The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-05-24
A Sensible Letter from Sensible Woman.
[From the Oregon Good Templar.l

From the Oregon Good Templar.l
Ed. GOOD TeBlptGr:-In n late issue of
your paper there was a correspondence
from Junction City, signed Van, which
i wish to answer if you will give me
space, for don't really think he does
the women justice. In the first place we
will admit that DIR. Boswell and Dickey
Henderson are good temperance lee
turers, but they can neither of them,
Notwithstanding one of them has been
to Congress, compare works with Mrs.
Carrie +. Young in the temperance cause,
and by works are We to judge this tenn
peranee movement and not by flOwery
speeches, Notwithstanding she can make
as good n speech as either of them. You
speak of good sister throwing bomb
shell into the camp at Salem, and in
the next place compare her to the devil,
or rather say the devil appeared through
her. Now, sir, can you put so low an
estimate on woman as to compare her
10 devil, when you owe your existence
to woman, and are indebted to her for
your first and most noble ideas? You
say it would be just as disgracefui for
women to hold Office and fight their
country's battles as for drunkards to
rule. Now we women never expect to
fight our country's battles on the actual
field only when men turn towards
and run, and we always teach our sons
to fight when their country calls them,
so there will be no necessity for women
fighting their cOuntry's battles on the
active field You talk about the disgrace
of women holding office; nov, sir, would
you be afraid of your mother or sister
disgracing themselves, put them in
whatever position you might? No, sir,
YOU are not uneasy about them, but il
/ is some other mans mother or sister
| that is going to be disgraced. Now, sir,
what would our lodges be without the
/ presence of women, sir? You know
I full we'll that should we withdraw from
them to-day, twelve months hence
would not find a Good Templar Lodge
/ in Oregon. Now about that awful diff
/ ficulty of mother.Eve and the serpent
! The command was given to Adam and
not to Eve, but still he did not hesitate
| to eat when she offered ii to him, neither
| did he demonstrate with her, but will
/ ingly took of the forbidden fruit and ate
! knowing at the same time that he was
! bringing ruin on himself and wife, whom
! he should have tried to protect from the
charms of the serpent, instead of will,
ingly submitting to it.
exactly to the text; so we will do the
same with you, and instead of getting
up fine dinners and suppers for YOU, we
will tell you to go and eat of the ground
and of the herb of the field as God com.
manded YOU You say if women are SC
desirous of being useful why don't they
discontinue to recognize as gentlemen
drunkards and gamblers, cease to fel.
Iowship with them or marry them
| Do YOU think one of natures law:
can be changed? If you do you are
wonderfully mistaken. Furthermore i
we should do as you advise, there wOulC
be ten drunkards where there is now
only one. You talk about reforming
drunkards by sighting them aud no
recognizing them as gentlemen. Why
don't you men do what you are so keeI
to have us try? l suppose you thinl