| Show THE WOMANS ANNEX A paver paper read by mrs linda W slaughter vice president for dakota of the W N P A before theroman Woman the national press association at willards IVil Wil tarde tards hotels hotel washington D C V jan fan 2181 1888 victor victor auge his wisely said and there are few to gainsay his prophecy that the nineteenth century belongs to woman in america fib do far has his bis prediction been fuld fulfilled lied that tle optimist who pins his faith in the sovan advancement van cement of the human raced race upon the moral and educational elevation of woman hath bath cause to rejoice the old pillars of prejudice pre adice that propped ap the popular belief in the national interiority inferiority have been pulled down and carted away universities medical colleges and law schools are no longer closed to her theological instruction to is no longer denied her the pulpits of our leading churches graciously admit adm ither her in all the mental and physical activities of life she is a potent factor no reform movement is complete without her sue conducts farms on an western pr pral alnes neg runs newspapers in eastern cities and fills offices of trust and honor everywhere she is versed in all the wide range of philosophical loal and scientific research i she dabble dabb lotin in theosophy and is versed in christian science indeed we may sum up the whole subject in the pleasant truism that what woman doe sift know kaow nowa now a days worth knowing knowin in abe these latter days she has turned her attention ionta la journalism and be come a skilled artificer in ink la in the brain markets of the world her thought productions compete for recognition tion iob anthe on the common basis of equal ps pas for equal excellence of work it t is ot of this new profession the noblest industry now open to the sex that luishi I 1 wish dear friends to speak to you to night I 1 would tell you of A through whose gilded dome the glorious sunlight streams and wherein are m mighty presses and swift revolving w wheels I 1 whose thunders echo round the world wherein do dwell the intellectual giants who control the world of thought and feeling and whose hands upon the pulses of events record the heartbeats heart beats of liu humanity manity herein are busy basy workers who toil fora for tame and fortune lor tune here center the great arteries of trade and commerce here flows ina in a steady stream the tide of at daily news here are found the edicts that decide the fate of nations strong of heart and wise of brain are they who rule this goodly dwelling upon them presses heavily the care lofstate of state and business they are otten weary with the stress and strain ot of public business but the prestige of success surrounds them and the sunshine of popular tavor favor shines esq ever in their lofty mansion this is mans peculiar province man the original proprietor of the universe who long loag years ago stamped his bis veni vidi vid on the world of letters malihe autocrat who has never fairly divided his bis kingdom with woman and who ott oti hath bath wrought her great to be sure man invented the art of printing the chinese of the tenah century guttenberg gattenberg and faust we were re men and so too were benjamin franklin and mr hoe we cani deny that yet this fact did not constitute a conveyance in tee fee simple to their male descendants descendant of all the vantage ground embraced in movable apes yet man la in his editorial capacity hath reared a stately edifice sacred to himself and whose interior to our female ancestors was forbidden ground but in these latter days a few venturesome women have invaded his realm and claimed a quarter section of the land which man as squatter sov sovereign had preempted pre empted as an original inal claim were there they have pitched their tents and unmindful of his proprietorship have built up a one story addition to his great journalistic ex position building a sort of annex to the main structure which is as yet but a dim gallery through which t the 11 e starlight siar light faintly shines this afi s corner in the factory ol of thought isad here she engages in ia the manur manufacture of intellectual wares with none to molest or make laer her afraid though bat a narrow space she fills it fairly and as we look about we see ece the busy workers as they ply the pen had bad I 1 hot but the fly pencil 0 ox in an artist and could I 1 paint with magic brush I 1 would sketch for you yon tonight in lines both deep and lasting lastine the fair brave pioneers who have dared to lay the corner stone of a new industry outside the old time boundaries of womans comans kingdom to describe the anneli without the occupants is like the play of hamlet with the part of hamlet bamlet left out oat so fully bath each one left the Im impress of her own ind quality upon the whole each of f atit tt ea 10 nath hath wrought laboriously in the geld field of thought and effort and comes enriched with the experience peri ence of mature and hallowed womanhood here are the ADVOCATE OF EDUCATION and the pioneers of social parity the womans comans christian temperance upton sends scads recruits who bring with them with the little ittle white ribbon all that it typifies of love and prayer aud and self I 1 deual denial here to is the suffragist who han ha long carried at the front of the battle the standard of womans comans advancement and here too aro are those who from their work in the red cross society and the womans comans relief belief corps of the G A R ri bring suggestions ot of tender ministrations to the sick and wounded the labor and industrial unions are here represent edi and ahe peace arbi society sends bends a delegate from the law office and the lecture held from the mission work and the quiet labors of the church and sambath school irom the editorial sanctum t the h e ho home me of elegance and the farm in the far west have come these willing workers worker 8 to aid in womans comans progress and here we nod flud them grouped tor for mutual benefit benefi in an organization that beers bears the mystic sign W N X P A let us flu find d those four lettera letters mean we soon discern that A A stands for association and we find that it ic isan association having its origin giu in that strong freemasonry free masonry of sentiment that always exists among honorable people eo le of the same profession mankind 91 alfrom from the earliest ages have understood der ders stood the value of leadership and organization the arab of the sands and the indian of the plains are banded under tribal obligations the armies of el civilized nations are marshaled under a common leader armed for a common purpose and march forth conquering and to conquer under a banner that bears the insignia of a common cause thus are they enabled to achieve results not possible of attainment to the same nin numerical merical body of men each of whom fires at random and moves and acts on his bis own responsibility and according robts to bis own ideas of expediency and without regard to the movements of his bis comrades system ip is essential to success guerilla warfare Is ia therefore a failure the best disciplined army the best drilled body of tr tramps cops the regiment whose hearts responsive beat in unison and whose feet keep step in h harmony a armony with the music ot a soul inspired purpose are they to whom success is surest all associations have their origin in this idea of union fok mutual protection tec tion for far the commow commom good for the general welfare of the ual members men are banded together in communities e muni ties and yield allegiance to one common head and whether the ruler be king or emperor president or chieftain the central idea of union is the one embodied in every form of government civilized or savage united men are strong divided they are weak here thon then are women understanding this truth united in a common BOND OF SYMPATHY and working with a common motive who have combined under such requirements quire ments as the law imposes to promote the interests of their profession through their community of interests and natural and necessary sympathies with and for each other they have been led to organize and join hands bands in a sis terly compact to encourage one another and to help one another coming one step backward la ia the name we find that it is a press association cia tion hence an association of persons engaged in newspaper and literary work civilized men cannot live without newspapers enormously outly large as is the daily supply it to in no wise exceeds the demand and to meet this demand trained workers are deployed in the various departments of journalistic work the popular demand is for a high order of work and the workman whose skill is greatest commands the highest prices in this as in all intellectual tel pursuits it will be found that those who have undergone the preparatory processes of education and apprenticeship to the scholars craft W aze most moat successful bebi comes from knowledge and in proportion to the skill employed is the result obtained ana in like ratio the pee pecuniary I 1 iniard reward the newspaper to is the g great reat educator the profession of journalism is one involving as great responsibility as that ot of the law or medicine or er even of the ministry and in the days to come zihere there will be schools of journalism wherein will be taught the ethics and unfolded toe the principles of the writers creed another backward step informs us th that at it I 1 is s a national press association its charter informs us that its barlic ular purpose is to encourage the efforts and promote blie the success of women engaged in the profession of journalism in the united states thus it has a wide range and has combined in one grand union the literary elements of all the states and territories a proceeding most commendable since they have done what coridi congress Con giess ess persistently ref refuges u sea to do and admitted dakota into the union now we reach the crowning word it is a womans comans national press association cia tion aud why not womans comans place in journalism is assured she is securely ensconced in her own little corner and ovar the annex her flag floats cheerily she was late in comini coming tw bu she has come with pen and inkstand and she HAS HAB COMB TO STAY nay more she has vindicated her right risotto to stay not because she is a woman not because she must earn a living iving not because man graciously permits her to stay but by the higher test of diligence and an 4 the excellence of her work for womans comans fitness for journalistic labors there can be no question the dally newspaper plays as important part in the formation of the character and the determination of the destiny of 0 the youth of the land it if the mothers of our boys controlled the columns of our secular press they would contain no line unfit for guileless minds to read no reports of pugilistic encounters would then deface their pages the profession of journalism needs woman quite as much as woman needs the profession I 1 say this without in the least seeking to detract from the merit of df our tr fc others who wao have ave gone before and paved the way it is never good for man to be alone ile he has lauy admirable qualities but it has never been claimed by even his warmest admirers that the art of f keeping a house in order was one of them yet here he has built himself a great big journalistic house and worked in it all alone and become so absorbed in its wholesale business that he be has neglected its details and in consequence its grand arches and stairways have ave gotten full fall of dust and cobwebs and poor follow fellow he be needs woman anto to sweep bitout it out tor for him and brush and dust and pick up and put away until it is clean and sweet and wholesome it may maybe be urged by some captious objectors that journalism is not a fit profession for woman it being bein 9 one OIL in which men can more fittingly engage let me answer womans comans work is always womanly A courageous spirit di dignified dignifies atles tile the aask task and a self reliant mind ennobles the calling oal line the necessity of self support comes oft with crush crushing ing force to many women and it is a matter for felicitation felicita tilon that if they have the gift of expression and the requisite culture they need not sew at star vailon vaLlon prices nor teach for less than living wages for in the newspaper offices of the land they can find ready employment in a trace where merit and not sex decides the scale of payment the womans comans national press association jr is BUT A BEGINNING the womans comans annex as yet is but an it will enlarge from year a to year mn M in n the powerful own er of the mammoth establishment next door doors to noti going to pall our little house down he may even prove a generous gem rons neighbor and help us build it higher in time he may even ask us to come and work with him in the sunshine of his splendid palace indeed iu in this jubilee year of the nineteenth century it may even come to pass that man with the help of woman will reconstruct the entire ed ilice and a s grond and stately temple will arise instead wherein both may euay work together then there will be aioo 0 o more annex I 1 for the corner stone of the sew new tur wilt will be equal rights for man and woman |
