Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1903-07-27

to serve. h1ave no use for those mas
culine cynics who would debar women
from the different vocations of life.
Of woman may be. would slam the
door of all useful means of earning an
honest livelihood in their sisters faces.
They say "a woman should not be
lawyer, a doctor, a minister, a mer
chant. an artist. writer or anything
else but a wife and a mother But
this is what / do affirm: All things be-
ing equal, a woman ought TO seek
those vocations which are naturally
hers and let the men fill those positions
which naturally belong TO them. 1t is
not natural for woman to be a soldier,
a fireman, a policeman. 1t is not nat
ural for her to dig in the gutter or
work as a day laborer in the fields. as
she is compelled to do in foreign lands.
1t Is not natural for her to slave in
factory or to fill many of the clerical
positions she is filling today. While,
on the other hand 1t is natural for her
to be nurse, dressmaker, cook,
chambermaid, waitress, a school
teacher and lady's companion. and
hundreds of other positions we might
easily mention.
Now, when a woman deserts the po-
sidons for which God has specially
equipped her, what is the inevitable re-
suit? Her work is not only left un-
done, but she becomes competitor
against her father and brothers for
theirs. What is again the inevitable
result? By the law Of supply and de-
mand she not only underbids her
brother for his position, but by that
bidding the whole system of wages goes
down. She is the sufferer. He is the
sufferer The mischief is far reaching
1t is the result of her turning aside
from her natural employment in which
there is pressing need of her service
and in which she could find constant
occupation at remunerative wages.
She leaves a place untitled and forces
her way into a walk of life already
overcrowded and in which her compe-
ution is injurious to other workers.
oh some one says to me, that is
the old argument of a jealous man.
You do not like to feel that your sister
is just as smart as you are and per-
haps a little smarter and can take
away your job and do it better for
less money" No, my friend. l can
conscientiously say I have not one
jealous hair in my head. The more
other people succeed the more 1 glory
in their success, and to me there is
no more beautiful sight than to see a
young girl whose father and brothers
are dead 60 forth and seek a position
which her talent gives her a right to
fill and bring money home and throw it
in the lap of her widowed mother
But this is the social condition against
which 1 do protest: l protest against
| our daughters and sisters pushing their
| fathers and brothers out of work, so
| that the girls have to support the male
| members of the family. while the ia
| theirs and brothers are idle because
| their places have been taken by wom-
| en-. l have known scores and hundreds
were physically able to do work, but
could not get work merely because
their daughters, who at that time
should have been at school, were fill
ing the positions which their fathers
and brothers ought to have filed.
The Christian Domestic.
| Now, women of America whom God
has called to be consecrated domestics
l plead with you to enter the kitchen
and the nursery and the home because
that is one of your natural spheres
that is place where God wants you to
work. The Christian domestic should
be honored both on earth and in heav-
en- because she is not only able to dc
her own work, but also to impress her
consecrated life indelibly upon others
Did she not do it with the emperor OF
all the Russias? When the old nurse
of Emperor Alexander died did he not
as well as all his brothers, who were
grand dukes, follow that sacred body
to the family tomb? They not only
followed it afoot, but walked for three
long miles through binding Russian
snowstorm. Did not humble Chris
tan nurse start forth Lord Shaftes
bury upon his great mission of life
When the famous English philanthro
pist's hair had been silvered by the raw
ages of many winters he testified IL
public meeting. "All that l have beer
able to do for Christ and my fellow
men is due to the gospel teachings OF
my old Christian nurse" AS the little
Jewish maiden. who was a servan
girl, sent the warrior Naaman down II
the river Jordan to be cured of leprosy
has there not been in our past live
some consecrated Christian domesti
who was able to help send us to tn
waters of life to be cured of our lep
rosy of sin? oh, my sister, never un
derestimate the opportunities of use
fulness of the honorable position of
noble Christian girl serving Christ a
a domestic in some humble home
Thus, in closing. l would speak a
earnest word to those women who ar