The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-03-28

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his sister a soft ball and target in the
back yard, instead. As to playing in
the mud-making "mud piesii-may
that not be supposed an early instinct Of
cookery, and so decidedly proper for
girls? But suppose some parent, suffer
ing from the children's desire for that
sort of sport, should arrange to have q
dozen cart-loads of fine, dry sand depOs-
tied where the boys and girls could play
upon il. What rare sport they would
have! To-day, laying it out in terraces,
and plats, and walks; tomorrow, dig
ging subterranean caves in it. Now it
is a valcano, and now a of mass material
from which, n little moistened, they
can mOBld any shape or object they
choose, thus developing and gratifying
any latent artistic faculty among them.
Then, when they come in, with cheeks
scrubbed rosy red by contact with the
sand, which has neither blackened nor
soiled; with clothes comparatively clean,
and happy hearts, the mother will feel
less inclined TO tell the girls they must
not play in the dirt, because "it is not
proper for girls,n while she groans in
body and mind over the toll caused by
the earthward propensities of her boys.
Much of the play of boys in the aver
age family is coarse, TO an intolerable
extent. But il is probable that il would
l be less so, If mothers divided their et-
/ forts at refinement more equally be-
/ tween their boys and girls. The boys
are few who cannot be made TO see that
! tumbling and wallOwing over each
other in the dirt is more suitable sport
! for pigs and puppies than children; and
| if suitable opportunities for more decent
muscular activity are provided, will
prefer to make use of them. All
through our country villages are moth
ers who spend their entire resources of
means and time in ornamenting and re-
fining their daughters lives; while for
the boys of the same household, the
coarsest fabrics, corsely made, are pro-
vided as clothing, and utter indifference
10 theirsports, so they are "oUt of harms
way" Is the rule of treatment. Often
times that training, or want of training,
results more fortunately for the boy
making him more strong and self-rell-
ant than the ill-judged, over-care be-
slowed upon the daughter); but what is
the probability of happiness in the un-
ion in marriage of strength so devel-
Oped, with refinement and feminine
weakness so produced. Since it is i'm
possible that a coarse, strong man should
not constantly wound and annoy a re-
fined, weak woman, however much he
may love her. Her refinement at
tracted him, rs his strength drew her,
but in their daily walk, they are not,
and never can be, companions. If her
life sinks into feeble, querulOus discOn-
tent, and his love into a halEpitying
contempt for her. who shall bear the
heaviest weight of blame? We all see
where the weight of misery falls.
We hear much of the weakness of wo-
man, and probably many a mother ac-
tually believes that girls are less strong
than boys, and in that belief treats them
differently in childhood 1t is probable
that the average girl Of ten is less hardy
and enduring than the average boy of
ten, but as statistics show that among
children under three years, female NOR
tality is less than male, there is good
reason to suspect that the greater robust
ness of the boys is largely due to their
heavier clothing, to the moral inilunces
of comparative freedom from unwhole-
some restraint, and the positive benefits
| derived from more vigorous physical
and outdoor exercise.
/ But to return to our subject, "the girls
do net play fair" say the boys. Very
likely not. Are they not taught from
earliest infancy that, along with theil
/ disabilities, are certain privileges o.
treatment. Boys compel one another L
"play fair.n There is an unwritteT
code of honor and law in every com
munity of boys. Most of their quarrel:
are an attempt to arrange matters ac
cording TO some prevailing standard o
right and justice. Wise parents seldom
interfere in those quarrels, except wheI
there is reason to fear that some coarse
brutal fellow is attempting to play tn,
bully. But what is the word when boy
and girls disagree? "BOys, you shoull
be ashamed to quarrel with a giTlr
Or, 'Girls, if you play with boys, yol
must take boys usage" An appeal L
gallantry on the one side, or TO femininl
submissiyeness on the other, neithe
tending to true and useful companion
ship; although either may produce
temporary peace.
The unfairness of girls in play is o
precisely the same nature As the unfair
ness of women in maturer life. Whel
a strong, healthy women enters stree
car filled with tired workingmen, and
by her look and manner, cOmpels som
one of them TO give her his seat, unde
penalty OF being considered mo gentle
man, she is unfair When a lOvinl
wife urges her husband, by all the stim
ulus a woman by his side can apply {
a man, TO engage in business enterprise
distasteful to him, or beyond his pow
ers, that she may use the result OF IN
efforts in adorning herself and home
she is unfair. No matter how uncOn
scious she may be Of it, or how cheer
, fully the husband may make the sacrl
= fee, she is still aulfdir; since the tru
law of mans activity should lie in hi
own nature and power, not in the ambl
tion of the woman who is his wife.
In thousands of ways women are con
: stantly unfair-as are spoiled children
] always. Alas, too, they suffer often a
spoiled children DO, when, their nature
, weakened and perverted, they lose th
r respect they should have been taught
D earn and keep.
e But the unfairness of girls as play
: mates and companions of boys in child
< hood would soon be cured, if mother
: would insist that justice, good sens
e and good feeling, should be the equ;
r law of that campaniOnship. In thG
= way, too, each mother can do somethin
o towards the coming of that day whe
= the social ideal shall not be ''strong me
= and refined women" but strong and r,
{ fined men and women, with the realiZ:
2 ton of which ideal a new era will daw
{ upon the Chicago Balance.
Some one has said that A vouu