The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1900-05-12

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 a chfsel. II Rosa
Bonheur has . fondness for delIneating
animals, let her make "The Horse Fair"
II Miss Mitchell will study astronomy, let
will be a merchant, let her sell purple. II
Lucrstia Mott will preach the gospel, let
her thrill with her womanly eloquence the
Quaker meeting house.
It is said IL woman Is given such oppor-
tunities she will occupy places that might
be taken by men. I say, IL she have more
skill and adaptedness for any position than
| a man has, let her have 1t. She has as
much right to her bread. to her apparel
and to her home as men have. But 1t is
said that her nature Is so delicate that she
is untitled for exhaustins toll. 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
tering ram, the sword, the carbine, the
battleax, have made no such havoc as the
needle. I 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 NE, and I will show you a wom-
an who by hardest toll supports her chill
dren, her drunken hust and, 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 a woman as that
has body and soul enough to fit her for any
Ol,ao cfo nd la m n
jority Of your statesmen and dispose OF more
goods. She could 20 into your wheel
wright shops and beat one-half OF your
workmen at making carriages. We talk
about woman as though We had resigned
to her all the light work and our
selves had shsuldered the heavier. But
the day Of judgment, which will reveal the
sufferings of the stake and inquisition, will
marshal before the throne Of God and the
hierarchs of heaven the martyrs OF wash.
tub and needle. Now, l say II there be any
preference in occupation let woman have
1t. God knows her trials are the severest.
By her acuter sensitiveness to misfortune.
by her hour Of anguish, I demand that no
one hedge up her pathway to livelihood.
Oh. the meanness. the despicabifitv OF mon
who begrudge a woman the right to work
anywhere In any honorable callingi
Igo 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 as much pay as men and In many
cases only half2 Here is the gigantic inius-
tice-that for work equally we'll IL not better
done woman receives far less compensa-
ton than man. Start with the National
Government. Women clerks In Washing
ton get $500 for doing that for which
men receive $500. The wheel OF OPP
preston is rolling over the necks OF
/ hnu nf
moment in despair about what they are to
do. Many OF the largest mercantile estab-
!ishmentS 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-
ployers know 1t. Is there God? Will
there be q judgment? I tell you IL 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 oppressots between the
two millstones OF His wrath aud grind
them so powder.
Why Is 1t that q female principal in q
school gets only 1926 for doing work for
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. Sac knows she is not. She Is
a human being who gets hungry when she
has no food ard cold when she has no fire.
Give her no more batteries; give her
justice! Oh, the thousand OF sewing
girls Across the sunlight comes their
death eroa2. 1t is not such q cry as
comes from, those who are suddenly
hurled 5out OF life, but slow, grind
ing. horrible wasting away. Gather
them before you and look into their faces,
pinched, CHASTITY. hunger struck! Look at
flay. AM oh od
tipped See that premature stoop In the
shoulders Hear that dry, hacking, merci-
less coughl At q large meeting of these
women held In Philadelphia grand speeches
we're delivered, but a needlewoman took
the stand, threw aside her faded shawl,
and with her shrlveled arm hurled a very
thunderboit Of eioquence, speaking out the
horrors of her own experience.
Stand at the corner OF street In some
great city at 6 OFT O'Clock in the morning
as the women 60 to work. May OF them
had no breakfast except the crumbs that
were left over from the night before or the
crumbs they chew on their way through
the street. Here they comel The working
girls of the cities. These engaged in bead
work, these in flower making, In millinery,
In paper box making, but, most overwork
OF all and least compensated, the sewing
women. Why do they not take the city
cars on their way up? They cannot afford
the Ave cents. II, concluding to deny her.
self something else, she gets into the car,
give her seat You want to see how Lati-
mer and Ridley appeared IA the fire. Look
at that woman and behold q more horrible
martyrdom, hotter FIRE, more agoniz-
ing death. Ask that woman how much
she gets for her work, and she will tell you
six cents for making coarse shirts and finds
her own thread.
Years ago one Sabbath night In the vesti-
bule Of our church after service a woman
fell in commissions. The doctor said she
needed medicine not SO much rs some
thing to eat. As she began to revive In her
delirium she said gaspingly: Eight centsl
Eight centsl / wish could get 1t done. I
am so tired. I wish. could get some
sleep, but l must get 1t done. Eight centsi
Eight cents" We found afterward that
she was making garments for eight cents
apiece and that she could make but three
OF them in q day. Hear i'll Three times
eight are twenty-four. Hear it, men and
woman who have comfortable honest
Some Of the worst Williams OF our cities are
the employers OF these women. They
beat them down to their last penny
and try to cheat them out OF
that. The woman must deposit n
dollars or two before she gets the garments
to work on. When the work is done, 1t is
sharply inspected. the most Insignificant
flaws picked out and the wages refused
and sometimes the dollar deposited not
givenback The Women's Protective Union
reports a case where one OF the poor souls,
finding q place where she could get more
wages, resolved to change employers and
and went to get her pay for work done.
1, ~ 81 H.