The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1900-03-16


SO far as ! can understand. the line
OF respectability lies between that
which is useful and that which is use.
less. If women do that which is OF
no value. their work is honorable. II
they DO practical work, il is dishonor.
able. That our young women may eS.
cape the censl.re of doing dishonora-
BILE work, shall particuIarize, You
may knit i tidy for the back of an arm
chair, but by no means make the money
"herewith to buy the chair. You may
with a delicate brush beautify a man
tel ornament, but die rather than carr
enough to buy a marble mantcl. You
may learn artistic music until YOU can
squaIl Italian, but never sing "Ortou-
vile" Or odd Ilundredth." Do moth
ing practical if you would. in the eyes
OF refined society, preserve your re
spectability. ! scout these tiHical no
tons. | tell you IA woman, no more
than a man, has a right to occupy Il
place in this world unless she pays a
rent for it.
In the course Of a lifetime YOU con-
sumo whole haryests and drovcs of cat
tie and every day you live and breathe
40 hogsiIcadS of good. pure air. You
must by some kind of Usefulness Il
for all this. our race was the last thing.
c~reated-the birds and fishes on the
fourth day, the cattle and lizards on
the fifth day and man on the sixth day.
If biologists are right, the earth was
l,OUj,OlJ OF years in tn" possession OF
the insects, beasts and birds before our
race came upon il. In Il sense W"
were invaders. The cattle, the lizards
and the hawks had precmptiOn right.
The question is not what We arc to do
with lizards and summer insects, but
what the lizards and ummrr insects
are 10 do with us. If we want a place
in this world. we must earn it. The
partridge makes its own nest before il
occupies it. The lark by its morning
song earns its breakfast before it eats
it, and the Bible gives an intimation
that the first duty OF an idler is to
starve when it says: "lf he will not
work, neither shall he cat" Idleness
ruins the health. and very soon nature
says! This man has refused to pay his
rent. Out with him. Society is to be
reconstructed on the subject of WON
ans toll. a vast majority Of those who
would have woman industrious shut
her up to a few kinds of work. My
Judgment in this matter is that a wom-
an has a right to do anything she can
do well. There should be no depart
ment of merchandise, mechanism, art
or science barred against her. If Mis-
Hosmcr has genius for sculpture. give
her a chisel. If Rosa Bonheur has o
fondness for delineatiDg animals. let
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
Lucretia Mott will preach the Gospc!.
let her thrill with her womanIy clo-
quence the Quaker meeting house.
1t is said if woman il given such OPP
~pOrtunities she will occupy places that
,,i,ht ho +,lon a., mon ca, r. sb,
ho,o mara eLirI and o1or,odno, for
any position than a man has. let her
have it! She has as much right to hcr
brood 10 bar .,nor, and 10 ho. bon,,
o ,,or hovo d., :, 10 so1 tbo, ho.
n,tnre ie 81 that she i. urfttod
for eXhausting toll. ! ask in the name
Of all rost history what toll on Garth
is moro o,c,o nvb,rstiro and tro-
r,o,dou. thor ,b,t +onnF+Lo NADIA +c
which for 400. she has bann snbiactedo
Tho o++orinu r,r +,e eu,o,d ,h, o,,
hine the battIe,v bovo nada no sunb
b,,oo nc 1o ,oo5lo ,.o,ld INT
,bosa ry;rn, !, ,,biob ,ro,,o,,
hnva fo,. anos h,or h,riod ufrh. h,
anonod onJ tho+ cana ras,rrootio,
mmna. ,,iaLt hr;na -, +bo.o r,;ra
to ,Eo f,o.b a. rand srn1irh+
re- u;.h ua ,riu oLo
ANA n,ho h, hordo,, +oi1 ,rnnor,.
how obiIdron ba, drurler ushonn bor
ola f.,bor and nathan nors bor bouso
ron. aI,,,or. h.. rhoIasnr,o eoad ~,
her ia HE and when she can pct some
an tbe sabbath ia coma i,
and take care Of her family annoars in
church with hat and clo,k ,bot,refor
from indicating the toll "a which she
Is subjected, Such a woman as that
has bodv and sonl erougb IN G, ber for
any nosition. She couId stand hesidc
tbe ma ioritvof vour statesmen and dis.
nose Of more goods She couId on int,
vour wheelwrioht shons and heat one
,oIf of vour WORK MOI ot uakino cor.
,ioges We talk about women az
.bouob va had RESIGNED to her all th.
irht work and ourselves had sbou1-
Tered the heavier. Rutthe dayof iudr-
nent which will reveal the uferinos
. "a,