Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Surrealism and Nella Fontaine Binckley (1860-1877-1951)

Nella Fontaine Binckley (1860-1877-1951), "The Last Analysis. Woman's Rights -- the total sum -- Right man and right income" (1906). Is this satire?  Is this social commentary? Either way, it's in the year 1906.

"A Tongue of Good Report. Tell not your wife of others' sins / Or of yours she'll get a notion; / For you should know that 'Ignorance / Is the mother of Devotion.'"
"Verily. No man, poor slave, can ever save Enough to pay the rent, Howe'er he strive, howe'er he thrive, Without his wife's consent."
"A wife not too clever / Is a joy forever" ~ Nella Fontaine Binckley (1906).
"All is Vanity. . . Of the wise men of Greece and of Gotham we hear, / Bur we know, if we're older than ten, / that since the first woman arrived on the sphere / There haven't been any wise men."

Today's Rune: Strength. 

3 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

a wife not too clever! Wow.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

Oh my. The "wife not too clever" piece has me pondering about how different marriage relations are today. Or perhaps not? Personally, I could never imagine wanting to live my entire life with someone with whom I couldn't carry on a scintillating conversation.

jodi said...

Erik-Way to hold a woman down! Those are so funny!