The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-09-01
Where it Goes.
BY ELIzABErm STUART PHELrs,

q
he is tripping down his side of ii, she
hers, and of they go, "waving theil
hands for last farewell" to that com
munity of faculties, tastes, and interests
that possible sometimes practicaD like
ness of mental and moral caliber which
alone can constitute, in any sufficient
sense of the term, equality between two
people. Now and then a woman "cuts
across lots" and now and then a man
goes honestly out to meet her; and occa-
sionally, through thickets, and over
rocks, and across briars, the two CLASH
hands with an appreciation of mutual
need, and a fitness for one another. and
a content with one another which would
have been unattainable had thev gone
ON tossing roses and flying kites at each
otheracross the growing distance of their
several ways. But this is only that
happy exception which proves the sad
rule
Mature life, which develops the man.
stunts the woman. He goes on. She
stands still. He unfolds. She droops.
he puts himself at compound interest
intact.
This is especially noticeable among
what we call educated" men and
women.
Mary and Josiah, at the high school ar
academy, keep step like drilled soldiers
Mary III fact, Is inclined to effect tha
Euclid lesson in less time than Josiah.
and Mary will graduate the higher rank
in Greek. At the Shakespeare eIocution
clubs they will take turns at the five
dollar prize. If Josiah's composition
on the principle of the cog-wheef is read
at the exhibition, Mary will write the
parting hymn. Even at the baseball
match one August evening, Mary will
be pitcher" and Josiah must look To
his laurels, or she will carry her "side'I
in spite of HIM.
IL they chance in a medical college
together, Mary will be quite sure to hear
the first honOrs over his head.
But Mary seldom chances in the med
ical or, alas ! i'm any other college.
Josiah plunges into Calculus and Des-
cartes. Mary subsidies into custartls and
dish-water. In fifteen years he is a
college professor, or State surveyor, or
the principal of the Young American
Idea. In fifteen years-fifteen? i'm fivei-
the chances are that she will not read
the daily papers.
Apparently, the girl started in life
with the same chance of intellectual
growth as the boy. What became of it9
To all powers Of observation and infer
ence she seemed to bring, at the start as
much mental stock rs he To their Joint
corporation. Where did il go?
Said the Hon. George II. Hoar before
committee Of the Massachusetts Leg-
islature, i'm 1870 =
sin the town where / was born and
educated, and where We had pretty good
schools and pretty good scholars, the
girls were always at the head of the
classes. My friend who has preceded
me and my friend who sits on the COM
mittee perhaps could tell YOU something
of lady who fitted me for college, of
whom IL was said by the late President
Everett that she could fill any professor
ship in Harvard College. Under her
tuition the university used to place
students who were suspended for a time;
and she Kept them up with their classes
in every study, doing n work which
would have been divided among a dozen
male teachers in the college. She was
one of the few persons in this country
who are said to have read the DIecd,li-
que celeste in the original, without the
assistance of the translation of DIR. Bow
ditch; Greek and Latin scholar TO
whose studies -Eschylus and Homer
and Virgil were familiar; well ac-
quainted, too, with the languages and
literatures of modern Europe; who
could tell naturalists, like Tuckerman
and Gray, some things about their own
studies which they were glad To hear.r
If there are such women as that among
us-and where we hear of one there are.
of course, dozen "mute ingloriousv-
what becomes of them? Why, if they
marry, do they sink into nursery-maids
and cooks; and why, if they do not
marry, do we find them-for We do find
them-rusting life out i'm sewing-circles
and strawberry festivals? Why do they
go so far and stop
"Why?" said a keen-eyed woman, to
whom | once propounded the problem:
where ," sharply. "Its plain enough
where. Women's wits go into their
clothes.n
After long, patient and assiduOus
study, I am inclined to think-unabIe
to find for the worse better reason
that she was partly right.
We hear a great deal about the llOncg
it takes TO effect well-dressed woman.
wish we were Oftener reminded of the
brains il takes.
The average young man walks into
his tailor's twice year, pays Il bill, and
has coats and pantaloOns and vests.
That is all he knows. He requires
shirts, and somebody makes him shirts.
He thinks no more. Will he have a
hat? Behold piece Of felt, with
gallOOn string. 1t does not flop over his
forehead. 1t will never twitch off his
back hair. 1t does not blow into his
eyes. Its elastic cannot blister his neck,
or produce depression of the cerebellum.
1t will not be out of date before the
summer is over. 1t is seldom or nevera
a matter of serious reflection. IL is
fixed fact, like Yesterdays dinner or the
last election.
The average young woman eXpends
enough inventive power, enough finan-
cial shrewdness, enough close foresight,
enough perturbation of spirit, enough
presence of mind, enough patience of
hope and anguish of regret, upon one
seasons outfit had almost said upon
one single street suit-tO make an eX-
cellent bank cashier or comfortable
graduate of theological seminary.
If you doubt the truth of this state
ment just take in for yourself, with the
'criekets eye" the first young girl you
may meet down town. How fearfully
and wonderfully madel How do you
suppose those bias folds, and double
box-plaits, and fiuted ruflles, and corded
bands, aud shirred waists, and pam
hlered skirts, and bowed, and fiounced.
anu tied, and corded, and laced, and but
TONED, and spangied, and fringed, and
iiOlued, and dotted, and haunched, and
getheri
Inere was maneuvering enough ex-
pended upon the dress-maker to have
elected representative, and eoncentra-
tion o: mind upon the seamstress in
tense enough to have withstood Wall