Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1869-12-24

IKE 10 see one oil these whipper-snappers
with woman who should be all wit and
fire and spirit, and yet have no notions OF
.her own, but leave them to him, and could
control her temper when he conldnt his'n.
And when he's got this strong, wise, splen-
did creature-a great deal wiser and bray
er than any man that ever was she'd have
to be, to be all he says-and he told her she
was to be under his thumb, I'm thinking
he'd find out that a woman of this kind
wouldn't look at him, and that it was easi-
'6f sailing with the women we've got now.
As for Sam Smith, just tell jimmy if his
faith in goodness is that weakly that it's
going to give out unless IL has a woman to
look nt somewhere, primmod up with her
hands washed in rose water, let il go by the
plosrd and no great loss to any body. And
Y}'h.t's sauce for the goose is sauce for the
'gander. 1t won't hurt Sam Smith no more
to think of Jinny's learning book keeping
or studying to be doctor than it will her
TO take bouquet from the hand lie has
been using in the dissectng room. And
if he don't like to think that she has her
faults, why ! suppose that she don't like
to think that he swears at his sisters, or
drinks brandy either. And talking of doe
tors, Sam can't abide female physician.
lie says he coul dn't love one 'em ifthere
weren't no other women in the world /;
though don't know as any Of 'em ever
asked him to love them for that matter.
And don't say that l wasn't kind o. set
agin EN- first myself, till l come to sec one;
and she was a sweet-spoken, warm-hoart-
ed woman with still way, and Il smile
that made sick folks look for her like an
angel and q sight more of a true woman
she was to my mind than Miss Minerva
Sam was SO struck with last summer. She
screamed at every bugand worm, and made
such clinging vine of herself she was un-
der every body's feet and when she went
to the hospital and see one poor boy that
was going to have his arm dressed, "Oh,
myw says she, mincing and sticking tight
t. Sam and away she goes, as if the sight
N>A he poor fellow was poison, and never a
thankful word, though he shed his blood as
much for her as any bodyl There's moth
ing hurts sic k folks like making n horror
of them-acting, mean, as if they sicken-
ed them. And no matter how long l live,
l shant forget the sort of pain and shame
ON his poor face as he looked after her.
Sam Smiths unwomanly woman would
have come TO him like an angel and l say
his delicate Miss Minerva was nothing
more than a brute.
Mr.. Lumplin he don't agree with me.
Hes opposed too. AS l tell him, it's nat
ural. Men are squatters on women's rights.
and no SOU after ever likes improvements
and to be warned of; and if they could
make women into perpetual-acting forev-
or smiling, never-out-of-j joint, and do-just-
as-you're-told as machines, l dare say they
would like it. There's more folks than the
Pope that never lose nothing for want of
<--saPs- -tand iftall1,g would mal.e-
men superior beings IL would have been
done long ago. But nature and facts is too
strong for EN-. l remember Deacon Proud
foot-and if you've ever seen the Deacon,
you know he's little, thin, piping man,
with a obstinate twist all one side, like
tan terrier-and he was talking one after
noon about some womrn's book and says
he:
"Oh yes, yes; but after all women amt
equal to men. There's a great difference
between the male and female mind"
And he kept on saying it over and over,
like wheezy old organ that can't play but
one tune, till got sick Of it; and says 1:
'That's so, Deacon but you know you
couldn't have written that book to have
slved your life and so if the female mind
hat wrote that is such an inferior article, 1
hould like TO know what is yours can be
made OFF,
1--WE didn't hear no more about male and
female minds that day, though Mr.. Lump
kin he was riled to think l should be so
saucy. Blu, l jest told him what's sauce
for the goose is sauce for gander, and like
70 see things proved. How does anybody
hnow yet what woman can do or can't
TO-? Ifa woman can do so much without
any teaching what could she do if she was
aldicat ed? What's woman's schooling?
She learns a few things, little bit here, a
little bit there, to stow away in her mind (;
lhlt don't exercise her mind no more than
dling your stomach exercises the body.
Auows. She's like my girl jimmy. Some
body learned her few notes on the plan
ny and she picks out tunes quite wonder
ful and If she only had teacher what a
player she might be! Jest so; what grand
women we might have if all them wonder
ful faculties of theirs was trained and,
TIL they are, who knows what women can
do? and what's the use of talking?
AS | said, Mr.. L. he hates to hear me
talk and one day he brought an old pair
OF trowsers, and says he:
"Here, take them, if that's what you
want ~
:. And says 1;
lvA.S,., ,,ss, chat nin't what want, nor any
3ther woman of sensel They're the ugli-
rest, awkwardcst, meanest clothes that ever
was wore, and it's bad enough to see men
around in them. You needn't think we're
so struck by your looks that we want to
pattern after you"
Besides, as tell jimmy, though wouldn't
own as much to him, there is such thing
rs running too far. You have seen sled
bounce up against wall with a bump that
that sends il spinning backward. Now, in
my opinion, nature is that sort of wall
and when folks run agin it they'll get Q
start on the back track for certain. Just
look at III If we was all to put on coats
and pants l do suppose we should get a.
bout spryer, and there wouldn't be so ma.
ny objections against our turning plow,
boys or getting our lives insured. Bu
then 1t is not clear TO my mind that O
slraight-ahead and no-nonsense working
machine was quite all that was intended
when woman was first started, or that we
should gain moro as plow-boys then We
should lose as women; because l don't see
If that is tho case, why Divine Providence
made dmples and soft round limbs ant
hair that's nice to smooth, and how ii comes
that a woman knows by nature how to SCI
| herself of with some little ribbon lallal-'
man can't tell how-and makes herself be
witching.
Talking Of that reminds me Of voting
but don't say much to jimmy about that
for, to tell the truth, l amt altogether clear