The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1874-04-10
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Leaving San Jose for Santa Cruz on
the morning of the 26th, we passed
along lovely scope Of country, rejOic-
ing in vernal loveliness, varied with
the ever changing hues peculiar to this
balmy climate, to Gilroy, town Of
some pretensions, where we stopped for
dinner, and then on to Watsonville,
where the stage awaited us for Santa
Cruz. What had been called thirteen
miles of staging in San Francisco was
pronounced twenty when we reached
Watsonville; and when we arrived at
Santa Cruz, if any one had asked how
far we had travelled by stage that day,
and we had ventured an opinion upon
our own estimate, we should have said
some forty leagues, more or less. The
road, owing to recent rains, and the di-
versified face of the country, is only dis
counted by one that we have cause to
remember-that famous one from Cow
litz Landing past Humphreys Station,
on the old Olympia thoroughfare so
sorely dear to many a tired traveller
whom Fate or Fortune has led to seek
passage over its corduroy bridges, or
through its miry depths.
But the citizens of California tell us
that "sueh a dreadful condition of the
roads is very unusual" "Wonderful
rain fall this season." "Great expecta-
tions about the crops" etc, etc., all of
which is very cheering to your humani-
tartan soul, but somehow fails signalIy
to rest your weary body, or save you
from the thumps and bumps of the labor
ing mud wagon, dignified by the appella-
tion "coachw
Reached Santa Cruz at p. NJ, to find
that the notices Of a lecture had preceded
us by so short time that general an
nouncement had not yet been given.
Mr.. Broughton, editor of the Santa
Cruz Enterprise-a very different zen
terprise," by the way, from its Oregon
City namesake, so far as woman's en-
franchisement is concerned-and Mrs.
Van Volkenburg, lady of the taxed
and unrepresented class of "lunatics,
idiots, and children" who pay an an
nual tribute to the Government, which
taxes without representation and gov
erns without consent, while declaring as
its basic principle that such action is
tyranny; these were the persons ap-
pointed to meet and entertain the
stranger within the gates of this city by
the sea.
An appointment for a lecture in Unity
Church, an excellent building owned by
the Unitarians, who are now without a
pastor, brought out a small audience.
The orthodox were shy of a woman lee
turer, despite the example of Mrs. Van
Cott, in San Francisco. An appoint
ment was made for the following even
ing with no better result. Then the
Methodist brethren and sisters became
interested, and joining in with the lib
eral element, got us up large audience
for Sunday evening, in the neat and
coZy and harmonious Methodist Church,
where an out-pouring of the Spirit filled
the souls of the people, and we had a
glorious time. The subject of the lee
lure was, "Why, How, and Where
should Woman Work i'm the Temper
ance Reform ?' Our readers who have
often heard our efforts on the platform
upon this and similar topics are well ac-
quainted with the drift of our train of
thoughts. A little sensation of disap-
proval fluttered through the crowd when
we said in our opening remarks that we
wished to sail under no false colors, and
it was right that, being stranger to the
multitude, we should explain our posi-
tion before the public Then we said:
81 am editor and publisher of the NEW
NORTHWEST. live in Portland, Ore
gon, and my paper, which is printed by
my own sons, is devoted to the enfran-
chisement of woman, the promotion of
the Temperance Reform, and the purifi-
cation Of politics" But tcuriosity, anda
desire to hear Temperance lecture, kept
everybody quiet, and the silent verdict
that revealed itself in the cleaning eyes
of hundreds of listeners as we proceeded
was, "If this means 'Woman's Rights
am with you"
a very young minister, an under
graduate Of the University at Santa
Clara, whose sermon we had listened to
with pleasure during the morning, oc-
cupied the pulpit with us, and opened
the meeting with a fervent prayer. The
choir favored the congregation with
excellent music and the spirit of sup
plicdtiOn and application, which we be-
lieve i'm, and act upon so earnestly, was
thoroughly aroused. Nowhere have we
witnessed more thorough spiritual ear
nestness and concentrated harmony.
Mrs. DR.. Sheppard, mother of Mrs.
Freeland, wife of the well known Port
land druggist, resides in this place, and
we were also pleased to find Mr.. and
Mrs. Bullock, who formerly kept hotel
in Hillsboro, among our audience.
Monday morning we were up with
the dawn ate hasty breakfast and sat
down in our wraps to wait for the stage
which had been ordered, through n
stupid office man, to call at half-past
six. Waited till out of patience and
then walked to the hotel to find that
the voter who had charge of the office
had forgotten his duty, and San Jose
was disappointed.
Telegraphed to Mrs. Knox that the
stage had left us, and then, to utilize