What Is an American Lady?

Letter to the editor requesting to know the difference between a "lady" and the "laboring classes," as a result of a sermon by Mr. Hyde who asks for the ladies to spread the word of God to the laboring classes. N.E. claims that only in "old" England is there a difference between the two, because in "new" England women work, care for their children and husbands, and feel a sense of independence because they are not idle or merely ornamental.