, 1891-05-12
WOMEN IN THE CONFLIC'
WHAT OUR WESTERN SISTERS Ar
DOING FOR HUMANITY.
with Brains and Hands They Are w"
Ing to Lin Up Mankind-Their PoWe
full Organizations in ChIcRgo-Inspir
ton of the Farmers Movement.

In numerous ways outside of the Ia
of hands, women are helping to gri
the course of progress, molding the yes
forms of civilization; but there are host,
of all classes in the busy west-wo-nCl
who are making history-without whose
records the annals of this country would
be dark and incomplete.
There are in Chicago over 300 women's
societies, all organized for some object
of usefulness, mutual benefit or self i'm
provement. From these societies the
young, but already celebrated, WOman's
alliance was formed. Delegates, &C
cording to numbers of members, are sent
from each organization, and these meet
ings twice a month discuss and investi-
gate every subject pertaining to woman's
interest and welfare. 1t is owing to
their unceasing efforts that women are
now elected on the school board of Chi
cago; that women inspect factories where
women and children are employed; that
matrons have been placed in the police
stations; that the condition of smale
clerks and cash girls and boys is i'm
proved, and that two hours instruction a
day is guaranteed to all children under
age who work in stores or factories.
In connection with the Woman's alli-
ance, the Woman's Protective a~ssocia-
ton has no doubt accomplished more in
righting wrongs and improving condi-
tons for working women and children
than any other organization in the west.
No woman can go TO them with a posi-
tive case of injustice without meeting
sympathy and aid to prosecute her
claims, usually to n successful end.
How many cases of restitution, sorrow
and misery the various woman's soci-
cites have relieved it would be impos-
sible TO estimate. True, it is a mooted
question whether temporary alienation
of suffering in individual cases is an un-
mixed blessing. Undisguised charity is
certainly not without evils, and tends to
increase the stream of misery and pow
erty which flows from certain deeply
bedded springs, and if these large heart
ed women stopped at charity their work
might merit more criticism than admi-
ration. But this is not the case. 1t is
safe to state that nearly all Of them are
interested in sociological Investigations,
in searching for the hidden causes of
poverty Nltt hllu ulStdstf htlu III sGthlhB
TO discover means for lifting humanity
out of the slough of corruption and suf-
fering into which, in view Of a world
full of splendid material and strong,
willing hands, it is so needlessly sinking.
In the meantime it is pleasant to think
they are ministering to the needy and
suffering. If there were not some ale
Walton of the misery so many helpless
people endure this world would be too
sad to live in.
And the influence of the busy brains
of women on the advanced thought of
the day in the great movement sweep
ing up from the lower depths of society
has scarcely been realized, so accustomed
rave we become to seeing in women
only those gentler virtues which adorn
and bless the home life. In the enthu.
siastic rousing of western farmers and
toilers against the combined power:
which keep them poor no more effective
instrument could be fOun han the un
firing devotion of a few women. One
Mrs. Emery, with a strong, trenchan
pen exposed the plans by which organ
lied greed systematically obtained tn,
results of the farmers labor; another
Mrs. NJ. f. Lease, with an eloquencl
and power few men ever equaled
touched the hearts and stirred the slug
gish brains of thousands who had befor'
BEEN patiently apathetic. Others wer
organizers, speakers, writers, earnes
workers. The farmers movement in tn
west is eminently a movement of womei
instituted, euthused, guided, carried
on by women; not alone, of course
but to SO great an extent that withou
them it would scarcely have been
movement.
So much of a showing of what bus,
women are doing is wonderful when i
is considered how short a time g /
was deemed d~isgraceful for woman u
speak in public or make herself promi
nent in N way, and that it was ex
ceedingly out of place" for her to striv
to impress her personality on the prog
ress, conditions, customs or thought Q
her times. But it is not alone the Won
en- who have been busy with brain, voic
and pen that deserve honorable mention
/ The women who labor with their hand
these are not last because least, bu
/ for the reason that, while their part
most important in making existence Ell
. durable, they are following a customar
: course-doing the work that has Away
been, more or less, expected of women.
? Not all the women of the west ar
t busy, certainly; there are many VIII
t have no harder task than to anus
r themselves, and find that very difficult
e Yet it is a little strange that custom c
prejudice or some unexplained fact de
h crees that these mere adornments of Sc
ciety are superior to the busy womer
Why it is hard to discover.
i However, the useful women will CON
= pare ~favorably with their idle sister
. even with their disadvantages of lack c
K leisure and means. Working women i
the west have gone as far toward dig
nifying labor" as it is possible to dc
Notice the clerk or cloakInaker on he
n way home after working h3urs; tn
9 neat, well fitting ulster cu,ering tn
d dress from neck to toe, appropriate
h all times and to all manner of womer
o the compact, quiet little hat, with il
v well arranged veil; the easy walk, tn
composed. self possessed air-could yo
determine by her appearance whethe
she is going to a home in a mansion c
u one room in a tenement house?
LIZZIE NJ. HOLMES.