The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-11-30
Letter from Boston.
BOSTON, Nov. 29, 1865.

| IN. Not exactly the days OF ChiFaly~'n"'
element seems entirely wanting-but the days
when doughty highwaymen cried, @Stand and
deliver, No greater CONSERVATION could
have fallen on Nottinghamshire, when Robin
Hood led his band through the painless shades
of that great forest of Sherwood, than now
reigns in this valiant town of Boston. Peace
full citizens set the laws at defiance and go to
and from their daily task, armed to the teeth.
The compliments of the day are no longer i'm
pressiye remarks upon the weather, and anx-
ious inquiries after the state of your health,
but-"Haye you been garroted?"
l said to Capsicus, last night, who was ex-
aiming the edge of dirk, and adjusting
stiletto in his sleeve, preparatory to walking
across the Common to the post-office-said /:
"Why, it seems just like living in the days
of Romance, doesn't it I? among the lovely rob-
bers that Byron wrote such beautiful poetry
about"
"Lovely cut-throats! A set of vilainous,
cowardly blackguardsp o T01 AJl0hJ
"But they used to be knightly and gallant,
and, so bravep
distance lends enchantment to ancient
vagabonds as well as to modern women" and
with this remark, he buttoned up his over
coat, IN resolute manner, and went out.
He used to laugh at me a few months ago,
when all the women were interested in fire.
arms-just after the Mary Harris case be-
cause dared not cross the Common alone al
ter nightfaI so didn't blame him SO much
for slamming the door. zoo
Although the villains were at first generally
successful in obtaining watches, money, etc.,
they are now as often foiled by the presence of
mind of their would-be victims tlh.
| A man who works by night in piano-forte
factory, was crossing Dover street bridge,
when. man presented pistol and generous
ly gave him the assurance that he would not
harm him ifhe would quickly give him his
overcoat The man drew weapon from his
| pocket, and magnaninously replied that if he
I would run he wouldn't shoot him. The vii
lain lost no time in taking advantage of his
liberty, and ran as fast as ever he did in his
| life, though his antagonist had nothing with
which to shoot him more formidable than
piano-forte tuner. a I'd na9 ~
Another man held scoundrel at bay for
some time by coolly pointing at him, an ele-
CANT meerschauln pipe. hb43 q
Another, upon being attacked, made no re-
sistance, but held large knife upright before
| his throat, and the garroter in clasping his
| neck was severely wounded.
| A few examples of condign punishment
would relieve the country of this reign of ter
ror. ri ~. ....5,. .,,.7 .es ri 81 s5s eirs
| A woman was once hung for snatching a
purse from another woman's hand ON Boston
Common, this being the punishment for high
way robbery, in Eye olden time"
| In Saturdays paper there were no less than
| twelve accounts ofattempted garrotting, burg
larry, thieving, incendiarism, &c. a;-ass
| In the December Atlantic Mrs. Stowe deals
with the @Woman's Rights" question. Its
chief interest lies in the fact that it came from
her pen. She sees the wrong, but she sees it
| from the same standpoint with Lucy Stone,
Mrs. Dali, and others. Women ought to vote,
| they should be admitted to more workshops
where their brothers toll, they should learn to
do all work well. They should bring to the
printers case, to the tailors bench, the ledger,
the disse citing table, all the ambition and en-
thusiasm of men. In fact, they must lay aside
their womanhood and become men, as the
first step in this system ofreform. And the
reason why our noble female reformers have
become discouraged, disheartened, and finally
have given up the work as hopeless, is that
women themselves take no interest in their
T. Il.
not renounce the hope of sometime becoming
wives and mothers ('slaves and serfs') for the
! sake of emulating their brothers in the arts
and sciences and professions. W.
| When men choose profession, or learn a
| trade, MARRIAGES. an incentive to zeal in their
vocation; while women lay down their trade
| when they become wives. Reform should not
fight against these instincts, but it should be-
! friend and guide them. 1t should teach men
| who are ever SO ready to sustain, protect and
| support the weaker sex, who are ever ready to
defend them IN right gallant way, from
| wrong and oppression-it should teach them
| to look upon the female laborer as their friend
and co-worker, rather than usurper. Many
avenues of labor are assiduously closed to wo-
men because they take work from men who have
families tosupport, so they throw this woman
back upon some man to maintain, rather than
suffer her to support herself, and perhaps
others.
Reform in the question of Woman's Rights
has ever labored with one oar, and the opposi-
ton has blindly fought with impotent and
short sighted arguments. We hope that some
true heart may yet set up banner of reform
| upon the heights of Human Kindness, towards
| which all steps shall bend-teaching all men
to be just and true to all women as they are,
and no longer strive to make men of them be-
fore they are deemed worthy of aid
Mrs. Stowe says many fine things about
instructing girls thoroughly in all branches of
| housewifery. She has suffered, no doubt from
vain, useless incompetent servants
cants. Few servants find any more interest
manifested for their affairs, than they show
for their employers. Sympathy, kindness,
affection, and not this impenetrable barrier of
"caste" would do much in democratic Ameri-
ca to effect better state of things. But the
wrong goes on and will go on-this tyranny
Of men over laboring women, though Mrs.
| Stowe should write volumes and should say
it was not at all to the point. aid
There is nothing sensational occurring here.
No news at all. The civil machinery moves
the same as ever. Considerable is being done
in the building line, and the sidewalks on
Washington street are much INSTRUCTED there
by. The panic in the drygoods market has
brought prices down one-third within few
days, upon cotton and silk goods. The warm
weather continues with frequent rains. Sun