The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-05-04
LETTER FROM wAgOo COUNTY.

I
from day to day with nothing but my
thoughts for company, there is scarcely
a fundamental principle of human So
ciety that has not at some time passed
in review before my mind. And many
an argument have I had, with an imag-
mary opponent, on some of the social
and political questions that are agitat-
ing the people of the nineteenth CEN
tury. Occasionally, however, my oppo-
nent is not imaginary, but has living
and tangible existence; and, to tell the
truth, 1 find these the hardest to COM
bat with. There are some things, it
seems, that the average man cannot
comprehend. You can't get it through
their craniums that a woman's work is
as difficult to perform as mans. Nor
you can't make them believe that when
a housewife conscientiousIy performs
her part of the labors that she is justly
entitled to the credit of assisting to
make the family living. OF course the
majority of men admit this in general
way, but what mean is, that you can't
get them to understand that where the
wife makes the husband shirt, that
would cost one dollar ready-made, and
thereby reduces the price of the shirt to
fifty cents, she just as much earns that
fifty cents saved, as the husband does
the one he gets for his labors to pay for
the material with. And it would also
seem that as food ready cooked costs
about double what the raw material
does that she does her part in earning
the food for the family. "a penny saved
S is penny earned" is it not?
1t is harder still to make man un-
derstand that there is a monstrOus
I injustice in paying women only hall
the wages that man gets for the same
+ kind of labor. One man said to me,
when talking on this subject, "WOmen,
as rule, cannot expect as high wages
as men, because there are so many
kinds OF work that woman cannot
perform. Take common laborers, fol
instance. You can hire a man to dc
common work on farm for thirty dol.
lars a month, and girl, or woman, tC
: do common house-work for fifteen
Now, it would be impossible for WON
s an to do this mans work, wouldn't il
be just as impossible for the man to per
4 form the woman's?] consequently sht
d cannot expect to receive equal wages
Moreover, a woman's work does no
Il bring in any money, ["aye, there's th'
i rub" and men cannot afford to pay
such high wages for that kind of labor
l. be it ever SO necessary, as they can 70
e work that is supposed to increase thei
possessions"
r Does getting cord wood chopped t,
/ burn up during the winter, or numerou
other things that some men habituall!
Is hire done, fncrease their possessions
Il any? Yet that, although very neces
sary, is not more than cooking, washing
dishes, and general housework. And
it seems to me, that if there is any diff
L ference in a mans and woman's wage
. it should be in favor of the woman; fo
u does she not labor nights and Sundays
], while "a mans work ends at set of sun,
d and he has Sunday for holiday?
The men are not to blame, Overmuch
s. for custom has so long sanctioned sue
1t state of things that they seldom Civ
ar the subject a thought unless som
"strong- woman forces them
J. think about it. They need stirring uI
" There ought to be a paper containin
ID articles each week on this and kindre
or subjects in every family; and if tn
male portion of the family won't rea
it, some one ought to read it to them.
AS have started in to give our broth
4 ers a scolding, I suppose may as We
give them a good one while about i
"a How many men are there, who rea
this, who are in the habit of allowin
their wives the privilege of appropria
ing a part of the contents of the famil
purse for their own use without requi
,. ing them to giKe an account OF the mar
u u ner in which it is to be expended? ? An
% yet every man contends that he has til
0e right to use as much money as he SCI
fit for tobacco, whisky, or any other Ii
tie indulgence, provided he does NJ
neglect to make proper provision for b
at family.
Ie Gentlemen, have you never though
that it might be in the range of poss
.s bilities that your wives have sometime
n private needs for money, as we'll {
ed yourself?
"Well," you will say, "why don't st
-, ask for it when she wants it. 1 don
deny her when I can spare it and thin
rs she needs it,"
No; but are you not aware that yol
wife is constituted with just as muc
T. pride as you are? And cannot you in
he agine that it is a humiliating thing
ne have to ask some one for money, tellin
just in what way you intend expendir
"a it? And besides, you and she SOM
~ times differ about the needs of eac
D. other. L have known women to be
Gu unreasonable as to assert that it WASH
necessary for her husband to smoke
st chew tobacco, or take all occasions
D. dram, yet that does not make any di
ed ference to the husband; for, says b