第9章
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  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—

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