The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-04-21

we to believe, then, that we cannot
only protect ourselves from men, but
men from themselves Assuming that
we were upon an equality, should we
not rather say: "Let each one stand, or
fall, for himself" Do we not practi-
cally say this to other women ? and
why should we be more anxious about
men?
Please consider this thing, society,
and of whom it is constituted. There is
the powerful rich man. What does he
do to promote virtue, public or private?
We have some examples not far to find.
q have mind to instance one of our
next-door neighbors). A certain man
some years ago was struggling man
fully with poverty, and trying to reach
paying ore in his gold mine He had
spent every dollar he had. His wife,
woman-like, tried to earn money for
their mutual necessities by hard labor
over the 1UdSh-tub! He borrowed some
money, and went on with the mining
operations. She labored away to feed
the family, for they had children. At
last he struck paying ore-rich ore
Just as the last dollar of his borrowed
means was exhausted. Then fortune
smiled on him, and he amassed large
amount of money and property. For
while he went on with his business like
any ordinary good business man; but
by and by it struck him that, being
worth ten millions, gave him the right
to do such things as in a poor man
would be scandalous, and in woman,
infamous. Last winter, a year ago, it
was whispered in certain circles that
this man was accusing his wife, with
whom he had lived in confidence for
nearly thirty years, of infidelity, in or
der to bring action for a divorce, be-
cause he wanted to marry young girl.
While the rumor was going about,
spoke to the proprietors of one of the
leading journals in that State about it,
and said the press ought to give this
man to understand that society would
not tolerate his course. They said, awe
. Iulnh u6 Is 1uSdu6s 1CSy L SdlhY
''moraLLy insane, like so many others;
but look at the injustice to his wife ~
''Oh I' they said; ''nobody believes any
thing against her. He has offered her
a million dollars to separate, and get
divorce from him, but she will not do
it." You know the rest of the story:
He found means to force her to ask for
a divorce. One of these days you will
hear the sequel. After this iniquity
was consummated, the press, in one or
two instances, made some guarded COM
ments upon it, and there it rests. Will
some wiser than 1 tell me what infiu-
ence this woman had to prevent herself
from being cast away by the man she
had loved and served all her life?
I have shown what the powerful rich
man and the great journalist do to
purify society. L may next inquire,
what does the successful politician the
man in civil and military offices? the
great lawyer, or the legislator? What
does the physician, who most of all
comprehends the full amount of injury
done to society by it's vices? The
priest of God must be questioned, too,
oft-times; for must he not try to get
. rich and influential men into his
church? ? None of these are going to
meddle with the ways of society, lest
society turn aud rend them. But you,
who are not of the least consequence in
: it's affairs, are, by a polite fiction, sup
posed to be actively engaged in keeping
it pure.
, Some of you women set great store
by little eourtesies, which you think
you insure to yourselves by keeping up
/ this-nOt by any means harmless delu-
sion-about your wOmanly influence.
If you were to be so unwOmanly as to
vote, for instance, you would lose this
f precious power of yours; and the next
time you ventured abroad, you would
find men indifferently viewing your
claims to a seat that your might prefer
in a railway car, or at a public table.
: will not deny that that would be a
= frightful price to pay for political equal
ity, valued so highly by men; but, hav-
ing observed something of human ma
ture, and, having seen how men defer to
D any kind of power, am inclined to
= believe there would be no difficulty
' about seats, especially just before an
election.
3 think have said enough to set you
to thinking. Every year the inequal-
] ity of power bears more disastrOusly
upon women. The world is growing
rich, at ease, and corrupt. But the
riches all belong to one side of the hu-
3 man family, and the political power,
!, also. Can such division of influence
' leave anything worth having on your
side? You must see that it cannot.
There would be something like justice
8 in it, if, by the laws of the country, all
!, women were provided with comforta-
! BILE support. On the contrary, there
are almost as many women, not work
j ing for their own support merely, but
D for the support of men, as there are
: men working for the maintenance of
r women. Especially is this true in large
towns and cities. And then do these of
: the nobler sex, who permit you to feed
i, and clothe them, try to frighten you out
of voting by threatened loss of in1u-
ence!
What would like women to do, in
stead of arguing about their right to
( the ballot, would be to study up these
s social questions, and find out where
r their influence, if they had any, could
be put to the best uses, in eleVating
> first themselves, and then the race.
8 Tbay xuOnld vary aOOn 7 think discover