The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-07-01
LETTER FROM BRADFORD, Pa.
BRApFoRD. p, Jupe y. -.

BRADFORD, Pa, Jups y, 1850.
10 r1E EDITOR or TIE NEW NORTHWEST;
Probably the telegraph informs you
that this new northern oil-field of Penn
sylvania, pieturesquely located among
the outlying ridges Of the Aileghanies,
is "being tried by fire" The fact that
the disastrous fire on the central street
Of this little city, early in the season,
was oecasioned by the upsetting Of an
oil lamp in the hands Of an intoxicated
young man burned to death thereby
has not lessened the number Of saloons.
nor the granting Of licenses. II occurred
to me, however, that this serves a good
use in pointing a moral" Could l
"tell tale' half as readily as yourself
similar facts in abundance might be
gathered ia this eventful region to com
pose a temperance story, another "Dev-
IFS Chain"
The NEW NORTHWEST comes as re-
freshing a mental visitor here among
the hills OF a hot day as the breeze Of
that name. Mrs. Hardness Will,n
your story of new country life, Of hard
land grabbers, their broken-dOwn wives
and uneducated children, that might
seem as an exaggeration to people un-
familiar with that phase Of life, / can
verify from my own observation while
Teaching school and boarding round"
10 a new Western State. When young
folks are religiously taught, as they
should have been long since, that such
marriages as described in the serial are
but wholesale prostitution, aud that
only evil can come of them, aud evil
continually, then, and then only, will
there be fewer of them. Ignorance
brings penalties, as well as crime. As
the Dean of a Pennsylvania medical col
lege delieateiy stated, "When there is a
black sheep in a flock, you may be sure
there were dark clouds about the domes-
tic horizon preceding its advent" Won
drousIy wise theologians have endeay-
ored to solve the vexed problem OF the
origin Of sin, when they might have
quoted Scripture that contained a com
plete answer in nutshell: Conceived
in sin, aud born in iniquity"-sin, in
such case, being wrong moods of the
mind, selfish states of the soul. a truly
legitimate child has an inheritance OF
lovely traits, and this is the ''hOwer OF
the family" Small wonder that the
Old theologies based all goodness upon
regeneration. Never till woman is free,
aud crowned queen of all, will there be
less need Of it. l like the proposition Of
one Of the finest masculine writers of
New England, "Let all men be taxed
for the support Of women; then let each
one earn all the love he got!' So di-
vine an intuition or insight as that can
not bequesiioned, gainsayed or matched.
Am waiting to see how the NORTH
WEST will enter the coming campaign,
along with the National Citizen, Wom-
ans Words, etc. The Greenback party
have the proper plank, but they seem a
"foriorn hOpe;" Prohibition, ditto; yet il
is well to be faithful to ones friends,
providing they are in the right, whether
or not at present in power, place and
authority. But We cannot say with the
poet,
"For ever the right comes upparmost,r
For we women have not seen it, as far
as ourselves are concerned and eousid-
cradle faith is required to believe in
anything or anybody.
LEWISE OLIVER.