Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-25


with every prospect of greater success than
attended the sessions of the council last
week.
The subject for the discussion of the
morning session today was Equal Pay for
Equal Work." a topic III which the women
of the council are naturally very much in
terested.
AS usual with gatherings of women, there
was considerable delay in getting together,
and when the meeting opened the at
tendance was comparatively slight, but it
grew steadily, that before the close
practically all the seats were filed.
Before the business OF the day was en-
tered upon the privileges of the floor were
extended to Madam Josefa Humpal Zeman
CT Hull House, Chicago, vice president for
Bohemia in the International Council OF
Women. Madam Zeman represents the
Union of Bohemian Women, an organiza-
ton that had it's origin in the worlds fair
congresses of women. Madam Heman IS
an eloquent speaker, with but slight for-
eign accent. She spoke for more gener-
Gus feeling toward the foreign element, ana
told of the efforts made by her Bohemian
sisters to achieve the best in American
citizenship. She made an earnest plea IN
favor of the proposition to appoint sec
rotary for foreign women, holding the opin-
ion that the council being national in char
acter and not sectarian, was in the best
position to reach the foreign element
F'raternal greetings on behalf of the
Working Wonuns Society of New York by
Harriet A. Keyser who told succinctly OF
the work that is being done by this so
ciety in the way OF securing her true posi-
tion for woman.
Women ia Business.
Woman as factor in the modern
business world was the subject of a
thoroughly brsincss-like paper read by
Miss Harriet a. Shinn of Chicago, one Of
the handsomest delegates to the council
she represents the National Association of
Women Stenographers.
Miss Shinn said that there had been a
great improvement during the past few
years il the condition Of women who were
compelled or who preferred to earn their
own living. OF the women who enter the
business world today none can have any
IDEA of the soul-travail which the pioneers
in the work had to undergo. Their way
was a hard one then, but they cleared the
path for their sisters coming late. Today
there can BE no doubt that WON en- are "a
factor in the business world. AS their re-
liability and capability have come to he
appreciated, there has .Aeeu an increase in
the rewards OF their labor. With more
peculiary rewards there comes also an III
crease in respect, the two going always
hama in hand.
There is q great Improvement in the con-
dition of the working women, but there is
yet m ch to be desired 4 woman has the
right 10 demand protection for herself ana
for her home, but THIS she cannot have in
its perfection until size has a. right to say
equally with man what that protection
shall be, and until she stands on the same
footing with man before the law. She
needs the ballot for her own safety. As
Il proof of this she cited the matter of the
laws which refer to the age of consent.
:rhis varies in the different states, but
there is one state in which it is placed as
low as seven years. Yet no woman may
transfer q foot OF ground which she owns
until she reaches the aSe of eighteen, y
nation which places O higher value upon
its real estate than upon the virtue OF It's
daughters is not nation worthy OF the
name. The objection had been raised
against giving woman political enfran-
chiscment that the conditions of political
life would he lowering to the female sex.
Then all the more need for giving Wo-
man the right Of the ballot in order that
she may step in and improve the existing
conditions. Those who come after Us arc
likely to find the overturned ruins Of no"
existing traditions.
Miss Mary Dcsha's Views.
The subject OF woman's relation to the
business world was then continued in the
form of a discussion. which was opened
by Miss Mary Desha of this city, men,
Der of the committee on equal pay for
equal work. 1t was no longer a question
whether woman shall or shall not enter
into the business world. She is there al
ready, called there by the word OF the
Lord. 1t is to the patience. honesty aid
morality of women that We must look Tor
the purtica ton of our country.
It has often been said that public lite
may be pure while the private lives of its
constituent Individuals are anything but
pure. This cannot be true. Tor pubic purity
is necessarily based on individual morality.
Miss Desha said that for eight years she
had been in the government employ. and
in that time had noticed how often women
are called upon to do the same work as
men, but there is never any question of
giving them the same remuneration. Miss
Destia presented in earnest terms the eth
icai side of the question, attacking the diff
ferent sorts of treatment accorded to men
and to women. The argument had been
used that women could be had at cheaper
rate because there are more women who
apply for vacancy than there are men.
This rule. said Miss Desha, in sarcastic
vein. could hardly be applied to the goy-
eminent departments in Washington.
Miss Harriet A. tlcyser.
The discussion was cortnlled by Miss
Harriet'A. I<eyser of New York, who made
one of the abIest addresses of the council.
In the course of her remarks Miss keyser
said
1.-THE general impression has been that
woman in the modern business world is an
interloper, taking the place which right
fully belongs to man, but II 1T can be
shown that women had any hand in the
primitive arts and sciences, we may fairly
claim that they have a right to traffic in
the same since an inventor has right to
handle his own.
Now, Prof. Mason, curator of the de-
partment of ethnology, United States Mu-
scum, has proved in 'Womans Share In
Primitive Culture her inventive genius. ]
quote from the editors preface: Man has
been cunning in devsing means OF klnnS
beast and his fellow men. He has been the
inventor in every murderous art. The Wo-
man at the fireside became the burden
bearer, the basket maker, the weaver, pot
ter agriculturst, domesticator of animals
in "a word the inventor of all the peaceful
arts of life Perhaps we may see in this
the origin of-'no bullet, no ballot.
rs woman then an interloper in the mod
ern business world? When she invented
the fy-wheel it pointed to ma chinery inn
plying traffic. When she invented granarles
and tanned wild cats to destroy the vermin,lt
was the foundation of the grain markets OF
the world which men have. modi1led until
we have speculations in futures and whole
fields of grain bought and sold before they
are planted at all.
Half century ago the average parent
was depressed when girl came into MS
home Fifteen years ago, when my German
shoemaker rejoiced that he had but one
boy and three or four girls and conilded to
me the wish they had all been girls, be-
cause the girls earned money and the boys
spent his, l knew the thrifty German soul
had detected the keynote of commerclallsm
for woman-an honorable independence and