The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-05-31
Woman's Rights in Harper's Monthly.

VI oman hlgnts IN harper AOnLAly
To say "the world moves" seems a
poor expression Of the fact that the pop
ular magazines contain articles which
legitimately belong TO the Woman s
Journal and its cO-labOrers. Although
we have no right to be surprised 90 any
evidence Of love Of Justice from George
William Curtis, it Is still not only eX-
hilaratiug, but strengthening To read
such portions Of "The Easy Chairn in
the April Harper, as that which com
mences with an allusiOn 10 a beautiful
sonnet by LongfellOw, commemorative
of the delightful evenings of Mrs. KEN
bie's readings.
After writing quite as beautiful a SON
net in prose Of these same readings, Mr..
Curtis concludes by saying; "a rarer,
more refined delight, which of ms has
known? Did it ever occur to us that
Mrs. kembie was doing anything i'm
proper, anything unreasonable? ? In the
wonderful picture OF Portia which her
voice music dress, .-.-s toere anything,
% little repulsive, little uufemiuiue
"Ihis question was suggested 20 the
Easy Chair 10y the remark Of one Of the
most devoted and delighted OF all the
listeners at those readings, that he was
very sorry 10 see that the University Of
London had decided To- admit women TO
an its degrees upon precisely the same
terms as men, The secret reason Of
this regret, OF course, is the feeling that
there would be something uuwomanly
iu tue act of competing for q degree
which would open the pursuit Of pro-
fessi0ns-especialiy the medical pro-
feSsion-which are usually aud often
exclusively cultivated by men. Yet,
when pressed, the Easy Chair interlO-
cutor admitted that there was nothing
more essentially uufeminine IN the
practice OF medicine by a woman, than
in the recitation of Shakespeare for the
entertainment of miscellaneous crowd
To IS q question Of habit, not Of instinct
nor of principle nor of reason. When
the old Greek and Oriental idea of ab-
soiute seclusiOu aud subordination is
abandoned, q wOiuan's reading from
Shakespeare for the pleasure of the pub
lie Is au action not different in kind
from her practiciug medicine or serving
on % school committee. This genera
tion, however, IS more used 20 the one
than 20 the other. IL is q habit, moth
ing more.n
These weighty sentences are followed
10y o. reference to some remarks Of
dear, witty Charles Lamb upon the al
lowable or not allowable juStapOsitiOn
Of certain dishes and certain sauces
lthiugs, by the way, only gourmaud
of the superior sex understaud=) and an
assertion that cookery was yet but i'm
It's empirical stage. Easy Chair con-
dnues: "It IS not in cookery alone that
the mystery is still unsOlved (meauiug
the mystery why cabbage is reprehens-
+ ra.f 70 F.Eaa.F N.hrr ahnnfII
T 90 seem o. womauiy use of heavens gif.
that Jenny Lind should sing for the
pleasure of q thousand men, and some
thing strange and uulemiuine that
PorIa should plead with eioquence in a
court 90 save hap'ess woman from
prison OF the cord Why is it ii,tiug
that Mrs. kembie shouid professionally ly
read Sh@l-ee peare, and queer that she
should pIOies, iouaily attend women IN
peril and sickness2 Do we not nat
uraily and logically glide into the part
uf The citation from Lamb that We just
now omitted2 'Why, salmon foTtiiieth
its condition with the mighty lobster
sauce, whose embraces are fatal to the
delicate reiishes OF the turbOt' Must
we not say that we are yet i'm the rudi-
mentary knowledge Of what is and is
not uuleriuiue? When the example
Of the LONDON University is not sin
cul8r, but when an opportunities are
opened equally To- all talent aud vOca-
tiou, when DO is not forbidden "a woman
To do any honorable work for which she
is bv nature and hy study and training
properly equipped unless the laws of
nature fajl, win any greater catastrophe
belall, will there De any more signal re-
version of the order Of things, than if
E oa I.fn lra afrrnf|t af.Hra at last IN no aufpu