The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-07-27
Argument from a Life-PiOture.


that we utterly repudiate the pernicious
dogma that marriage and a practical
| life-woTk are incOmpatible.-ReU A7l-
toiRette Br0lOn BLackUeU.
! Unmarried women have succeeded in
achieving fame and wealth and power
whether by the sacrifice, voluntary or
| inevitable, of what would have been
dearer and better to them, we know not
but without number are they, shining
| as stars. Though we cannot tell what
| they would have been had they known
wifehoOd and motherhood, yet it seems
! probable that, having in any case the
] innate elements of success, they would
| still have made themselves known and
| felt in some way, not materially differ
ent from that in which they actually did.
Be that as it may, the average mind
! seems to believe that woman marrying
/ must, in consequence, immerse herself
in elOister forever, and that a woman
to be eminently successful in any de-
partment must of necessity remain
single. The desire for love and home is
universally acknowledged to be next to
the natural instincts of alteration
toward our Creator, the hOliest and di-
vinest feeling of which the human heart
| is capable. So eminent women are gen.
orally supposed by the masses to have
attained distinction at the expense of
higher duties. In this way many silly
little nobody, safely sheltered by the
talismanic "Mrs.," receives more real
apparent respect than some noble,
earnest, talented woman who cannot be
thus addressed.
To convert the world thoroughly to
the belief that a woman's highest de-
velopment of intellect is not necessarily
at the ignoring of the heart, and that
married woman can become all that
woman may be, without neglecting any
duty, we must bring forward such cases.
When we talk of the possibilities of
wOman's advancement, and seek to
prove our argument by instances of
single women, we are met by the reply:
"Yes, but they are exceptions. Most
women marry; then the majority OF
women can't do these things"
| know couple who are most happily
mated. 1t seems almost like glimpse
of Eden to visit their beautiful home.
Beautiful it is in every sense of the
word-adorned by their own taste with
choicest pictures (many of them from
: my heroine's brush), statuettes, books
! and fiOwers-reared and kept by their
own exertiOns-andi above all, sweet
ened by their consciousness that they
} are working together, hand in hand.
= Not wealthy, in each others society
they are rich. Their gift is music, and
each possesses it in a pre-eminent de-
gree. The lady is as we'll known as her
husband, and has achieved as decided
personal success.
: A dear little gem of room is her
sanctum, small enough to be cosy, and
bright with sunshine and the inspira-
} tion of her presence. 1t will not take
. us long to find out the different charac-
ters of the woman whom we shall meet.
: First of all, by the sweet and courteous
greeting, the kind friend. The arrange
ment of the room, the pictures, the
books, the aquarium, the wax-wOrk and
: the flowers in the window show the
woman of taste; the piano and sheets of
music, the musician; the easel and
stand filled with cOloring brushes, the
artist; the stOcking-basket and sewing
: machine, the housewife; the dilapidated
doll perched oil the piano, the crooked
e patchwork on the floor, and the rick
r city, penciled horse pinned against the
wall show the jUdiciOUs mOther-fOr
/, who else would consider her children's
harmless fancies of more Importance
than the primness of the apartment?
4 She is a real, true woman. She never
s delegated the care of her children to any
one. Though her talents had high
r claims on her, she has always felt that
e her family had higher ones, and all that
iuterfered with them had to give way,
q And vet she has done anything else
d than bury herself Much of the absorp-
ton, called by many family cares, is
0 the devotion to pin-cushions, rutfies
mans and novels. 1 call that woman @
l. bright and shining example, who can
in the beginning of July, before taking
l. any recreation at all herself, send bel
3, servants away to the country for week
d and endure summer heat and range
heat in the kitchen until they return
3, And 1 know that this lovely lady did it
She is a perfect wife and mother
s. though she is married, and earns money
at the same time. But if she has |
1t special talent, far too precious to bt
buried in diuner-pOt, why should sht
not exercise it? Besides, as her wOrl
lr is not in a regular line of trade, so tha
lie her position could be easily filled, sht
re does not take living from some on
'p more needy than herself. She double
Y. the family income, SO that she and he
Is husband have twice the means at thei
lie command to support their house and ed
e. ucate their children, and she can be pc
'e cuniarily Independent. She does not d,
a. her own kitchen work, but she can at
er ford to have it done as well as she coul,
Sc do it herself, employing women wh
r could not sing and play, and so, by Civ
Id ing them work and saving her talents
le she makes three (say nothing of th
le benefit of her work to society at large
y. better off, whereas, had she left her mu
if sic and STAYED in the kitchen, she woul'
c. have helped no one outside of her fam
ed iIv. and made herself less than herself
Her husband, be it stated, never has oc
casion to complain of his dinner.
~ As 1 think of this, my faith in tn
e. beautiful marriages and happy home
It. of the "good time cOmiDg'' is quick
IN ened. Instances prove possibilities
In When men realize that women owe nc
ut only a duty to their families (possibl
u or actuaD but to themselves and to SC
ye ciety, they will be willing that all won
s. en- should be permitted to work towar
r their highest possible development
IN And they may be sure that, thoug
y. some individual woman may not attal
to their true height, womanly natur
at will always be womanly nature, Wnlc
ne nothing. can essentially change
ne 0dret b. Ha-Uey, in WOn1dPS WoTdS.
th Packer Institute girl recent
ce stnmped a professor with this conuI
drum: "What did 10 die of?n The pre-
fessor, after puzzling his brain for
US while, gave it up, when he was stunne