“Let them influence thier husbands then,” says he, “the influence of wimmen over men, is wonderful, and they can in this way wield a almost sovereign power. And they do in many instances exert this indirect power in an eminent degree.”
Says I, finally, “I don’t believe in no underhand proceedin’, I never did. The idee of wimmen bein’ underhand, and go to mouldin’ men on the sly, I don’t believe in it.” Says I, “accordin’ to your own story Horace, wimmen have a influence in politics now.”
“Wall--yes--a sort of a indirect influence in thier families, as it were.”
Says I, “Horace can you look me straight in the spectacles and deny that there is wimmen’s influence in politics at Washington to-day?” Says I, “look at them female lobsteresses there.” Says I, “one handsome, brilliant, unprincipled bad woman will influence 14 common men where a modest humbly well wisher of her sect will one.” And says I, warmly, for the thought of these female lobsteresses always madded me--“I should be ashamed if I was in some of them Senators’ places, makin’ laws about the Mormans.”
I see my deep principle was a floatin’ me off into a subject where as a female I didn’t want to go, and so I choked back the words I was about to utter which was, “I had jest as lives jine a Morman, as to jine one of them.” I choked it back, and struggled for calmness, for I was excited. But I did say this,
“I think good wimmen ought to have a chance with bad ones in political affairs. For there is more good wimmen in the land than there is bad ones, but now the bad ones have it all thier own way.”
Horace wiped his brow gently with his lead pencil, and said in a thoughtful accent,
“There may be some truth in what you say Josiah Allen’s wife. I confess I never looked at it in exactly this light before.”
Says I, in a triumphant glad tone, “That is jest what I told Josiah.” Says I, “Josiah, Horace is all right, there never was a better meanin’ man on the face of the earth than Horace is. All he wants is to have some noble principled woman to set him right in this one thing.”
I see in a minute that I had made a mistake. Men hate to be dictated to by a woman, they hate to, like a dog. I see by his lowery brow that I had put the wrong foot forrerd. For the time bein’ the sage and the philosifer sunk down in his nature, and the _man_ spoke in the usual manlike way.