The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-28
WOMAN'S GREATEST VICTORY
The Enactment Of the Law in New York, PROVIDING
Equal Pay for Equal Work, Without Distinction Of :
Sex in the Public Schools.
(New York Evening AA1o
New York Evening MaiI.)

ter Injustice, a summons 10 civilized
society at large.
Not only that. The six years fight
or these devoted, united and courage
Gus New York school teachers points
a new direction n g new procedure
TO women everywhere. The followers
OF MISS Strachan have not stopped
10 u~nWon1anly methods. They have
not entered into brawls in the streets.
iney nave not resorted to vulgar and
indecent Interruptions Of, meetings to
which they were not invited. They
the gallery at Albany. They have
presented facts and strong, con-
Vinclng arguments. They have de-
meaned themselves with womanly
modesty and decorum. In the face Of
SIX years Of long-drawn-out disap-
polnt1nent and aggravations they have
kept their temper. They have shown
themselves to be the equal Of men
IN their power to organize, in their
ability to stick together, to survive
temporary defeats and to keep a great
economic cause entirely free from
the complications Of the political suf-
rage question. In this they have
SHOWN logic, union n ~tenacity Of
purpose. Compared to any BODY Of
men Of equal size in the country or
gained for any they suffer
nothing by contrast.
1t would be missing the whole
point of the subject t. lose sight Of
n fact that the solidarity Of these
fifteen thousand women school teach
ers was essential to success. Miss
Strachan is a very remarkable wo-
man and deserves the admiration Of
her sisters everywhere, but she could
have done little without the unwaver-
ing. undivided support Of her follow
ers. The teachers were without the
supposedly powerful weapon of poll
teal suffrage. They a nothing to
help them but their own ability to
persuade.
Against them were massed the
forces of tradition. the opposition Of
churlish taxpayers. unwilling to grant
justice at the cost Of a minute in
crease in the tax rate. It Is sober
truth to say also that practically all
the male teachers of the State used
their influence. direct or indirect, to
defeat the equal pay bill. Yet with
chised men warning against the equal
pay bill fifteen thousand voteless wo-
men three times secured its passage
by h Legislature and finally have
seen it enacted into law.
The scene OF this wonderful victory
by women. for women, is the greatest
theatre OF municipal government in
AAo wv ~ % 0AA6AC VA
g~anization New York outranks every
other city IN existence London has
more than a government; Paris Is
q smaller city. It is fitting. then. that
the first great recognition Of economic
equality between the sexes should
take place here. 1t is no e~xaggeration
to say that the sociological conse
quences of the work done by fifteen
thousand New York school teachers
will be felt In the working out of wo-
mans future for generations to come.
What a vista of inspiring possibili-
ties has been opened to the sight Of
ell women in the past few days! Men
| have yielded sex privilege as to the
right to vote who have sternly re-
fused even to discuss the question Of
equal pay for the same work per-
formed by men n m The is
sue has been treated as a cold ques-
ton Of economics. dependent entirely
| upon market conditions and con
trolled by the law of supply n de-
mand. The city Of New York has now
recognized it as a mortal issue. Male
society has changed its mind more
than once in history regarding ques-
tons which then seemed as %unsolva-
BILE as this one. The right to own
| slaves was looked upon as a purely
| economic question. Then the world
changed its mind and it became a
moral question. Who shall say that
the time will not come when it will
| be considered immortal, or at least
q social degradation, for any mai in
a highly civilized community to pay
a woman less han a mar for the
same work?
Preacher Denies Merritt's Statement.