The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-01-17
THE SAME OLD STORY.

In the OrcgOHial of Dec. 14th we read
''that the girl Ellen Shadden, who was
enticed into den of infamy on Second
street, debauched, and subsequently in
duced to go to San Francisco, had been
deserted by the wretch Pascal Smith, by
and through whose vile Vaccinations
she was unfortunately brought to grief"
1t is indeed The same old story, for
there is scarcely a week passes which
does not record case Of entieement, in
ducement, debauchment and abandon
ment, and in every instance the person
enticed is of the feminine gender. II
would seem as though only women or
girls are fit subjects for enticement, and
all Of the talk and writing proceeds
upon the uncontradicted assumption
that the female of the genus homo is too
weak, trusting and unsuspicious to re-
slst enticement by the male, and conse-
quently she is to be under guardianship
always and the special object of the
law. This is a most humiliating con-
fession, if true, that girls, more than
boys, lack the moral and intellectual
forces necessary for self-protection, and
would so very far in determining the
question of Woman Suffrage.
If woman is by nature weak, credu-
lous and afIectionate to that degree
termed defenceleess, then it is idle to
talk Of giving her more power; she
must forever be dependent and subordi-
nate, a subject needing protection
rather than an endowment of power
winch she has not the capacity to COM
prehend or the ability to maintain.
This is the light in which woman has
been viewed by government, and GER
talnly the constant repetition of the
same ofd story of enticement does not
have tendency to dispel the delusion
Girls are weak and defenceless. not
from want of natural capacity, but from
sheer ignorance. Boys are just as much
so. Men are as easily 'taken i'm, as
women. There is no difference in natu-
raj capacity for self-protection by the
use of mental and moral forces. Talk
about girls being entieedl Why, how
many grown men have been entieed 10
their ruin, financial, moral and physi-
cal? The number of Western men who
were enticed into the purchase of BOGUS
transportation tickets in the city of New
York would make q jolly big crowd.
The New York papers were daily reiter-
ating the same old story of "more bogus
tickets sold and green-horns fiat broke,D
but it did not seem to make much diff
ference-the supply of green-horns was
never exhausted. The same man was
never fooled more than once; the next
time he bought a good ticket. A very
consoling reflection il is that old as well
as young men, as well as women, do
learn by experience. 1t would be very
unfortunate, however, if mankind could
learn only by experience, and that
every man, woman and child must 90
through the mill of enticement to ruin
before they can see what will come of
1t. In any event women will follow
men and men women; there is mu-
tual attraction which it would be un-
natural to resist. They must love and
trust each other if they die by it. The
same old story proves this. 1t proves,
too, that the impulse of love is blind, |
and that the Ancients did we'll in repre- |
senting it by the sightless eherub, Gu
pid, with n bow, and arrows without
number, the quiver being always full. |
AS in ancient times, so nova man de-
clares his love to one, then to another,
TO q third, fourth, fifth, and so ON !