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SAMANTHA
AMONG THE BRETHREN.
By
"Josiah Allen's Wife"
(Marietta Holley)
Part 1
_With Illustrations_.
1890
TO
All Women
WHO WORK, TRYING TO BRING INTO DARK LIVES
THE BRIGHTNESS AND HOPE OF A
BETTER COUNTRY,
_THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED_.
PREFACE.
Again it come to pass, in the fulness of time, that my companion, Josiah
Allen, see me walk up and take my ink stand off of the manteltry piece,
and carry it with a calm and majestick gait to the corner of the settin'
room table devoted by me to literary pursuits. And he sez to me:
"What are you goin' to tackle now, Samantha?"
And sez I, with quite a good deal of dignity, "The Cause of Eternal
Justice, Josiah Allen."
"Anythin' else?" sez he, lookin' sort o' oneasy at me. (That man
realizes his shortcomin's, I believe, a good deal of the time, he duz.)
"Yes," sez I, "I lay out in petickuler to tackle the Meetin' House. She
is in the wrong on't, and I want to set her right."
Josiah looked sort o' relieved like, but he sez out, in a kind of a pert
way, es he set there a-shellin corn for the hens:
"A Meetin' House hadn't ort to be called she--it is a he."
And sez I, "How do you know?"
And he sez, "Because it stands to reason it is. And I'd like to know
what you have got to say about him any way?"
Sez I, "That 'him' don't sound right, Josiah Allen. It sounds more right
and nateral to call it 'she.' Why," sez I, "hain't we always hearn about
the Mother Church, and don't the Bible tell about the Church bein'
arrayed like a bride for her husband? I never in my life hearn it called
a 'he' before."
"Oh, wall, there has always got to be a first time. And I say it sounds
better. But what have you got to say about the Meetin' House, anyway?"
"I have got this to say, Josiah Allen. The Meetin' House hain't a-actin'
right about wimmen. The Founder of the Church wuz born of woman. It wuz
on a woman's heart that His head wuz pillowed first and last. While
others slept she watched over His baby slumbers and His last sleep. A
woman wuz His last thought and care. Before dawn she wuz at the door of
the tomb, lookin' for His comin'. So she has stood ever sense--waitin',
watchin', hopin', workin' for the comin' of Christ. Workin', waitin' for
His comin' into the hearts of tempted wimmen and tempted men--fallen men
and fallen wimmen--workin', waitin', toilin', nursin' the baby good
in the hearts of a sinful world--weepin' pale-faced over its
crucefixion--lookin' for its reserection. Oh how she has worked all
through the ages!"
"Oh shaw!" sez Josiah, "some wimmen don't care about anythin' but crazy
work and back combs."
I felt took down, for I had been riz up, quite considerble, but I sez,
reasonable:
"Yes, there are such wimmen, Josiah, but think of the sweet and saintly
souls that have given all their lives, and hopes, and thoughts to the
Meetin' House--think of the throngs to-day that crowd the aisles of
the Sanctuary--there are five wimmen to one man, I believe, in all the
meetin' houses to-day a-workin' in His name. True Daughters of the King,
no matter what their creed may be--Catholic or Protestant.
"And while wimmen have done all this work for the Meetin' House, the
Meetin' House ort to be honorable and do well by her."
"Wall, hain't _he_?" sez Josiah.
"No, _she_ hain't," sez I.
"Wall, what petickuler fault do you find? What has _he_ done lately to
rile you up?"
Sez I, "_She_ wuz in the wrong on't in not lettin' wimmen set on the
Conference."
"Wall, I say _he_ wuz right," sez Josiah. "_He_ knew, and I knew, that
wimmen wuzn't strong enough to set."
"Why," sez I, "it don't take so much strength to set as it duz to stand
up. And after workin' as hard as wimmen have for the Meetin' House, she
ort to have the priveledge of settin'. And I am goin' to write out jest
what I think about it."
"Wall," sez Josiah, as he started for the barn with the hen feed, "don't
be too severe with the Meetin' House."
And then, after he went out, he opened the door agin and stuck his head
in and sez:
"Don't be too hard on _him_"
And then he shet the door quick, before I could say a word. But good
land! I didn't care. I knew I could say what I wanted to with my
faithful pen--and I am bound to say it.
JOSIAH ALLEN'S WIFE,
Bonny View,
near Adams, New York,
Oct. 14th, 1890.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.