"Texas is paradise for men and dogs, hell for women and horses" (1847, Illinois)

Thu Aug 10 17:09:58 UTC 2006

What does Fred have for this famous quote? I haven't yet checked America's
Historical Newspapers (which requires a trip to the NYPL).
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"Men" and "women" and the two constants in the quote, with sometimes
"paradise" and "hell" added. The animals vary from "dogs" and "hogs" and "horses"
and "bulls" and "mules" and "oxen." The quote has also gone from "paradise for
men and horses" to "hell for women and horses." {Someone should ask the
horses for a second opinion.} The location has varied from Illinois and Idaho and
Georgia and Alabama and Tennessee and Texas.
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Such is the great adventure of researching American quotations.
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July 1847, Prairie Farmer, pg. 222:
I heard the remark of an old lady, one of our oldest pioneers, that is
pretty much to the point. She said that "Illinois was a perfect paradise for men
and horses, but death on women and oxen."
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8 November 1883, Los Angeles Times, pg. 2:
A TEXAS editor has prepared a lecture on "The responsibility of women for
the state of society." Does he mean the state of society in Texas? If so, it is
a fearful responsibility. Texas is the traditionally "hard country on women
and oxen."
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20 March 1884, Coleman's Rural World, pg. 94:
As a farming country, with the exception of small bodies of land along the
streams, it is simply a failure. Good water is a rarity; and the climate, well,
 it can better be described to quote the exact language of an old lady when
expressing her disgust of Texas: She said it was "the coldest, the warmest,
the wettest, and the dryest country on earth, and terrible on women and
oxen--but glory to men and dogs."
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5 June 1884, New York Evangelist, "'Young Man, Don't Go West' Or
South," pg. 2:
A lady whose fate has set her in the Flowery Land, writes home "This is the
hottest country and the coldest country and the dryest country and the wettest
 country that ever I saw. It is a paradise for men and dogs, and a hell for
women and horses."
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_BETSY HAMILTON.; HER LIKES AND DISLIKES OF THE LONE STAR STATE. Says Texas
is a Good State for Men and Dogs Mighty Poor One for Women and--A Good
country for Money and-one Honest Negro in the West. _
(http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=526582142&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=10&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&V
Name=HNP&TS=1155227101&clientId=65882)
BETSY HAMILTON. The Atlanta Constitution (1881-2001). Atlanta, Ga.: Oct 25,
1885. p. 3 (1 page)
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_BETSY HAMILTON._
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_HER LIKES AND DISLIKES OF THE_
_LONE STAR STATE._
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_She Says Texas is a Good State for Men and Dogs_
_but a Mighty Poor One for Women and Hogs--_
_A Good Country for Money and Crops--_
_One Honest Negro in the West._
[Copyright 1884. All Rights Reserved.]
(...)
Some of the women folks is powerful disheartened; they want to go back to
Alabam and Georgy what they come from what they can git a good old fawshion,
green, corn-field, greasy, black, nappy-headed nigger to wait on 'em. One woman
'lowed she jist wanted to go back to Ala-bam one more time so as to git a
real ginny-wsie black nigger (the blacker the better), to mind her chillun and
keep 'em quiet while she tuck one good old fashion 'fore-the-war gal nap; she
hadn't had nary wink of sleep in daylight sence she married and come to
Texas. he 'lowed it was a old buts a true sayin', "Texas is fine for men and dogs
but hard on women and hogs."
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1 June 1891, American Farmer, pg. 128:
I find it is not only the new countries in the West that the lady wrote home
describing a fine country, for men and dogs who have lots of fun hunting,
but awful hard on women and horses, but that is a good deal the fault of the
women.
(...)
SALLY LUNN.
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26 February 1893, Atlanta Constitution, pg. 2:
He began to talk to her about the country; went into ecstasies over the
mountain scenery, the beautiful valleys, the fine water, the fertile lands such
magnificent forests. "Surely this must be the finest country in the world for
man to live in." "Yes," she said, "it is no doubt a good country for men and
dogs, but it is hell on women and bulls."
(Referring to Georgia--ed.)
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22 April 1893, Atlanta Constitution, "Just From Georgia," pg. 4:
Hard on Both of 'Em.
This happened in Alabama: A school professor was lying on the porch reading,
with a shepherd dog by his side, while his mother was out in the field,
plowing with a little bull. In answer to a question, the old lady said that that
part of the country "was a paradise for men and dogs, but a perfect h-ll for
women and bulls!"
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26 February 1905, Washington Post, "Down in Tennessee: Queer Ways and
Words of Cumberland Mountain People," pg. B2:
"You have a fine country here."
To which she replied: "Well, it's a paradise for men and dogs, but it's
mighty hard on women and mules."
.
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30 August 1956, Washington Post, pg. 23:
"There is an old saying in the south," Deems declared, "that southern
climate is salubrious for men and mules but hard on women and horses."
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2 November 1958, New York Times, pg. SM26:
THE famous report of the Texas pioneer lady that "this is a fine country for
men and dogs but hell on women and horses" would probably fit Alaska without
much change, if any.
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21 February 1964, Washington Post, pg. C3:
She cited excerpts from the journal of Jane Gay who went to Idaho in 1889
with Alice Fletcher, who was sent by President Cleveland to make land allotments
 to the Indians. Miss Gay described that country as "good enough for men and
cattle but death on women and horses who do the hard work."
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18 October 1971, New York Times, "Lib in Longhorn Country" by Molly
Ivins, pg. 37:
The reason we have women's lib in Texas is because we need it so bad. My
friend Wayne Oakes, who is the director of the Civil Liberties Union in this
great state, said just the other day: "Texas is hell on women and horses." Now
that wasn't original with Wayne, but 1,500 horses died here during one summer
and it's enough to make you ponder.
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5 January 1975, New York Times, "Texas," pg. F17:
DALLAS -- A Tennessee woman brought reluctantly to Dallas by her husband 125
years ago, took one look at the place -- the buffalo, the Indians, the mud
and the heat -- and demanded to go home.

Forced to stay, she reported by letter to a friend that Dallas was "all
right for men and dogs, but hell on women and  horses."

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