Samantha on the Woman Question

o be put off on account of a spell her husband wuz havin'. Lorinda said she could not face

invited company whilst Josiah wuz

for one week. But Lorinda kep' on cookin' fruit cake and such that would keep, she had plenty of help, but loved to do her company cookin' herself. And seein' the Reun

and immodest." I see she looked reproachfully at Polly as she said it. Polly wuz arrangin' some posies in a vase, and looked as sweet as the p

makin' angel cake). "And why is this meetin' any more onwomanly or immodest than t

religious meet

s a sperit and wielded aginst injustice to young workin' wimmen as powerful a weepon as that axe of the 'Postles the Bible tells about. And you said you went every day to the Hudson-Fulton doin's and hearn ever

l foot loose, and don't feel the need of any more rights for herself, but I told her then and there some of the wrongs and sufferin's of Serepta Pester, and bein' good-h

oldest girl who teaches in the public school don't git half as much for the same work as men do, and her school rooms are dark, stuffy, onhealthy, and crowded so the children are ha

uld let their children be made sick and blind and the money that should be used for food for po

in such things," sez Lorinda, as sh

are bright and pleasant and sanitary, and the pupils, of course, are well and happy. And if you don't think wimmen can help in such public matters jus

educated, motherly, thoughtful wimmen helped make the laws so many little children would be allowed to toil in facto

of humanity, wuz pressin' down on her generous young heart. And I could see in her sweet face the brave determination to do and to dare, to try to help ondo the wrongs, and t

glect their homes and housework and l

out first of all for the children's welfare. They have raised the age of consent, have closed saloons and other places of licensed evil, and in every way it has been their first care to help '

Bible sez 'ye shall always have the poor with you,' and I spoze we always shall, with all their sufferin's and wants.

her into dark, overcrowded, unsanitary, carelessly guarded places, to spend the precious hours when they are the most receptive to influence and pass man-made pitfalls on their way to and fro, must stand helpless until in too many cases the innocent healthy child that went from her care returns to her half-blind, a physical and moral wreck. The mother who went down to death's door f

es and fit themselves to be capable wives and mothers. I don't say or expect that wimmen's votin' will make black white, or wash all the stains from the legislative body at once, but I say

his face. But truly the word, "Woman's Suffrage," rousts him up as quick as a mouse duz a drows

; "that's a queer word from

o with me." As stated, Polly is as pretty as a pink posy, and no matter how old a man is, nor how interestin' and noble his pardner is, he

u legally, Samantha; what I do is

if I went to the city I'd take care of Aunt Susan a night or two, and rest her a spell; you know Diantha is a widder and too poor to hire a nurse. But seein' you represent me you c

expected to represent wimmen in everything, it i

n when they want to, and when they don't

mantha, sunthi

s. Lorinda's linement looked dark and forbiddin' as Polly stated in her gentle, but firm way this ultimatum. Lorinda hated the ide

think that a girl that had every comfort and luxury would be content

by it is because she is so well off herself that makes her sorry

earnin' bread for themselves and dear ones, and she longed to help 'em to livin' wages, so they could exist without the wages of sin, and too many on 'em had to choose between them black wages and starvation. She wanted to help 'em to better surroundin's an

e Polly jealous and bring her round to his way of thinkin', I didn't know, but mistrusted, for I could have took my oath that he loved Polly deeply and truly. To be sure he hadn't confided in me, but there is a language of the eyes, when the soul speaks through 'em, and as I'd seen him look a

wuz any masculine trees round to lean on and twine about. One who always jined in with all the idees they promulgated, from neckties to the tariff, who declared cigar smoke wu

rls did, their skin wuz thicker and their stomachs different and stronger, and constant labor didn't harm them, and working girls didn't need r

the She Auntys have to try to compel the Suffragists not to have public meetin's. They talk a good deal in public how onwomanly and immodest it is for wimmen to tal

attractive personality, and his millions, had long been the goal of Maud's ambition. And how ardently did she hail the

lutionary forbears went through for the same reasons, bein' taxed without representation, and bein' burdened and punished by the law they had no voice in making, only the Suffragettes are not nearly so s

less death-dealin' hours of labor, and livin' wages, and so forth. I don't see how such a really noble young man as Royal ever come to argy that way, bu

ut angry sparks, and hash words would be said on both sides. That old long-buried Tory ancestor of hisen eggin' him on, so I spoze, and Polly's generous sperit rebellin' aginst the injustice

gists, but really ridin' she felt towards truth and justice to half the citizens o

e women they love to belong to them alone, want to rule absolutely over their hearts, their souls, their bodies, and all their thoughts and aims, desi

world wandering, he wants to come back and open the barred doors of home with his own privat

r off into his cave and keep her there shet up. But little by little men are forgettin' their ancestral traits, and men and wimmen are gradually

in his motor, to gather May-flowers. Polly told him she hoped they would have a good time, and then, after he had gone, drivin' his c

ge meeting. But she refused, havin' in her mind, I spoze, the girls that couldn't hunt flowers, but had to handle weeds and