The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-12-19
1.-THE EPIOENE SEX. n


Under this head an article has been
going the rounds Of certain class of
newspapers, copied from the Saturday
Rsriesr, and evidently originating in
the brain of some half-iiedged youth,
who, having just arrived at the voting
age, imagines that all dignity, honor,
sense and impudence belongs of right
10 the mortal whose sexual makeup is
Of the masculine order.
Imagining that his peculiar sex is the
most important part OF his organization
and no doubt il is-he naturally sup
poses that all men and women are
troubled with the same hallucination.
And when women dare 10 use their God
given intellects for any other purpose
than TO furnish lacteal nourishment for
such effetes as he, the fellow, who, from
long and systematic drilling in college
has become q parrot-like expert in
penny-a-llning, gives vent to his puny
opinion thusly:
There has always been In the world kind OF
women whom one hardly knows how 10 elias
slfy as TO seE-men by their instincts, women
BY ihair form, but neither men women rs We
regard them in the ideal. Possessed by a rest
less diseontent with their appointed work, and
nTsd with a mad desire to dabble into all things
unseemly, which they call ambition; blasphe-
nous 10 the sweetest virtues or their Sc (which
mill nov have been accounted both their own
pride and the safeguard OF society: holding u
no honor 10 be reticent, unselhsh, patient, obe-
dieiIt, bui swaggering 10 the front ready 10 try
conclusions In aggression, In seifishness, In In
s0ient disregard OF duty, In cynical abasement
oi mSdests. with the hardest and least ssfina-
Ble ~ tie men they rmulate-these women OF
the doubtful gender have managed 10 drop all
their special graces while unable TO gather up
any 81 the more valuable virtues of men. They
have committed the mistake Of abandoning
such work a. they can do we'll, while trying to
manipulate things they touch only To spoil
they have ceased 10 De- women, and not learnt
TO be men; they have thrown aside beauty, and
not pui ou strength. They have taken greatly
of late To public speaking all round; and some
among them seem only easy when they are
standing before a crowd, to be admired Il they
srs pretty, 10 De applsuded II they are pert
aud Ia any case the center OF attraction for the
nioInsnt.
There Is bnt one way to answer this
sublime bathurst, and that is by para
phrasing 1t thus: There has always
been In the world kind OF men whom
one hardly knows how to classify as to
sex-men by their form, mistakes by
their instincts, and egots in their organ
ization.
Possessed by an inordinate self-con-
cet, which incessant spanking by
their mothers in their minority period
did not suffice TO Obllterate, and fired
with mad ambition to dabble in the
unseemly business OF defining the
proper spheie Of women, OF which they
are such feeble emanations that COM
plete crossing OF the sex was out of
the question in their getting-up-hence
their interest in what they think
women "ought to be''-blasphemous to
the manly dignity which the well-sexed
man Is always too proud of to belttle by
such impudence As they exhibit, hold
ing IL no honor to mind their own busi-
Ness, TO be reticent, unselfish, patient,
Obedient-and certainly these virtues
belong alike To both sexes-but swag-
gering TO the front ready TO try conclu-
sions in matters Of duty for others, con-
eerning which they know nothing,
and haven't brain power enough to con-
oeive; affecting to despise the most es-
timable women Of the world; these men
of doubtful gender have managed "a
live without the special characteristics
OF an honorable manhood, while unable
to gather up any Of the more valuable
virtues OF women.
They have committed the mistake o.
abandoning such work as they can dc
the Worthwhile trying TO manipulat,
such things as they can only spoil. They
never were men, and cannot learn to b'
women. They have thrown aside
strength and failed to put on common
sense. They have taken OF late to
abusing women all ronnd; and some o
them only seem easy when they arr
studying up accusations against reason
and justice, imagining that they ar'
pert, and hoping they may, through un
warrantable impudence, become the
center Of attraction for the moment.
But, good lady reader, your man o.
the doubtful gender isn't through with
you yet. Hear another paragraph:
1hihk of The woman's rights woman. will
her hybrid costume aud her hard faes. shown,
society how IL can be saved from destrucfIoy
only by throwing The balance Of power into IN,
hands OF women, and swampIng that rude
rough, masculine element, which has 80 lon,
AismRnaged matters. by the nobler an,
brighter instincts Of the oppressed sex Hav
Ing too sincere respect Tor women q. ,bs,
ought 10 be, and as nature meant them 10 bs
yrs do not wish 10 see thom turned into socis
bcffOons the marx for jeering comments An
angry Kisses when what they sny dispIsase
their hearers, and told 10 sit down" and 'sshu
up" with entrestles 10 some strong man I
'stske them out OF that and carry them HON
70 the UUrsory, }" by hundred vOics rougbene
With drink and shouting.
U, it is marvellous, that any woma