A Group of Famous Women: stories of their livesHorton, Edith
History
A Group of Famous Women: stories of their lives
Horton, Edith
Women -- Biography
It has been truly said that woman's place is in the home, and true it
is that most women prefer home life; yet does not every one know that,
in numerous instances, women are compelled to earn their own living,
and often in addition to support their brothers and sisters, fathers
and mothers?
"Why, then," thought Miss Anthony, "should laws be such as to prevent
women from having the same opportunities as men in the business world?"
This line of thought was early forced upon her.
Born on the fifteenth of February, 1820, in South Adams, Massachusetts,
of Quaker ancestry, she received a liberal education from her father.
Mr. Anthony being a well-to-do merchant, it was not supposed that his
daughters would ever be obliged to support themselves, but he believed
that girls as well as boys should be fitted to do so, if the necessity
arose.
The wisdom of Mr. Anthony's course early became apparent, for when
Susan was seventeen years of age, he failed in business, and his
daughters were able to assist him to retrieve his fortunes.
Susan began to teach in a Quaker family, receiving the sum of one
dollar a week and board. Later she taught in the Public Schools of
Rochester, to which place the family had removed. Here she received a
salary of eight dollars a month for the same work for which men were
paid twenty-five and thirty dollars.
It was this injustice which first led her to speak in public. At a
meeting of the New York State Teachers' Association, she petitioned the
Superintendent for equal pay with men, but notwithstanding the fact
that her work was admitted to be entirely satisfactory, her petition
was refused on the ground that she was a woman.
Miss Anthony worked for years trying to bring the wages of women
workers up to those of men, and although she did not succeed in
accomplishing her desire, still by her efforts the general standing of
women was greatly improved.
She continued to teach until 1852, but all the while she was taking
a keen interest in every reform movement. The more she studied and
pondered over the condition of women, the stronger grew her conviction
that they would never receive proper pay or recognition, never be able
to do the work God intended them to do in the world, unless they should
be given equal political rights with man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account