Evening star., 1936-08-09

" v shadow Of ghostlike Mount
Hood, between the banks
of the Columbia and Willamette
Rivers? They want you to find them
, glamorous and insist you call Port
land the City of Roses" and they
manage to be reminiscent of their
sisters in far-of New England.
Here, you tell yourself, is a Yankee
town with people, history and eco
nomic background transplanted to
beautiful, rugged region Of the West.
The story Of how Portland got its
name explains why. Eighty-fve years
ago the claimants Of the Portland
| claim, two partners, New Englanders
from Massachusetts and Maine, began
to survey, build and develop the site
where Portland stands today into a
town. Each, with an aching void
for what he had left behind, wished
to name the place after his home
city. So they tossed a copper coin
and the winner named the town Port
land.
Today you find that in Portland. a
highly induStriahzed Western COM
munity of $4,000 people, the early
New England spirit is flourishing.
Children of men and women who
came across the country in oX-carts
tSome of whom are still living and
settled here, are maintaining the
Yankee flavor. Not only is this seen
in dress, manners and customs. but it
is accentuated by the social attitudes
of the women. They believe that
those among them whose forefathers
came from New England are little
better and should lead all the rest.
An example of this was seen recent
ly when a group of Oregon women
were discussing ways and means of
raising money for one of their pet
organizations. One optimistically sug-
gested that there should be little trou-
BILE in getting the sum from the women
of the city. Only last night she said,
she had read a bank statement show
ing that savings were increasing rap
idly and that 80 per cent of the
savings accounts in Portland are
owned by women.
IF that is the case" inquired a
bright-eyed miss, then why aren't
Portland women more philanthropic?
They never give the large endow-
ments and donations women in other
cities do" Much to everybody S hor-
ror, white-haired lady answered that
she had always felt that PortlanderS,
while very righteous, were just little
narrow and stingy.
You think that because you are
Southerner," sharply retorted an
other. You have not been here long
enough to understand that we retain
our old Yankee trade habits. We give
more than enough when it is neces-
sary, for We believe in being neigh
borly. But We do not go in for grand
gestures"
CAN this be the reason why women
of Seattle, to the north. and San
Francisco, to the south, insist on call
ing the Portlander ''moss-back.' They
will also tell you that the woman of
Portland has no chic, and that she
attires herself in conservative clothes
of good quality, but poor tailoring.
This may be, because Portland is
one of the few cities in the United
States where numbers of women make
their own clothes A Portland after
noon newspaper claims that over 5000
dress patterns are ordered each month
from their household arts division
alone. Here again you glimpse New
England primness and an aversion tc
contracting personal debts for the
sake Of fashion.
Portland women regard their neigh
boring cities as places in which to have
a good time, but they want their own
town to be ''home CITY," The Port
land woman is said to be more inter
ested in sturdiness of character, family !
life, education and religion, than her |
neighbors in Seattle and San Fran
cisco.
In a recent City of Roses survey it |
was noted that housewives first wanted |
an automobile for the family so they |
could enjoy the advantages and sports
of the rugged countryside. Next came
electric refrigerators, then central
heating, fourth the radio and then
books ito keep forever" A prominent
bookseller explained, however, that
trends in reading are changing among
Portland women. "A short time ago
all the women we're busy studying
economics" she said. But they seem
to be through with the social order
and are at the present time buying
solace and devotional books, with cook
ing and travel books running close
second.
But the women here all crave cul-
ture and learning for themselves and
their family. They rush to school
after days work at home or in the
office in the same way you do in Wash
ington.
"And a mother buys books for her
children out of the most meager
budget. She wants them to acquire