Samantha Smith Allen greeted about 50 guests in a brown dress, white shawl and a black bonnet ready to “rastle” the idea of the “weak feminine mind.”

Allen, a character from 19th century women’s literature, was brought to life by Jane Curry, who has a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s and a doctorate degree in American Culture. Curry spoke March 9 in the Carl Sandburg Auditorium in the Holmes Student Center.

During Curry’s portrayal of Allen, she argued the statement in the Declaration of Independence that all men are born free and equal. Allen’s husband Josiah said it takes the “strong masculine mind” to know who the word “men” includes, Curry said.

Curry explained that Josiah Allen had said the phrase “all men are born” obviously includes both men and women. He added that the “free and equal” clause includes only men, she said.

Allen said her husband believed women belong on a pedestal, Curry said. Because she weighed about 200 pounds, Allen felt she might be too hefty for any pedestal. Her husband said giving women the right to vote would make them “drugged down, demeaned and unwomanly,” Curry added.

Curry said Allen did not understand how a walk down to the country store to put a small piece of paper into a small box could be so difficult, but she said that Josiah did not stay to reply to her statement.

Curry quoted Jonesville Mayor Horace Greeley as saying, “the woman sect would be lowered in the eyes of the men sect.” Since “women are classed among the idiots, aliens and criminals,” that should not be a threat, she said.

Greeley also said it was “against nature for women to vote,” according to Curry. He said nature has the woman staying home on the nest “incubating the eggs” and that “nature never makes mistakes,” she said.

“What about the queen bee?” Allen had said to Greeley, to which he replied that he had an appointment and would get back to her, Curry said.

Betsy Babbit, a neighbor of Allen, was a “cooin‘, clingin’ and soothin‘” woman, Curry said. Babbit told Allen to stay within the woman’s sphere.

“If God had meant wimmen (women) should be nothin’ but men’s shadders (shadows), he would have made gosts (ghosts) and fantoms (phantoms) of ‘em at once,” Curry said.

In a meeting of the men of Jonesville, which Allen had secretly attended, the men discussed alternatives to women’s suffrage, she said.

Suggestions included killing the women, giving them a dose of wormwood, roping and haltering them and muzzling them, Curry said. The men reconsidered each idea because they would take away women’s other rights of cooking, cleaning and making men comfortable, she said.