The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-04
WORKERS.

Mrs. williams Charges Thnt the women Sup
port tho stcn in the sonth-Mrs. Jones Makes
n spirited Retort on the North ana the west
The Extent That A~rro-Amcrican women
Contribute to the support or Their Families.
Mrs. Fannie Barrier Williams OF Chicago has Just
concluded a successful lecture trip in the South.
western and the Southern states. Mrs. Williams is
n woman of great force OF character. much learn
Ing. and a forceful ana pleasing speaker. She be.
longs to some of tho Rllt.cdged woman 8 clubs OF
Chicago. I'm one OF which a lively tempest In a tea.
pot was raised a short while ago when her name
was proposed for membership. But she pulled
through all righ:. She has n knack of doing that.
She was one OF the speakers at the celebration of
Mrs. Elizabeth Cndy stanton's birthday at tho
Broadway Theatre in New YORK last year. She Is
also a contributor TO one OF the leading daily papers
OF Chicago.
As n result OF her observations In the Southern
States. Mrs. Williams has given It rs her opinion
that 'all through the South I fnd. as n rule, the
women doing tho supporting" That Is 70 say. she
nnds that women more generally do
tho supporting of the families than tho men. This
lisa grave indictrn cnt to lodge against n race Of men.
II is n savage practice. Is It true7 Let us call an.
other witness. Mrs. Lizzie LOWS oncI comes back
at Mrs. Williams In the following Indignant manner;
II viii say here that 1 havs been from the lakes
to the sulr, and from the Mississippi to the Atlantic.
and I never saw as many men ana children sup
ported by women rs between the Ohio River and
the lakes, and that by the hardest work n woman
can do. It is true that we in the South support our
pastors, because we know even n preacher must
live. though he makes the mistake OF lccturing on
Jesus Christ Instead OF the negro problem"
Mrs. Jones docs not rcfute the statement made by
Mrs. Wiiiams; she rather confirms II and gives II
wider application. Who is Mrs. Lizzie Lewis.Joncsi
She answers the question herself In the following
bit of autobiography:
~ have a fairly good education says Mrs Jones.
'having graduated from tho normal department at
Fisk University. but my mother was a slave and
ever since she was old enough to work she has been
at It,. 50 I guess It was born In me to work. as IL was
IN all negroes. For the races sntc don't let us keep
pounding II into our boys and girls TINT they arc Mt
for nothing but drudge. drudge. There is enough,
OF that in them anyway. II we train the head and
heart they will look 10 the hands. Never fear that
we will have too many negro lawyers. doctors. &C.
The world Is wide and the curse of the race is that
we have TOO many who are content to be nothing
but servants and time servers 10 the white people
OF the country"
In her way Mrs. Jones is evidently as well
%sGuirpcd TO stand up for her side of the argument as
airs. williams. who was born and educated IN west.
en New York State. But instead OF contradicting
each other. as women usually do In argument. the
one contributes TO the testimony OF the other as TO
tho existence OF u condition against which both Of
them are naturally opposed. The position they have
taken has provoked much discussion in the Afro.
American press as TO the real situation of labor and
OF education In all sections OF the country. but the
gist OF the whole matter is ignored. or skimmed
over in n hop .skip.and. jump fashion. This Is natu-
raj. The question is such a large one that most OF
those who stand close TO Il are unable to measure
the magnitude OF IT. No race OF men would like tho
charge hitched upon them that they are supported
by their women. 1t is a highly discreditabie charge.
whether true or false.
The close observer is bound to admit that. in the
present condition OF affairs. Afro American women
are more self reliant and self assertive than the
men. This Is a general conclusion. based upon the
higher view OF the matter. What Is true OF the
apex Is usually true OF the base. in structural quail.
ity. To say that the Afro American woman Of to-
day Is superior TO the man would he a very broad
statement. requiring proper EXPLANATION. but the
statement. In the main. is correct. and the explana.
tion is not far TO seek. The Afro American women
have enjoyed more and better opportunities of
home aud school I'm the past thirty years than the
men. All through the South. at least, they have
been able TO remain In the schools while the men
we're forced TO go out in the world as breadwinners
As a result OF this condition educated Afro Ameri-
can women are as common In all sections of the
country as locusts were in Egypt. They constitute.
perhaps, $4,000 OF the go. 900 teachers in the pub
lie schools OF the South. maintained for the aduca-
tion OF youth. A large percentage
OF these teachers are married. perhaps oneth,rd OF
them. and they are constantly entering into the
marriage state. In the main, the Southern laws do
not prevent married women from teaching in tho
puniir schools. Some OF the most prosperous men
or the race In the South. consequently. are OF those
whose wives have o'cn engaged in teaching while
they have been engaged In some other employment.
I know many such people in several OF the States OF
the South who are really wealthy. They do. not
make any great display of their posse ,sions: It
would not be wise for them to DO so: but the judi
c.ous investment OF joint earnings In the course OF
time has placed them in a position of financial in.
dependence. But II is also true that there are
thousands OF these women teaching school in the
sonth whose husbands do nothing but sQuander
the earnings of their wives.
The number OF self. sustaining Afro. Americans
should not be moderated. They are a large and in.
crcasing factor OF The race problem. larger than Is
generally estimated or believed. because OF tn.
general disposition TO nnderrate Afro-American
mon. a disposition com non among:whitc Amcri-
cans OF all races. The self supporting men of the
race are as large in number, all things considered,
as that OF any other distinct race type or tho popu-
iation. They are growing more numerous every
year. which is a substantial basis OF encourage
nirnt 10 all who hope for the fullest development
or Afro American manhood and citizenship. 1t Is
true. however. that a large majority OF the active
workers in .hurch and Sunday school and OF teach
crs in the public schools and In the numerous sem
inaries and colleges OF the South are Afro American
women who have enjoyed superior advantages of
training In the very schools. for the most part. In
which they teach. AMI that oil such contribute more
to the support OF the home than the mon.
When we go down: in tho scale OF employment
AMI Of character. for the matter Of that, we find
that the rulc is that the women work more gsnor-
ally and harder than the men. All the domestic
work or the South is done by black women. There
are few II any white domestic servants in the cities
Of the South. The Afro-Americ,n women have n
virtual monopoly Of this sort or work. II is OF the
most constant sort. Tho employees work always
from month To month. There is n great difference
In the employment OF the women and that of the
men. The men In the cities work by the piece. tho
hour. or the day. When they get through they are
through for the time being. II may be human ma
ture. hut whatever 1t is. II is a fact that these men.
in tho main. do not work any more than thoy are
Obliged to. and that when they knock on they do
not usually 10 back 70 work as long as they have a
penny In their inside pockets. This may be true OF
the commonalty OF mankind. II is true. at least.
OF the commonalty or the Afro Ameriuan race, not
only In the South. hut in all the states OF the Union.
The uniform rate OF wages In the South is such
that tho man or family working alone, In n major