The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-26
FROM A WOMANlg gTANppoINT.


FROM A WOMAN's STANDPOINT.
To THE EDITOR OF THE NEW NORTHWEST:
1 see that you gave some attention
last week to the series of meetings that
have been in progress weekly at the |
rooms of the Young Mems Christian
Association, and 1 will venture to give
you a few thoughts from a woman's
standpoint, hoping the same may prove
acceptable.
You remember, of course, the terrible
tempest that prevailed on Monday even
ing of last week2 Well, special meet
ing for special purpose had been called
for that evening, and being quite in
terested in the temperance cause, and a
little curious withal to know how they
were going to turn temperance into
soup, drew on my waterproof and rub
bers, and vainly essaying to protect N.Y.
self from the driving rain by carrying a
shuddering, covering umbrella, deter
minedly set my face toward the place of
meeting. A fine audience proved that
[ was not alone in my zeal in this great
cause. Among those who appeared to
be masters of ceremony 1 noticed sew
eral prominent ministers and other
leading men of the city, and they talked
benevolence, and charity, and soup, and
dilated upon the dangers to which young
men about the city were exposed, with
occasional interludes that enabled US to
catch a gleam of possible "Holly Tree
Inn" to be opened, and warmed, and
lighted in the near future.
I gathered from few remarks that
the women were expected to do the
work attached to the restaurant, 1. e.,
prepare and serve meals, wash dishes,
etc., etc., and that they were further ex-
pected to entertain homeless and hun
cry vagabonds in pleasant, social way
in short, were to make a home for
them. One hungry aspirant for soup
tickets insisted upon knowing at what
hours meals would be served, and espe-
cially whether breakfast could be pro-
cured. A philanthropist mildly an
swered that the serving of food would
be accomplished by volunteer labor o.
women, and that o'clock A. NJ. wa:
rather early to expect them to be OF
hand. 1 listened, expecting to heal
some one inquire in patronizing tone
whether if he graced the dining room o
"Holly Tree Inn" with his presence
the ladies would see to it that he hat
a good strong cup of hot tea awaiting
him if he should be detained down tow
until midnight, and further, whethe
the patient walters would guarantee t.
meet him with a smile and make every
thing hOme-iike in case the thing wer
of nightly occurrence. However, witt
d rambling talk and indefinite plans th
= evening was passing away, until finall
= the kitchen part of the plan was men
d toned, and the women who had nc
been consulted before were actually re
I quested to Uote upon this phase of th
u question as pertaining to their particU
|, lar branch of the work. What magns
II nimity, thought I, these men display
n They propose to establish an eating
u house for the exclusive benefit of mel
70 do all the planning and ordering of til
o establishment, and impose all of th
" drudgery connected with carrying it o
.e on the women, and require them to vol
d assent to it. Well, I thought, as 1 struG
q gled home in the face of the blast,
women are content to be thus dispose
g. of they have my consent, and that is a
" [ will give toward this matter-for al
N sure that nine-tenths of these objects
r charity are ten times as able to wa
n upon themselves as women are to wa
lie upon them, and as to making soci
b. companions of them, faugh! and m
le umbrella, turned wrong side out by IL
S. storm was hastily thrown outside tt
.h door, inside of which at the next il
ID slant stood a dripping and thorough
N disgusted philanthropist, tugging
D. her saturated waterproof and glancir
< ruefully at her feet, from which OIL
to rubber was missing. d.
es Portland, Or, January %, 1877.