Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-12
WQMERs PROGRESS,
How They Are Conquering the
Industrial World.
Mrs. Matthew'S Paper Before the
Friday Morning Club.
The commencement Of Woman's Eman'
cipAtion From the Kitchen and
Needle-How They Have En-
tered other Walks of Life.

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Tha only paper presented at the last
meeting Of the Friday Morning club was
by Mrs. Matthews, who gave an outline
Of the progress of women in the in
dustrial world.
Until the invention Of the cotton gin
and the beginning of the reign Of cotton
as king, the only employment available
for women was domestic service in it's
various phases and the use of the needle.
The first cotton mill was built in Lowell
in 1922. In 1929, seven years later,
there we're ten incorporated companies,
with over 12,50O operatives, mostly
young women. They came from hum
dreds OF towns among the hills and
valleys of New England, anxious to
work in new field as we'll as to escape
the poorly paid service of the farm do
meetic. Their average pay in the
factories was 1875 per week, and
in 1841 100000 was deposited
to the credit Of the operatives of Lowell.
The New England spirit of culture was
az strong then as now and the Lowell
Magazine soon made its appearance.
Some OF the best known names in our
American literature first appeared in it's
pages.
able state Of affairs, was the influx of
foreign labor, the immediate effect of
which was to reduce wages. In 1850, in
twenty-five states $3.50 women as
against 46,850 men were employed in
the cotton factories, while the wooden
mills OF six states occupied 51,517
The introduction of the sewing
machine, in 1860, proved great calam-
ity to factory operatives as one machine
was equal to ten or eleven people. 1t
was estimated that 1920 women were
displaced by their use. A single estab-
lishment in New York saved $240, 900
yearly in wages. In addition to this
large army of women thus thrown out
Of employment, there were many thous-
ands Of women deprived OF their natural
protectors, rendered homeless and re-
duced to poverty by the civil war. As q
result wages were too low to meet the
barest needs of life. In the meantime
the rise Of the suffrage movement began
to be felt throughout the New England
states.
The frst effect Of the suffrage move
ment was to interest women of means
and of leisure in finding new avenues of
employment for their sisters. In 1857
Cooper Institute was first thrown open
to women. In 1869 telegraphY, stenog-
raphy and, later, typewriting were
made available for women. Bookkeep-
ing, commercial arithmetic and PEN
manship were taught in ways provided
by Christian associations.
In 1858 the Women's Protective union
was founded in New York and has been
q means of protection to many hundred
women who would otherwise have suf-
fered the loss of hardly-earned wages
through inability to defend themselves
against interruptions employers.
The Knights of Labor was the first or
ganization of workmen to admit women
to membership. The Grangers' associa-
tion and Typographical unions soon fol-
lowed the example.
In the field of literature women have
made greater headway than in any other.
Although that great champion of wo-
men, Colonel 7. w. Higginson. thinks
that for the advantages given her and
the encouragement shown to her, she
really has not accomplished what might
Justly be expected from her. On the
other hand Stoddard, one of the keenest
critics of our time, gives as his opinion
that there is more genius among the
living female poets than among
all their predecessors from Mis-
tress Anne Bradstreet down. Perhaps
nowhere has woman's struggle for her
Yightful place been SO long and so Bit
terly contested az in medicine. How
ever at this time women physicians are
numbered by thousands. Even the
Johns Hopkins university in view Of
the trifle OF an endowment of 800, 600
Given by women) has finally consented
to open the doors of its medical school.
The number of ministers given in the
census of 1880 was 1856. Their number
must have greatly increased, as one de-
nomination alone ordained thirty five
In one year. The Baptists, Methodists,
Unitarians, Universalists and Christian
denominations all admit women to their
theological schools aad pulpits.
One Of the most interesting pages in
the history of woman's advance is that
of her effort to gain place in the pro-
fession of the law. Through the femi-
nine quality of persistence, as we'll as
the exercise of all the acumen and logic
In her nature, che has succeeded in es-
tablishing herself on q firm footing In
the disputed territory. IA
The next meeting will be under the
auspices of the reform and philan-
throphy committee. The leading topic
Of the morning will be presented by
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