Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1900-03-23


| lizards and summer insects are to do witt
us. II We want place In this world, W.
must earn it. The partridge makes IT.
own nest before 1t occupies 1t. The
lark by its morning song earns its
breakfast before it eats it, and the
| Bible gives an intimation that the firs
| duty Of an idler is to starve when il
says, "If he will not work, neither
shall he eat' 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 SUBJ
iect OF woman's toll. vast majority OF
| those who would have woman industrious
shut her up to few kinds OF work. Ny
| Judgment in this matter Is that woman
| has right to do anything she can do well.
| There should be no department OF mer-
| chandise, mechanism, art or science barred
against her. II Miss Hosmer has genius
| for sculpture, give her chisel. II Rosa
Bonheur has fondness for delineating
animals, let her make "The Horse FAIR
| II Miss Mitchell will study astronomy, let
| her mount the starry ladder. If Lydia
will be a merchant, let her sell purple. Ii
Lucretia Mott will preach the gospel, let
her thrill with her womanly eloquence tue
| Quaker meeting house.
| 1t is said IL woman is given such oppor-
tunities she will occupy places that might
be taken by men. l say, ii she have mora
skill aud adaptedness for any position than
man has let her have it. She has as
much right to her bread, to her apparel
and to her home rs men have. But 1t Is
said that her nature is so delicate that she
is untitled for exhaustng toll. L ask In the
name of all past history what toll on earth
is more severe, exhausting and tremen-
dous than that toll Of the needle to which
for ages she has been subjected? The bat
terlng ram, the sword, the earbine, the
battleax, have made no such havoc as the
needle. l would that these living sepul-
chres in which women have for ages been
buried might be opened and that some re-
surrection trumpet might bring up these
living corpses in the fresh air and sunlight.
Go with me, and | will show you wonn-
an who by hardest toll supports her chill
dren, her drunken husband, her old father
ana mother pays her house rent, always
has wholesome food on her table and when
she can get some neighbor on the Sabbath
to come in and take care of her family APP
pears in church with hat and cloak that
are far from indicating the toll to which
she is subjected. Such woman as that
has body and soul enough to lt her for any
position. She could stand beside the ma
jority Of your statesmen and dispose OF more
goods. She could go into your wheel
wright shops and beat one-half of your
workmen at making carriages. We talk
about woman rs though we had resigned
to her all the light work and our
selves had shouldered the heavier. But
the day Of judgment, which will reveal the
sufferings OF the stake and inqustion, will
marshal before the throne OF God aud the
hierarchs Of heaven the martyrs OF wash
tub and needle. Now, say IL there be any
preference in occupation let woman have
it. God knows her trials are the severest
BY her acuter sensitiveness to misfortune,
by her hour Of anguish, l demand that no
one hedge up her pathway to a livelihood.
Oh, the meanness, the despicability OF men
who begrudge woman the right to work
anywhere in any honorable calling!
90 still further and say that woman
should have equal compensation with men.
BY what principle of justice is 1t that
women in many OF our cities get only two
thirds rs much pay rs men and in many
cases only half? Here is the gigantic iDjus-
tice-that for work equally well II not better
done woman receives far less compensa-
ton than man: Start with the National
Government Women clerks in Washing
ton get 5000 for doing that for which
men receive $500. The wheel of OPP
preston is rolling over the necks OF
thousands of women who are at this
moment in despair about what they are to
do. Many OF the largest mercantile estab-
lishments OF our cities are accessory to
these denominations, and from their large
establishments there are scores OF souls
being pitched off into death, and their en-
Dlnyers know it. Is there God? Will
there be judgment? tell you II God
rises up to redress woman's wrongs many
OF our large establishments will be swal-
lowed up quicker than q South American
earthquake ever took down city. God
will catch these oppressors between the
two millstones Of His wrath and grind
them so powder.
Why is it that q female principal In a
school gets only 1926 for doing work for
which male principal gets $3.50? l hear
from all this land the wall of womanhood.
Man has nothing to answer to that wall
but batteries. He says she is an angel.
She Is not. She knows she is not. She is
human being who gets hungry when she
has no food and cold when she has no fire.
Give her no more batteries; give her
justice! Oh, the thousand OF sewing
grs Across the sunlight comes their
death groan. 1t is not such cry as
comes from those who are suddenly
hurled , out of life, but q slow, grind
ing, horrible wasting away. Gather
them before you and look into their faces,
pinched, CHASTITY, hunger struck Look at
their fingers, needle-prieked and blood
| tipped See that premature stoop in the
shoulders! Hear that dry, hacking, merci-
| less cough! At a large meeting OF these
women held in Philadelphia grand speeches
were delivered, but a needlewoman took
the stand, threw aside her faded shawl,
and with her slriveled arm hurled very
thunderbolt of eloquence. speaking out the
horrors of her own experience.
Stand at the corner of street in some
| great atty at orr O'Clock in the morning
us me women go to work. May OF them
had no breakfast except tho crumbs that
were left over from the night before or the
crumbs they chew on their way through
the street. Here they comei The working
girls Of the cities. These engaged in bead
work, these in flower making, in millinery
in paper box making, but, most overworl
of all and least compensated, the sewing
women. Why do they not take tho city
cars on their way up2 They cannot afforC
the five cents. II, concluding to deny her
self something else, she gets into the car
give her seat. You want to see how Lali
mer and Ridley appeared In the fire. Loot
at that woman and behold more horrible
martyrdom, hotter fire, a more agoniz
ing death. Ask that woman how nuct
she gets for her work, and she will tell yol
six cents for making coarse shirts and find
her own thread.
Years ago one Sabbath night in the vestl
bule OF our church after service a woman
fell in commissions. The doctor said sh,
needed medicine not so much rs some
thing to eat. AS she began to revive In he
delirlum she said gaspingly: eight cents
Eight centsl l wish / could get 1t done.
am so tired. / wish 1 could get som,