The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-03-28

|
yonheur has fondness for delineattnc
| 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
I,ucre,in Mott will preach the gospel, let
her thrill with her womanly eloquence the
Quaker meeting house.
1t il said II woman is given such oppor-
tunities she will occupy places that might
be taken by men. I say, II she have more
skill and adnptedness for any position than
a 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 go delicate thut she
is unified for exhausting toll. ask In the
name OF all past history what toll on earth
is more severe, exhaustinS and tramen-
dous than that toll of the needle to which
for ages she has been subjected? The bat.
terlng ram, the sword, the carbine, the
battleax, huve made no such havoc as the
clres 10 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 su Might.
Go with me, and I will show you WON.
an who by hardest toll supports her chill.
dren, her drunken husband, her old father
| and mother, pays her house rent, always
lhas wholesome food on her table and when
she can get some neighbor on the Sabbath
to come in and take care OF her family ap.
pears in church with hat and cloak that
4 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
ljority;o OF your salesmen and dispose Of more
goods. She could 90 into your wheel
| wright shops and beat one-hRlf OF your
workmen at making carriages. We talk
about woman as thougHwe 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 inqulsition, will
marshal before the throne OF God and the
| hierarchs of heaven the martyrs OF wash
tub and needle. Now, 1say IL there be any
preference In occupation lat woman have
1t. God knows her trials are the severest.
By her acuter sensitiveness to misfortune.
by her hour OF anguish. demand that no
one hedge up her pathway to livelihood.
Oh, the meanness, the despicability OF men
who begrudge woman the right to work
anywhere in any honorable calling!
go still further and say that woman
should haHe1equal compensation with men.
By what principle of justice Is 1t that
women In many OF our cities sc! only two
|
cases only half? Here Is the gigantic injus-
tice-that forwork equally well II notbetter
done woman receives fur less compensa-
tion than man. Start with the National
Government. Women clerks in Washing
| ton get 5000 tor doing that for which
men receive $500. The wheel OF op-
preston Is rolling over the necks OF
thousands ofTwomen who are at this
moment in despair about what they are to
l. Al, l.. tIn cknh
| ishments OF iour cities are accessory to
these abominations, and from their large
establishments there are scores OF souls
being pitched off into death, and their en-
| ployers know 1t. Is there a God? Will
tbere be Judgment? I tell you if God
rises up to redress wSnan's wrongs many
OF our large establishments will be swal-
lowed up quicker than South American
earthquake ever took down city. God
will catch these oppressors between the
two millstopes Of His wrath and grind
them so powder.
Why isit TINT female principal In q
school gets only 1925 for doing work for
which male principal gets 31650? I hear
from nil this land the wall OF womanhood.
Man has nothing to answer to that wall
but flutterles. He says she is IN 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 ber no more batteries; give her
justice! Oh, the thousand OF sewing
girIsl 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,
pinchel, ghHstly, hunger struck! Look ut
their lngers, needle-pricked and blood
tipped! See that premature stoop In the
shouldersl Hear that dry, backing. merci-
less cough! At large meeting OF these
won On held in Philadelphia grand speeches
were delivered, but Deedlewoman took
the stand, threw aside her fadedpshawl,
and with her shriveled erm hurled very
Lhunderbolt OF eloquence, speaking outthe
horrors OF her own experience.
Stand at the corner OF a street in some
great city ut 6 or o'clock In the morning
as the women so to work. Many OF them
had no breakfast except the crumbs that's
were lett over from the night before or the
crumbs they chew on their why through
the street. Here they come! The working
girls OF the cities. These engagedin bead.s
work, these In flower making, In millinery.
In paper box making. but, most overwork5
OF all and Ieast compensated, tho sewing
women. Why do they not take. the ctyS
cars on their way up? They can1pt afggi&
tho five cents. If, concluding te
self something else, she getsH
give her u seat. You =. ia
mer and Ridley appeared III the i6Ie
nj that woman aud behold a In6reth
martyrdom, hotter FIRE, q more 81 !,
Ing death. Ask that awomans9f Il
she gets for her work, and she's
six cents for making coarse shirtx r
her own thread. 81 q s5 +
Years ago one Sabbath night ~ #
bnle Of our church Rfter Services {tl{
fell In convusion6s The doetQf S
needed inedicineTneE8 10 mps 4 e;
thing to eat. As she began n q = b
dollrium she said gasplng
Eight centsl IWish 1NtSF s u j ~
nm 80 tired. Wislt 4 ~ &1u4es
sleep, but must getti r. = f6E4 = y
Eight cents!" We f. ffbffsS
she was making garme a f 4
apiece and that she co93 n bnt tines
OF them in a day. SHea nee tiinee
eight ure twenty-four. men and
woman who !. have Corr liable homesi.
Some OF the worst viilia1S ouf tiles afe.s
the employers OF thesa lgor on: They
and try to cheat Hem onlII IS
that. The woman must depgstt aS
dollars or two before she he q
to work on. When the W0TE ssddhtS y ~
sharply inspected. the most ihsi
hnws picked out and The wagss a
and sometimes fhssd ll6f "A 3
given back.. heWcm6n,s Z Protss5 tfs
reports a case WASk ons sof the p00f
finding phase she cot ID 4
wages, resolved 70 tlanee sdpl
ind went to get shef.pty for NO ~ dop
The employer sald, hear you afe 95hR,
to leave me?" eyes, e shesaid tand
come to get what you owe me- ss,s n141ssl
no answer. Sheisaid, Aresyou mt Il
to pay me2" Yes" aaid ss.I
yon." And he Kicked F4f dow MnSta "a
Oh. TINT Women's Pfot6ctdye uBtonl3
blessings OF heaven bat6G sfos the
fu and divine work doing ind Iha eYYx|
fapca ~ foflin ~ % 0rnf md "a