The age-herald., 1898-08-07
WHO ARE THE LADIES? {?

From the Baltimore Sun.
 Some comment has been made upon form of advertisement which has become common in the want columns of most southern newspapers, viz, "A colored lady wants the wash of a white woman or man." No objection is made it seems, to the first part of the sentence, since any lady, coored or white, may take in wash ing if she sees fit, or if her circumstances impel her thereto. Work is honorable. The objection is to the use of the word woman toward the end of the advertise ment instead of "lady." Woman is a mat ter-of-fact designation, implying neither compliment nor depreciation, and standing by itself it would be unobjectionabe. It is good old English word and holds it's own. But lady is a term of distinction, especially if used in contrast with 'wo- man."
 in washing to designate themselves by a term that implies refinement, culture and social distinction, but the point Is made that it is cruel not to say discourteous, to refuse the title of lady to the white woman. Not all white women, it Is true, are ladies' some of them Icing very un- ladylike in character, manners, etc. But the washer-lady might reasonably be ex- pected to express in her advertisement preference for employment by an equal rather than by a mere "woman, her in- ferior. That the superior should prefer
  of her equal is the anomaly that per plexes the student of our social problem. The latter is puzzled by the uniformity with which it is announced when the door bell rings that "a lady (coloredD wishes to see the woman of the house." Is the fair sex of the white race to be relegated to an inferior position, and that, to, in a republic where all are supposed D be equal?
 During the period of reconstruction when 4l. l&;t Of oIfh xxyAr hpinn harried by federal tyrants, carpetbaggers and other opponents of grand moral ideas, the old negroes were the best and per haps the only friends the native whites had left The latter had been deprived of the right to vote, or hold office, or even to say what taxes they should pay. The wretchedness of the native whites was pit fable. They had many detractors and few apologists Among the latter, however, was q venerable old darkey, who, in com batting arguments for severer measures against the ex-Confederates, used these golden words: ''De white man is as good as de niggah if he have hissef's And the great truth thus stNnGiisaqt at crisis or eur hi history snSssnt ls ee afe pfmdHss to apply f We may vary it, in behalf of our dis- icredited Anglo-Saxons of the fair sex so far as to say that the white lady Is as good as the colored lady If ''she have her. sef." It is all question of behavior. The Anglo-Saxon is much entitled to the designation lady as her African sister if her conduct Is equally admirable. "La1y' does not belong to white women exclusive ly, regardless of conduct. any more than 1t is to be monoplized by our ebon fair with out regard to conduct. Nob lity of r. sonaity, culture, refinement, courtesy, self control-these constitute the lady; not the color of the skin. This much certainly may be urged in behalf of the principle of equality evolved by the colored sage just quoted. "Jf he have hissef" every man may claim to be a gentleman. ard ty analogy every woman, even if she be white, is a lady If she have herself" There is, however much virtue, be it obs served, in an "if.'