The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-07-12
The Coming Housewife.

The Girl of the Period does not aspire
to be merely the keeper OF the house.
she would make her a home, it is true
and n pleasant one; but this Is not the
Alpha and Omega OF her ambition. Be
side this she would be independent =
would have a profession, or trade, and
would earn her own living and carry her
own purse. The novel-writers must
change their heroines.
The woman of the past is n being the
future will not comprehend. She longed
for a master, and accepted subsection as
her lot. Marriage was her occupation.
To he sure, she must not "seell her Occu-
patiOn;" il must seek her. Therefore,
She sat down with folded hands for her
lord to come. II he came, it was we'll;
if not, woe to her, for She was thence
forth target for the wit and vulgarity
Of society. But the woman of the past
is dying out, and the coming woman
has new hopes and new aspirations.
The first article of her creed is faith in
herself. She would do something and
be somebody. She will marry, il may
be, but she will give no pledge of ohe-
dience. She will wed, but she will not
idly float about on the sea of events,
with but one prayer i'm her heart, that
the fates may take away her name.
Marriage, with her, will be an incident
in her life-a grand experience, a SOL
emn relation, truly; but it will not be
] the purpose of her existence. That pur-
/ pose will be to indiyidualiZe herself, to
develop herself, to make the most of
herself-aud this not for the sake OF
some future husband but for her own
sake. Such are the aspirations of the
coming woman, and they are not idle
#4NH
will realize them. Some of our learned
Doctors of Divinity have urged that
women must give up the idea of marry
ing, or be content 10 have no aspiration
outside of the nursery and kitchen. This
is very glowing doctrine for girlhood
10 accept.
AIalthus had a theory that, as the
population multiplied in n geometrica
ratio, willie the capacity of the eaTtl
10 produce can be made TO increase only
in an arithmetical ratio, therefore ther,
must come time when some of u
must die of, either by war, by pesti
lencc, or by famine, 10 make room fO
the rest Hence, he argued, war ant
disease are necessary to save us from
the worse fate of starvation. But fact
90 to show that as we increase in mum
. bers, and become more civilized, W,
have more than ever to eat. Despite q
Malthus, we shall keep on eating TO TIN
end OF time, even though Love ma,
: sheathc the sword and Science discove
I q spring Of perpetual health. And s.
the future woman will not give up mar
, rying, nor housekeeping, nor her chill
drcn, political economy 10 the contrar.
e notwithstanding neither will she Civ
! up her trade or profession.
!, { 4 majority Of women are OvertaXe
/, with the drudgery oof housework AN
! the care of Children How are they
s keep the house and rear the children
r and do 50 mucli beside? We must max
our work easier bv cO-OperatiOn. w
must build great factories-not gloom
] and dingy buildings, rs factories genel
D ally are, but pleasant and healthftIl-
and here we must send our washing
ironing, knitting, sewing, aud eve
81 cooking. There j. no reason why tn
= most OF this work shall not be done b
't machinery.
- How unhealthy we are--yellow, greer
j, pale, anything but the right color; an
all owing, in great measure, 70 III
l. fact that we have not learned the fir
n art of cooking. Our food is iumbled u
in every wrong way. But then scien,
- shall supervise our great Kitchen. W
: shall have n board of women, chosen L
> suffrage, 10 overlook each branch
Dr work, and such rs we know TO be verse
in the particular branch over which
y is placed. All Ignorant Bridgets mu
" 90 10 school and learn before applvir
81 for situation in the home of the fuiur
Aud sanitary boarl shall see that a
a. is well, and that all are kept.
But what Of the baby? We have di
g posed of its washing, sewing and iro
ing, which are no smalfitems. And 4
le the siclkly children, too, for the comir
n. woman will have no cross and sick chi
:. - dren to take care OF. The future moth
! win have too deep a sense of her oblig
tions to pOsterity to curse the wOr