The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-10-31
A MnnRNFnI. STORY.


in the Office during our jour
neys, until it becomes Herculean task
TO look over them all and an impossible
ity to avoid overlooking some Of the
best items, we found an August number
of the Daily Nelos containing the follow
ing paragraph, which at once arrested
our attention:
DEGRADED wOMAN-A STRICKEN FANiLf- 1
Another case Of the damning effect OF drink
ing has come 10 light through the highway OF
the Police Court. The unfortunate creature
and mother OF a family. is named Smoulden-
Once this family lived in happy relations, and
assembled round a pleasant hearth, never
dreaming OF the dark and miserable future
awaiting their coming. At last the mother be-
gan using intoxicating drinks, and slowly YET
surely, the demon fastened his grasp upon her.
Finally affairs were neglected, and wrangling
and quarreling commenced. slowly she de-
scended the steps Of degradation, until she has
reached its lowest level. Her husband has left
her and the family and gone into the country,
where he Is doing tolorably well. Last nlghi
she was found In beastly state OF intoxiea-
ton, and carried 10 the City Prison for almost
the hundredth time y short time after she
had been lodged in Jail, the family OF little
children came in search OF her. The oldest
girl is about ten or eleven years Of age, who
carried a small child in her arms, and led an
other by her side. What a sad, sad sight.
There, upon the prison floor, lay AN unnatural
mother, totally unconscious OF her little chill
dren, 50 near 10 her, crying for bread. The
I sight was heartrending. The little child told
her mournful story, as tears OF suffering chased
each other down her face. She said they had
nothing 10 eat at home, and mother did not
care for them. Policeman Brannan, touched
by their childish grief. took them 10 n hotel,
where he gave them supper, a bed and break
fast. To-day they were wandering around the
jail, waiting for the law 20 punish this woman,
whose life alone is not the only degraded and
miserable sacrifice, but the life and happiness
OF her unfortunate little children. Such a crea-
ture is not worthy the name Of woman or
mother, and should be refused the care of the
little ones.
AS we read, our soul was stirred
within US. Great Heaven! can these
things be? And is this a Christian COM
munity? For what purpose do our
many church spires point heavenward
and our many church bells ring their
loud acclaim Of peace on earth and good
will to men? While it is just cause for
womanly congratulatiOn that so few
women, as compared to men, are ruined
by the insidious worm Of the still, yet
we all see that so long as the conditions
shall exist by which drunkards can be
manufactured, just so long will many
men and some women fall prey to its
depredations. As we write another Wis
ion, contemporary with the one of which
the Ne,rs told so feelingly, rises before
our memory. The mother Of family
Of little ones, one an infant of three
weeks, was uttering fearful screams.
A policeman hastened to the spot,
and bursting open the door, found
/ the miserable wife and mother lying
prone upon the floor, remaining
for some minutes speechless. She
pointed to a chamber door, which was
barred, and bursting this open, the po-
liceman found her drunken and besotted
protector, 'the law maker, guardian and
head" IA Ia Fowler half stripped of his
clothing, and cursing fearfully. He was
arrested, but refused to enrobe himself
so was escorted to the Jail just as he was.
AS soon as the wife recovered sufficiently
to be able TO speak, she said that her
husband had come in intoxicated as
usual, and, after preparing himself for
bed, deliberately kicked her IN the bdck,
all weak and helpless as she was, until
he had rendered her fainting and speech
less. 1t was the same old story, too.
The man had been a good husband and
they had been happy until "by using
intoxicating liquors, slowly, but surely,
the demon fastened his grasp upon"
him. Yet the Government, this right
eous, Christian Government, licences
protects, and regulates the traffic in
whisky, because the revenue from
this source is immense. This man-made
Government protects weak women,
whose appetite for intoxication was
doubtless inherited from a drunken
father, whose wife, being in illegal sub
jection," could not avoid the curse-yes,
protects them by permitting them oppOr-
tunity for temptation; or worse yet, by
opening sinks Of legally protected and
duly authorized iniquity, where these
self-same protectors o. may become in
toxicated, and, going home TO their
helpless and unresisting wards, PROSTATE
them in a speechless condition on the
foo rby repeated kicks ia he back. But
our story is not yet all told. The mas
culine protector who was guilty of the
above outrage was taken TO the lookup,
and the next morning fined fifty dollars,
the last cent belonging to the wife being
taken to pay the fine and replenish the
Golfers of the man-made city treasury.
The husband OF the erring woman
left her and the family" and "went
into the country, where he is farming
doing tolerably we'll" The wife of the
erring man stays by her family as :
iloness by her young, and when her hns
band becomes unmanageable under th'
very laws that fasten his ruin, she il
robbed that justice may be honored il
the name Of law and protection! An,
yet vain men and silly women prate o.
mans chivalry, and woman's securit.
! in trusting implicitly in him.
D
A PREDICTION.
One thing is certain: When we ris