Year: 1859

| think she can. And ii she can converse


with such on business, in fashionable


store, without fear of contamination, why


can she not in any other place where duty


or necessity may call her?'


sit may be as you say, but if she Dies


not suffer in morals, she will from people {


remarks; and as plausible as your reason


ing may seem, l have thoaght and still


think, that the doctrine. which gives te


woman the right 10 mingle in the employ


mens common to men, has a tendency %


make her character less lovely. 0nt


writer says that The honors Of the forum,


the lnsigna Of political success, aud the


entrance Of commercial life are withheld


from us in mercy and l believe it,"


Eyes. AMI the same writer says, who


amo ng women would barter the innocence


of domestic life, the respectful love Of hus


band and children. for the empty honors.


the goadings OF insaiate ambition?'


would not, as God knows my heart, but
all women are moi, and may never be wives
and mothers. The woman who would
sacrifice all Or any Of the blessings of an
affectionate home for the mad prompIings
OF ambition, is worse than insane"


"But is there no motive but ambition
that may cause woman 10 leave the beaten
track that she may come before The public?
God forgive those who Judge her SO mar
rowly. AS for political success, no true
woman will care for it SO far as herself is
concerned. She will feel no interest in it.
further than the great principles Of righ,
or wrong may be involved, and IN thes.
she has right to feel an interest, neither
will she care for the honors of the forum
unless the cause Of truth and virtue is
borne forward on their rising tide"


THE busy walks of commercial life,
however, are dltfrent thing. That they
are wiheid from her in mercy. | deny, or
tha. they are Withheld from her at all. only
from the opposition Of her own sex. Man
opposes no obstacle here. and though wo-
man seldom enters them from choice, yet
there are circumstances in which it would
be cruelty instead of mercy, to prevent
her"


"Wi'l you please state some of those
clrcumstances?' .H


Most willingly. Look at that poor
widow with a family depending upon her
Tor support; her husband was in business,
and with bis careful supervision it yielded
them competence, but he is gone now.
While he lived, she was his companion
and confdant, AS every wife should be;
size knows enough of The business to carry
ii on successfully. In doing so she will
have to encounter much, but she cares not
for that; her love is strong, and what mat
ters il, if her children can be brought up.
cumIol lably educated and fited for useful
stations in society, would it be mercy TO
deny her this, because she is wuman."


Certainly not, but such case would
be an exception"


"Well think if you will look about
upon all the females who have loved ones
depending upon them for support, you will
find multitude Of exceptions, and il all
the ignorant men and women, and all the
children that are growing up to BE- such
because their mothers are and were denied
remuneratlve employmenls, could be
placed before you once, you would wish
there had never been any occasion for
such exceptions"


"Brt it seems to me we have wandered
from the point; we wee talking OF an in
telli.ent woman assuming the coarser av
ocalions of life"


so we were, and the same principle is
involved here AS in the other case.
wish lhele was not an ignorant woman in
the land, but if that were the case, and in
telligent women were allowed to engage
only in the so-called lady-h employ
menls we should be in sad condition,
truly. Society would be like person
who was all head, if we can conceive of
such at anomaly"


"Then you would have women buy and
sell, plan, calculate, in short, mingIe in all
the rough jostle of life, the same as MANI"


81 would have her to do whatever she
if she is qualified for it, and es-
peclally il those who are dear as life itself
are dependent on her for support. have
too much confidence in my sex to believe
that they will become coarse and vulgar
merely because they are allowed to choose
their own employments, and | believe that
those who say that we shall assimilate to
the vices instead of the virtues of man, if
we share his employments. are guilty of
gross libel" i


"Woman has right 10 consult her
health and the welfare Of those depending
upon her care, if there are such in the
choice of her employment. She has a
right as much as her brother To select for
herself, and they who would stamp her as
indicate or unwomanly. for SO doing, are
doing their best 10 drive her into the vor-
tex Of pollution, and if she falls not, it will
not be their fault"


:'How can we be driving them to ruin
by striving to keep them from that which
we lear will blunt the delicacy of their
feelihgs?" = te


because hunger, cold, and the wants
OF loved ones, are stronger than even your
lrowns. Ii the truth coud be known, !
doubt not that thousands are to-day in
the way of her whose steps take hold on
hell who would not have beeh there if |
the indignant frowns Of their own sex had
not kept them from engaging in some one
OF the more remune,ative employn.ents
that are now filed bv men," |