for women to have followed the gold-seekers of 1849,
and to have endured the hardships of the California
flush times, it is probable that as a whole, and to a
certain extent, they would have fallen into excesses
themselves, instead of withholding their companions
entirely from them. The patience, modesty, and
gentleness of the better sort would have greatly as-
sisted the sobriety and magnanimity of the men, but
the frivolity and jealousy of the more graceless would
have increased their intemperance and brutality.
Much would have depended on the view taken of
the question by the women ; had they been there, and
had they been as ready to sacrifice all for gold ; had
they been as ambitious, as avaricious, and as untram-
elled by society as were the men ; the intensity of
the orgies would have been increased ten-fold.
Haply she was never called to undergo the ordeal.
Before her appearance on the scene the ebullition had
materially subsided, and gold-diggers began to think
seriously of becoming settlers, and of making this
country their home. The first females to come — and
these were early enough upon the ground — were the
vicious and unchaste, who opened and presided at
brilliant saloons and houses of ill-fame, and sat by
the gambler and assisted him hi raking in his gains
and paying his losses. Flaunting in their gay attire
they were civilly treated by the men, few of whom,
even of the most respectable and sedate, disdained to
visit their houses. On the steamers comino- out, the
frail, fair one was often shown all the delicate consid-
erations due to the fine lady of immaculate morals ;
the officers of the ship were always at her command,
and if a favorite of the captain she was assigned a
seat at his table. On her arrival, merchants and
judges were among her associates. There was little
social caste or moral quality in those days. In the
absence of the true the imitation was made to answer.
And so men went wild over the shadow as they were
doing in other things; the folds of female drapery
