Precious Substance
Episode 2
It Is Our Private Opinion

Hayley, Wendy and Laura chat about the backhanded nature of the compliment paid to Ella Yount and ask a question about the unusual turn of phrase, precious substance. What is it?

CREDITS

Producer: Laura Tyler
Concept: Wendy Clough, Laura Tyler and Hayley Williams
Editor: Andy Schwarz
Logo Design: Hayley Williams
Creek sounds recorded at Black Cloud Creek, Mt. Elbert, Colorado

TRANSCRIPT

“Mrs. Yount, by her success, does more for women’s rights than 1,000 old nags could by berating men all their lives. If the world does not open its doors to women, let women push the doors open. So, Mrs. Yount is one of our most respected millers. Women who are simply fashionable, and hence frivolous, will of course object. Milling is not suitable for women who wear ‘trails’ or ‘trains’ or whatever you want call them. A mill is a poor place to cut a dash or make a display. Managing a mill is not like managing a fan. It is our private opinion that one real woman that takes hold of life with grit and intelligence is worth 200,000 butterflies who spend their precious substance in simpering, dressing and perfuming.”
Denver News, circa 1883

Laura
The words that you just heard Hayley, Wendy and I read were published by the Denver News, probably around 1883, as part of a tribute to Boulder miller Ella Yount. My name is Laura Tyler and In today’s episode, Hayley, Wendy and I chat about the backhanded nature of the tribute and ask a question about this unusual turn of phrase, precious substance. What is it?

Wendy
Well I still think it’s very complicated about if you should wear lipstick or not?

Laura
Do you wear lipstick?

Wendy
At times, rarely though, it’s not part of my normal uniform. But if I go to a wedding or something, I feel like oh then I should. I think It’s confusing for women, how we’re held to such high standards and it’s a burden. That you can be dismissed.

Laura
I can’t comment with authority on what it was like to be back then but I know what it feels like now, I know what it feels like to be a woman now, and so I’m kind of curious about this little quote that we landed on precious substance. What did you connect with on that?

Hayley
On the one hand the language is polite and I think it’s elegant. But certainly the last sentence really stood out to me, because they’re comparing Mrs. Yount to some generic old nag who is really beating down on men and who is really frivolous and doesn’t really bring any value.

Laura
I think I hear what you’re saying. On the one hand, we all know as women the feeling of being valued by your appearance and that being the sum of your value. And then here in this little quote, that’s really being put down at the same time. So, this currency that you have is also really devalued.

Hayley
I mean it’s insulting, certainly. But I think it’s, it’s interesting to think about during the time it was spoken. In some states and territories of the US at this time women already did have voting rights. And other ones, namely more established states, like on the on the East Coast, didn’t. Even though it’s an individual opinion. I think it really reflects probably a lot of people’s opinions and maybe a lot of arguments that happened publicly or privately at the time, it’s really just a good example fo this double bind that a lot of women face. Idk, I have a lot of mixed feelings about it, actually.

Laura
I can see them trying to elevate this by all accounts, extraordinary woman, who was doing extraordinary things in Boulder in the early days. Why did he have to compare her to other women and why were, why am I identifying with that? Why do we have to put them down to raise this other women up? So there’s a lot of complicated feelings.

Wendy
I think it’s interesting they’re talking about beauty a little bit and I was really touched by . . . We were talking about how embroidery had been used for ornamentation. So, there was an attempt to bring beauty into daly life, too. An apron might be embroidered there might be lace. People had gardens and flowers and not just women. I think that’s part of what I was drawn to, too. And art has something to do with beauty, I think, too.

Hayley
That phrase, “precious substance” really stood out to me. To all of us, really, because it was a little bit euphemistic sounding and it was hard to tell what this person was referring to and of course it inspired the title of our show. I’ve looked at this quote a lot and I’m still not really sure what it’s referring to. I could think of a few ideas but I don’t know.

Laura
Will you outline those for us?

Hayley
My first thought on what precious substance might mean is possibly just the ability to work and to make a contribution that’s viewed as really needed. Or it could refer to more specifically being a woman her maybe possibly skills as a woman um that are being wasted on these other women that are being butterflies. Uh, but I still have trouble understanding.

Laura
Well, it’s I like what you’re saying about puzzling over it because that’s very, very relatable to me. Precious substance, it sounds a little bit sentimental and I’ve wondered was this a common turn of phrase back then. Did people just talk about precious substance? Was it a thing? Or was this a very idiosyncratic turn of phrase made by an individual? I’m not really sure what that was. The thing that I keep coming back to is that there’s something about the essence of the person, what is your precious substance? What is this thing that you are spending? What is that? Is about the spirit is it about the soul? Is it a type of energy? What is it?

Wendy
I agree. Well it’s kind of moralistic, I guess. That’s how I see it.

Laura
How do you mean?

Wendy
The grit and intelligence part that you were supposed to be showing instead of your frivolity. I think it is a rather harsh judgment in my opinion. I think but PS also sounds so sweet and if you take it out of that context to me it seems to me like just a very irreplaceable essence of an individual. So, I prefer to take it away from the moralistic tone, but I think that’s what was implied.

Laura
Can you say more about how you feel about this preferred interpretation of precious substance?

Wendy
Not being a religious person but still believing in the unique value of a human you sort of have to come up with something like a precious substance to explain why life and beauty and truth is important.

Laura
Well, it sound like we’re asking the question what is life?

Wendy
When you think of like she was making flour, too, that’s kind of cool. You know like nourishing.

Hayley
Just a question about our questions what is precious substance. Why compare these two types of women? Who is this woman that is simpering and dressing and perfuming? Is that is she, is there really, were there really women that sat around all day and did nothing? Or was what they did not valued, or just not seen? I don’t know. I’m imagining a high society woman but I don’t know. There’s a lot I’m making up in my mind.