The Feminist Turkey of White Bluffs
A local farmer reports that his turkey gobbler has begun nesting, prompting tongue-in-cheek commentary on the changing gender roles of the 1920s.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
We are in a constant state of evolution. Most of us are getting used to bobbed hair, coveralls in the orchards, knickers in the auto camps, female delegates to political conventions and the Lucy Stone League, but it comes with more or less of a shock to learn that the feminist movement has extended to the feathered tribe. L. T. Brooks, of the In-B-Tween neighborhood, says he found his turkey gobbler the other day setting on a nest of eggs. The old fellow has shed his breast feathers, his comb and wattles have taken on a pink instead of the usual bright red color and in general his appearance is entirely in keepings with the make-up of the hen turkeys when engaged in the serious business of raising a family. Yes, times are changing.
“Most of us are getting used to bobbed hair, coveralls in the orchards, knickers in the auto camps, female delegates to political conventions and the Lucy Stone League, but it comes with more or less of a shock to learn that the feminist movement has extended to the feathered tribe.”
This piece uses the contemporary 'scandal' of changing gender roles—symbolized by the Lucy Stone League and women in politics—as a cultural prism for a bizarre bit of local farm news. It reflects the era's unease with the rapid shift in social norms following the suffrage movement, projected onto the behavior of barnyard animals.
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