Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-06-09

$l1 CATERS In which her nOtnar walked,
and that torn and faded calico had an
cestry of magnificent Lrocade that
swept Broadway clean without any ex-
pense to tho street commissioners
Though You live in an elegant residence
and fare sumptuously every day, let
your daughters feel it is a disgrace to
them not to know how to work. I de-
nounce the idea, prevalent in society,
that, though our young women may en-
broider slippers and crochet and make
mats for lamps to stand on without
disgrace, the idea of doing anything for
O livelihood is d~ishonorable. 1t is a
shame for q young woman, belonging to
a large family, to be inefficient when
the father tolls his life away for her
support. 1t is a shame for a daughter to
be idle while her mother tolls at tho
washtub. 1t is as honorable to sweep
house, make beds or trim hats as it is
totwist a watch chain.
FinicaI Notions.
As far as ] can understand, the line
of responsibility lies between that
which is useful and that which is use
less. If ONE do that which is of no
value, their work is honorable. If they
do practical work, it is dishonorable.
That our young women may escape the
ccnsure of doing d~ishonorable work /
shall pa~rticularizo. You may knit a tidy
for the back of an armchair, but by no
means make the money whcrewith to
buy the chair. You may, with delicate
brush, beautify a mantel ornament, but
die rather than earn enough to buy a
marble mantcl. You may learn artistic
music until you can squall Italian, but
never sing "Ortonville" or "Old Hun
bred" Do nothing practical if you
would in the eyes of refined society pre-
serve your respectability. l scout these
ffnical notions. l tell you no woman.
any more than man, has a right to oc-
cnpy q place in this world unless she
pays a rent for it.
In the course of a lifetime you con
sumo whole harvests and droves Of cat
tie, and every day you live breathe 20
hogsheads of good pure air. You must
by some kind Of usefulness pay for all
this. Our race was the last thing Great
D Cl@tIt D1IiAS Gi2u ltSlltS III tlC lOIrll
day, the cattle and lizards ON tho fifth
day and man on tho sixth day. If geol-
cgists arc right, the earth was o million
of years in the possession of the insects,
beasts and birds before our race came
upon it. lii one sense we vTere inno-
vators. Tho cattle, the lizards and the
hawks had presumption right. The
J D,,nctfn., - r,nt what we e,.n ~ 10 r-,tl,
tho lizards and summer insects, but
what the lizards and summer insects
are to do with us.
If we want a place in this world, we
must earn it. The partridge makes its
own nest before it occupies it. The
lark by its morning song earns its break
fast before it eats it. The Bible gives
an intimation that the first duty of an
idler is to starve when it says if he
will not work neither shall he eat"
Idleness ruins the health, and very soon
nature says: ''This man has refused to
pay his rent. Out with him!'
The Toll of the Needle.
Society is to be reconstructed on the
subject of woman's toll. A vast majority
! u LIlCsC VINO NOUll lldNt NOl1dl litlltS-
trious shut her up to a few kinds of
work. My Judgment in this matter is
that a woIaa has q right to do anything
she can do well. There should be no de-
partment Of merchandise, merchanism,
art or science barred against her. If
Miss Hosmer has genius for sculpture,
give her a chisel. If Rosa Bonheur has
! n fDtlnn=- fIr 1D1i,,Oot,ry a,,~,a1c 1,l
her make "The Horse Fair" If Miss
Mitchell will study astronomy, let her
mount the starry ladder. If Lydia will
be a merchant, let her sell purple. If
Lucrctia Mott will preach the gospel, let
her thrill with her womanly eloquonce
the Quaker meeting house.
1t is said if Il woman is given such
opportunities she viii occupy places
that might be taken by men. say if
she have more skill and adaptedness for
any position than man has let her have
it. She has as much right to her bread,
to her apparel and to her home as men
have.
But it is said that her nature is so deli
cate that she is untitled for ~exhaustina
toll. | ask i'll the nance of all past his
tory what toll on earth is more severe
exhausting and tremendous than that
toll Of the needle to which for ages
she has been subjected? The battering
ram, the sword, the carbine, the battle
ak, have made no such havoc as the
needle, would that these living sepul-
cheers i'll which women have for ages
been buried might be opened, and that
some resurrection trumpet might bring
up these living corpses to the fresh air
and sunlight.
Go with me, and | will show you q
woman who by hardest toll supports her
children, her drunken husband, her old
father and mother, pays her house rent,
always has wholesome food on the table,
and when she can get some neighbor on
the Sabbath to come i'll and take care of
her family appears in church with hat
and cloak that are far from indicating
the toll to which she is subjected.
Trials of Women.
Such a woma as that has body and
soul enough to TT her for any position.
She could stand beside tho majority OF
your statesmen and dispose Of more
goods. She could go into your wheel
wright shops and beat one-half Of your
workmen at making carriages. We talk
about woman as though we had resigned
to her all the light work, and ourselves
had shouldered the heavier. But the day
Of Judgment, which will reveal the suf-
ferings Of the stake and inquisition, viii
marshal before the throne of God and
the hierarchs of heaven the martyrs Ct
washtub and needle.
Now, | say, if there be any prefer
ence in occupation, let woman have it.
God knows her trials are the severest.
By her acuter sensitiveness to misfor-
tune, by her hour of anguish. ] demand
that 10 one hedge up her pathway to q
livelihood. Oh, the meanncss, the de
spicability Of men who begrudge a WON.
an the right to work anywhere in any
honorable callingl
j go still further and say that womer