The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-04-12
nDUTIES OF WIVES.

"The whole comfort of the household
depends upon trifies more Immediately
under the Jurisdiction Of the wife. BY
her management Of small sums her hus-
bands respectability and credit are ere
ated or destroyed. Pennies inpercept-
IDLY sliding away does the mischief;
and this alone the wife can stop, for 1t
does not come within a mans province.
a woman may love her husband de-
votedly, may sacrifice friends, fortune,
family, country for him. She may
have the genius of SapphO, but, melan-
eholy fact, if she fails to make his home
comfortable, his heart will Immediately
escape her. Better submit then to house
hold tasks, however repugnant they
may be to your tastes, than doom your
self to a loveless home. Women OF the
higher order of mind will not run this
risk they know that their domestic
duties are their first ones"
have copied portion of one Of the
numerous articles of the kind that flood
the newspapers of to-day. Now, Mrs.
Editor, that all sounds very fine, most
people will read it and say, Every sensi-
bic article that !" and we listeners echo
uery. The first assertion is, "that the
whole comfort of the household depends
upon the wife" Note the inconsistency.
A wife who, according to the supposed
rules and regulations of the family holds
an inferior position, has to shoulder
the burdens that are or ought to be
borne by the superior or head, the hus-
band. She should no more be expected
to do so than a corporal should be ex-
/ pected to assume the responsibility OF
/ looking after the whole comfort of the
| regiment. Next, "she stands alone in
saving or destroying her husbands re-
spectability or credit, aud that is to be
done by the saving or wasting Of small
sums" He never wastes anything, oI
course. The wife, according to thi:
standard, has to stand alone and battle
with the world, for does not this oracle
say, "she alone can avert the mis-
chief? Small things being not il
mans province? ?" Let a woman buy
a ribbon, ring, or any other oruamen
to please the eye and thereby increas
the affections Of their lords, and the CT!
is, economic, save the pennies ant
small sums. That is your province.
Why not tell men that their provinc
is to do without tobacco, cigars, beer
: whisky, wines, card playing, ETC., etc.
: We could mention men who spen
many dollars in playing social game
f which end in paying for the drinks,
e nothing more. Why not advise ther
? to give up spending these little suns
5 the spending of which establishes a di.
; gusting habit, if it does not positivel
e injure the health and brain? Why NJ
! advise them to save their own "respec
e ability and credit" by boarding thei
5 small sums?
Again we read, ga woman may loV
= her husband devotedly, she may sacr
; flee fortune, friends, family, and eoul
/ try for him. She may have genius al
$ be enchantingly beautiful, yet after a
e his heart will inevitably escape her
( she does not complete the sacrifice b
: doing all kinds Of house-wOrk, hOwey,
= repugnant to her tastes, in order to cat,
o to his whims. Either this or a lovele
f home. But the straugest informatic
/ is that women OF the higher order
q mind will not run such risk. The
g know that their feminine and their d
1 mestic duties are their first ones"
e So it seems that when a woman
!. married her individuality is gone, Il
a duties to self must be laid aside;
5 more thoughts Of self-culture, for tn
i might interfere with her husban,
n dinner Her chief duties and chief,
IF attraction now must be to go smiling
n into household drudgery, however
a pugnant to the taste, and practice SIN
+ economies that she may retain his To-
v Is it not about time that husbar
re should be read a lesson upon their {
/ ties? Or that they should, at least,
le exhorted to beware lest the "primal
of selfishness" swallow up their rega
for the VOWS "to love, to honor, and
cherish ?"
We have read countless numbers
articles wherein benevolent individu
have Iabored to lead women in {
; paths of duty, but we never have as J
found but one who was bold enough
le give advice to husbands, aud have ne'
8 heard from that one since. We belle
that death eusued from fright, the &C
le sequence OF such temerity. And if y
ID never hear from US again, you may cC
clude the same silent messenger /
Ia knocked at our door and found US
lv home. c. o
Canyon City, April ,, lS7s.
u Better for It.