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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 1879)
April, i87g. lOt THE WEST SHORE. rWDE Rf WOMAN1" WORK It if the glory of American manhood that Robert Collyar can point with pride to hia anvil, or the title of i ad splitter be worn aa a regal una hy our ((raat, nohle man, Lincoln; awl it i a shame upon American womaiihoMl that tha very women who will crowd with agar haste to laurel the "beloved Cullyer," or tha idolired Lincoln, will ahrink back and whiapar of aome woman poet or philanthropist aa though the deeervod eternal disgrace, "Did you know aha waa a milliner in her younger daye!" or, "I have heard that Mn. Kindhoart'a inulher kept boarders;" and perhaps these aamo woman are cooking and scrubbing anil inillinor ing and tailoring in their own hoinea. Nothing ha ao (orcibly lairtrayed the almost universal pravalonce of moral weakness in thia direction aa tha miaarehle auhtrfiige t which I- have reeortad during the recent financial die treat. The family income waa reduced, through no fault hut the hnukago in values, etc., eieneca mint lie leaaeneil, the mother ami daughter bravely decide to discharge the ciKik, and " do Uia work thernaelvea," but they hiive uot the bravery U admit thia fact ti the world; and an we hear from the mother that alio hail "lived in the dirt juat aa long aa ahe could endure it," and that "ahe and the girla had determined to ae if they couldn't have a clean home for once ' And tho father la not ipiito brave enough to even compliment this attempt of hla wife and daughters to come to hia reacue, and when a friend aaks: "Any oue eick at your house; have uot noticed your wife and daughters out fur some tiineV there is an Humanly blush and etpleiialiou something like the folluwiug; "Well, uo; Uio fact is our girls were growing np without any practical knowledge of house keeping, awl my wife baa decided Uigive them a lew Iwaous. Matter grow worse. The father's burdens grow heavier to I m, and then 111 iogelic whiaiara it it imiaed around among a few friends that Muw la ao aniious to keep up her music and ao fond of teaching that ahe could, with a proper amount of urging, lie induced to take a few music scholars; Uieii possibly, after a while, another friend is in such delicate health that ahe needs eaerotee, and hence is iierauaded to take an agency of aome kind; "not, of course, for the sake of making money," but aa a kind of health bit; or, aome lady suddenly discovers that ahe is sulleruig (nun loneliness and divides to lake a (aw boarder lor rooi.iny,' and M the masquerading goea on, truth and honor are aaenllced, and yet nobody is deceive-1 Just here Is a great anil important work for (he aortal edeoUst, the work id impressing upon wiunen, to convince our glorious young women, that labor is honorable and aitnleas idbriieaa dishonorable. Kverywhrre this hydra haaxled pride aaaerta itaell II. m much pln. enthrone, eiulaavor la retarded hv the ,leire on the part of many to eoctira in their organisation pri.na of aortal iliatiwtioo lor othocra, and, what is lar woraa, hi MM luds aome earnest w ise, enthusiastic workers because their cloUiinu way not be ui the Isteat style, or their names not vary familiar to ths society repirter. I'o not understand nir to inUmate that high social poet nan is at all antagonistic to wise, phllaoUirvipie endeavor, for I think the facta will prove that a maontv of the .ihcient active wnrkara la the charitable and other ithilaalhrotac inatituUons of i l.ieawo are men and women ..f wealth an. I high social position; halt I also beJwre thai there is a v sat r, , , ; taraa of royal men and women in the great middle claaa who liava not been railed inUi the sarvioa, pareoo of rsslasmsat and culture who save ottamaa las ovwri.voked and shall I wktspar it, noble woman' avoided taseausr twstr Slraaaaa wr home made and their mdliner pesvwivv ouir o ioivk' as omen engsevl in philanthrope mature, aside to rnucise lh "atyle" of aomo efficient worker, ao long will our work be retarded. Let ua ctuau tliia childish soarch for women in atyliah olothea, and only consider the atyle of the woman. Mm. Ilarkert, in Inter -Ocean. THK MORAL STORY. "I haven't anything to do," laid Ned, gravely, aa he sauntered down the walk leading to the grape-vine arbor. Ned had been having a furious game of tag with Christopher 1 .00, but Christopher had gone home now, and Ned looked very much aggrieved aa ho took hold of the edge of the hammock wherein waa Aunt Kllen reading, and began to awing it back and forth. Aunt Kllun closed her liook, and reached her pretty white hand out to meot Ned'a. "I'oor boy," ahe said, "you do look forlorn enough. 1 hin't you want me to tell you a story?" " Will you, truly ?" " If you aay ao, yes. Whero'a Sadie?" " Sewing a sheet for mother. She's got to do twice as much oa her middle linger before ahe goes to I'lay. " " Well, aak m.-tber if alio can't come out here to sew and listen at the same time." (Ml ran Ned to obtain the desirod permiaaion, and Aunt Kllen lay looking up at tho grape vinos, wondering what ahe should say to these children. Sadie and Ned came back together 111 triumph. "Now 1 wonder if 1 can't make room for you up here; it will bo so much pluaaantor. Qive me your band, Sadie; that's right. Now we will sit hero three in a row, while I watch Nod listen mid Sadio sew. "Oh, Aunt Kllen," shrieked Ned, in delight, "what a rhyme! I could make better poetry than that." " I don't doubt it. Now are wo ready? Once there waa a poor fisherman who lived down by uie sea. roor. 11111 1 aay 7 Io, ho would have been poor but for one thing. Ixmg, long ago, wnen ne waa a tiny nany, lie hail a gilt from a great king who loved him very much a gift which he had kept all these yeara, and which he hail valued very highly now that he had come to the yeara of discretion. It waa a long atring of priceless s-arl long that lie hud never lcen able to count thorn all. Kvery night ho told nd M aa he sat in the door of hia cottage, and they slipped down tho chain and disap' peared with those already counted. "One night, aa he aat counting hia pearls, an old man, plodding along by the aea ahore, stopped and spoke to him. friend, aanl ho, 'what have you hero:' nil for answer the fisherman hehl im hi. of i-oarls. That is a beautiful and priceless chain, said the old niau. 1 Where ia the other enii 01 11 1 "The fisherman turned to lift it up, and lo ' not a pearl waa to be aeen on it; the atring lay 111 a long, bare coil .bout his feet. Could you believe a man would Iw ao careless ' lie had never st..p,Hl to ,w where the end of tl1B nil lay aa he counted oil the iieerli. They had dropped oil. one by ,.no, and tho wavoa waah mg up to hia door, had carried them all out to sea. "Waan t there oue left!" aaked Sadie, for. getting to aew. 1 "Yea, those that were still uncounted, he had. but, oh how he regretted Umg all the hug. beautiful cham ! 1?. felt poorer now than ever, (or he knew that he could never hope to 22? Egfcf Kft, and he roaolved u, waU-h carefully the pearl, .tall left hi.n, to see Uia Ml one of thoa. should slip away." Aunt h,llen." aaul Nd, tliu yoint. "1 believe y , !, 1 "Well." aanl Aunt KUeaj "don't you like morel stories r llk0 Nl shook hia head decidedly. "If vou're comm. u, the mo now. I think I'll go " And Ned begu, u. turn aummeraault. in the freshly cut grass, whiatling very loudly, ao that ho might not hear the "moral" which he IE sure Aunt Kllen waa telling to Sadie. But Ned waa not ao thoughtless a boy aa he liked to appear, and I think ne traced the moral out in his own mind, and in heart echoed Sa die's words as she folded up her sowing to carry in; "Aunt Kllen, I'm going to be very, very careful to watch where my 'pearls' go aa they alip down the atring. Thank you for the story. " And here Ned waa quite willing to echo with hia lips aa well. "Thank you, Aunt Kllen " Little Star. A BIT OF MARRIED EXPERIENCE. I married my wife about 35 year ago. The ceremony was performed about aoven o'clock in the morning. Before retiring that evening we had a good talk with each other, and the result has sweetened our entire Uvea, We agreed that each should always be watchful and careful never, by word or act, to hurt the feelings of the other. We were both young, hot-tempered, both positive in our likea ana dislikes, and both somewhat exacting and inflexible juat the material for a life of conjugal warfare. Well, for a few years we found it hard work to alwayB live by our agreement. Occasionally (not often) a word or look would alip off the tongue or face before it could be caught or suppressed; but we never allowed the aun to go down upon our wrath. Before retiring at night on auoh occasions there waa always confession and forgiveneaa, and the culprit would become more careful in future. Our tempers and dispositions became gradu ally more congenial, ao that after a few yeara we came to be one in reality, aa the marital ceremony had pronounced us nominally. In looking back we find that for more than 20 years our little agreement haa been unbroken, and t here has been no occasion for confession and forgiveness. In buaineaa we have had adveraity and prosperity, failure and luooeaa. We raised a family of children, and now have our grandchildren about ua; and we are simple enough to believe that we have better children, and better grandchildren beoauae of our little agrooment. Under auoh a contract religiously kept, no ill-natured children will be reared, and no boya will find the streets and bar-rooms more pleasant than home. To make a good wife or a good husband requires the co-operatiou of both. --A non. Haitinkxs oa- Old Auk. Age often dis plays gentle and holy affections, deep as the foundations of the soul, that diffusa benignant aunahine throughout the circle of their influence; radiant, celestial hope some times cheers the declining path, and create a delightful composure of the heart, altogether unlike "oomfortless despair;" deserved honors crown a uaeful life, and attract veneration and love, for not alwaya is transcendent merit, though retiring from high stations in the world, made the aport of "bitter scorn and grinning infamy." Manhood haa magnanimous virtue, as well aa degrading vices; victories nobler than war'a grandest triumphs, as well aa tempestuous temptations; worthy, as well as ignoble, ambi tion. What sight is more sublimely beautiful than friendship, whose corner atone wis law by the hand of youth, growing np in majestic simplicity, aa every year adds materials to the enduring fabric, until at last the sunset of gild the structure with a grace like that of l'aradiae? Yea, it is true that age may m the smile of faithful regard, aa well as the "altered eye of hard unkmdncaa." "Amid aevereat woe" a hopeful quiet, uncomplaining temper, alive to the koeuueaa of sorrow, yet wearing the look of heavenly patience, is some times aeen, aa welllaa "moody madness laughing wild." And, finally, age, though "alow ooa uming," very often reap the earnest of j mortallife, and spiritually ripens for the ski - Literary H'orW,