Cornelia , will you ever forget the one when old Luther Burns got up and made a speech ? HE stated his opinions forcibly . '' `` Call a spade a spade , Captain . You mean he got red-mad and raked them all , fore and aft . They deserved it too -- a pack of incapables . But what would you expect of a committee of men ? That building committee held twenty-seven meetings , and at the end of the twenty-seventh were n't no nearer having a church than when they begun -- not so near , for a fact , for in one fit of hurrying things along they 'd gone to work and tore the old church down , so there we were , without a church , and no place but the hall to worship in . '' `` The Methodists offered us their church , Cornelia . '' `` The Glen St. Mary church would n't have been built to this day , '' went on Miss Cornelia , ignoring Captain Jim , `` if we women had n't just started in and took charge . We said WE meant to have a church , if the men meant to quarrel till doomsday , and we were tired of being a laughing-stock for the Methodists . We held ONE meeting and elected a committee and canvassed for subscriptions . We got them , too . When any of the men tried to sass us we told them they 'd tried for two years to build a church and it was our turn now . We shut them up close , believe ME , and in six months we had our church . Of course , when the men saw we were determined they stopped fighting and went to work , man-like , as soon as they saw they had to , or quit bossing . Oh , women ca n't preach or be elders ; but they can build churches and scare up the money for them . '' `` The Methodists allow women to preach , '' said Captain Jim . Miss Cornelia glared at him . `` I never said the Methodists had n't common sense , Captain . What I say is , I doubt if they have much religion . ''
`` I suppose you are in favor of votes for women , Miss XXXXX , '' said Gilbert .
Burns Captain Cornelia Jim Mary Methodists incapables laughing-stock subscriptions years