Wichita eagle., 1890-02-22
A WOMANrS SOUND PLEA.
MRS, DR.. FELTON'S VIEWS ON WO-
MEN AS WAGE FARMERS.

| uTlNai Ins Wv ~ ''S''O ~ ~
MEN AS WAGE FARMERS.
/ Through Centuries She Waited for Rsoog
nition-How the First Steps We're Taken
The Opening Of New Avenues-Womant
Capacity for a Wider Sphere.
| Forty wears ago, unless q woman went
| abroad as missionary or appeared on the
| stage as an actress or danseuse, she was un
| known to the public outside her immediate
| family or neighborhood.
well remember the first time heard q
| good woman pray in public, which occurred
| during a revival excitement, and it was the
| talk of the town for days afterwards. Her
| well known piety scarcely protected her
| from open ribaldry and rude censure with
outsiders, and even the members of her OWL
church became suddenly familiar with St
Paul's manifesto upon the appearance OF
females In the public exercises Of the church.
A few women in the world had made their
| mark as authors mostly across the water. but
they were rare exceptions, forty years ago,
and mostly confined to novelists of the sensa-
tional order
=
as to public efforts either as wage earners or
public readers, until Wesleyan Female col
lege broke the ice and made female education
and public commencement exercises the at
traction of the whole state. Female colleges
for literary students sprung up quickly all
over the union, the education of women be-
coming furor with the evangelical churches
everywhere.
The Roman Catholic church has added
academies to all its principal converts until
the convent proper has become almost an an
mex TO the school rather than the parent stem
of the order. This advance has been fol-
lowed by medical colleges for women, train
ing schools for nurses, and countless oppor-
tunities In the north and west for learning
telegraphy, stenography and bookkeeping to
make money.
New York's great infant asylum is presided
over by Tennessee woman, O graduate in
medicine: and there are scores OF female phv-
sicians in lucrative practice Ia the very large
cities. The public, at least, awoke to the
fact that female doctors were eminently pro-
per for the treatment Of delicate, sensitive
women, who have often been victims to in
definite suffering rather than endure treat
mept from other practitioners.
WOMEN AS PHYSICIANS.
Leaving out the benefit to the general pub
lie, medical instruction would appear to be a
sine qua non for those who are intrusted with
the infancy OF the human race, at period
when the mortality is greatest and the pa
tient most helpless. A mother who can read
and write is, of course, a benefit to her off
spring, but a mother who can nurse and phy-
sic it properly is a prime necessity. When
you recollect that she has been forced hereto
fore to rely upon the direction and medical
management of others, in taking care of her
children at critical periods it is plain that her
scope of usefulness mas been improperly re-
stricted, unless it can be shown that her mind
is incapable of such instruction. The money
side of this medical education is not the least
of its benefits Skill will command its sub
stantial reward whenever it forges to the
front. a skillful physician is, perhaps, the
best paid OF all the professions, because "all
will man give for his life" If a woman can
rise to success in the practice Of medicine,
who viii gainsay her rightl
Ia my opinion the day will come when wo-
men viii be experts in the healing art, and
draw the pay proportionate to the service
Forty years ago woman clerk in Georgia
was as rare thing as Barnun's mathernati-
cal pig. Today they do the greater part of
the work in the dry goods establishments in
the metropolitan cities, and are creeping into
the stores of our southern provincial towns.
Ii women must work they should be paid for
IT. While they can be sheltered, do it with
all the chivalry and tenderness they merit,
but when they are pressed into service by
hunger and want do, for PHYS soke, stop
twaddling about their place at home, and
Check the sneerS that make the duty harder
and the work moro unpelatahle.
Talk about heroiSn. There is nothing CON-
parable TO the struggle of delicate woman
with pure white soul, who is forced to work
outside because of misfortune or the neglect
of those ADLER to do it, especially when she
is made to feel the contempt of those women
who are better cared for. / have no patience
with woman who will not give word of
cheer to her working sisters; and the day has
already come when woman's outside work
has become benefecton as well as a neces-
sity. Suppose the women in our churches
should decide to hold their hands and say
"Do without me-" what would resulta Yon
well know that a full contribution box is the
outcome of womanly generosity. When a
Womans labor has its suitable reward the
worlds progress will advance. by leagues
rather than inches. The woman with pocket
book authority will be SUPERIOR motor to /,
tue dependent petitioner WHO may or NAV |
not feel the weight Of a close listed masters |
anger.
All! but it said, "IIy wife and DAUGHTERS |
shall stay at home; Will work for them. and |
they snail divnie my income and enjoy it," |
Exactly right, my dear sir, but how many |
VIII follow your eIanlpls' Don't you know !
mat laws are mace for evil doers, not for |
those who are upright and just, and the pro-
lection OF females in that line of their work
IS intended for those who have no such help
Or attention. Georgia waited nearly hun
ir" years oe1ore woman was decided to be
sapaoie OF owning her own property. She
was only goods and chattels, like mules, and
ne passed to her owner in about the same
eSSai way when she married,
WHO WILL DISPUTE IT2
Now that woman is supposed to be cspa-
Die OF holding what she inharits, free from
no debts and liabilities of a pe1,fthrift hus- |
and why should there be objection to leeis-
auon, which coinpel' equal pay for EQUAL
abor, whether performed by man or wo-
nan' PeDnlleSS women are ever the slaves
u circumstances, and the question involves
'osh humanity and 5Usticc When women
re allowed TO practice medicine, teach
chooi, keep books, set type, and all other
rades and professions that their phvsical
Frensth viii allow, and get the nay the work
e'er ses' there VIII be fewer unhappy mar
lages and perhaps much less of pIpfigacv.
Nfy |