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Tuesday, 4 January 1881
The benevolent mockery with which the most authoritative journalists speak of the equality of women, of the possibility of women saying or doing anything reasonable, fills me with immense discouragement. It is quite simply odious. In former times people spoke in just this way of the rights of a “churl”.Mardi 4 janvier 1881
You know how dear this idea is to me; judge how much the contempt of serious, respectable, influential people pains me.
Vous savez combien cete idée m’est chère, jugez ce que les mépris de gens sérieux, respectables, influents, me font de peine.
And yet I do not doubt my truths and our rights for an instant... What a terrible and treacherous weapon mockery is...
Pourtant je ne doute pas un instant de mes vérités et de nos droits... Que la moquerie est une arme terrible et perfide...
Here is an article by Cassagnac; I shall not insult you by explaining what is turncoat about it, and above all what is illogical and childish. “Republican”, “voluptuary”, “big belly” — how intelligent and witty, repeated every other day for five or six years. And the inanities of the last lines!
Voici un article de Cassagnac, je ne vous ferai pas l’injure de vous expliquer ce qu’il a de palinodique, et surtout d’illogique et d’enfantin. “Républicain”, “voluptueux », “gros ventre”, comme c’est intelligent et spirituel répété tous les deux jours depuis cinq ou six ans. Et les inepties des dernières lignes !
Saint-Amand this evening... I was foolish enough to show him the sketch of my picture; the nude model shocks him utterly.
Saint Amand ce soir... J’ai eu la bêtise de lui montrer le croquis de mon tableau, le modèle nu le choque absolument.
Well, all this bores me.
Enfin, tout cela m’ennuie.