Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-04-12

were Invaders. The cattle, the lizards and
the hawks had preemptton right. The
question Is not what We are to do with the
lizards and summer insects, but what the
lizards and summer insects are to do with
MS. If we want u place in this world, we
must earn it. The partridge makes its
own nest before it occupies 1t. The
lark by its morning song earns it's
breakfast before 1t eats 1t, and the
Bible gives an intimation that the first
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: 'Thls man has
refused to pay his rent. Out with hint"
Society Is to be reconstructed on the sub.
ject OF woman's toll. vast majority OF
those who would have woman Industrious
shut her up to n few kinds OF work. My
judgment In this matter Is that n woman
has right to do anything she can do we'll.
There should be no department OF mer-
chandse, mechanism, art or science barred
against her. II Miss Hosmer has genius
for sculpture, give her IL chisel. II Rosa
Bonheur has foudness for delineating
animals, let her make "The Horse Fair"
II Miss Mitchell will study astronomy. let
her mount the starry ladder. II Lydia
will be Z. merchant. lot her sell purple. II
Lucretia Mott will preach the gospel, let
her thrill with her womanly eloquence tue
Quaker meeting house.
1t il said II woman is given such oppor-
tunities she will occupy places that might
be taken by men. l say, II she have more
skill and adaptedness for any position than
man hns, let her have 1t. She has as
mueh 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 exhausting toll. ask in the
name OF all past history what toll on earth
Is more severe, exhaustng and tremen-
dous than that toll OF the needle to which
n oaI,n hna hAn,x =. anti. a l.
terIng ram, the sword, the carbine, the
battleax, have made no such havoc as the
needle. l would that these living sepu-
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 dir a nd sunlight,
Go with me, and will show you a wom-
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 Oh the Sabbath
to come In and take care OF her family ap-
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 lit her for any
position. She could stand beside the ma
jority Of your salesm en- and dispose OF lore
goods. She could go into your wheel
wright shops and beat one-half OF your
workmen at making carriages. We talk
about woman us though we had resigned
to her all the light work ana our
selves had shouldered the heavier. But
the day OF judgment, which will reveal the
sulferings OF the stake and inquisition, Will
marshal before the throne OF G rod and the
herarchs Of heaven the martyrs OF wash
tub and needle. Now, 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. demand that no
one hedge up her pathway to n livelihood
Oh, the meanness the desplcability Of men
who begrudge u woman the right to work
anywhere in any honorable calling!
go 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 rs men and in many
cases only half? Here is the gigantic injus-
tice-that for work equally we'll IL not better
done woman receives far 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 Of women who are at this
moment in despair about what they are to
do. Many Of the largest mercantile estab-
!shments OF our cities are accessory to
these abominations, and from their large
establishments there are scores OF souls
being pitched off into death, and their en-
poyers know 1t. Is there II God? Will
there be Il judgment? tell you II God
rises up to redress womans 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.
&c, ~ hat MI p,-tp In
school gets only $s2j for doing work for
which male principal gets S1G50? 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 kn ows she IS not. She is
n human being who gets hungry when she
has no food and cold when she has no fire
Give her no more batteries; give hei
justice! Oh, the thousand OF sewing
girls! Across the sunlight comes tneli
death Rroan. 1t is not such cry as
comes from those who are suddenly
hurled Sout of life. but slow, grind
ing, horrible wasting away. Gather
them before you and look int o their faces.
pinched, ghastly, hunger struck! Look al
their fingers, needle prcked and blood
tipped! See that premature stoop In the
shouldersl Hear that dry, hacking, merci
less cough! At II large meeting Of these
women held in Philadelphia grand speeches
the stand, threw aside her faded shawl.
and with her shriveled arm hurled very
thunderbolt of eloquence, speaking out the
horrors Of her own experience.
Stand at the corner OF street in some
great city Mt 6 or7 O'Clock in the morning
rs the women go to work. Maay 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 come! 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 compensate l., the sewing
women. Why do they not take the city
cars on their way up? They cannot afford
the five cents. II, concluding to deny her
self something else. she gets into the ear,
give her n seat. You want to see how Lati.
mer and Ridley appeared In the fire. Look
at that woman and behold q more horrible
martyrdom, hotter fire, a more agoniz
ing death. Ask that woman how nuct
she gets for her work, and she will tell you
six cents for making coarse shirts aud finds
her own thread.
Years ago one Sabbath night In the vesti.
bule OF our church after service woman
fell In commissions. The doctor said she