Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-03-16
place in this world unless she pays a
rent for IL.
Work Nerc..nrx

In the course OF lifetime YOU cor.
sumo whole haryests and droves OF
cattle and every day you live breathe
40 hogsheads of good. pure air You
must by some kind OF usefulness pay
for all this. Our race was the last
thing created-the birds and fishes on
the fourth day. the cattle and lizards
on the fifth day and man on the sixth
day. IL biologists are right. the earth
was million OF years in the posses.
sion OF the insects. beasts and birds
before our race came upon IT, In one
sense we were invaders. The cattle
the lizards and the hawks had pre-
emption right. The question is not
what we are to do with the lizards and
summer insects. but what the lizards
and summer insects are 20 do with us
IL we want place in this world. we
must earn II. The partridge makes its
own nest before II occupies II. The
lark by its morning song earns its
breakfast before II eats it, and the
Bible gives an intimation that the FIRST
duty OF an idler is to starve when IL
says, IF he viii 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 subject of woman's toll A vast
majority OF those who would have vo-
man industrious shut her up to q few
kinds of work. My Judgment I'm this
matter is that woman has a right TO
do anything she can do well. There
should be no department of merchan-
disc, mechanism, art or science barred
against her. If Miss Hosmer has
genius for sculpture. give her chisel.
IL Rosa Bonheur has a fondness for
delineating animals, let her make THE
Horse Fair" If Miss Mitchell will
study astronomy, let her mount the
starry ladder. IL Lydia will be a mer-
chant, let her sell purple. II Lucretia
Mott will preach the gospel, let her
thrill with her womanly elouuence the
Quaker meeting house.
1t Is said if woman is given such op-
portunities she will occupy places that
might be taken by men. / say, il she
have more skill and adaptedness for
any position than n man has, let her
have it. She has as much right 20 her
bread, to her apparel and to her home
as men have. But IL is said that her
nature is so delicate that she is I'M
fitted for exhausting toll. l ask in the
name OF all past history what toll on
earth is more severe, exhausting and
tremendous than that toll of the nee
die to which for ages she has been sub
jected? The battering ram, the sword.
the carbine, the b2ttleax, have made
no such havoc as the needle. | would
that these living sepulchers In which
women have for ages been buried
might be opened and that some resur-
rection trumpet might bring up these
living corpses in the fresh air and sun
light.
Woman's Right.
Go with me, aud | will show You n
woman who by hardest toll supports
her children, her drunken husband.
her old father and mother, pays her
house rent, always has Wholesome
food on her table and when she can
get some nelghbor on the Sabbath TO
come in aud take care of her family
appears in church with hat and cloak
that are far from Indicating the toll TO
which she is subjected. Such n wo-
man as that has body and soul enough
TO nj her for any position. She could
stand beside the majority OF your
statesmen and dispose Of more goods.
She could 20 into your wheelwright
shops and beat one-half of your work.
men at making carriages. We talk
about women rs though we had resign
cd 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 In.
QUESTION. will marshal before the
Sarone OF God and the hlerarchs of
heaven the martyrs of washtub and
needle. Now, | say IL there be any
preference In occupation LEI woman
have IL. God knows her trials are the
severest. BY her acuter scnsstiveness
10 misfortune. by her hour Of anguish.
l demand that no one hedge I'M her
pathway TO livelihood oh. the mean.
sess, the dcsplcabliity or men VINO oe
grudge n woman the right 10 work
anywhere In any honorable calling!
i go still further and say that wo-
man should have equal compensation
with men. BY what principle OF jus
uce Is IL that women in many OF oul
cities get only two-thirds as much pay
as men and In many cases only halff
Here is the gigantic injustlce-that for
work equally well IL not better done
woman receives far less compensation
than man. Start with the national
government. Women clerks In Wash
ington get $500 for doing that for
which men receive $500. The wheel
or oppression is rolling over the necks
or thousands OF women who are nj this
moment in despair about what they
are to do. Many of the largest ner
camille establishments 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 employers know
IL. Is there a God? VIII there be n
Judgment? | tell you IL God rises un
to redress woman's wrongs many Of
our large establishments will he swal
lowed up quicker than n South Ameri
can earthquake ever took down n city.
God will catch these oppressors be
tween the two millstones of his wrath |
and grind them to powder.
Wholly Unjust.
Why Is II that female principal In |
school gets only $500 for doing work |
for which male principal gets Sl.G5O: |
hear from all this land the wan of |
womanhood. Man has nothing TO IN. |
swer TO that wall but batteries. He
says she Is an angel. She is not. She
knows she is not. She is q human be-
ing 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 thousands of sewing
girls! Across the sunlight comes their
Heath groan. 1t Is not such n cry as
comes from those who are suddenly
hurled ont OF life, but slow, grind.
ng, horrible wasting away. Gather
hem before you and look into thei,
aces. pinched. CHASTITY. hunger struck
Look at their fingers, needle pricked
IND blood tipped! See that premature