Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-23
EQUALITY OF SEXES
DR.. FORBES WINsLow THINKS
THAT STAGE is BECOMING
A REALITY.
English Writer Points Out the Fact
That Women Now Compete With
Men in Nearly Every FieId-says
Woman is a Living Problem.

For many years I have watched with
interest the progress made by women
IN their endeavor to establish them
selves properly and prove their ability
in their general competition with men,
says DR.. Forbes Winslow in the Lon
don Express. A few years ago while
acting as president in the department
of lunacy, connected with the interna.
tional medico-legal congress- then be.
ing held in New York, my attention
was drawn to the consideration and
respect with which American women
We're welcomed in every profession in
which they desired to practice. The
recent decision given by the Lord
Chancellor and other judges learned in
the law, which prohibits, for the time
being, the admission Of lady within
the sacred precincts of one of the
learned inns, might have been antici.
pated
If fifty years ago a lady had pre-.
sented herself before learned profes
sors in medicine of equal eminence tt
those legal luminories, and asked to be
admitted to the practice of their pro
fessfon, she would have received like
refusal. Things, however, have chang
ed since that time, and the lady doctor
in spite of what has recently taken
place, is continuing to make sure and
steady progress in the faithful perfor
nance of her duty.
That this prohibitory opinion re
specting the legal profession is only Of
a temporary nature there can be nc
possible doubt. But at present wide
spread popular belief exists that fol-
any psychological reasons woman's
work outside of her manual duties,
must be inferior to mans. :
Mans Equal, -
| In my opinion there is no scientific
ground for this belief. While, oil
course, it is true, that many form OF
manual labor are too severe for women
/ hold that in any field of work where
strength will permit her to- compete
with man she can do as well as he can
while her general. organization will be
no hindrance to her success and con.
tinued exertions. The clerical profess
sion is still closed to women, not only
in England, but in every part of the
world except America, where had the
pleasure of hearing a lady divine give
a most eloquent address.
Women at the present moment com
pete with men in every occupation and
profession except divinity and law
There are lady clerks, lady typewriters,
and on the continent We even see the
duties of railway porters and luggage
carriers performed by women. It is 8
strange thing for an Englishman, on
landing at foreign part, to see 9
strong, masculine woman come on
board and shoulder the luggage.
Now, whatever may be said Of the
rights of women, it is obvious that
in Christian and civilized nations a
certain mission exists-that of mar
riage. In. England the proportion of
women who were married during the
year is one in every seventeen Of the
population, or, taking the census exist
ing, there are more than 100000 I'M
married. We see. therefore, that these
100000 are cut off from the great end
of their existence. Their lives are in
deed various. but the greater portion