The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-01-28

Olivia Il, Weleh. before the Society of
Native Daughters OF Astoria, In this
city. January sS, 1900;
The evolution OF woman during tho
century that Is now closing, and the
,sneliorations II her conditions as
viewed from an Industrial and socio-
logical standpoint, is subject So vast
in magnitude, so varied In It's details,
SO for-rtachng In lts causes ana ef'
ieets. that find Il hard to c,ntne
within the limits of such paper as
this. all wish TO say, In order TO
make comparisons that win plainly
elueidate and untangle from the maxes
Of the present, the relation II bears TO
the lhmgs of the past, the causes oi
present conditions and the reasons In
past decades that have brought about
present results, IL is necessary to take
relros peCtive view ot the environ
menIs and immediate surroundings OF
aur mothers and grlndmothels. And
70 do this We must inmate from our
reid of vision everything material IN
SAVING machinery, and most all the
the way Of modern inventions OF labor
luNuries We now enjoy. VIII, OF
course, cOuhne my comparisons 10
those inventions that have the greatest
bearing on the most marked chNnses
In the condition OF women, and In do
ing this we must remove the seNlhg
maegine which comes nfsl IN the
household US a labnr-saViug invention,
Al! mode IN machinery, the telegraph.
the telephone, typeNriters, knitting
machine, all factory machinery run by
steam OF electricity. where women are
employgd wood engraving, ph1to-en-
era , urc photo-lithographing, photog-
raIhy. gas and kerosene, department.
stores, elevators In public buildings or
in private dwellings. yulcanized rubber
goods, all modern plumbing. the mani
fold uses OF gas and electricity as np-
Piled 10 the working womans' conVcn'
ience and to modern homes.
The great ocean cables, cheap ana
| rapid transit by steam and electricity
| the bicycle and myriads of minor de-
| tails ons housekeeping utility as cook
/ ing stoves and ranges, gas stoves, etc,
carpet sweepers, mangles and washing
machines, steam cookers, boilers ana
| on nd iuGniium. Imagine. II YOU can
the awful void that would be created
| IN our world Of today II all these things
were removed from our every day uses
| When this now vanishing century was
| born the masses OF womanklnd had 1T
| tie time for educational advantages,
such as women now enjoy, even though
/ they had been at hand. Her time was
| all occupied In dong her household
duties. which were never done. Ina
| sinc the mother OF n large and growing
| family. besides doing the family cook
/ ing. washing and ironing, splnnlns
| and weaving In slow hand looms. tn,
| cloth aud yarns for family clothing
| fashIoning and making inch by inch,
| as * were. each garment with needl,
aud thread. or knitting needles, for
! herself. husband, children and house
hold. And OF the daughters OF poverty
| iI the cities.
In Thomas Hoods song OF the shirt
We nave vivid picture that portray'
1 the conditions OF the extremity ot pow
| erty. a woman sewing for into tit
| night by the dim light Of "A nd.e
| Plying the needle and thread and
sending up the heart-rcnding cry oi
| starving virtue. and womanly despair
| In the words
o Col. that bread should BE- so
dear.
Md flesh and blood so cheap
And the whole pltlful story IL told
IN the words Stitch stitch. stitch. II
poverty. hunger and dirt"
The first on the list Of llhOr-savinl
| 1ttt that rHa "A nhn
to occasionally cease from her ldbors
will place the sewing machine. Ant
women throughout the enlightened
world should shout for Joy and thanks
giving on each natal day OF Elias
Howe, its inventor. The next in the
lire of inventors comes Cyrus McCor
mac, the inventor Of the reaper, thel
cane invention after invention, until
now most farm machinery is run b.
steam and electricity; doing In a few
short hours what before had occupied
months and weeks. So throughout oul
broad land the wives and daughters o
! farmers, who, by the bare toll ant
monOtony OF their existence, often from
hard labor and exposure. became help
| less inralids, insane or succumbed e
their hard lot and passed on with th'
great majority, now find many hourl
Of rest and line for mental culture
| Now, when we think for one momen
that there Is nothing OF any considera-
tiOn In use by us today that 80 years
| ago was not wholly undreamed Of, o
was in the crude, uniformed state Of it'
| .nfancy,in use by only the rich, because
the poor could not afford such extrava-
| CANT luXures, II makes MS realize tn
! glory Of this, the greatest and bright.
est century, in the history Of the civill-
ZatiOn OF mankind. In the history o
| the Hebrews, we are told that thous
and8 Of years ago, they were In bond
age to the Egyptians for 300 years, that
they ldbored with their hands, men
women and children, TO help build
Egypt's immortal monuments Of great
ness. a mute and helpless contribution
TO the most wonderful civilization o.
ancient history. But to that whict
still lives today OF Egyptian architect.
ural granduer, IL took myrlads OF hu
man slaves almost unnumbered centur-
les to build. The contribution made
to Egypt by the Hebrew slaves, mil
lions though they were, was but as {
| handful Of dust added to a mountain
Egypt has been in process OF BUILDING
ages before we hear Of her through
| this meager bit OF Hebrew history an(
continued on in the same way centur
ie5 after-and so all the worlds ad
varcement has been made by patfen
toll Of untold generations In crude
cumbersome way, until almost stimuli
tanlously like binding fash Of light
ming come crowding one upon another
the wonderful labor-saving and world
enlightenment giving inventions o.
this, our proud century which hai
made a sharp turning point In th'
progress Of the world.
Again, alIuding to inventors, most o.
them are American born, sons o
American mothers, the country Of al
the earth today that has the freest an(
most enlightened womanhood for al
classes OF women, and the best hu
lmanitarian institutions for the care and
| protection Of helpless women ant
| chtldren A qhorf while aRO there were