Ihadhopedthattheywouldremainpermanently,andhadrentedandfurnishedahomeforthemwiththatendinview;but,thoughtheyenjoyedtheirvisit,theprospectofthebleakwintersofCapeCoddisturbedmymother,andtheyallreturnedtoBigRapidslateintheautumn。Sinceenteringuponmyparishworkithadbeenpossibleformetohelpmyfatherandmotherfinancially;andfromthetimeofMary’sdeathIhadtheprivilege,averypreciousone,ofseeingthattheywerewellcaredforandcon—
tented。Theywerealwaysappreciative,andastimepassedtheybecamemorereconciledtothecareerIhadchosen,andwhichinformerdayshadfilledthemwithsuchdireforebodings。
AfterIhadbeeninEastDennisfouryearsIbe—
gantofeelthatIwasgettingintoarut。ItseemedtomethatallIcoulddointhatparticularfieldhadbeendone。Mypeoplewishedmetoremain,how—
ever,andso,partlyasanoutletformysurplusenergy,butmoreespeciallybecauseIrealizedthesplendidworkwomencoulddoasphysicians,Ibe—
gantostudymedicine。Thetrusteesgavemeper—
missiontogotoBostononcertaindaysofeachweek,andwesoonfoundthatIcouldcarryonmyworkasamedicalstudentwithoutintheleastneglectingmydutytowardmyparish。
IenteredtheBostonMedicalSchoolin1882,andobtainedmydiplomaasafull—fledgedphysicianin1885。DuringthisperiodIalsobegantolecturefortheMassachusettsWomanSuffrageAssociation,ofwhichLucyStonewaspresident。HenryBlack—
wellwasassociatedwithher,andtogethertheyde—
velopedinmeavitalinterestinthesuffragecause,whichgrewsteadilyfromthattimeuntilitbecamethedominatinginfluenceinmylife。Ipreacheditinthepulpit,talkedittothoseImetoutsideofthechurch,lecturedonitwheneverIhadanoppor—
tunity,andcarrieditintomymedicalworkintheBostonslumswhenIwastryingmyprenticehandonhelplesspauperpatients。
Hereagain,inmyassociationwiththewomenofthestreets,Irealizedthelimitationsofmyworkintheministryandinmedicine。Asministertosoulandbodyonecoulddolittleforthesewomen。Forsuchasthem,one’seffortsmustbeginattheveryfoundationofthesocialstructure。Lawsforthemmustbemadeandenforced,andsomeofthoselawscouldonlybemadeandenforcedbywomen。SomanygreatavenuesoflifewereopeningupbeforemethatmyCapeCodenvironmentseemedalmostaprisonwhereIwasheldwithtenderforce。I
lovedmypeopleandtheylovedme——butthebigouterworldwascalling,andIcouldnotclosemyearstoitssummons。Thesuffragelectureshelpedtokeepmecontented,however,andIwascertainlybusyenoughtofindhappinessinmywork。
IwasinBostonthreenightsaweek,andduringthesenightssubjecttosickcallsatanyhour。MyfavoriteassociateswereDr。CarolineHastings,ourprofessorofanatomy,andlittleDr。MarySafford,amiteofawomanwithanindomitablesoul。Dr。
SaffordwasespeciallyprominentinphilanthropicworkinMassachusetts,anditwassaidofherthatatanyhourofthedayornightshecouldbefoundworkingintheslumsofBoston。I,too,couldfre—
quentlybefoundthere——often,nodoubt,tothedis—
advantageofmypatients。IwasquitefamousinthreeBostonalleys——Maiden’sLane,FellowsCourt,andAndrewsCourt。ItmostfortunatelyhappenedthatIdidnotloseacaseinthosealleys,thoughI
tookallkinds,asIhadtotreatacertainnumberofsurgicalandobstetricalcasesinmycourse。NodoubtmypatientsandIhadmanynarrowescapesofwhichwewereblissfullyignorant,butIremembertwowhichforalongtimeafterwardcontinuedtobefeaturesofmymosttroubleddreams。
ThefirstwasthatofabigIrishmanwhohadpneumonia。WhenIlookedhimoverIwasasmuchfrightenedashewas。Ihadgotasfaraspneu—
moniainmycourse,andIrealizedthatherewasabadcaseofit。Iknewwhattodo。Thepatientmustbecarefullypackedintowelswrungoutofcoldwater。WhenIcalledfortowelsIfoundthattherewasnothingintheplacebutadish—towel,whichIwashedwithportentousgravity。Themanownedbutoneshirt,and,indeferencetomyvisit,hiswifehadremovedthattowashit。Ipackedthepatientinthedish—towel,wrappedhiminapieceofanoldshawl,andleftafterinstructinghiswifetorepeattheprocess。WhenIreachedhomeIremem—
beredthatthepatientmustbepacked``carefully,’’
andIknewthathiswifewoulddoitcarelessly。
Thatmeantgreatrisktotheman’slife。Myim—
pulsewastorushbacktohimatonce,butthiswouldneverdo。Itwoulddestroyallconfidenceinthedoctor。Iwalkedthefloorforthreehours,andthencasuallystrolledinuponmypatient,findinghim,tomygreatrelief,betterthanIhadlefthim。AsIwasleaving,achildrushedintotheroom,beggingmetocometoanupperfloorinthesamebuilding。
``Thebaby’sgotthecroup,’’shegasped,``an’
he’schokin’todeath。’’
Wehadnotreachedcroupinourcourse,andI
hadnoideawhattodo,butIvaliantlyaccompaniedthelittlegirl。AsweclimbedthelongflightsofstairstothetopfloorIrememberedaconversationIhadoverheardbetweentwomedicalstudents。Oneofthemhadsaid:``Ifthechildisstranglingwhenitinhales,asifitwerebreathingthroughasponge,thengiveitspongia;butifitisstranglingwhenitbreathesout,giveitaconite。’’
WhenIreachedthebabyIlistened,butcouldnottellwhichwayitwasstrangling。However,Ihappenedtohavebothmedicineswithme,soI
calledfortwoglassesandmixedthetworemedies,eachinitsownglass。Igavethembothtothemother,andtoldhertousethemalternately,everyfifteenminutes,untilthebabywasbetter。Thebabygotwell;butwhetheritsrecoverywasduetothespongiaortotheaconiteIneverknew。
InmysenioryearIfellinlovewithaninfantofthree,namedPatsy。HewasoneofninechildrenwhenIwascalledtodeliverhismotherofhertenthchild。ShewasdrunkwhenIreachedher,andsoweretwomenwholayonthefloorinthesameroom。
Ihadthemcarriedout,andafterthemotherandbabyhadbeenattendedtoInoticedPatsy。HewasthemostbeautifulchildIhadeverseen——witheyeslikeItalianskiesandyellowhairintightcurlsoverhisadorablelittlehead;buthewascoveredwithfilthyrags。Iborrowedhim,tookhimhomewithme,andfedandbathedhim,andthenextdayfittedhimoutwithnewclothes。EveryhourIhadhimtightenedhisholdonmyheart—strings。Iwenttohismotherandbeggedhertoletmekeephim,butsherefused,andafteragreatdealofargumentandentreatyIhadtoreturnhimtoher。WhenIwenttoseehimafewdayslaterIfoundhimagaininhishorriblerags。Hismotherhadpawnedhisnewclothesfordrink,andshewasdeeplyunderitsin—
fluence。ButnopressureIcouldexertthenorlaterwouldmakeherpartwithPatsy。Finally,formyownpeaceofmind,Ihadtogiveuphopeofgettinghim——butIhaveneverceasedtoregretthelittleadoptedsonImighthavehad。
VII
THEGREATCAUSE
Thereisatheorythateverysevenyearseachhumanbeingundergoesacompletephysicalreconstruction,withcorrespondingchangesinhismentalandspiritualmake—up。Possiblyitwasduetothisreconstructionthat,attheendofsevenyearsonCapeCod,mysoulsentforthasuddencalltoarms。Iwas,itremindedme,takinglifetooeasily;
Iwasindangerofsettlingintoanagreeableroutine。
Theworkofmytwochurchesmadelittledrainonmysuperabundantvitality,andnoteventhewin—
ningofamedicaldegreeandtheincreasingdemandsofmyactivitiesonthelectureplatformwhollyeasedmyconscience。Iwashappy,forIlovedmypeopleandtheyseemedtoloveme。Itwouldhavebeenpleasanttogoonalmostindefinitely,livingthelifeofacountryministerandtellingmyselfthatwhatIcouldgivetomyflockmadesuchalifeworthwhile。
Butallthetime,deepinmyheart,Irealizedtheneedsoftheoutsideworld,andhearditsprayerforworkers。MytheologicalandmedicalcoursesinBoston,withtheexperiencesthataccompaniedthem,hadgreatlywidenedmyhorizon。Moreover,atmyinvitation,manyofthenoblewomenofthedaywerecomingtoEastDennistolecture,bringingwiththemthestirringatmosphereoftheconflictstheywerewaging。OneofthefirstofthesewasmyfriendMaryA。Livermore;andafterhercameJuliaWardHowe,AnnaGarlinSpencer,LucyStone,MaryF。
Eastman,andmanyothers,eachchargedwithin—
spirationformypeopleandwithaspecialmessageforme,whichshesentforthunknowinglyandwhichI
aloneheard。Theywerefightinggreatbattles,thesewomen——forsuffrage,fortemperance,forsocialpurity——andineverywordtheyutteredIheardarallying—cry。Soitwasthat,in1885,IsuddenlypulledmyselfuptoaradicaldecisionandsentmyresignationtothetrusteesofthetwochurcheswhosepastorIhadbeensince1878。
Theactioncausedademonstrationofregretwhichmadeithardtokeeptomyresolutionandleavethesemenandwomenwhosefriendshipwasamongthedearestofmypossessions。Butwhenwehadalltalkedthingsover,manyofthemsawthesituationasIdid。Nodoubttherewerethose,too,whofeltthatachangeofministrywouldbegoodforthechurches。DuringtheweeksthatfollowedmyresignationIreceivedmanyoddtributes,andoftheseoneofthemostamusingcamefromayounggirlintheparish,whobrokeintoloudprotestswhensheheardthatIwasgoingaway。Tocom—
fortherIpredictedthatshewouldnowhaveamanminister——doubtlessaveryniceman。Buttheyoungpersoncontinuedtosniffledisconsolately。
``Idon’twantaman,’’shewailed。``Idon’tliketoseemeninpulpits。Theylooksoawkward。’’Hergriefculminatedinafinaloutburst。``They’reallarmsandlegs!’’shesobbed。
Whenmyresignationwasfinallyaccepted,andthetimeofmydeparturedrewnear,themenofthecommunityspentmuchoftheirleisureindiscussingitandme。ThesocialcenterofEastDenniswasacertaingrocery,towhichalmosteverymanintownregularlywendedhisway,andfromwhichallthegossipofthetownemanated。Herethemensatforhours,tiltedbackintheirchairs,whittlingtherungsuntiltheynearlycutthechairsfromunderthem,andtellingoneanotheralltheykneworhadheardabouttheirfellow—townsmen。Then,aftereachsession,theywouldreturnhomeandrepeatthegossiptotheirwives。IusedtosaythatIwouldgiveadollartoanywomaninEastDenniswhocouldquoteabitofgossipwhichdidnotcomefromthemenatthatgrocery。EvenmyoldfriendCap—
tainDoane,fineandhigh—mindedcitizenthoughhewas,wasnotaboveenjoyingthemilddiversionofthesesocialgatherings,andononeoccasionatleasthefurnishedthebestpartoftheentertainment。
Thedepartingministerwas,itseemed,thetopicoftheday’sdiscussion,and,toteaseCaptainDoaneoneyoungmanwhoknewthestrengthofhisfriend—
shipformesuddenlybegantospeak,thenpurseduphislipsandlookedeloquentlymysterious。Ashehadexpected,CaptainDoaneimmediatelypouncedonhim。
``What’sthematterwithyou?’’demandedtheoldman。``HevyougotanythingaginMissShaw?’’
TheyoungmansighedandmurmuredthatifhewishedhecouldrepeatachargeneverbeforemadeagainstaCapeCodminister,but——andheshuthislipsmoreobviously。Theothermen,whowereintheplot,grinned,andthisaddedthelasttouchtoCaptainDoane’sindignation。Hesprangtohisfeet。Oneofhispeculiaritieswasaconstantmis—
useofwords,andnow,inhisexcitement,heoutdidhimself。
``You’vemadeanincinerationagainstMissShaw,’’
heshouted。``Doyouhear——ANINCINERATION!Takeitbackortakealickin’!’’
Theyoungmandecidedthatthejokehadgonefarenough,soheanswered,mildly:``Well,itissaidthatallthewomenintownareinlovewithMissShaw。Hasthatbeenchargedagainstanyotherministerhere?’’
Themenroaredwithlaughter,andCaptainDoanesatdown,lookingsheepish。
``AllIgottosayisthis,’’hemuttered:``Thatgalhasbeeninthiscommunityforsevenyears,andshe’ain’tdoneathingduringthehullsevenyearsthatanyonekinlayafingeron!’’
Themenshoutedagainatthisback—handedtrib—
ute,andtheoldfellowleftthegroceryinahuff。
LaterIwastoldofthe``incineration’’andhiselo—
quentdefenseofme,andIthankedhimforit。ButIadded:
``IhearyousaidIhaven’tdoneathinginsevenyearsthatanyonecanlayafingeron?’’
``Isaidit,’’declaredtheCaptain,``andI’llstandbyit。’’
``Haven’tIdoneanygood?’’Iasked。
``Sartinyouhave,’’heassuredme,heartily。
``Lotsofgood。’’
``Well,’’Isaid,``can’tyouputyourfingeronthat?’’
TheCaptainlookedstartled。``Why——why——
SisterShaw,’’hestammered,``youknowIdidn’tmeanTHAT!WhatImeant,’’herepeated,slowlyandsolemnly,``wasthatthehulltimeyoubeenhereyouain’tdonenothin’anybodycouldputafingeron!’’
CaptainDoaneapparentlysharedmygirlparish—
ioner’sprejudiceagainstmeninthepulpit,forlongafterward,ononeofmyvisitstoCapeCod,head—
mittedthathenowwenttochurchveryrarely。
``WhenIheardyoupreach,’’heexplained,``I
gen’allyfollowedyouthroughandIknowedwhereyouwasa—comin’out。Buttheseyoungfellersthatcomefromthetheologicalschool——why,SisterShaw,theLordHimselfdon’tknowwherethey’recomin’
out!’’
Foramomenthepondered。ThenheutteredavaledictorywhichIhavealwaysbeengladtorecallashislastmessage,forIneversawhimagain。
``Whenyoufustcometous,’’hesaid,``youhadalotofcrookedplaces,an’wehadalotofcrookedplaces;andwekindofrunintoeachother,allofus。Butbeforeyouleft,SisterShaw,why,allthecrookedplaceswasworeoffandeverythingwasassmoothassilk。’’
``Yes,’’Iagreed,``andthatwasthetimetoleave——wheneverythingwasrunningsmoothly。’’
AllischangedonCapeCodsincethosedays,thirtyyearsago。Theoldfamilieshavediedormovedaway,andthosewhoreplacedthemwereofadif—
ferenttype。IamhappyinhavingknownandlovedtheCapeasitwas,andinhavinggatheredthereastoreofdelightfulmemories。Inlaterstrenuousyearsithasrestedmemerelytothinkoftheplace,andlongafterwardIshowedmycontinuedloveofitbybuildingahomethere,whichIstillpossess。
ButIhadlittletimetorestinthisorinmyMoylanhome,ofwhichIshallwritelater,fornowIwasbackinBoston,livingmynewlife,andeachcrowdedhourbroughtmemoretodo。
Wewereenteringuponadeeplysignificantperiod。
Forthefirsttimewomenweregoingintoindustrialcompetitionwithmen,andalreadymenwerein—
tenselyresentingtheirpresence。AroundmeIsawwomenoverworkedandunderpaid,doingmen’sworkathalfmen’swages,notbecausetheirworkwasinferior,butbecausetheywerewomen。Again,too,Istudiedtheobtrusiveproblemsofthepoorandofthewomenofthestreets;and,lookingatthewholesocialsituationfromeveryangle,Icouldfindbutonesolutionforwomen——theremovalofthestigmaofdisfranchisement。Asman’sequalbeforethelaw,womancoulddemandherrights,askingfavorsfromnoone。WithallmyheartIjoinedinthecrusadeofthemenandwomenwhowerefight—
ingforher。Myrealworkhadbegun。
Naturally,atthisperiod,IfrequentlymetthemembersofBoston’smostinspiringgroup——theEmersonsandJohnGreenleafWhittier,JamesFree—
manClark,ReverendMinotSavage,BronsonAlcottandhisdaughterLouisa,WendellPhillips,WilliamLloydGarrison,StephenFoster,TheodoreWeld,andtherest。Ofthemall,myfavoritewasWhittier。Hehadbeenpresentatmygraduationfromthetheo—
logicalschool,andnowheoftenattendedoursuffragemeetings。Hewasalreadyanoldman,nearingtheendofhislife;andIrecallhimassingularlytallandthin,almostgaunt,bendingforwardashetalked,andwearinganexpressionofgreatserenityandbenignity。IoncetoldSusanB。AnthonythatifI
neededhelpinacrowdofstrangersthatincludedher,Iwouldimmediatelyturntoher,knowingfromherfacethat,whateverIhaddone,shewouldunder—
standandassistme。IcouldhaveofferedthesametributetoWhittier。Atourmeetingshewaslikeavesper—bellchimingaboveabattle—field。Garrisonalwaysbecameexcitedduringourdiscussions,andtheothersfrequentlydid;butWhittier,inwhosebighearttheloveofhisfellow—manburnedasunquench—
ablyasinanyheartthere,alwayspreservedhisex—
quisitetranquillity。
Once,Iremember,StephenFosterinsistedonhavingtheword``tyranny’’putintoaresolution,statingthatwomenweredeprivedofsuffragebytheTYRANNYofmen。Mr。Garrisonobjected,andthedebatethatfollowedwasthemostexcitingIhaveeverheard。Thecombatantsactuallyhadtoad—
journbeforetheycouldcalmdownsufficientlytogoonwiththeirmeeting。Knowingthestimulatingatmospheretowhichhehadgrownaccustomed,I
wasnotsurprisedtohaveTheodoreWeldexplaintome;longafterward,whyhenolongerattendedsuffragemeetings。
``Oh,’’hesaid,``whyshouldIgo?Therehasn’tbeenanyonemobbedintwentyyears!’’
TheRalphWaldoEmersonsoccasionallyattendedourmeetings,andMr。Emerson,atfirstopposedtowomansuffrage,becameaconverttoitduringthelastyearsofhislife——afacthissonanddaughteromittedtomentioninhisbiography。AfterhisdeathIgavetwosuffragelecturesinConcord,andeachtimeMrs。Emersonpaidforthehall。AttheselecturesLouisaM。Alcottgracedtheassem—
blywithhersplendid,wholesomepresence,andonbothoccasionsshewassurroundedbyagroupofboys。Shefranklycaredmuchmoreforboysthanforgirls,andboysinevitablygravitatedtoherwhen—
eversheenteredaplacewheretheywere。WhenwomenweregivenschoolsuffrageinMassachusetts,MissAlcottwasthefirstwomantovoteinConcord,andshewenttothepollsaccompaniedbyagroupofherboys,allardently``fortheCause。’’Mygen—
eralimpressionofherwasthatofafreshbreezeblowingoverwidemoors。ShewasasdifferentaspossiblefromexquisitelittleMrs。Emerson,who,inherdaintinessandquietcharm,suggestedanoldNewEnglandgarden。
OfAbbyMayandEdnaCheneyIretainageneralimpressionof``bagginess’’——ofloosejacketsoverloosewaistbands,ofescapinglocksofhair,ofbodiesseeminglyonesizefromtheneckdown。Bothwomenwereutterlyindifferenttothedetailsoftheirappearance,buttheyweresplendidworkersandleadingspiritsintheNewEnglandWoman’sClub。
ItwassaidtobethetroublebetweenAbbyMayandKateGannettWells,bothofwhomstoodforthepresidencyoftheclub,thatledtothebeginningoftheanti—suffragemovementinBoston。AbbyMaywaselectedpresident,andallthesuffragistsvotedforher。SubsequentlyKateGannettWellsbeganheranti—suffragecampaign。Mrs。Wellswasthefirstanti—suffragistIeverknewinthiscountry。
BeforehertherehadbeenMrs。Dahlgren,wifeofAdmiralDahlgren,andMrs。WilliamTecumsehSher—
man。OnoneoccasionElizabethCadyStantonchal—
lengedMrs。Dahlgrentoadebateonwomansuffrage,andinthelightoflatereventsMrs。Dahlgren’sreplyisamusing。Shedeclinedthechallenge,explainingthatforanti—suffragiststoappearuponapublicplatformwouldbeadirectviolationoftheprincipleforwhichtheystood——whichwastheprotectionoffemalemodesty!Recallingthis,andthepresenthecticactivityoftheanti—suffragists,onemustfeelthattheyhaveeitherabandonedtheirprincipleorwidenedtheirviews。
ForJuliaWardHoweIhadanimmenseadmira—
tion;but,thoughfromfirsttolastIsawmuchofher,IneverfeltthatIreallyknewher。Shewasawomanofthewidestculture,interestedineveryprogressivemovement。Withallherbigheartshetriedtobeademocrat,butshewasanaristocrattotheverycoreofher,and,despiteherwonderfulworkforothers,shelivedinasplendidisolation。OncewhenIcalledonherIfoundherrestinghermindbyreadingGreek,andshelaughinglyadmittedthatshewasusingaLatinpony,addingthatshewasgrowing``rusty。’’Sheseemedalittleembarrassedbybeingcaughtwiththepony,butshemusthavebeenreassuredbymycheerfulconfessionthatif_I_triedtoreadeitherLatinorGreekIshouldneedanEnglishpony。
OfFrancesE。Willard,whofrequentlycametoBoston,Isawagreatdeal,andwesoonbecameclose—
lyassociatedinourwork。Earlyinourfriendship,andatMissWillard’ssuggestion,wemadeacom—
pactthatonceaweekeachofuswouldpointouttotheotherhermostseriousfaults,andtherebyhelphertoremedythem;butwewerebothtoosanetodoanythingofthekind,andtheprojectsoondiedanaturaldeath。ThenearestIevercametocarryingitoutwasinwarningMissWillardthatshewasconstantlydefyingallthelawsofpersonalhygiene。Sheneverrested,rarelyseemedtosleep,andhadtoberemindedatthetablethatshewasthereforthepurposeofeatingfood。Shewasal—
waysabsorbedinsomegreatinterest,andoblivioustoanythingelse,Ineverknewawomanwhocouldgripanaudienceandcarryitwithherasshecould。
Shewasintenselyemotional,andswayedothersbytheiremotionsratherthanbylogic;yetshewastheleastconsciousofherphysicalexistenceofanyoneIeverknew,withtheexceptionofSusanB。Anthony。
Like``AuntSusan,’’MissWillardpaidnoheedtocoldorheatorhunger,toprivationorfatigue。Intheirrelationstosuchtriflesbothwomenweredis—
embodiedspirits。
AnotherwomandoingwonderfulworkatthistimewasMrs。QuincyShaw,whohadrecentlystartedherdaynurseriesforthecareoftenementchildrenwhosemotherslaboredbytheday。ThesenurserieswerenewinBoston,aswasthekindergartensystemshealsoestablished。Isawtheeffectofherworkinthelivesofthepeople,anditstrengthenedmygrowingconvictionthatlittlecouldbedoneforthepoorinaspiritualoreducationalwayuntiltheyweregivenacertainamountofphysicalcomfort,anduntilmoretimewasdevotedtotheproblemofprevention。
Indeed,themoreIstudiedeconomicissues,themorestronglyIfeltthatthepositionofmostphilan—
thropistsisthatofmenwhostandatthebottomofaprecipicegatheringupandtryingtohealthosewhofallintoit,insteadofguardingthetopandpre—
ventingthemfromgoingover。
OfcourseIhadtoearnmyliving;but,thoughI
hadtakenmymedicaldegreeonlyafewmonthsbeforeleavingCapeCod,Ihadnointentionofprac—
tisingmedicine。Ihadmerelywishedtoaddacertainamountofmedicalknowledgetomymentalequipment。TheMassachusettsWomanSuffrageAssociation,ofwhichLucyStonewaspresident,hadfrequentlyemployedmeasalecturerduringthelasttwoyearsofmypastorate。Nowitofferedmeasalaryofonehundreddollarsamonthasalecturerandorganizer。ThoughImaynothaveseemedsointhesereminiscences,inwhichIhavewrittenasfreelyofmysmallvictoriesasofmystrugglesandfailures,Iwasamodestyoungperson。Theamountseemedtoolarge,andItoldMrs。Stoneasmuch,afterwhichIhumblyfixedmysalaryatfiftydollarsamonth。AttheendofayearofworkIfeltthatIhad``madegood’’;thenIaskedforandreceivedtheonehundreddollarsamonthoriginallyofferedme。
DuringmysecondyearMissCoraScottPondandIorganizedandcarriedthroughinBostonagreatsuffragebazaar,clearingsixthousanddollarsfortheassociation——alargeamountinthosedays。
Elatedbymyshareinthissuccess,Iaskedthatmysalaryshouldbeincreasedtoonehundredandtwenty—fivedollarsamonth——butthiswasnotdone。
Instead,Ireceivedavaluablelesson。Itwasfreelyadmittedthatmyworkwasworthonehundredandtwenty—fivedollars,butIwastoldthatonehundredwasthelimitwhichcouldbepaid,andIwasre—
mindedthatthiswasagoodsalaryforawoman。
Thetimeseemedtohavecometomakeapracticalstandindefenseofmyprinciples,andIdidsobyresigningandarranginganindependentlecturetour。
ThefirstmonthaftermyresignationIearnedthreehundreddollars。LaterIfrequentlyearnedmorethanthat,andveryrarelyless。EventuallyIlec—
turedunderthedirectionoftheSlatonLectureBureauofChicago,andlaterstillfortheRedpathBureauofBoston。MyexperiencewiththeRed—
pathpeoplewasespeciallygratifying。Mrs。Liver—
more,whowastheironlywomanlecturer,wasgrow—
ingoldandanxioustoresignherwork。Shesawinmeapossiblesuccessor,andaskedthemtotakemeontheirlist。Theypromptlyrefused,explain—
ingthatImust``makeareputation’’beforetheycouldevenconsiderme。Ayearlatertheywroteme,makingaverygoodoffer,whichIaccepted。Itmaybeworthwhiletomentionherethatthroughmylecture—workatthisperiodIearnedallthemoneyIhaveeversaved。Ilecturednightafternight,weekafterweek,monthaftermonth,in``Chautauquas’’
inthesummer,alloverthecountryinthewinter,earningalargeincomeandputtingasideatthattimethesmallsurplusIstillholdinpreparationforthe``rainyday’’everyworking—womaninwardlyfears。
Igavethepublicatleastafairequivalentforwhatitgaveme,forIputintomylecturesallmyvitality,andIrarelymissedanengagement,thoughagainandagainIriskedmylifetokeepone。Myspecialsubjects,ofcourse,werethetwoIhadmostatheart—suffrageandtemperance。ForFrancesWillard,thenPresidentoftheWoman’sChristianTemperanceUnion,hadpersuadedmetoheadtheFranchiseDepartmentofthatorganization,suc—
ceedingZiraldaWallace,themotherofGen。LewWallace;andMissSusanB。Anthony,whowasbe—