The Leon reporter., 1900-03-15

StanQ On without disgrace, the idea OF
doing anything for q livelihood is dis
honorable. 1t is shame for daugh-
ter to be idle while her mother tolls
at the washtub. 1t is as honorable to
sweep house, make beds or trim hats
as 1T is to twist a watch chain.
So far as can understand, the line
OF respectability lies between that
which is useful and that which is USE
less. II women do that which is of no
value, their work is honorable. II they
do practical work, it is dishonorable.
That our young women may escape
the censure of doing dishonorable
work, shall particularize. You may
knit tidy for the back OF an arm
chair, but by no means make the
money wherewith to buy the chair.
You may with delicate brush beauti-
fy mantel ornament, but die rather
than earn enough to buy marble
mantel. You may learn artistic music
until you can squall Italian, but never
sing "Ortonville' or "Old Hundredth.''
Do nothing practical if you would, in
the eyes of refined society, preserve
your respectability. I scout these
finical notions. tell you I. woman,
no more than man, has right to
occupy place in this world unless
she pays rent for it.
In the course of lifetime you con-
sumo whole harvests. and droves of
cattle and every day you live and
breathe forty hogsheads of good, pure
air. You must by some kind of USE
fulness 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. II geologists are right,
the earth was 100000 of years In
the possession 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 to do
with US. II we want a 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 its breakfast before it eats it,
and the Bible gives an intimation that
the first duty of an idler is to starve
when it says, III he will 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 re-
constructed on the subject of woman's
toll. A vast majority Of those who
would have woman industrious shut
her up to few kinds of work. MY
judgment in this matter Is that
woman has right to do anything that
she can do we'll. There should be no
department Of merchandise, mechan-
ism, art or science barred against her.
If Miss Hosmer has genius for sculp-
ture. give her chisel. If Rosa Bon
heur has a fondness for delineating
animals. let her make "The Horse
Fair" If Miss Mitchell will study as
tronomy, let her mount the starry lad
der. II Lydia will be merchant, let
her sell purple. II Lucretia Mott will
| preach the gospel, let her thrill with
her womanly eloquence the Quaker
meeting house.
Tho Rights of Woman.
II Is saia II woman Ia given such
opportunities she will os-.v pA..~es
that might be taken by men. l say ii
she have more skill and adaptness 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
as men have. But 1t is said that her
nature is so delicate that she is un-
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
subjected? The battering ram, the
sword, the carbine. the battleax, have
made no such havoc as the needle. I
would that these living sepulchres in
which women have for ages been bur-
led might be opened and that some
resurrection trumpet might bring up
these living corpses to the fresh air
and sunlight
Go with me and I will show you a
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 neighbor on the Sabbath to
come in and 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
woman as that has body and soul
enough to fit her for any position.
She could stand beside the majority
of our statesmen and dispose of more
goods. She could go into your wheel
wright shops and beat one-half of your
workmen at making carriages. We
tank about women as though we had
resigned to her all the light work and
ourselves had shouldered the heavier.
But the day of judgment, which will
reveal the sutferings of che stake and
inquisition, will marshal before the
throne of God and the hierarchs of
heaven the martyrs of washtub and
needle. Now, / say, If there be any
preference in occupation. let woman
have it. God knows her trials are the
severest. BY her acuter sensitiveness