The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's Work — John Shaqi
The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's WorkPenny, Virginia
General
The Employments of Women: A Cyclopædia of Woman's Work
Penny, Virginia
Women -- Employment
impositions that now render them intolerable to the refined. On
Christmas, I assisted to serve up a supper, provided by a good lady for
the poorest of the poor. It was given in the district, and at the house
of a widow, and under the care of our colportors. There were forty-eight
women and children present, not ragged and hopeless, as they were one
year ago, but tidy and bright, looking hopefully to the future, as
though they felt there is kindness in the world. It was a pleasant sight
to witness." The New York Female Auxiliary Bible Society now employs
thirteen Bible readers. A brief but interesting account is given of them
in the last report of that society, from which we copy: "From the
reports of the Bible readers for only a part of the year, we find that
they have paid more than seven thousand visits, gathered more than two
hundred children into the Sunday school, sold and distributed Bibles,
induced many to attend church, ministered to the wants of the destitute,
established sewing schools, and, in more ways than we can enumerate,
have gone about doing good." A Bible reader is now employed in
Philadelphia by the Pennsylvania Bible Society.
=4. Bankers and Bankers' Clerks.= Before the existence of savings banks,
the poor had no safe place of deposit, where they could receive
interest, and whence they could withdraw their deposits at pleasure. If
they loaned their money, there was no certainty of recovering it. If
they tried to accumulate by saving what they had, it was not always
secure from depredation. Consequently they were tempted to spend any
surplus money they had, and often no forethought of the future could
save them from anxiety and misery. Now, by industry and perseverance,
they are enabled to accumulate something for contingencies--to provide
against want, sickness, old age, and slackness of employment. The idea
of a savings bank was originated by a woman--Mrs. Priscilla Wakefield.
It is a most worthy institution, and deserving of support and patronage.
Holding office in a bank is a very responsible situation. The numerous
men defaulters that have disgraced themselves in the last few years, are
sufficient proof that the temptation to appropriate unjustly is very
great. It requires men and women of fixed principle, whose honor is
dearer to them than life itself. We think women could very well manage
savings banks. They could at any rate attend in the female department,
and in some parts of Europe do. We find in the census of Great Britain
two female bankers reported. In the _Englishwoman's Journal_ we read:
"At St. Malo, a few years ago, the wife of a rich banker, during his
absence, took her place at his desk amid the numerous clerks, received
checks, and gave to the writer of this article French money in return.
They are frequently found in offices, and often mainly conduct a
husband's or a father's business." One of the Mrs. Rothschild, I have
been told, even now spends two or three hours every day in her husband's
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