i too much the habit of fathers
20 spend all their means in pushing
along their sons, leaving the daughters
To take the chances in the matrimonial
lottery. Hence we often see a son
launched into the world with abundant
capital, the benefit OF his fathers finan-
cial backing, and what Is better
still. tho incalculable advantage of the
experience OF men and affairs gained
by the father in long and successful
business career. What does tho father
do for the sister of this young man?
IL the father is lucky enough To possess
a managing wife, he marries her of
early 10 some young fellow with ap-
parently good prospects. He gives
her dowry not at all proportional to
what he has given the son, and thon
he is gathered TO his fathers. Twenty
years aftcrward the son has made his
mark in tho world He Is a well-on
man with n growing and expensive
family around him He can see ways
for all the money he has, and more.
in setting up his own sons. and no has
nothing TO spare-or, which comes TO
the same thing, thinks he has nothing
TO sparc-fOr his sister. She. poor
woman, has not been so lucky. Her
husband has not been successful. or
perhaps he has died after providing
her with nothing but n family OF chill
dren. She finds herself ut forty al
ready old and looked upon ~ n failure.
though perhaps she has more of her
fathers business tact than fell 10 the
lot OF her brother. But there she is,
rs poor rs a church mouse, while her
brother, having taken the major part
OF the possessions of the family. has
plenty. II the brother does aB much
for her as TO take her boys into his Of
fee the world will applaud his gem
erosity.
Discrimination like this il being
practiced every day in thousands of
homes II there is to be discrimina-
tiou among children, should IL noI be
in favor of the girls instead Of against
them? What Is tho good OF admitting
the equality OF the sexes If tho people
who admit il act towards their own OIL
spring as though they did not believe
il? And where do those people stand
who, maintaining that women are the
weaker vessels, rob their daughters in
order 10 better equip their sons? If
H.. -. II
the major part of the family money
spent upon them, undertook TO care
for their sisters in the event of the lat
ter requiring help. there would be
some element of fairness in the ar
rangement But sons do not under
take any such thing. Even If they did
undertake it they might fail to carry
out their engagements II would be
better all around if all the children of
n family were treated alike rather
than that the seed of future chickering's
should be sown by unfair preference of
one before another.
This Is a side of the woman question
which can not be reached by law. 1t
is the outSrowth and survival OF the
time when women were chattels, and
were bought and sold like so many
sheep. Custom sanctions the delib-
crate cruelty of which the father is
guilty who sacrifices his daughters
earthly future in order that his son
may carry on the business and the
home in the old style Every one of
the political disabilities OF women can
and will be soon removed. But the
removal Of this social wrong will be
work of many years The sexes will
be equal in the eyes of the law for a
long time before public opinion can
make them equal in the eyes of ia