The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-09-04
LETTER FROM VANCOUVER.

nave given 20 the eX peflenceu judgment
Of hundred wise matrons, expressing
herself in set terms i'm favor Of the ideal
woman Of the household, as against the
practical person who has found to her
cost that II requires something far more
substantial than theories to make a
bone or keep it. said this young lady:
II have no patience with women
who seek to lower the standard OF wom-
anhood by engaging in hand-to- hand
struggle with the world to make money.
II Is woman's place to be petted, shell
tered aud protected. One independent
woman lowers the high standard deeper
10y her example than dozen womanIy
women can exalt itp
The men of fifty looked on admir-
ingiy, aud listened with eyes beaming
with gratilied vanity.
"What a supurb creaturep exclaimed
one Of them, as the dainty bit of imagi-
nary dignity swept herself out of their
presence, looking disdainfully, as she
passed, upon the weary mother of
band Of little children sitting near,
whose protector" as we all knew, was
in the penitentiary, and who, but for
her "unwomanly" heroism in defending
her little ones from want by a brave
aud almost daily battle with the wash
board, would be compelled to go with
them to the county poor. house.
at is pity that young ladies like
Miss NJ. do not teach all women better
sense" said one Of the other gentlemen.
u deeply deplore the false sentiment Of
Independence that is growing up among
women. They are pets, as they are.
They would soon be slaves, il we, their
natural protectors, would grant them
the liberty they ask"
"True, true" said the first gentle
man, who has not, to my certain knowl-
edge, ever supported anybody except
his own important self; "too true. I'm
agine Miss NJ, or any other pretty, self
conscious lady of culture and refine
ment, engaged in clamoring for rightsr'
Tue hearty laugh that followed, as
well as the entire conversation that
preceded this brilliant stretch Of mascu-
line Imagination, reached my pretty
state room in the elegant steamer ). G.
Reed, where from the open window
had seen and heard all.
And my mental verdict was "Sure
enough Sure euoughl But, suppose
my fine young lady, as she is, were
compelled by circumstances which she
could not control to change places with
the convict's wife, the poor mother with
nobody to support her Who would
provide the food and clothes and shelter
for her and the half dozen worse than
orphaned ones who have no hand but
hers TO minister to their many necessi-
ties?"
could not help saying as much to a
thoughtful friend an hour later, as we
left the pretty belle at the dock at St.
HeIens, and the jaded convict's wife
looked wistfully after her with a vacant,
far-away gaze in her weary eyes as she
watched how eagerly the young Cap
tain, who had met her at the steamer,
anticipated her trivial wants, as he took
her packages, which she offered with
the air of a queen, from her gloved
hands, and smiled in her face with the
air Of one courtlng pet lap-dog.
"Yes," replied the friend addressed,
'Tve been asking myself this very ques-
| tion for the last half hour. But, bless
you, men won't learn anything practi-
cal about our sex il they can help it.
They always think that girls in their
teens know more about the woman
question, and are better prepared to
Judge OF it, than their mothers are"
By this time was fully aroused, for
Pun in the teens myself yet, aud II my
opinion is worth more now on that sub
ject than it will be when I've had the
experience Of matrimony and mother
hood, I'd better be sure and get the cor
rect one, and then express It.
went up to the pale woman with the
six children, whose lawful head is in
the penitentiary, and said:
"Ma'am, hope you won't think me
impertinent, but will you tell me how
you make a living ,"
The pale woman looked hard at the
river for an instant, aud then looked at
me, her eyes brimming.
81 get day washing now and them"
she said, sadly.
"Have you nothing to live upon ex-
cept what you earn yourself?' I asked.
"No; nothing"
"Then how do you live at all"
"Ips pretty hard (; but don't mind.
It's nothing to what it was before pap
was took up. can do what I please
with my money now"
Couldn't you always?"
"No, child"
"But you didu't earn any money
while your husband was at liberty, did
you?"
"Yes though it wasn't mine, for he
took it most all. I've had pretty hard
life, Miss"
"Did you hear what Miss NJ. said
about married women who earn
money ?"
ayes, and 1 could have pinched her
tongue, only she didn't know any bet
ter. Such logic pleases the men awful
It tickles their vanity and makes 'em
feel smart. But it's terrible poor stuff
to feed and clothe young ones on, or pay
house rent"