The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-06-24
MOST UNJUST.

Sainte-Beuve said, "Women like
Madame Roland will always make
themselves a place, but they will al
ways be exceptional" aud straightway
Harriet w. Preston took the cue as soon
as she read it and proceeded to write as
follows:
Men Of original Intellectual force, orators.
organizers, directors, whether Of human
thought or human affairs, are not common;
but women OF this type are great deal less
common than men.
10 is worth while TO make arrangements on a
large scale for the carefsl and costly training
OF boys, which IL would be foolish and extrava-
CANT 10 make for girls; because in the one case
there is probability that the proportion 10
the whole OF those who are worthy OF such
training, though small, will be sufficient 10 re-
pay the outlay, and in the other there IS no
such probability.
The woman OF genius, when she comes. must
make her own place, and SaInte-B -Beuvc tells as
and experience shows as that She will
Yes, because women Of intellectual
force have been scarce, it is proof posi-
tive that there is a lack Of original
minds among them! Because women,
hampered for ages by customs and held
in check by maternal duties, have not
developed as many leaders as men, il is
safe 10 assert that under equal opportu-
mites they would still be lackingl
Harriet Preston pre-judges her sisters.
With false premises she easily reaches
false conclusions. She does not offer to
allowal equal privileges and then judge
by the result She fiatters the vanity
Of men by praisiug them for outrunning
women in the race Of life, forgetting
how fearfully women are handicapped.
She forgets that boys are given all possi-
ble advantages, and girls are unassisted;
she fOrgets that young men are urged to
seek public life, and young ladies
frowned back she forgets that hus-
bands are not retarded by the care of
children, while wives are restricted in
the exercise Of their intellectual forces ;
she forgets that the work Of men is such
as to brighten and polish them, while
the duties Of women allow the dross to
accumulate; she forgets the freedom Of
men in political life, and allows nothing
for women because they are slaves.
What proof can any one bring that
the second paragraph Of the extract is
truthful? Who has the right to make
such an unsupported assertion? AS
women have had no opportunity in the
wosld as yet to compete with men on an
equal footing, is it not unjust 10 assert
that they cannot contest with them
with any degree OF success? ? When was
the experiment ever tried Of giving boys
and girls equal chances? What dem
onstration can be given or example ad-
duced to prove that the proportion of
original minds in men would be greater
than among women, If both sexes were
allowed the same opportunities?
The assertion that women Of genius
will always make themselves places, is
a tacit admission that men Of genius
would not do the same il unassisted
which is false. Men Of force would at
tain prominence without help, just as
women do but their progress would be
slow and their number few il they were
denied aid.
Harriet Preston prates Of these mat
ters as though women had been worsted
in fair contest. She has asked as
much Of her sisters with their limited
privileges and chances as from her
brothers with all their liberty and op-
portunities. She is most unjust.