The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1904-06-23
suFFRAeE lEcrnREs


were two lectures given at the
Christian church here Monday and
Tuesday evenings Of last week. by
Miss Laura Gregg, Of Omaha. Nebras.
ka. Although a fairly good and an
preciative audience greeted the lectur.
er. the attendance was not as lsrge as
the speaker and the themes she so elo.
quently and so forcefully discussed
deserved.
Miss Gregg is very pleasant, and
at the same time an effective speaker:
the language she employs, and the
expression she uses are about as near
perfection as we have ever listened TO
She is in the Territory engaged In the
work as lecturer and club organizer OF
equal rights. or better known per
haps, as woman's suffrage clubs. She
has established her headquarters at
Guthrie from whence she will visit all
parts of the Territory leoturing and
organizing clubs. When sufficient
number Of individual clubs have been
organized. the purpose is to form the
whole into a Territorial Federation.
and strong efforts will be put forth to
secure plank in the not far distant
constitutional convention, when the
Territory shall be admitted to state
hood. In her lecture Monday evering.
the speaker made strong allusion to
the cry we so often hear raised, that
in these days women are fast getting
out Of their proper sphere entering
the commercial and the professional
world, and thus usurping mans place
nthe worlds work, and consequently
being the means Of reducing and keep
ing down the earnings or wages of
men. The remedy for this evil is such
be the case, the speaker said would be
that for an equal amount of work done
by the woman to that of the man, and
equally well done. the woman should
be justly entitled to receive an equal
remuneration to that Of the man, or
whatever that might be worth in the
common labor market.
But to show that It was not the free
choice and the will of woman 10 enter
the commercial world. and to engage
in other pursuits related to CONNER
cialism, but that she had been forced
into it by the changed conditions, the
audience was referred back to the days
of our sreatgrandmothers, and even
to no longer a period than our grand
mothers, when the women Of the
south all found employment in their
own homes, some attending to the
duties pertaining more directly to the
domestic affairs OF the household.
while others carded the wool and spun
il into yarn. wove 1t into cloth, and
made it up into clothing for the family,
all by their own hands. But there
was a time when the genius for inven-
tion came along, and having put his
wits to work he made a great ma
chine and almost as il ~ magic this
one machine could get through with
as much work as dozen or two doz-
en- women could accomplish in the
same given time, and 90 It better and
more accurately. Then the northern
capitalist sent his money down south,
and great buildings were put up in
which to house these almost human
machines. And thus the home occu-
patton of the women in very large
measure was taken away from them
and with il the equivalent in money
value OF their labor. What then, WIS
left for them to DO since their means
o ia livelihood had been taken away?
Somewhat after the fashion of Moham-
med; as the mountain was too Zig and
too clumsey to go to him, there seemed
no alternative but that he should so
othe mountain. And SO with the wo-
men. their bread and butter being at
stake, from the stern necessity Of the
case they we're compelled. like Moham-
med, to go TO the mountain.
But there was another class of wo-
men, however. the wives Of fairly
well to do business men, professional
men. and others, who, although occu-
pying their time spinning and weaving,
and making garments. did not feel the
actual necessity, after the changed
conditions were brought about, OF fol-
lowing their lost home-employment to
the factory, As did the other class
spoken Of SO lhey turned their at
tention in another direction. the pri
mary object Of which was selfeduca
tional Improvement, which finally re
suited in the formation Of womens
clubs. BY and by a spirit Of beneyo-
lence and philanthropy was aroused