The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-09-11
Oh. YOU NAUGHTY GIRLS !

O1f wv IN O0h 1lhDC
Wefind in an exchange long homily,
with the suggestive title OF "SIodern
Girls" The editor, after charging upon
the luckless subjects OF his discourse
the usual sins of omission, asserting that
they do not know how to "make bread"
'bOil beef" "mend stockings" wash
babies faces" or "pin up their trowsers,"
grows disconsolate, and asks tragically,
What is the consequence We al
most held our breath at the impending
calamity, and we know the girls VIII
hold theirs while our editor makes the
following ruthless declaration, in answer
to bis "consequentiar question
awe have come to point where young men
hesitate and grow old before they can decide
whether they can marry, and afterwards keep
clear Of bankruptcy and crime.
"There are more persons living single me
are there more leading a viriuous life : II is
time for mothers TO know that the extraya-
canee they encourage Is destructive OF the
virtue OF Their children that all the foolish
expenditures are, instead of answering that
u
riage altogether"
Now we should like TO ask the busy,
bonny girls Of Oregon, who know how
to do more varieties of work, than this
long-visaged editor knows how to enum-
crate, if he and the "hesitating" young
men for whom he puts in so pathetic a
plea, are not objects OF genuine pity ?
Think of 1t girls, you who help with the
family washing, ironing, mending and
baking; who assist i'm the preparation
of the family dinners, and the company
dinners as well. What pitiable spec
tscle these prudent young men must
make, standing in melancholy attitude
"fron youth to hoary age" unable to
"decide whether they can marry, and
afterwards keep clear of bankruptcy and
crime" Are there any such hesitating
specimens of the genus masculine in
your neighborhood girls? Or do not
the young gentlemen thereabouts have,
or seem to have, good deal of conf
dence in their own ability to "marry
and keep clear of bankruptcy ," etc.
And then those unnatural mothers, who
encourage the dreadful extravaganee of
clubs, wine, cigars, late suppers and
foolish foppery in dress! We should GER
tainly commiserate them IL we could
find them, but in all this broad land we
DO not know of one. This habit of charg-
ing everything, from missing buttons TO
the infrequency OF marriage, upon the
mothers of the race, is as common as il
stupid and unjust. Where there is one
fashionable mother who encourages ex-
travagance in her children, as charged
in the above Indictment, there are scores
who both by precept and example teach
them daily lessons OF economy. These
"hesitating youths" that We are told in
habit some portions of our country, do
not hesitate to marry because they fear
their inability to support a wife, but
because they must either give up mar
riage or leave of some of their numer.
Gus pet vices which require so much
money for their maintenance and time
for their indulgence. As we know thes,
thriftless girls and irresponsible mOtheri
to be myths in this part Of the world
SO also we strongly suspect the "hesi
tating young men, 10 be; consequently
we hope that the imminent danger o
destroying the ''institUtion Of marriage
exists only ia the disordered imagina.
tion of our editor. He has probably al
aggravated attack of morality" Either
this or his fair one has Tilted him, and
he "hesitstes," etc, etc. We suggest
that the girls strike up that good old
hymn,
"Come, thou fount OF every blessing"
and sing their sweetest, that perchance
his mental melody may thereby be re-
l lieved.