Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-11-13
The Injustice
In Payment
Of Women.

vi Wv OIIIOiIa
Among the many questions concern
ing women and their work, there is
one that does not appear to be given
as much attention as it ought when its
Importance to women is taken into
consideration, and that question is,
why should women be paid less for
their work than menu To the ordin-
airy mind the sex of the worker would
not appear to be Of so much conse-
quence as the manner in which the
work was done, and, of course, if wo-
men cannot do their work as we'll or
as quickly as their brothers, they neith-
er could Or should be expected to be
paid as much; but when they can and
90 do it as well, it seems somewhat of
a hardship, not to say an injustice,
that they are given and expected to be
satisfied with lower rate of remunera-
ton. And then, is if to add insult to
injury, the better paid half of the COM
munity, instead of trying to help their
sisters to remedy this injustice, take
part against them-that is, the major
ity of them do-and actually accuse
women of willfully and deliberately
taking smaller pay-cutting down
prices, the men call it-with the eX-
press object of getting rid of them and
taking their places as if, forsooth, any
woman under the sun would take
smaller payment than she is obliged to.
The absurdity of the idea speaks for
itself.
The truth is that a woman takes
poorer pay on the principle that half 4
loaf is better than no bread at all.
She would take more if she could get
it, willingly and gladly. 1t is a mis-
take to think that women are so en-
amored of work that they want to take
it all out of their brothers hands into
their own. On the contrary women,
as rule-indeed, it might be said, with
few exceptions-dislike regular
cessity, not from choice. In her heart
of hearts each woman, though she will
not always acknowledge it, even to her
self, would far rather have her own
house, rule her own household and
govern her own kingdom of love ami
home than do any outside work, but
fhnCn nf Il
emancipation woman is not always
mistress of her own fate. If she We're
there would not be so many poor
weary, i'll paid women workers as there
are.
Young girls may think it fine and
Independent to take up work and vie
with the young men of their acquaint-
ance, but women who work do 50 from
a higher potive-they either feel that
they have mission to fulfill, a talent
to employ for the good Of others, or
mandate to obey that says in plain.
stern tones, Work or starve," and il
is to their credit that they do their
work so brightly and willingly that
they make those around them think
that they labor for love and not for
lucre And the brightness and willing
ness are not all pretense, for it is ma
lures law that we learn to like that
in which we succeed, and it is only
natural, therefore, that women like
the success that attends their efforts,
and are glad to live without being bur-
dens upon relatives and friends, for
the bread of dependence tastes as bit
ter to the mouth of a woman as 1t
does to man. 1t must be borne in
mind, when considering the question
of women's payment, that her employ
ers are not always those of her own
sex, but more often those of the OPP
posite sex, and it is they, therefore,
who have decided that neither a wo-
mans time nor her labor is of so much
value as the time and labor of men
no, not even if she works FOR ever
so long and performs her duties as
we'll
How or why they have come to this
decision it would be difficult to say,
but that they have done so is surely
not the fault of women, but her mis-
fortune, for which she should be
rather pitied and helped than con-
demned. Not SO very long ago there