taininterestfromthefactthatIwasthefirstor—
dainedwomantopreachinachurchinGermany。
Itthentookonatingeofhumorfromtheadditionalfactthat,accordingtotheGermanlaw,assuddenlyrevealedtousbythepolice,noclergymanwasper—
mittedtopreachunlessclothedinclericalrobesinthepulpit。IthappenedthatIhadnottakenmyclericalrobeswithme——Iamconstantlyforgettingthoseclericalrobes!——sothepastorofthechurchkindlyofferedmehisrobes。
Nowthepastorwassixfeettallandbroadinpro—
portion,andI,asIhavealreadyconfessed,amveryshort。Hisrobestransformedmeintosuchanabsurdcaricatureofapreacherthatitwasquiteimpossibleformetowearthem。What,then,werewetodo?
Lackingclericalrobes,thepolicewouldnotallowmetouttersixwords。ItwasfinallydecidedthattheclergymanshouldmeettheletterofthelawbyenteringthepulpitinhisrobesandstandingbymysidewhileIdeliveredmysermon。Thelawsoberlyacceptedthissolutionoftheproblem,andweofferedthecongregationtheextraordinarytableauofapulpitcombiningalargeandimpressivepastorstandingsilentlybesideasmallandinwardlycon—
vulsedwomanwhohadallshecoulddotodeliverhersermonwiththesolemnitytheoccasionre—
quired。
AtthissameconferenceImadeoneofthefewfriendshipsIenjoywithamemberofaEuropeanroyalfamily,forImetthePrincessBlankofItaly,whooverwhelmedmewithattentionduringmyvisit,andfromwhomIstillreceivecharmingletters。SheinvitedmetovisitherinhercastleinItaly,andtoaccompanyhertohermother’scastleinAustria,andshefinallyinsistedonknowingexactlywhyI
persistentlyrefusedbothinvitations。
``Because,mydearPrincess,’’Iexplained,``Iamaworking—woman。’’
``NobodyneedKNOWthat,’’murmuredthePrincess,calmly。
``Onthecontrary,’’Iassuredher,``itisthefirstthingIshouldexplain。’’
``Butwhy?’’thePrincesswantedtoknow。
Istudiedherinsilenceforamoment。Shewasanewandinterestingtypetome,andIwasgladtoexchangeviewpointswithher。
``Youareproudofyourfamily,areyounot?’’I
asked。``Youareproudofyourgreatline?’’
ThePrincessdrewherselfup。``Assuredly,’’shesaid。
``Verywell,’’Icontinued。``Iamproud,too。
WhatIhavedoneIhavedoneunaided,and,tobefrankwithyou,Iratherapproveofit。Myworkismypatentofnobility,andIamnotwillingtoassociatewiththosefromwhomitwouldhavetobeconcealedorwiththosewhowouldlookdownuponit。’’
ThePrincesssighed。Iwasanewtypetoher,too,asnewasshewastome;butIhadthead—
vantageofher,forIcouldunderstandherpointofview,whereassheapparentlycouldnotfollowmine。
Shewasverygracioustome,however,showingmekindnessandfriendshipinadozenways,givingmeanimmenseamountofhertimeandtakingrathermoreofmytimethanIcouldspare,butneverfor—
gettingforamomentthatherbloodwasamongtheoldestinEurope,andthatallhertraditionswereinkeepingwithitshonorableage。
AftertheBerlinmeetingMissAnthonyandI
wereinvitedtospendaweek—endatthehomeofMrs。JacobBright,that``AuntSusan’’mightre—
newheracquaintancewithAnnieBesant。Thisvisitisamongmymostvividmemories。Originally``AuntSusan’’hadgreatlyadmiredMrs。Besant,andhadopenlylamentedthelatter’sconcentrationontheosophicalinterests——when,asMissAnthonyputit,``therearesomanyliveproblemshereinthisworld。’’Nowshecouldnotconcealherdisapprovalofthe``other—worldliness’’ofMrs。Besant,Mrs。
Bright,andherdaughter。Someremarkableand,tome,mostamusingdiscussionstookplaceamongthethree;butoften,duringMrs。Besant’smostsus—
tainedoratoricalflights,MissAnthony’sinterestwouldwander,andshewoulddroparemarkthatshowedshehadnotheardaword。ShehadagreatadmirationforMrs。Besant’sintellect;butshedis—
approvedofherflowingandpicturesquewhiterobes,ofherbarefeet,ofherincessantcigarette—smoking;
aboveall,ofherviews。Atlast,oneday。{sic}theclimaxofthediscussionscame。
``Annie,’’demanded``AuntSusan,’’``whydon’tyoumakethatauraofyoursdoitsgallivantinginthisworld,lookinguptheneedsoftheoppressed,andinvestigatingthecausesofpresentwrongs?
Thenyoucouldrevealtousworkersjustwhatweshoulddotoputthingsright,andwecouldbeaboutit。’’
Mrs。Besantsighedandsaidthatlifewasshortandaeonswerelong,andthatwhileeveryonewouldbeperfectedsometime,itwasuselesstodealwithindividualshere。
``But,Annie!’’exclaimedMissAnthony,patheti—
cally。``WeAREhere!Ourbusinessishere!It’sourdutytodowhatwecanhere。’’
Mrs。Besantseemednottohearher。Shewasinatrance,gazingintotheaeons。
``I’dratherhaveoneyearofyourability,backedupwithcommonsense,fortheworkofmakingthisworldbetter,’’criedtheexasperated``AuntSusan,’’
``thanamillionaeonsinthehereafter!’’
Mrs。Besantsighedagain。Itwasplainthatshecouldnotbringherselfbackfromtheotherworld,soMissAnthony,perforce,accompaniedhertoit。
``Whenyourauragoesvisitingintheotherworld,’’sheasked,curiously,``doesitevermeetyouroldfriendCharlesBradlaugh?’’
``Ohyes,’’declaredMrs。Besant。``Frequently。’’
``Wasn’theverymuchsurprised,’’demandedMissAnthony,withgrowinginterest,``todiscoverthathewasnotdead?’’
Mrs。BesantdidnotseemtoknowwhatemotionMr。Bradlaughhadexperiencedwhenthatrevela—
tioncame。
``Well,’’mused``AuntSusan,’’``Ishouldthinkhewouldhavebeensurprised。Hewassocertainhewasgoingtobedeadthatitmusthavebeenastoundingtodiscoverhewasn’t。Whatwashedoingintheotherworld?’’
Mrs。Besantheavedadeepersigh。``IamverymuchdiscouragedoverMr。Bradlaugh,’’shead—
mitted,wanly。``Heishoveringtoonearthisworld。Hecannotseemtogetawayfromhismun—
daneinterests。Heisasmuchconcernedwithpar—
liamentaryaffairsnowaswhenhewasonthisplane。’’
``Humph!’’saidMissAnthony;``that’sthemostsensiblethingI’veheardyetabouttheotherworld。
Itencouragesme。I’vealwaysfeltsurethatifI
enteredtheotherlifebeforewomenwereenfran—
chisednothinginthegloriesofheavenwouldin—
terestmesomuchastheworkforwomen’sfreedomonearth。Now,’’sheended,``IshallbelikeMr。
Bradlaugh。Ishallhoverroundandcontinuemyworkhere。’’
WhenMrs。BesanthadlefttheroomMrs。Brightfeltthatitwasherdutytoadmonish``AuntSusan’’
tobemorecarefulinwhatshesaid。
``Youaremakingtoolightofhercreed,’’sheex—
postulated。``YoudonotrealizetheimportantpositionMrs。Besantholds。Why,inIndia,whenshewalksfromherhometoherschoolallthoseshemeetsprostratethemselves。Eventhelearnedmenprostratethemselvesandputtheirfacesonthegroundasshegoesby。’’
``AuntSusan’s’’voice,whenshereplied,tookonthetonesofonewhoissorelytried。``ButwhyinHeaven’snamedoesanysensibleEnglishwomanwantalotofheathentoprostratethemselvesasshegoesupthestreet?’’shedemanded,wearily。``It’sthemostfoolishthingIeverheard。’’
TheefforttowinMissAnthonyovertothetheo—
sophicaldoctrinewasabandoned。Thatnight,afterwehadgonetoourrooms,``AuntSusan’’summedupherconclusionsontheinterview:
``It’sagoodthingfortheworld,’’shedeclared,``thatsomeofusdon’tknowsomuch。Andit’sabetterthingforthisworldthatsomeofusthinkalittleearthlycommonsenseismorevaluablethantoomuchheavenlyknowledge。’’
X
THEPASSINGOF``AUNTSUSAN’’
OnoneoccasionMissAnthonyhadthedoubt—
fulpleasureofreadingherownobituarynotices,andherinterestinthemwascharacteristicallynaive。
ShehadmadeaspeechatLakeside,Ohio,duringwhich,forthefirsttimeinherlongexperience,shefaintedontheplatform。Iwasnotwithheratthetime,andintheexcitementfollowinghercollapseitwasrumoredthatshehaddied。ImmediatelythenewswastelegraphedtotheAssociatedPressofNewYork,andfromthereflashedoverthecountry。AtMissAnthony’shomeinRochesterareporterrangthebellandabruptlyinformedhersister,MissMaryAnthony,whocametothedoor,that``AuntSusan’’wasdead。FortunatelyMissMaryhadacoolhead。
``Ithink,’’shesaid,``thatifmysisterhaddiedIwouldhaveheardaboutit。PleasehaveyoureditorstelegraphtoLakeside。’’
Thereporterdeparted,butcamebackanhourlatertosaythathisnewspaperhadsentthetele—
gramandthereplywasthatSusanB。Anthonywasdead。
``Ihavejustreceivedabettertelegramthanthat,’’
remarkedMaryAnthony。``Mineisfrommysister;shetellsmethatshefaintedto—night,butsoonrecoveredandwillbehometo—morrow。’’
Nevertheless,thenextmorningtheAmericannewspapersgavemuchspacetoMissAnthony’sobituarynotices,and``AuntSusan’’spentsomein—
terestinghoursreadingthem。OnethatpleasedhervastlywasprintedintheWichitaEagle,whoseeditor,Mr。Murdock,hadbeenalmostherbitterestop—
ponent。Hehadoftenexhaustedhisbrilliantvo—
cabularyineditorialdenunciationsofsuffrageandsuffragists,andMissAnthonyhadbeenthespecialtargetofhisscorn。Butthenewsofherdeathseemedtobeabitterblowtohim;andofallthetributestheAmericanpressgavetoSusanB。Anthonydead,fewequaledinbeautyandappreciationtheonepennedbyMr。MurdockandpublishedintheEagle。
Hemusthavebeenamusedwhen,afewdayslater,hereceivedaletterfrom``AuntSusan’’herself,thankinghimwarmlyforhischangedopinionofherandhopingthatitmeanttheconversionofhissoultoourCause。Itdidnot,andMr。Murdock,thoughneveragainquiteasbitterashehadbeen,soonresumedthefreeeditorialexpressionofhisanti—
suffragesentiments。Timeshavechanged,however,andto—dayhisson,nowamemberofCongress,isoneofourstrongestsupportersinthatbody。
In1905itbecameplainthatMissAnthony’shealthwasfailing。HervisitstoGermanyandEnglandthepreviousyear,triumphantthoughtheyhadbeen,hadalsoprovedadrainonhervitality;
andsoonafterherreturntoAmericasheentereduponataskwhichhelpedtoexhaustherremainingstrength。Shehadbeendeeplyinterestedinse—
curingafundof$50,000toenablewomentoenterRochesterUniversity,and,onemorning,justafterwehadheldasessionofourexecutivecommitteeinherRochesterhome,shereadanewspaperan—
nouncementtotheeffectthatatfouro’clockthatafternoontheopportunitytoadmitwomentotheuniversitywouldexpire,asthefullfiftythousanddollarshadnotbeenraised。Thesumofeightthousanddollarswasstilllacking。
Withcharacteristicenergy,MissAnthonyunder—
tooktosavethesituationbyraisingthisamountwithinthetimelimit。Rushingtothetelephone,shecalledacabandpreparedtogoforthonherdifficultquest;butfirst,whileshewasputtingonherhatandcoat,sheinsistedthathersister,MaryAnthony,shouldstartthefundbycontributingonethousanddollarsfromhermeagersavings,andthisMissMarydid。``AuntSusan’’madeeverysecondcountthatday,andbyhalfafterthreeo’clockshehadsecuredthenecessarypledges。Severalofthetrusteesoftheuniversity,however,hadnotseemedespeciallyanxioustohavethefundraised,andatthelastmomenttheyobjectedtoonepledgeforathousanddollars,onthegroundthatthemanwhohadgivenitwasveryoldandmightdiebeforethetimesettopayit;thenhisfamily,theyfeared,mightrepudiatetheobligation。WithoutawordMissAnthonyseizedthepledgeandwrotehernameacrossitasanindorsement。``Iamgoodforit,’’
shethensaid,quietly,``ifthegentlemanwhosigneditisnot。’’
Thatafternoonshereturnedhomegreatlyfa—
tigued。Afewhourslaterthegirlstudentswhohadbeenwaitingadmissiontotheuniversitycametoserenadeherinrecognitionofhersuccessfulworkforthem,butshewastooilltoseethem。Shewaspassingthroughthefirststageofwhatprovedtobeherfinalbreakdown。
In1906,whenthedateoftheannualconventionoftheNationalAmericanWomanSuffrageAssociationinBaltimorewasdrawingnear,shebecameconvincedthatitwouldbeherlastconvention。Shewasright。
Sheshowedapassionateeagernesstomakeitoneofthegreatestconventionseverheldinthehistoryofthemovement;andwe,wholovedherandsawthattheflameofherlifewasburninglow,alsobentallourenergiestothetaskofrealizingherhopes。
InNovemberprecedingtheconventionshevisitedmeandherniece,MissLucyAnthony,inourhomeinMountAiry,Philadelphia,anditwasclearthatheranxietyovertheconventionwasweighingheavilyuponher。Shevisiblyloststrengthfromdaytoday。Onemorningshesaidabruptly,``Anna,let’sgoandcallonPresidentM。CareyThomas,ofBrynMawr。’’
IwroteanotetoMissThomas,tellingherofMissAnthony’sdesiretoseeher,andreceivedanim—
mediatereplyinvitingustoluncheonthefollowingday。WefoundMissThomasdeepintheworkconnectedwithhernewcollegebuildings,overwhichsheshoweduswithmuchpride。MissAnthony,ofcourse,gloriedinthesplendidresultsMissThomashadachieved,butshewas,forher,strangelysilentandpreoccupied。Atluncheonshesaid:
``MissThomas,yourbuildingsarebeautiful;
yournewlibraryisamarvel;buttheyarenotthecauseofourpresencehere。’’
``No,’’MissThomassaid;``Iknowyouhavesomethingonyourmind。Iamwaitingforyoutotellmewhatitis。’’
``Wewantyourco—operation,andthatofMissGarrett,’’beganMissAnthony,promptly,``tomakeourBaltimoreConventionasuccess。WewantyoutopersuadetheArundelClubofBaltimore,themostfashionableclubinthecity,togivearecep—
tiontothedelegates;andwewantyoutoarrangeacollegenightontheprogramme——agreatcollegenight,withthebestcollegespeakerseverbroughttogether。’’
Thesewerelargecommissionsfortwoextremelybusywomen,butbothMissThomasandMissGarrett——realizingMissAnthony’sintenseearnest—
ness——promisedtothinkoverthesuggestionsandseewhattheycoulddo。Thenextmorningwere—
ceivedatelegramfromthemstatingthatMissThomaswouldarrangethecollegeevening,andthatMissGarrettwouldreopenherBaltimorehome,whichshehadclosed,duringtheconvention。ShealsoinvitedMissAnthonyandmetobehergueststhere,andaddedthatshewouldtrytoarrangethereceptionbytheArundelClub。
``AuntSusan’’wasoverjoyed。Ihaveneverseenherhappierthanshewasoverthereceiptofthattelegram。SheknewthatwhateverMissThomasandMissGarrettundertookwouldbeaccomplished,andsherightlyregardedthesuccessoftheconven—
tionasalreadyassured。Herexpectationsweremorethanrealized。Thecollegeeveningwasun—
doubtedlythemostbrilliantoccasionofitskindeverarrangedforaconvention。PresidentIraRemsenofJohnsHopkinsUniversitypresided,andaddressesweremadebyPresidentMaryE。WoolleyofMountHolyoke,ProfessorLucySalmonofVassar,ProfessorMaryJordanofSmith,PresidentThomasherself,andmanyothers。
Frombeginningtoendtheconventionwasprob—
ablythemostnotableyetheldinourhistory。
JuliaWardHoweandherdaughter,FlorenceHoweHall,werealsoguestsofMissGarrett,who,more—
over,entertainedallthespeakersof``CollegeNight。’’
MissAnthony,noweighty—six,arrivedinBaltimorequiteill,andMrs。Howe,whowasninety,wastakenillsoonaftershereachedthere。Thetwogreatwomenmadeadramaticexchangeontheprogramme,foronthefirstnight,whenMissAnthonywasun—
abletospeak,Mrs。Howetookherplace,andonthesecondnight,whenMrs。Howehadsuccumbed,MissAnthonyhadrecoveredsufficientlytoappearforher。ClaraBartonwasalsoanhonoredfigureattheconvention,andMissAnthony’sjoyinthepresenceofalltheseoldanddearfriendswasover—
flowing。Withthem,too,weretheyoungerwomen,readytotakeupandcarryontheworktheoldleaderswerelayingdown;and``AuntSusan,’’asshesurveyedthemall,feltlikeageneralwhosesuperbarmyispassinginreviewbeforehim。
Atthecloseofthecollegeprogramme,whenthefinaladdresshadbeenmadebyMissThomas,MissAnthonyroseandinafewwordsexpressedherfeelingthatherlife—workwasdone,andhercon—
sciousnessofthenearapproachoftheend。Afterthatnightshewasunabletoappear,andwasindeedsoillthatshewasconfinedtoherbedinMissGar—
rett’smosthospitablehome。NothingcouldhavebeenmorethoughtfulormorebeautifulthanthecareMissGarrettandMissThomasbestowedonher。
TheyengagedforheroneofthebestphysiciansinBaltimore,who,inturn,consultedwiththeleadingspecialistsofJohnsHopkins,andtheyalsosecuredatrainednurse。Thisfinalattentionrequiredspecialtact,forMissAnthony’sfearof``givingtrouble’’wassogreatthatshewasnotwillingtohaveanurse。Thenurse,therefore,woreahouse—
maid’suniform,and``AuntSusan’’remainedwhollyunconsciousthatshewasbeingcaredforbyoneofthebestnursesinthefamoushospital。
BetweensessionsoftheconventionIusedtositby``AuntSusan’s’’bedandtellherwhatwasgoingon。Shewastriumphantovertheimmensesuccessoftheconvention,butitwasclearthatshewasstillworryingoverthedetailsoffuturework。OnedayatluncheonMissThomasaskedme,casually:
``Bytheway,howdoyouraisethemoneytocarryonyourwork?’’
WhenItoldhertheworkwaswhollydependentonvoluntarycontributionsandontheservicesofthosewhowerewillingtogivethemselvesgratui—
touslytoit,MissThomaswasgreatlysurprised。
SheandMissGarrettaskedanumberofpracticalquestions,andattheendofourtalktheylookedateachother。
``Idon’tthink,’’saidMissThomas,``thatwehavequitedoneourdutyinthismatter。’’
Thenextdaytheyinvitedanumberofustodinner,toagaindiscussthesituation;andtheyadmittedthattheyhadsatupthroughoutthepreviousnight,talkingthematteroverandtryingtofindsomewaytohelpus。Theyhadalsodis—
cussedthesituationwithMissAnthony,tohervastcontent,andhadfinallydecidedthattheywouldtrytoraiseafundof$60,000,tobepaidinyearlyinstalmentsof$12,000forfiveyears——partoftheseannualinstalmentstobeusedassalariesfortheactiveofficers。
Themerementionofsolargeafundstartledusall。Wefearedthatitcouldnotpossiblyberaised。
ButMissAnthonyplainlybelievedthatnowthelastgreatwishofherlifehadbeengranted。ShewasconvincedthatMissThomasandMissGar—
rettcouldaccomplishanything——eventhemiracleofraising$60,000forthesuffragecause——andtheydid,though``AuntSusan’’wasnotheretogloryovertheresultwhentheyhadachievedit。
Onthe15thofFebruaryweleftBaltimoreforWashington,whereMissAnthonywastocele—
bratehereighty—sixthbirthday。FormanyyearstheNationalAmericanWomanSuffrageAssocia—
tionhadcelebratedourbirthdaystogether,asherscameonthe15thofthemonthandmineonthe14th。Therehadbeenanespeciallyfestivebanquetwhenshewasseventy—fourandIwasforty—seven,andourfriendshaddecoratedthetablewithfloral``4’s’’and``7’s’’——thecenterpiecerepresenting``74’’
duringthefirsthalfofthebanquet,and``47’’thelatterhalf。Thistime``AuntSusan’’shouldnothaveattemptedtheWashingtoncelebration,forshewasstillillandexhaustedbythestrainofthecon—
vention。Butnotwithstandinghersufferingsandthewarningsofherphysicians,sheinsistedonbeingpresent;soMissGarrettsentthetrainednursetoWashingtonwithher,andwealltriedtomakethejour—
neytheleastpossiblestrainonthepatient’svitality。
OnourarrivalinWashingtonwewenttotheShoreham,where,asalways,theproprietortookpainstogiveMissAnthonyaroomwithaviewoftheWashingtonmonument,whichshegreatlyadmired。
WhenIenteredherroomalittlelaterIfoundherstandingatawindow,holdingherselfupwithhandsbracedagainstthecasementoneitherside,andsoabsorbedintheviewthatshedidnothearmyap—
proach。WhenIspoketohersheansweredwith—
outturningherhead。
``That,’’shesaid,softly,``isthemostbeautifulmonumentintheworld。’’
Istoodbyherside,andtogetherwelookedatitinsilenceIrealizingwithasickheartthat``AuntSusan’’knewshewasseeingitforthelasttime。
Thebirthdaycelebrationthatfollowedourexec—
utivemeetingwasanimpressiveone。ItwasheldintheChurchofOurFather,whosepastor,theRev。
JohnVanSchaick,hadalwaysbeenexceedinglykindtoMissAnthony。Manyprominentmenspoke。
PresidentRooseveltandotherstatesmensentmostfriendlyletters,andWilliamH。Tafthadpromisedtobepresent。Hedidnotcome,nordidhe,thenorlater,sendanyexcusefornotcoming——anomissionthatgreatlydisappointedMissAnthony,whohadalwaysadmiredhim。Ipresidedatthemeeting,andthoughwealldidourbesttomakeitgay,astrangehushhungovertheassemblageasolemnstillness,suchasonefeelsinthepresenceofdeath。
WebecamemoreandmoreconsciousthatMissAnthonywassuffering,andwehastenedtheexer—
cisesallwecould。WhenIreadPresidentRoose—
velt’slongtributetoher,MissAnthonyrosetocommentonit。
``OnewordfromPresidentRooseveltinhismes—
sagetoCongress,’’shesaid,alittlewearily,``wouldbeworthathousandeulogiesofSusanB。Anthony。
Whenwillmenlearnthatwhatweaskisnotpraise,butjustice?’’
Atthecloseofthemeeting,realizinghowweakshewas,Ibeggedhertoletmespeakforher。Butsheagainrose,restedherhandonmyshoulder,and,standingbymyside,utteredthelastwordssheeverspokeinpublic,pleadingwithwomentoconsecratethemselvestotheCause,assuringthemthatnopowercouldpreventitsultimatesuccess,butremindingthemalsothatthetimeofitscomingwoulddependwhollyontheirworkandtheirloyalty。
Sheendedwiththreewords——veryfittingwordsfromherlips,expressingastheydidthespiritofherlife—work——``FAILUREISIMPOSSIBLE。’’
ThenextmorningshewastakentoherhomeinRochester,andonemonthfromthatdaywecon—
ductedherfuneralservices。ThenursewhohadaccompaniedherfromBaltimoreremainedwithheruntiltwoothershadbeensecuredtotakeherplace,andeverycarethatloveormedicalsciencecouldsuggestwaslavishedonthepatient。Butfromthefirstitwasplainthat,assheherselfhadforetold,``AuntSusan’s’’soulwasmerelywaitingforthehourofitspassing。
Oneofhercharacteristictraitswasadisliketobeingseen,evenbythosenearesttoher,whenshewasnotwell。Duringthefirstthreeweeksofherlastillness,therefore,Ididwhatshewishedmetodo——Icontinuedourwork,tryingtodohersaswellasmyown。Butallthetimemyheartwasinhersick—room,andatlastthedaycamewhenIcouldnolongerremainawayfromher。Ihadawakenedinthemorningwithastrongconvictionthatsheneededme,andatthebreakfast—tableIannouncedtoherniece,MissLucyAnthony,thefriendwhoforyearshassharedmyhome,thatIwasgoingatonceto``AuntSusan。’’
``Ishallnotevenwaittotelegraph,’’Ideclared。
``Iamsureshehassentforme;Ishalltakethefirsttrain。’’
Thejourneybroughtmeveryclosetodeath。AswewereapproachingWilkes—Barreourtrainranintoawagonloadedwithpowderanddynamite,whichhadbeenleftonthetrack。Thehorsesattachedtoithadbeenunhitchedbytheirdriver,whohadspenthistimeinthiseffort,whenhesawthetraincoming,insteadofinsignalingtotheengineer。Iwasonmywaytothedining—carwhenthecollisionoccurred。
and,witheveryoneelsewhohappenedtobestand—
ing,Iwashurledtothefloorbytheimpact;flashafterflashofblindinglightoutside,accompaniedbyaterrificroar,addedtothepanicofthepassengers。
Whenthetrainstoppedwelearnedhownarrowhadbeenourescapefromanespeciallyunpleasantformofdeath。Thedynamiteinthewagonwasfrozen,andthereforehadnotexploded;itwastheex—
plosionofthepowderthathadcausedtheflashesandthedin。Thedark—greencarswereburnedalmostwhite,andaswestoodstaringatthem,asilent,stunnedgroup,ourconductorsaid,quietly,``Youwillneverbeasneardeathagain,andescape,asyouhavebeento—day。’’
Theaccidentcausedalongdelay,anditwasteno’clockatnightwhenIreachedRochesterandMissAnthony’shome。AsIenteredthehouseMissMaryAnthonyroseinsurprisetogreetme。
``Howdidyougetheresosoon?’’shecried。
Andthen:``Wesentforyouthisafternoon。Susanhasbeenaskingforyouallday。’’
WhenIreachedmyfriend’sbedsideoneglanceatherfaceshowedmetheendwasnear;andfromthattimeuntilitcame,almostaweeklater,Ire—
mainedwithher;whileagain,asalways,shetalkedoftheCause,andofthelife—workshemustnowlaydown。Thefirstthingshespokeofwasherwill,whichshehadmadeseveralyearsbefore,andinwhichshehadleftthesmallpropertyshepossessedtohersisterMary,hernieceLucy,andmyself,withinstructionsastotheusewethreeweretomakeofit。Nowshetoldmeweweretopaynoattentiontotheseinstructions,buttogiveeverydollarofhermoneytothe$60,000fundMissThomasandMissGarrettweretryingtoraise。Shewasvitallyin—
terestedinthisfund,asitssuccessmeantthatforfiveyearstheactiveofficersoftheNationalAmeri—
canWomanSuffrageAssociation,includingmyselfaspresident,wouldforthefirsttimereceivesalariesforourwork。Whenshehadgivenherinstructionsonthispointshestillseemeddepressed。
``IwishIcouldliveon,’’shesaid,wistfully。
``ButIcannot。Myspiritiseagerandmyheartisasyoungasiteverwas,butmypooroldbodyiswornout。BeforeIgoIwantyoutogivemeapromise:Promisemethatyouwillkeepthepresi—
dencyoftheassociationaslongasyouarewellenoughtodothework。’’
``ButhowcanIpromisethat?’’Iasked。``Icankeepitonlyaslongasotherswishmetokeepit。’’
``Promisetomakethemwishyoutokeepit,’’
sheurged。``JustasIwishyoutokeepit。’’
Iwouldhavepromisedheranythingthen。So,thoughIknewthattoholdthepresidencywouldtiemetoapositionthatbroughtinnolivingincome,andthoughforseveralyearspastIhadalreadydrawnalarminglyuponmysmallfinancialreserve,IpromisedherthatIwouldholdtheofficeaslongasthemajorityofthewomenintheassociationwishedmetodoso。``But,’’Iadded,``ifthetimecomeswhenIbelievethatsomeoneelsecandobetterworkinthepresidencythanI,thenletmefeelatlibertytoresignit。’’
Thisdidnotsatisfyher。