E-text prepared by Juliet Sutherland, Andrea Ball, and the Project
Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
Transcriber's Note: This document is the text of Sowing and Reaping. Any bracketed notations such as [Text missing], [?], and those inserting letters or other comments are from the original text.
A Temperance Story
A Rediscovered Novel by
Frances E.W. Harper
Edited by Frances Smith Foster
"I hear that John Andrews has given up his saloon; and a foolish thingit was. He was doing a splendid business. What could have induced him?"
"They say that his wife was bitterly opposed to the business. I don'tknow, but I think it quite likely. She has never seemed happy since Johnhas kept saloon."
"Well, I would never let any woman lead me by the nose. I would let herknow that as the living comes by me, the way of getting it is my affair,not hers, as long as she is well provided for."
"All men are not alike, and I confess that I value the peace andhappiness of my home more than anything else; and I would not like toengage in any business which I knew was a source of constant pain to mywife."
"But, what right has a woman to complain, if she has every thing shewants. I would let her know pretty soon who holds the reins, if I hadsuch an unreasonable creature to deal with. I think as much of my wifeas any man, but I want her to know her place, and I know mine."
"What do you call her place?"
"I call her place staying at home and attending to her own affairs. WereI a laboring man I would never want my wife to take in work. When awoman has too much on hand, something has to be neglected. Now I alwaysfurnish my wife with sufficient help and supply every want but how I getthe living, and where I go, and what company I keep, is my own business,and I would not allow the best woman in the world to interfere. I haveoften heard women say that they did not care what their husbands did, sothat they provided for them; and I think such conclusions are verysensible."
"Well, John, I do not think so. I think a woman must be very selfish, ifall she cares for her husband is, to have a good provider. I think herhusband's honor and welfare should be as dear to her as her own; and notrue woman and wife can be indifferent to the moral welfare of herhusband. Neither man nor woman can live by bread alone in the highestand best sense of the term."
"Now Paul, don't go to preaching. You have always got some moon strucktheories, some wild, visionary and impracticable ideas, which would workfirst rate, if men were angels and earth a paradise. Now don't be soserious, old fellow; but you know on this religion business, you and Ialways part company. You are always up in the clouds, while I am tryingto invest in a few acres, or town lots of solid terra firma."
"And would your hold on earthly possessions, be less firm because youlooked beyond the seen to the unseen?"
"I think it would, if I let conscience interfere constantly, with everybusiness transaction I undertook. Now last week you lost $500 fair andsquare, because you would not foreclose that mortgage on Smith'sproperty. I told you that 'business is business,' and that while Ipitied the poor man, I would not have risked my money that way, but you