The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-05-31
Our Ticket.
DIES HARD.

The death struggles of masculine su-
premacy, or rather masculine monopoly.
are protracted aud terrible. Could an
auasthetic in the way of failure to per-
form the extraordinary and custom for
hidden things that women are every
where undertaking be occasionally ad-
ministered, it would mitigate,somewhat
the agonized gasps Of the tortured vic
tins, but with serenity that is perfectly
exasperating women study law and
practice it, study medicine and practice
it, study the sciences and excel therein,
become merchants, clerks, professors,
preachers, dentists, ETC., and with such
success that the problem as to whether
they can do these things is clearly dem
onstrated, and all argument is shut of.
The fights that men make everywhere
when a woman duly qualified asks TO
be permitted to practice law in the
courts is familiar 10 all who have not
been taking a Rip Van Winkle nap.
The arguments pro and con have been
voluminous, with justice aud right all
on one side, and assumption and preju-
dice all on the other.
But we believe that no other profess
sion has as peremptorily closed its doors
against the admission of women and as
reluctantly opened them as has the
medical profession. By far the larger
share Of the physical ills Of life are borne
by the feminine half Of creation, and
common sense, humanity aud delicacy
all dictate that to women especially
should be given knowledge of the heal
ing art, that she may minister to the
suffering Of her own sex. Yet step by
step has such advancement been op-
posed. Reluctantly and after vigorous
knocking has the doors of the temple
Of Esculapius swung back at the behest
Of woman, and even now, after women
have gained proud place and extensive
practice as physicians, the old idea Of
masculine mOnOply-so long a fact-as-
serts itself in groans and mutterings Of
discomfort.
The recent action Of the London Uni
versity in admitting women to its med
ieal degrees has intensified these groans
and rendered yet deeper these mutter-
ings, until they have traversed the At
lantic and awakened indignant COM
ment among lovers Of equal rights. DR..
Henry Winslow, one Of the English
doctors who considers himself particu-
larly aggrieved by the action Of the
University, proposes in a published let
ter that the medical graduates Of that
institution meet and see if nothing can
be done to prevent even now the admis-
sion Of women to medical degrees. He
says: 'I, as one Of the medical gradu-
ates, having been put to much expense
and trouble to procure my degree, con-
slider that it is an extremely dishonor-
able thing that it should be rendered to
me practically valueless." As nothing
but a graduates own ability to compete
with others in his profession can render
his medical knowledge and degree "val-
ueless," we imagine that the Doctors
opinion Of his own deserts far over
reaches his real merits as a physician.
II a-woman goes TO the trouble, expense,
and study necessary to procure a degree
equal to his own, what Will render his
degree valueless but his own inability
to compete with her in the profession
At the foundation Of all these COM
plants, all this bitter and vindictive
opposition to women in the professions
is the old idea Of masculine supremacy.
Far-seeing, thoughtful, and just men
see ''the handwriting on the wall" of
prejudice which, being interpreted, is
so full Of significance that they make
haste to enroll themselves on the side
Of progress; but narrow, vindictive ideas
die slowly and die hard, gasp franti-
cally for breath with which to express
themselves, and make plant when van
quished that causes contempt to assume
the garb Of pity, while justice serenely
holds aloft the evenly balanced scales
Of equal rights.