Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-03-17
THE NEEDLES HAVOC
OR. TALMAGE APPEALS FOR MERCY
FOR OPPRESSED WOMANHOOD.

demands Thnt Sne nave nm hq~HA
Chance with Man In the Struggle
of Life-says She Is Unfairly Dis
criminated Against.
WASHINGTON, March 11.-This dis
course of DR.. Talmage Is an appeal for
mercy In behalf Of oppressed woman
hood and offers encouragement to
those struggling for livelihood; text,
Ecclesiastes iv, /, Behold the tears
Of such as were oppressed, and they
had no comforter"
Very long ago the needle was busy.
II was considered honorable for wo-
men to toll In olden times. Alexander
the Great stood In his palace showing
garments made by his own mother.
The finest tapestries at Bayeux were
made by the queen Of William the Con-
queror. Augustus, the emperor, would
not wear any garments except those
that were fashioned by some member
of his royal family. SO let the toiler
everywhere be respected.
The needle has slain more than the
sword. When the sewing machine
was invented, some thought that In
vention would alleviate woman's toll
and put an end to the despotism Of the
needle. But no. While the sewing
machine has beef a great blessing to
well to do families In many cases II
has added to the stab OF the needle the
crush Of the wheel, and multitudes or
women, Notwithstanding the re-en-
forcement of the sewing machine, can
only make, work hard as they will.
between 81 and SO week.
The greatest blessing that could have
happened to our first parents was being
turned out Of Eden after they had
done wrong. Adam and Eve, In their
perfect state. might have got along
without work or only such slight en-
ployment as a perfect garden with no
weeds in It demanded. But as soon as
they had sinned the best thing for
them was TO be turned out Where they
would have to work. We know what
a withering thing II is for n man 10
have nothing TO do. or the thousand
prosperous and honorable men that
you know 900 had to work vigorously
at the beginning. But am now 10 tell
you that industry Is just as important
for q wOman's safety AMI happiness.
The most unhappy women In our com
munities today are those who have no
engagements to call them up In the
morning; who, once having risen and
breakfasted. lounge through the dull
forenoon In slippers down at the heel
and with disheveled hair, reading the
last novel. and who. having dragged
through wretched forenoon and TAX
en- their afternoon sleep and having
passed an hour and half at their
toilet, pick up their cardcase and go
out to make calls, and who pass their
evenings waiting for somebody to come
In and break up the monotony. Arc
bella Stuart never was Imprisoned IN
SO dark dungeon as that.
Unhappy Idieness.
There is no happiness In an Idle wo-
man. 1t may be with hand, II may be
with brain. 1t may be with foot, but
work she must or be wretched forever.
The little girls Of our families must be
started with that idea. The course OF
American society Is that our young
women are taught that the first, Sec
.;,.I Of " cnuQnfh
tenth, fiftieth, thousandth thing In
their life Is to get somebody to take
care Of them. Instead of that the first
lesson should be how under God they
may take care Of themselves. The
simple fact Is that majority OF them
do have to take care Of themselves,
and that, too, after having through
the false notions of their parents vast
ed the years In which they ought to
have learned how successfully to main
tain themselves. We now and here de-
clare the inhumanity, cruelty and out
rage of that father and mother who
pass their daughters into womanhood,
having given them no facility for
earning their livelihood.
Mime. de Stael said, at Is not these
writings that am proud Of. but the
fact that | have facility In ten occu-
pations, In any one Of which ! could
make a livelihood" You say you have
a fortune to leave them Oh. man and
woman, have you not learned that. like
yultures, like hawks. like eagles. riches
have wings and 6y away? Though yon
should be successful In leaving COM
potency behind yox, the trickery OF
executors may swamp II In night or
some officials in our churches may get
up q mining company and induce your
orphans to put their money into hole
In Colorado and II by the most skillfui
machinery the sunken money cannot
be brought up again prove to them that
II was eternally decreed that that was
the way they were to lose II and that
II went In the most orthodox and heav-
enly style. Oh. the damnable schemes
that professed Christians will engage
in until God puts his fingers into the
collar Of the hypocrite's robe and strips
Il clear down to the bottom! You have
no right. because you are well Of. TO
conclude that your children are going
to be we'll off. A man died leaving a
large fortune. His son fell dead In
Philadelphia grogshop. His old COM
rades came in and said as they bent
over bis corpse. what is the matter
with you. Boggsy?" The surgeon
standing over him said: Hush ye! He
Is deadw "Oh. he Is deadT' they said.
"Come. boys: let us 60 and take a
drink IN memory Of poor Boggsy"
Have you nothing better than money
to leave your children? II you have
not but send your daughters into the
world with empty brain and unskilled
hand. you are guilty Of assassination.
homicide. infanticide.
There are women tolling In our cities
for 81 or SO a week who were the
daughters Of merchant princes. These
4 1a1 80