They were within measurable distance of a terrific political struggle in Australia, and should lose no time in preparing for the battle. On every side they had evidence of the activity of the Labor-cum-Socialist party. . .What they stood against was the Socialism that was menacing Australia. - A lady at a meeting of the Wimmin's National League, Melbourne.
Deah Ladies, - Let me wawn you, theah are feahful taimes to come,
And a most ter-ific strugge is at hand;
And we have no taime to speah
If we wish to do ouah sheah -
To defend, like Joan of Awk, ouah native land.
Foah a really frightful monstah is preparing to devouah
All that's uppah-clauss and propah and quaite naice;
And if we should be behaind
In the battle aye shall faind
All ouah priveleges vanish in a traice.
O, it makes me shuddah, ladies, when Ai ventuah to reflect
On the ravages this monstah contemplates.
He will break up all ouah homes,
And where'er the creatuah roams,
We'll be sundered from ouah lawful Tory mates.
We'll be tawn from ouah poah husbands in a most fe-rocious way,
O, deah ladies, can you realise ouah lot?
For the monstah has his eye
On the Sacred Marriage Tie;
And he'll eat up all the babes we haven't got.
And remembah, deahest ladies, all ouah comfort now depends
On destroying this wild Socialistic beast.
Ouah sassiety diversions
Would be vulgah mob excursions
If we pandered to the monstah in the least.
He is bent on confiscating all the houses, land and wealth
Of ouah husbands, and ouah brothahs, and ouah friends.
He is jealous of his bettahs,
And he calls ouah men-folk sweatahs,
He'll do anything to gain his awful ends.
He's vulgah and unchivalrous this feahful Labah thing.
He is teaching all ouah servants to despise us.
He would drag us to his level,
And he'd send to the - ah - devil
All the luxuries with which his toil supplies us.
He harps upon equality when, as of course you know,
And as all the very naicest people know,
It would simply mean disaster
To imagine ev'ry master
Quaite as ignorant as workers or as "low."
O, smaite the Socialistic monstah! Smaite him hard, mai deahs!
O, gathah up youah skirts and join the fray.
Pray, do not shirk the battle, or, with wailing and with teahs,
You'll regret youah negligence on polling day,
We must teach the vulgah working class their raight position here;
We must keep them in their places; we must faight them without fear,
Or there'll be a bittah wail, mai deahs,
If Socialists prevail, mai deahs,
And all "raight thinking" people and the "naicest" disappear.
First published in The Bulletin, 13 January 1910
Author reference sites: C.J. Dennis, Austlit, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian Poetry Library
See also.
