My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's: Designed as a Beacon Light to Guide Women to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, But Which May Be Read by Members of the Sterner Sect, without Injury to Themselves or the BookHolley, Marietta
General
My Opinions and Betsey Bobbet's: Designed as a Beacon Light to Guide Women to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, But Which May Be Read by Members of the Sterner Sect, without Injury to Themselves or the Book
Holley, Marietta
Feminism -- Fiction; United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Women -- Suffrage -- United States -- Fiction; Women's rights -- Fiction
I suppose we are about as happy as the most of folks, but as I was
sayin’, a few days ago to Betsy Bobbet a neighborin’ female of
ours--“Every Station house in life has its various skeletons. But we
ort to try to be contented with that spear of life we are called on to
handle.” Betsey haint married and she don’t seem to be contented. She is
awful opposed to wimmen’s rights, she thinks it is wimmen’s only spear
to marry, but as yet she can’t find any man willin’ to lay holt of that
spear with her. But you can read in her daily life and on her eager
willin’ countenance that she fully realizes the sweet words of the poet,
“while there is life there is hope.”
Betsey haint handsome. Her cheek bones are high, and she bein’ not much
more than skin and bone they show plainer than they would if she was in
good order. Her complexion (not that I blame her for it) haint good, and
her eyes are little and sot way back in her head. Time has seen fit
to deprive her of her hair and teeth, but her large nose he has kindly
suffered her to keep, but she has got the best white ivory teeth money
will buy; and two long curls fastened behind each ear, besides frizzles
on the top of her head, and if she wasn’t naturally bald, and if the
curls was the color of her hair they would look well. She is awful
sentimental, I have seen a good many that had it bad, but of all the
sentimental creeters I ever did see Betsey Bobbet is the sentimentalest,
you couldn’t squeeze a laugh out of her with a cheeze press.
[Illustration: BETSEY BOBBET.]
As I said she is awful opposed to wimmin’s havein’ any right only the
right to get married. She holds on to that right as tight as any single
woman I ever see which makes it hard and wearin’ on the single men round
here. For take the men that are the most opposed to wimmin’s havin’ a
right, and talk the most about its bein’ her duty to cling to man like a
vine to a tree, they don’t want Betsey to cling to them, they _won’t let_
her cling to ’em. For when they would be a goin’ on about how wicked it
was for wimmin to vote--and it was her only spear to marry, says I to
’em “Which had you ruther do, let Betsey Bobbet cling to you or let her
vote?” and they would every one of ’em quail before that question. They
would drop their heads before my keen grey eyes--and move off the subject.
But Betsey don’t get discourajed. Every time I see her she says in a
hopeful wishful tone, “That the deepest men of minds in the country agree
with her in thinkin’ that it is wimmin’s duty to marry, and not to vote.”
And then she talks a sight about the retirin’ modesty and dignity of
the fair sect, and how shameful and revoltin’ it would be to see wimmen
throwin’ ’em away, and boldly and unblushin’ly talkin’ about law and
justice.
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