“Women’s speah”—began Betsey.
“Women’s speah,” says I interuptin’ her in a magestic tone before which Betsey quailed imperceptably. “Women’s speah is where she can do the most good; if God had meant that wimmen should be nothin’ but men’s shadders, He would have made gosts and fantoms of ’em at once. But havin’ made ’em flesh and blood, with braens and souls, I believe He meant ’em to be used to the best advantage. And the talk about wimmen havin’ to fight, and men wash dishes, if wimmen vote, is all shear nonsense. In the Baptist church where wimmen vote, I don’t see as they act different from other wimmen, and I don’t see as the Baptist men act any more sheepish than common men.” Says I “it is jest as ridiculous to say it would make a woman act coarse and rampage round to vote, as to say that kissin’ a pretty baby, or lovin’ books and music and pictures, makes a man a hen huzzy.”
Says I, carried away with powerful emotions, “you may shet a lion up for years, in a room full of cambric needles and tattin shettles, and you can’t get him to do anything but roar at ’em, it haint a lion’s nature to do fine sewin’,” says I. “And you may tie up a old hen as long as you please, and you can’t break her of wantin’ to make a nest, and scratch for her chickens.” Says I—wavin’ my right hand, slow and magestically—“you may want a green shade onto the front side of your house, and to that end and effect you may plant a acorn, and set out a rose bush, but all the legeslaters in creation can’t make that acorn tree blow out with red posys, no more can they make that rose bush stand up straight as a giant. And thier bein’ planted by the side of each other—on the same ground and watered out of the same waterin’ jug—don’t olter thier natural turn. They will both help shade the winder, but do it in their own way which is different. And men and wimmen votin’ side by side, would no more alter their natural dispositions than singin’ one of Watts’es hymns together would. One will sing base, and the other air, so long as the world stands.”
“Josiah Allen’s wife,” says Betsey, “I think your views are uronieus. We cannot think alike about clinging, we also diffeh in our views about caurkusses. When I consideh that ’lections and caurkusses come once every yeah, then comes home the solemn feelin’, how wearin’ it would be for a female to drop all her domestic labohs and avocations, and be present at them. Josiah Allen’s wife, let us sposen’ the case, sposen’ a women is a washin’, or churnin’ buttah, how could she leave this laboh to go and vote?” I was so wore out, that says I, “we will sposen’ the case, sposen’ a women is a fool, how can she talk common sense?” Says I, with so impatient a gesture that I broke off a thread, and had to tie it on agin “you are goin’ over the same old ground agin of a woman’s time,” says I “wimmen can drop all thier domestic labors and go to fares—town fares, and county fares, and state fares if she can get to ’em. She will be on the ground in time to see the first punkin and bedquilt carried on to it, and she will stay to see the last horse, trot his last trot; she can find time for picnics and pleasure exertions, and celebrations, and 4th of July—that last, all day—and it would take about half a minute to vote. But,” says I, in the most grand and noble tone I had used yet. “Men haint took by the coat collar and dragged off to caurkusses and ’lections, they don’t go unless they are a mind to, and I don’t suppose wimmen would be drove there like a flock of sheep. They wouldn’t want to go; only, when some great law was up concerning right and wrong, or her own intrinsick interests, as givin a mother a equal right to her children, a right she earnt naturally, a deed God himself stamped with the great seals of fear and agony. Or bein’ taxed without representation; which breaks the old constitution right into, in the middle, every time it is done. Or concernin’ equal pay, for equal labor. I spose every female clerk and teacher and operator, who have half starved on about one third what men get for doin’ the same work would be on hand. Like wise concerning Temperance, I spose every drunkards wife and mother and girl would go to the pole, that could get there. Poor things, under the Legislator they have enjoyed the right of sufferin’; sposen’ it lets ’em enjoy the right of suffragin’ a spell, mebby they would find it as easy if not easier.”
THE WIFE AND MOTHER AT A PRIMARY.
BETSEY’S VIEW OF THE RESULTS.