Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-29
WOMEN In BUSINESS.

Rev. Or. Sutherland Says Her Present Posi-
ton Is Outcome of Christian Civili-
zaticn-Better TO Be Busy Than Thump-
ing Piano and Waiting for Beau.
DR.. Sutherland, of the Second Presbyte-
rian Church, preached last night to large
congregation the fourth of his course of ser
mons to young women. His special tn eme
was ''Women in Business" He said:
While in many regards the conditions of
human society have undergone a decided
change and that for the better, we can still
ind in the record of events and ages long
gone by many valuable thoughts and
practical suggestions to which, as people
and as individuals we would do well
TO take heed. There is one law of
human conduct or duty that, although
often violated or disregarded is fundamen-
tai and is enioined over and over again in
hand nndeth TO do do it with thy might"
This law is designed for women a. well as
Tor men. Obedience to it is an essential
condition OF usefulness and happiness here
in this life and of re ward in the life to come.
Whatever woman has the power to DO and
the, opportunity of doing properly lies
within her sphere. This 'nw makes provi-
sion for special exigencies and special work,
such as that which is brought before US in
the text; The daughters OF Shallum
took their places beside their father,
and with trowel in one hand
and sword in the other worked to repair the
broken down wall of their beloved city.
There was work to be done and need of some
willing hands and brave hearts to do it and
these leal hearted, brave girls did not think
1t beneath their dignity or foreign to their
mission as women to facilitate it by the labor
of their own hands. II will be easily seen
and readily acknowledged that work like
that in which these women engaged is, un-
der ordinary circumstances, outside of the
sphere of woman.
There are occupations for which woman
by virtue of her physical if not mental con-
stitution is untitled and those who are
at this day so strenuously and persist
entity advocating the obliteration of
all and every line of demarkation be-
tween the respective spheres of the sexes,
and doing it as they fancy in the Interests
OF woman, are engaged in a fruitless task.
They are simply setting themselves against
nature, whose order and arrangements are
imperative and final. There can be no Ques-
tiOn but that the home with its varied and
sacred duties furnishes the finest and most
iruitful field for the exercise and develop
ment OF woman's peculiar powers and
capacities. But at the same time it does not
follow that her labors should be confined to
the home. More than this, under the varied
and complex conditions of society as we
find it, to do so would be neither possible
mol desirable, and we must remember, too
that these conditions are the outcome of our
advanced Christian civilization.
There are scores of branches of labor on |
which delicate manipulation, carefulness |
ana patience are specially required. In such |
pO9tOlphs women are iaf more success1ul
than men, and they who are engaged on |
them are serving their generation" 1t is /
simply vulgar prejudice, which, in any way |
deprecltes a young woman because she |
elects to be independent and earn her own |
living. With much that is good that has |
come down to us an inheritance from the |
past, there are some notions that are as |
silly as they are unsound, and one of these /
Is UnaI woman who works Tor a living in /
some honorable occupation in preference to |
sitting down humping an old piano and |
waiting Tor beau-that such woman for
teits her right to be regarded a lady. Let |
no young woman be ashamed of her position |
as toIer in the broad field of the worlds |
industries. Be thankful that you are not |
mere COILS TO De dressed and painted for the /
empty admiration OF emptv-headed "dudes" /
and "mashers, who know more about canes |
ana neck-ties than they do about the Lords |
Prayer or the Ten Commandments.