The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-05-03
A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE WOMAN
QUESTION,

Dear Mrs. DulilCoy,-Itw was suggested
to me some time since that l should
contribute something to the NEW
NORTHWEST. At first thought that
could not. had been 'out of practicen
for long time, and il also seemed to
me that in these days, when every sub
ject under the sun is so freely discussed,
there could be but little chance for orig
inality of thought or expression. So 1
feared that after 1 had written it would
be discovered that some one else had
been over the same ground, and so 1
should be accused of plagiarism, al
though none had been intended. But
an article in one of your papers has
given me a text, and will venture
few thoughts. If 1 wished to dignity this
with a name I should be puzzled what
to call it-'Woman's Rights" "Wom-
ans Wrongs" or "Subjugation." /
rather think it would be mixed.
Bless you forever and ever, that you
exercised the moral courage to show up
in his true light the man who insulted
his wife by rendering her act of courtesy
''null and void," and her guests by send
ing them in such a manner from under
his roof. If 1 could reach my hand half
way across the continent, L would like
to grasp yours; and if you could hear
me, thank you in behalf of all the sub
jugated women in Christendom. Then
1 would like to turn to that poor wife,
and assuring her of my sympathy, bid
her be of good cheer and hope for better
days. Then-but 1 won't say what 1
would like to do to him. But really he
was no worse, and perhaps not quite as
bad, as some know. For his insuffer-
able meanness there can be no excuse
but he was no hypocrite. Give even
the devil his due. He might have en-
tered his parlor with bows and smiles
and welcomed the ladies with apparent
ly the utmost cordiality, and maintained
the deception until they had passed be-
yond his threshold, impressed with the
| belief that "Mr." was n charming man
and 'AIrs." a fortunate and happy
woman, and then uneorked the vials oI
his wrath and poured them on the head
of his devoted wife. The hypocrisy
would have saved her from the intense
modification she must have expert
enced. She would also have missed the
sympathy since accorded her.
Nnx- if l. l.,F "a
Of one individual, and we could believe
there was no other like him, we NIGH
look upon him as a sort of monstrosity
in society, and say no more. But, unfor
tunately, he is but the representative o
a large class of men. Circumstance
} may differ, but the principle is tn,
same. They look upon women as tn,
weaker sex, and weakness with them il
synonymous with inferiority. They d,
not mean to be ruled by a woman, an,
acting upon the principle that ''pre
ventive is better than cure" the.
deny her reasonable requests, thwar
, her innocent plans, and in all possibl
ways give her to understand that she i
to obey. Doubtless, in the case yol
, have mentioned, the subjugating pro
cess has been going on ever since tn
J wane of the honeymoon. Every mar
ried woman is considered as sustaining
the relation of mistress in her own fam
lily, but often the title is merely nomi
| nal. There is master, and he is tn
head of the house; no united head
there such talk is all fiction-but on
absolutely independent head, and tn