Josiah Allen on the Woman QuestionHolley, Marietta
General
Josiah Allen on the Woman Question
Holley, Marietta
Feminism -- Fiction; Humorous stories; Sex role -- Fiction; Women's rights -- Fiction
Fascinator! Who wuz fascinated by it? I wuzn't, no indeed! And so
lightnin' quick is my mind to ketch holt of any argument illustratin'
wimmen's weakness of inteleck to transcribe in my volume, that I
methought instantly how that one article of Betsy's attire showed plain
the inferiority of her sect that I wuz tryin' to prove to the world.
As I glanced at it, my eager soul questioned my active mind, "Did you
ever ketch a man wearin' anything on his head with such vain silly
names," and my mind thundered back to my listenin' soul, "No! no sir!"
The strong brain within the manly head would spurn such a coverin', and
tread it into the dust. A man's fascination consists of sunthin' inside
his skull, his powerful brain, his invincible will, not in a flimsy
woosted affair knit with a tattin' hook. With what hauty coldness would
a man spurn it, if his wife tried to put it onto his noble head to wear
to meetin' or to a neighbors.
But to resoom. Betsy passed a few triflin' onimportant remarks about
the weather, her hens, her husband, etc., but my keen eye pierced
through her outward demeanor, which she tried to make nateral,
and I see she had a ulterior object in comin' out so early in the
mornin'. And soon it broke forth in speech, and she uttered the bold
presumptious request that I would let her insert some of her poetry
writ before, and after her marriage, in my great forthcomin' volume.
For a minute I wuz almost stunted and stumped by the brazen impudence
of the idee, that I would let a female have any part however small in
that grand work proclaimin' and provin' the superiority of my sect.
And havin' a mind so powerful and many sided it can see both sides to
once, I methought how onbecomin' it would be in me and how meachin' to
let females take part in a work designed to be the ruination of 'em,
or that is the ruination of their claims to be equal to the sect I wuz
nobly representin'. How could I grant her request without sinkin' down
to the low female level?
No, I answered her promp in the negative. But she clung to the idee as
clost as she ever clung to the various men she had paid attention to
until her doom wuz sealed and she had with herculeanium efforts won
Simon to be her pardner.
Sez she pleadin'ly, "Josiah Allen, do let me insert some of my poetry
on woman's spear in your noble volume. I feel that my poems deserve
immortality, but they won't never git there if a man don't help me to
lift 'em up."
That idee wuz indeed grateful to me, it naterally would be to any man,
but agin I answered her coldly in the negative, Samantha lookin' on,
but sayin' nothin'. Anon Betsy turned to her and sez, "Josiah Allen's
wife, will you not help plead with him in the name of a strugglin'
sister woman?"
Samantha kep' on parin' and slicin' her greenin's but sez coldly, "I
hain't no objections to it. I guess the verses will correspond pretty
well with the rest of the book."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account