The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1875-11-26
nTHE OAK AND THE IVY

one that heads this article. No doubt |
but you expect to hear something about
"woman's sphere" ''the sacred duties |
Of home," ETC., etc., and you are quite
certain that there will be some pretty |
talk about the "strong oak" enduring |
the rough blasts of winter and "sup- |
porting" the slender "vine" that clings
to him so caressingly. But you will
find that for once you are mistaken, as
1 have no sympathy with that sort of
Originality" and am not prepared to
offer such forcible and unanswerable |
logic (unanswerable because not worth
an answer) at present.
You are aware, Mrs. Editor, that
there are great many "vines'' in the
wOrId-at least there are good many |
who profess to believe in the ''oak and |
vine" theory, have "all the rights they |
want" etc., ete.-and 1 think that of
these "vines' there are two distinct
classes. From among my circle of ac-
quaintances L will describe one of each |
class.
The representative of the first class
rules her husband. He has to do in all
things just as she pleases. You never
see him off on pleasure excursion
without his wife. He never spends his
evenings out. This is, of course, as it
should be, but wish to show the con-
trast between the husband of this and
the husband of representative number
two. Number one boasts that her hus-
band knows better than to go any place
without her, for she will not allow it.
very much doubt if he would cast
ballot or even dress himself for church
without first inquiring in thelanguage of
''Mr. Socrates Snooks," my dear, may
aUe put on our new Sunday breeches ?"
No matter how hard he may have to
work, she does not consider it her duty
to deny herself in any way for the pur-
pose of lessening their expenses. She
thinks it positively degrading for
woman to do her own washing, and as
for gardening, or any kind of outdoor
work, wife should never imagine for
an instant that she could do it. She
imagines that if women could vote they
would have to work just as hard as the
men, and she thinks it very unladylike
indeed to agitate the question of
Woman Suffrage. She thinks that
women should be content to be ''sup-
ported and protected by their hus-
bands, and shielded from the rough
blasts of life, even as the "sturdy oak"
shields the "clinging vine." I always
feel like telling such one that such
swine" as she is would soon retard the
growth of even the sturdiest 'oak, ;" and,
in time, cause his downfall.
The representative of the second class
has a good-for-nothing, lazy husband,
who thinks that the chief aim and am
bition of woman should be to wait upon
and pander to the wants, real and i'm
aginary, of the lords of creation. There
is not day but the wife of this paragon
works beyond her strength-milking
COWS, splitting wood, carrying water,
etc., etc., and when demonstrated with
for doing his work, she says, "Oh, he
will be so tired when he gets home, and
I don't want him to have to go right to
work the first thing" Poor fellow! 1t
would be too bad, for he has been sit
ting around the stores, or standing
on the corners smoking and splitting
and talking politics all day, and he
stayed late, because he knew that by so
doing he would get out of doing the
'ichores." He tells her that he had
some very important business" to at
tend to, or renders an equally feasible
excuse, and of course she believes it, for
is not he her oracle? He makes it a
point to attend all the public gather
ings, from churches to balls, but his
wife never accompanies him. And if
he takes notion to go off on pleasure
excursion, he will perhaps tell her that
he has important business" in that di-
rection, and may not be back for sew
eral days, or week. She meekly ac-
cepts the explanation; the weary labors
of the day are performed, the lonely
watches of the night met, until he re-
turns, to double her burdens. Mention
the subject of equal rights, and for once
she has an opinion, and fired with a
vim that surprises you, she declares
with emphasis that women would bet
ter be doing their hOusework and TAX
ing care of their children than thinking
of voting; that they were not designed
to fill "man's sphere" in life, and they
would better be contented as they are.
wonder If she is not partly filling
"man's sphere" when she performs the
outdoor drudgery that he might do il
he were not too lazy. She says that
women are represented by their hus-
bands, and they ought to be thankful
that such is the case. This is as near as
she comes to quoting the ''oak and
vine" theory, yet is she not really as
much of "vine" as is number one
You see that their views are entirely
opposite concerning mans and wom-
ans work, and their manner of stating
the 'voting" question differs somewhat,
yet they reach the same conclusion in
the end, viz: that women ought not to