Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-01-08

vancement OF her sex She became
convinced that the glorious world of
Achievement held future for ambitious
girls as well as boys. She believed that
the time had come for opening TO wom-
en- new avenues of self support. With
this belief came the resolve that she
herself would do what she could to-
ward opening these new paths. Then
she threw herself into the task with all
the enthusiasm Of gifted woman. AT
her own expense she Travelled throughout
the Union, visiting factories. schools and
commercial establishments. There were
not many railroads in the country then,
and no elevators at all in business
houses 10 shoot you up ten stories
in half minute. Miss Penny jour-
neyed by stage aud wagon and climbed
the staircases afoo.. She met and
braved insult, snub and sneer in get
ting information. OF these she took no
note, but she did make careful note ev-
erywhere Of wages, facts and possibili-
ties-all that could bear on the question
of woman's work. The information was
written out in forceful, elegant English
and published. 1t was issued once, re-
member, under the title, Five Hundred
Occupations for Women" 1t opened the
eyes of thousands to the opportunities
that lay before working women and all
around them. But this fine, strong book
profited its author scarcely a dollar
She spent all her money in preparing it
and lost her health besides. Happy
working women are following in the
paths she pointed out, some of them
earning $1,000, $1,000 and $4,000 a
year. Miss Penny is destitute. / found
her the other day living on bread and
coffee, and even that had given out, and
she had tried to borrow twenty-five
cents to buy more. She is sixty-iive
years old. We women must raise fund
to make Virginia Penny's last days COM
Portable, and we must do it at once. l
will take charge of it unless some bet
ter way can be found. Any sums sent
to me promise to see faithfully turned
over for her use. Address Eliza Archard
Conner, 32 and "a Vesey street, New
York city.
When men go to dressmaking it is
time for women to go into law and Cos
pei.
l have heard Of society woman who
studied law in order to make herself
more brilliant and accomplished in con-
versation. 1t is better to know some
thing, even from such a motive as this,
than not to know anything at all.
When see girl stenographer going
to her work about half past in the
morning, wearing white gloves, bunch
of artificial violets in her buttonhole,
her hair curled all over her head in
way that indicates an hours use of a hot
iron, and wearing little toothpick point
| ed, peg heeled shoes, so tight that she
cannot walk at all-only totter-I know
that that girl will never be successful
business woman.
Mrs. Emma Beck,1th lately gave a
| lively lecture before the Brooklyn Phil
| osophical association ON woman in
| Politics." Mrs. Beckwith Is strict
Republican, but she says when she con-
siders what mans protection" has done
for women it is almost enough to make
a free trader of her.
The Roman Catholic college of st.
! Francis Xavier, in New York city, has
made what really seems to me the most
| advanced step on the woman question
that church has yet taken. This is
nothing less than admitting women to
its free post graduate course in moral
philosophy. Father Halpin, vice presi-
dent of the college and lecturer on moral
! philosophy, was the first to give his as
sent to the petition that women might
attend. Il have no personal objection"
F.! he said. 1T only lacks precedent"
Archbishop Corrigan was consulted. He
laid the matter before the superior of
the Jesuit order and in due time sent an
autograph letter to the brave young
woman who had applied to him inform
| ing her that her request had been grant
| ed. A graduate of the Harvard annex
is among the ladies awaiting themselves
of this opportunity to obtain instruction
| from the accomplished scholar who leo
lures on moral philosophy. Bachelors
of arts who take the course and pass
examination successfully receive the de-
gree of master OF arts.
A girl sometimes fancies she is dying
of broken heart when it is simply a
case Of anamia. Girls with plenty of
rich red blood never die of a broken
heart When we fancy ourselves pass
ing through profound emotional expe-
rience of any kind it is good plan al
ways to ascertain whether we are not
merely an@mic.
The voting women of Boston are not
falling off in numbers as much as they
were. This year 10000 of them regis
tered, q gain of almost 1900 over last
year.
always like to recall an extract from
Mrs. Potter Palmer's strong and grace
ful little speech at the Columbian cele-
bration in Chicago: Even more i'm
portant than the discovery Of Columbus
is the fact that the general government
has Just discovered women. 1t has sent
ont fash light from its heights so in
accessible to rs. which we shall answer
BY a return signal when the exposition
is opened. What will be its next mes
sage 10 u.s."
It is reported that woman has been
elected road overseer in Clay county
Kan. If she is one If the many women
who are kept closely at home on the