The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-02-22
AN HOUR WE OORRFsPONpENTg.

tic reply from legal gentleman who Is
not anonymous will demonstrate. He
says the letter is mot for publication"
but we must deal by him as by every
body else who writes good letters, and
we withhold his signature under protest.
"Dedr Madam: / have just read in
the NEW NORTHWEST OF this date an
article entitled IAN anonymous opinion;'
no wonder the writer failed to sign
his name. 1t looks as though some one
is trying to sell you. 1t is not true that
if a woman marries her separate prop
erty' can either be mortgaged or closed
by her husband without her consent, or
that he may enjoy the rents and profits
in defiance Of her rights. Nor is it true
that her husband may become indebted,
and his creditors may take, or sell, on
execution or otherwise, the rents and
profits Of the wife's real estate, during
the husbands life, against her will. Nor
is il true that the wife and children may
be turned out Of her home, against her
will. There are few women in Oregon
smart enough and with force Of charac-
ter sufficient TO know better, and to act
upon that knowledge. Most of them
prefer to read Bonner's Ledger and the
latest novel, instead Of the statutes that
give them rights Of which they know
nothing, and which they lack the inde-
pendence to assert, il they knew them.
Our laws are bad enough, and unjust
to women, and they ought to be changed,
but it will be much easier to secure
more when We have the great mass Of
women ready TO use what they already
possess. In a late number OF the Chicago
Legal Ne,Cs, which is edited by Mrs. Myra
Bradwell, an able lawyer, there is pub
lished a very excellent summary Of the
law of Illinois relating TO what woman
may and may not do and have in that
State. Will you pardon me for sug-
gesting that you omit a few numbers Of
one Of your stories, and devote the time
thus gained TO showing the women Of
Oregon just what their social, civil, re-
ligious, pecuniary, and political priv
ileges and duties are and are not. It
will do you good, it will do your readers
good, and help the cause. The writer of
the article referred to is no lawyer in
any just sense of the term"
If our friend will read one of the
"stories" he so modestly asks US to omit
in order to "help the cause,n he will
learn what he is conspieuously ignor-
ant Of at present; namely, that their
publication and perusal are doing more
to show the women Of Oregon their real
status, social, religious, civil, pecuniary,
and political, than all the preachers
and lawyers in all the land are doing
for the same purpose. This is the only
object Of the stories, as many an able
/ lawyer who reads them can inform the
legal censor who evidently has no in
clination TO inform himself as TO what
they contain, though he feels extremely
capable of giving us advice about them.
As the author of the anonymous
opinion" alluded to is doubtless able IA
take care Of his own argument, We
hereby crest" the case, and proceed tC
open the next letter.
Passing over the lame attempt al
"poetry," and rejoicing that the good
woman whom we criticised few week:
since has the good sense to keep hei
temper and the pluck to try again, we
correct the bad grammar and Orthog-
raphy Of her really able prose, and give
it space because Of its value.
"You say my thoughts are beautiful,
but you bid me to be content, and train
my children. Now, / am going to argue
the case with you. believe in children
being born right, as well as trained
afterward. According TO chronological
science, that organ, or group of organs
that is brought nsost into use, in either
ante-natal or sub-natal conditions will
control the destiny Of my child. have
but one, very bright and beautiful
little girl, and, as ! have commenced
cultivating my power to think, may !
not, according to phrenology, raise up a
band Of magnificent thinkers, through
the exercise of my thoughts? If my
thinking faculties lie dormant will not
my children's mental power be less than
my own2 Can we expect thinking
children from thoughtless mothers
Nor is the mother the only response
ble being. Her surrounding conditions
cause her to cultivate chronological de-
velopments in her children that are not
naturally large in herself, and may also
cause her to augment qualities in hel
children that are contrary to. her tastes
and desires, thus making them contra
dietory and miserable beings, deserv.
ing pity but receiving eensure. Now
Mrs. D., what do you think Of th,
above? Publish a criticism, IL mat
ters not to me, so it please or instruc
your readers. Have I made any i'm
prOvement, either in prose or poetry p
We are proud to say that your pros
has vastly improved. Your poetry i
not so well expressed; though you
thoughts are indeed beautiful, aud onl,
need culture. Compare your letter a
published with your copy, as furnishes
to US, aud carefully note the corrections
You have the true spirit Of success il
you. Go ahead.
We must be stirring up general com
motion among opponents Of our way O
doing things, judging from the spirit O