The news & observer., 1905-11-04

nineteen hundred years a struggle has
been going on to release woman from
bondage and to accord to woman from
mans treatment something better
than his horse, something dearer than
his dog. We hear much about Wo-
mans place, and have adopted and
changed the old maxim: Children
should be seen and not heard to 'Wo-
men should be seen and not heard,
and then some attempt to give force
TO this doctrine by quoting Paul:
Let your women keep silence, and II
they will learn anything let them
ask their husbands at home In the
days OF Paul, when we supposed that
husbands actually staid at home, this
doctrine might have had some force,
but now, when some husbands come
home in the wee sma' hours of the
morning, and conduct snoring
match till they arise and so hence, II
women can learn anything from such
husbands, the thing which they learn
will be about as SerViceable as a SILK
coat would be to a hog.
81 am not advocating what men In
their ridicule call the new woman,
the masculine woman. | am talking
about women noble and true and
clean; women that God made, who
respect God and bow before Him and
try to obey His laws; women who
love their homes, their husbands, their
children, and who strive for the up
lift and betterment of their race. In
these years of fierce competition for
something to eat, the growth of the
families, and sometimes the worth
lessness of man who calls himself nus
band, women have been forced to
leave the freside and turn their at
tention to work to better support
themselves and in many instances
their children and parents, and, too,
often a great big good for nothing,
lazy man called husband. Uaughter)
"Women do not voluntarily leave the
shelter of the home to engage in the
wild rush for an existence. But we
must do something. We can't sit still
with folded hands and starVe. The
old doctrine that a man marries Wo-
man to support her is threadbare to-
day. A few men are able and do sup
port their wives, but the greater pOr-
ton Of married men among us cannot
support wife and children; hence, the
woman that does not want to feel !
that she is a burden to the man she
has married puts forth an effort, and
goes out into the world, not for name,
glory and honor, but for bread and
for her babies.
More Women then Men.
"There are more women among u
than men. In the State of North
Carolina by the census of 1890 we
find 303,624 colored men and 320.S45
colored women, or 17,221 more women
than men, Each colored woman then
in North Carolina cannot have hus-
band upon whom to depend for Sus-
tenance, and hence some of them must
look out for their own support.
Nearly every day we hear the cry that
women are invading the occupations
once exclusively filled by men. That
it is true we all know: but true only
as it applies 10 the white woman.
"In nearly every occupation in
which a white man is engaged, ex-
cept those Of extreme righteousness,
the white woman has found her way.
She is not doing this because of any
great love for work, but she is doing
this because she wants food, clothes |
wants money.
''But what are the colored men do
ing to encourage and assist the ne |
gro woman in her struggle to feed and
clothe herself so that she may be
clean and maintain her good name?
Have YOU ever stopped and consid- |
cred the helpless condition of your |
own women? Outside of the school !
room where a few find occupation, |
and domestic service in the white |
mems homes, what is there for the |
negro woman to do?
Those Who go Astray.
Don't you know that 95 per cent of |
our women who go astray do so, not |
from deliberate choice, but from alb
5ulute necessity, selling their souls to |
clothe their bodies! Are you men 60 |
ns to stand by and see your women |
ink into the mire of sin and degra- |
datiOn when united effort on your part |
would save them? Instead of scOffing |
and criticising them you should eX- |
tend the helping hand and word, for
he path of the negro woman is dark |
and stormy.
Negro Women Should Awake.
"Our men in no way measure up ,
to their opportunities for business
They fail to parOnize each other |
gney discourage and under-rate one
another. If our men are so slothful
and Indifferent as to sleep upon their |
opportunities l ask the women of
North Carolina to awake, grid on their |
armor, and go to work for race up
lift and betterment. If the colored
men can't see, can't hear, can't un-
derstand, and wont take advantage
of those golden opportunities by
which God surrounds them, then We
women must unite, and do the work
which the race must do. When I
think of the subject upon which 7
have been invited to speak, | am at