ginningtostudymeclosely，soonswungmeintoactiveworkwithher，ofwhich，later，Ishallhavemuchtosay。ButbeforetakingupasubjectasabsorbingtomeasmyfriendshipforandassociationwiththemostwonderfulwomanIhaveeverknown，itmaybeinterestingtorecordafewofmypioneerexperiencesinthelecture—field。
Inthosedays——thirtyyearsago——thelecturebu—
reauswerewhollyregardlessofthecomfortoftheirlecturers。Theyarrangedascheduleofengagementswithexactlyoneideainmind——togetthelecturerfromonelecture—pointtothenext，utterlyregardlessofwhethershehadtimebetweenforrestorfoodorsleep。Soithappenedthatall—nightjourneysinfreight—cars，engines，andcabooseswerecasualcom—
monplaces，whilethirtyandfortymiledrivesacrossthecountryinblizzardsandbittercoldwereequallyinevitable。Usuallythesethingsdidnottroubleme。TheywerehighadventureswhichIenjoyedatthetimeandafterwardlovedtorecall。Buttherewasanoccasionalhiatusinmyoptimism。
Onenight，forexample，afterlecturinginatowninOhio，itwasnecessarytodriveeightmilesacrosscountrytoatinyrailroadstationatwhichatrain，passingabouttwoo’clockinthemorning，wastobeflaggedforme。Whenwereachedthestationitwasclosed，butmydriverdepositedmeontheplatformanddroveaway，leavingmealone。Thenightwascoldandverydark。AlldayIhadbeenfeelingillandintheeveninghadsufferedsomuchpainthatIhadfinishedmylecturewithgreatdifficulty。Nowtowardmidnight，inthisdesolatespot，milesfromanyhouse，Igrewalarminglyworse。Iamnoteasilyfrightened，butthattimeIwassureIwasgoingtodie。Offinthedarkness，veryfaraway，asitseemed，Isawafaintlight，andwithinfiniteeffortIdraggedmyselftowardit。Towalk，eventostand，wasimpossible；Icrawledalongtherailroadtrack，collapsing，resting，goingonagain，whippingmywillpowertothetaskofkeepingmybrainclear，untilafteranightmarethatseemedtolastthroughcenturiesIlayacrossthedooroftheswitch—towerinwhichthelightwasburning。TheswitchmanstationedthereheardthecryIwasabletoutter，andcametomyassistance。Hecarriedmeuptohissignal—roomandlaidmeonthefloorbythestove；
hehadnothingtogivemeexceptwarmthandshel—
ter；butthesewerenowallIasked。Isankintoacomatoseconditionshotthroughwithpain。Tow—
ardtwoo’clockinthemorninghewakedmeandtoldmemytrainwascoming，askingifIfeltabletotakeit。Idecidedtomaketheeffort。Hedarednotleavehisposttohelpme，buthesignaledtothetrain，andIbeganmyprogressbacktothestation。
IneverclearlyrememberedhowIgotthere；butIarrivedandwashelpedintoacarbyabrakeman。
Aboutfouro’clockinthemorningIhadtochangeagain，butthistimeIwasleftatthestationofatown，andwastheremetbyamanwhosewifehadofferedmehospitality。Hedrovemetotheirhome，andIwascaredfor。WhatIhad，itdeveloped，wasaseverecaseofptomainepoisoning，andIsoonre—
covered；butevenafteralltheseyearsIdonotliketorecallthatnight。
Tobe``snowedin’’wasafrequentexperience。
Once，inMinnesota，Iwasoneofadozentravelerswhoweredriveninanomnibusfromacountryhoteltothenearestrailroadstation，abouttwomilesaway。
Itwassnowinghard，andthedriverleftusonthestationplatformanddeparted。Timepassed，butthetrainwewerewaitingfordidnotcome。AtrueWesternblizzard，growingwildereverymoment，hadsetin，andwefinallyrealizedthatthetrainwasnotcoming，andthat，moreover，itwasnowimpossibletogetbacktothehotel。Theonlythingwecoulddowastospendthenightintherailroadstation。
Iwastheonlywomaninthegroup，andmyfellow—
passengerswerecattlemenwhowhiledawaythehoursbysmoking，tellingstories，andexchangingpocketflasks。Thestationhadatelegraphoperatorwhooccupiedatinyboxbyhimself，andhefinallyinvitedmetosharetheprivacyofhismicroscopicquarters。Ienteredthemverygratefully，andhelaidaboardonthefloor，covereditwithanover—
coatmadeofbuffalo—skins，andcheerfullyinvitedmetogotobed。Iwent，andsleptpeacefullyuntilmorning。Thenweallreturnedtothehotel，themengoingaheadandshovelingapath。
Again，oneSunday，IwassnowboundinatrainnearFaribault，andthistimealsoIwastheonlywomanamonganumberofcattlemen。Theywereanodoriferouslot，whosmokeddiligentlyandplayedcardswithoutceasing，butindeferencetomypres—
encetheysworeonlymildlyandundertheirbreath。
Atlasttheyweariedoftheirgame，andoneofthemroseandcametome。
``Iheardyoulecturetheothernight，’’hesaid，awkwardly，``andI’vebintellin’thefellersaboutit。
We’dliketohavealecturenow。’’
Theircard—playinghadseemedtomeasinfulthing（IwasstricterinmyviewsthenthanIamto—day），andIwasgladtocreateadiversion。I
agreedtogivethemalecture，andtheywentthroughthetrain，whichconsistedoftwodaycoaches，andbroughtintheremainingpassengers。Afewofthemcouldsing，andwebeganwithaMoodyandSankeyhymnortwoandtheappealingditty，``Whereismywanderingboyto—night？’’inwhichtheyalljoinedwithspecialzest。ThenIdeliveredthelecture，andtheylistenedattentively。WhenI
hadfinishedtheyseemedtothinkthatsomeslightreturnwasinorder，sotheyproceededtomakeabedforme。Theytookthebottomsoutoftwoseats，arrangedthemcrosswise，andonemanfoldedhisovercoatintoapillow。Inspiredbythis，twoothersimmediatelydonatedtheirfurovercoatsforupperandlowercoverings。Whenthebedwasreadytheywavedmetowarditwithamosthospitableair，andIcreptinbetweentheovercoatsandslumberedsweetlyuntilIwasarousedthenextmorningbythewelcomemusicofasnow—plowwhichhadbeensentfromSt。Paultoourrescue。
Todrivefiftyorsixtymilesinadaytomeetalectureengagementwasafrequentexperience。I
havebeendrivenacrosstheprairiesinJunewhentheywerelikeamammothflower—bed，andinJan—
uarywhentheyseemedonehugesnow—coveredgrave——mygrave，Ithought，attimes。Onceduringathirty—miledrive，whenthethermometerwastwentydegreesbelowzero，Isuddenlyrealizedthatmyfacewasfreezing。Iopenedmysatchel，tookoutthetissue—paperthatprotectedmybestgown，andputthepaperovermyfaceasaveil，tuckingitinsideofmybonnet。WhenIreachedmydestinationthetissuewasaperfectmask，frozenstiff，andI
hadtobeliftedfromthesleigh。Iwasdueonthelectureplatforminhalfanhour，soIdrankahugebowlofboilinggingerteaandappearedontime。
ThatnightIwenttobedexpectinganattackofpneumoniaasaresultoftheexposure，butIawokenextmorninginsuperbcondition。Ipossesswhatiscalled``anironconstitution，’’andinthosedaysIneededit。
Thatsamewinter，inKansas，Iwaschasedbywolves，andthoughIhadbeenmoreorlessinti—
matelyassociatedwithwolvesinmypioneerlifeintheMichiganwoods，Ifoundtheoccasionextreme—
lyunpleasant。Duringthelongwintersofmygirl—
hoodwolveshadfrequentlyslunkaroundourlogcabin，andattimesinthelumber—campswehadevenheardthemprowlingontheroofs。Butthosewereverydifferentcreaturesfromthetwohuge，starving，tirelessanimalsthathourafterhourlopedbehindthecutterinwhichIsatwithanotherwoman，who，throughoutthewholeexperience，neverlostherheadnorhercontrolofourfrantichorses。Theyweremadwithterror，for，tryastheywould，theycouldnotoutrunthegrimthingsthattrailedus，seeminglynottryingtogainonus，butkeepingal—
waysatthesamedistance，withapatiencethatwashorrible。FromtimetotimeIturnedtolookatthem，andthepicturetheymadeastheycameonandonisoneIshallneverforget。TheyweresonearthatIcouldseetheireyesandslaveringjaws，andtheywereasnoiselessasthingsinadream。Atlast，littlebylittle，theybegantogainonus，andtheywerealmostwithinstrikingdistanceofthewhip，whichwasouronlyweapon，whenwereachedthewelcomeoutskirtsofatownandtheyfellback。
Someofthememoriesofthosedayshavetodowithpersonalencounters，briefbutpoignant。OncewhenIwasgivingaseriesofChautauqualectures，IspokeattheChautauquainPontiac，Illinois。
TheStateReformatoryforBoyswassituatedinthattown，and，afterthelecturethesuperintendentoftheReformatoryinvitedmetovisititandsayafewwordstotheinmates。Iwentandspokeforhalfanhour，carryingawayamemoryoftheplaceandoftheboyswhichhauntedmeformonths。A
yearlater，whileIwaswaitingforatraininthestationatShelbyville，aladaboutsixteenyearsoldpassedmeandhesitated，lookingasifheknewme。
Isawthathewantedtospeakanddarednot，soInoddedtohim。
``Youthinkyouknowme，don’tyou？’’Iasked，whenhecametomyside。
``Yes’m，Idoknowyou，’’hetoldme，eagerly。
``YouareMissShaw，andyoutalkedtousboysatPontiaclastyear。I’moutonparolenow，butI
’ain’tforgot。Usboysenjoyedyouthebestofanyshowweeverhad！’’
Iwastouchedbythisartlesscompliment，andanxioustoknowhowIhadwonit，soIasked，``WhatdidIsaythattheboysliked？’’
Theladhesitated。Thenhesaid，slowly，``Well，youdidn’ttalkasifyouthoughtwewereallbad。’’
``Myboy，’’Itoldhim，``Idon’tthinkyouareallbad。Iknowbetter！’’
AsifIhadtouchedaspringinhim，theladdroppedintotheseatbymyside；then，leaningtowardme，hesaid，impulsively，butalmostinawhisper：
``Say，MissShaw，SOMEOFUSBOYSSAYSOURPRAYERS！’’
RarelyhaveIhadatributethatmovedmemorethanthatshyconfidence；andoftensincethen，inhoursofdiscouragementorfailure，Ihaveremindedmyselfthatatleasttheremusthavebeensomethinginmeoncetomakealadofthatagesoopenuphisheart。Wehadalongandintimatetalk，fromwhichgrewtheabidinginterestIfeelinboysto—
day。
NaturallyIwassometimesinconveniencedbyslightmisunderstandingsbetweenlocalcommitteesandmyselfastothesubjectsofmylectures，andthemostextremeinstanceofthisoccurredinatownwhereIarrivedtofindmyselfwidelyadvertisedas``Mrs。AnnaShaw，whowhistledbeforeQueenVictoria’’！Transfixed，Igapedbeforethebill—
boards，andbyreadingtheiradditionalletteringdiscoveredthegratifyingfactthatatleastIwasnotexpectedtowhistlenow。Instead，itappeared，Iwastolectureon``TheMissingLink。’’
Asusual，Ihadarrivedintownonlyanhourortwobeforethetimefixedformylecture；therewasthebriefestintervalinwhichtoclearupthesepain—
fulmisunderstandings。Irepeatedlytriedtoreachthechairmanwhowastopresideattheentertain—
ment，butfailed。AtlastIwenttothehallatthehourappointed，andfoundthelocalcommitteethere，graciouslywaitingtoreceiveme。Withoutwastingpreciousminutesinpreliminaries，Iaskedwhytheyhadadvertisedmeasthewomanwhohad``whistledbeforeQueenVictoria。’’
``Why，didn’tyouwhistlebeforeher？’’theyex—
claimedingrievedsurprise。
``Icertainlydidnot，’’Iexplained。``Moreover，I
wasnevercalled`TheAmericanNightingale，’andIhaveneverlecturedon`TheMissingLink。’
WhereDIDyougetthatsubject？ItwasnotonthelistIsentyou。’’
Themembersofthecommitteeseemeddazed。
Theywithdrewtoacornerandconsultedinwhis—
pers。Then，withclearingbrow，thespokesmanre—
turned。
``Why，’’hesaid，cheerfully，``it’ssimpleenough！
WemixedyouupwithaShawladythatwhistles；
andwe’vebeendiscussingthemissinglinkinourdebatingsociety，soourcitizenswanttohearyourviews。’’
``ButIdon’tknowanythingaboutthemissinglink，’’Iprotested，``andIcan’tspeakonit。’’
``Now，come，’’theybegged。``Why，you’llhaveto！We’vesoldallourticketsforthatlecture。
Thewholetownhasturnedouttohearit。’’
Then，asImaintainedadepressedsilence，oneofthemhadabrightidea。
``I’lltellyouhowtofixit！’’hecried。``Speakonanysubjectyouplease，butbringinsomethingaboutthemissinglinkeveryfewminutes。Thatwillsatis—
fy’em。’’
``Verywell，’’Iagreed，reluctantly。``Openthemeetingwithasong。Gettheaudiencetosing`America’or`TheStar—spangledBanner。’Thatwillgivemeafewminutestothink，andIwillseewhatcanbedone。’’
Ledbyaverynervouschairman，thebigaudiencebegantosing，andundertheinspirationofthemusicthesolutionofourproblemflashedintomymind。
``Itiseasy，’’Itoldmyself。``Womanisthemiss—
inglinkinourgovernment。I’llgivethemasuf—
fragespeechalongthatline。’’
WhenthesongendedIbeganmypartoftheen—
tertainmentwithaportionofmylectureon``TheFateofRepublics，’’tracingtheirgrowthanddecay，andpointingoutthatwhatourrepublicneededtogiveitastablegovernmentwasthemissinglinkofwomansuffrage。Igotalongadmirably，foreveryfiveminutesImentioned``themissinglink，’’andtheaudiencesatcontentandapparentlyinterested，whilethemembersofthecommitteeburstintobloomontheplatform。
VIII
DRAMAINTHELECTURE—FIELD
MymostdramaticexperienceoccurredinacityinMichigan，whereIwasmakingatemperancecampaign。Itwasanimportantlum—
berandshippingcenter，anditharboredmuchintemperance。Theeditoroftheleadingnews—
paperwaswiththetemperance—workersinourfightthere，andhehadwarnedmethattheliquorpeoplethreatenedto``burnthebuildingovermyhead’’ifIattemptedtolecture。Wewereusedtosimilarthreats，soIproceededwithmypreparationsandheldthemeetinginthetownskating—rink——
ahuge，bare，woodenstructure。
Lectureswererareinthatcity，andrumorsofsomespecialexcitementonthisoccasionhadbeencirculated；everyseatintherinkwasfilled，andseveralhundredpersonsstoodintheaislesandatthebackofthebuilding。Justoppositethespeak—
er’splatformwasasmallgallery，andabovethat，intheceiling，wasatrap—door。BeforeIhadbeenspeakingtenminutesIsawamandropthroughthistrap—doortothebalconyandclimbfromtheretothemainfloor。Ashereachedthefloorheshouted``Fire！’’andrushedoutintothestreet。Thenextinstanteverypersonintherinkwasupandapanichadstarted。Iwasverysuretherewasnofire，butIknewthatmanymightbekilledintherushwhichwasbeginning。SoIsprangonachairandshoutedtothepeoplewiththefullstrengthofmylungs：
``Thereisnofire！It’sonlyatrick！Sitdown！
Sitdown！’’
Thecoolerpersonsinthecrowdatoncebegantohelpinthiscalmingprocess。
``Sitdown！’’theyrepeated。``It’sallright！
There’snofire！Sitdown！’’
Itlookedasifwehadthesituationinhand，forthepeoplehesitated，andmostofthemgrewquiet；
butjustthenafewwordswerehisseduptomethatmademyheartstopbeating。Amemberofourlocalcommitteewasstandingbesidemychair，speakinginaterrifiedwhisper：
``ThereISafire，MissShaw，’’hesaid。``ForGod’ssakegetthepeopleout——QUICKLY！’’
Theshockwassounexpectedthatmykneesal—
mostgaveway。Thepeoplewerestillstanding，wavering，lookinguncertainlytowardus。Iraisedmyvoiceagain，andifitsoundedunnaturalmyhearersprobablythoughtitwasbecauseIwasspeak—
ingsoloudly。
``Aswearealreadystanding，’’Icried，``andareallnervous，alittleexercisewilldousgood。Somarchout，singing。Keeptimetothemusic！
Lateryoucancomebackandtakeyourseats！’’
Themanwhohadwhisperedthewarningjumpedintotheaisleandstruckup``Jesus，LoverofMySoul。’’Thenheledthemarchdowntothedoor，whilethebigaudienceswungintolineandfollowedhim，joininginthesong。Iremainedonthechair，beatingtimeandtalkingtothepeopleastheywent；
butwhenthelastofthemhadleftthebuildingI
almostcollapsed；fortheflameshadbeguntoeatthroughthewoodenwallsandtheclangofthefire—
engineswasheardoutside。
AssoonasIwassureeveryonewassafe，however，IexperiencedthemostintenseangerIhadyetknown。
Myindignationagainstthemenwhohadriskedhundredsoflivesbysettingfiretoacrowdedbuildingmademe``seered’’；itwasclearthattheymustbetaughtalessonthenandthere。AssoonasIwasoutsidetherinkIcalledameeting，andtheCongre—
gationalminister，whowasinthecrowd，lentushischurchandledthewaytoit。Mostoftheaudiencefollowedus，andwehadawonderfulmeeting，dur—
ingwhichwewereableatlasttomakecleartothepeopleofthattownthecharacteroftheliquorinterestswewerefighting。Thatepisodedidthetemperancecausemoregoodthanahundredordinarymeetings。Menwhohadbeenindifferentbeforebecameourfriendsandsupporters，andatthefol—
lowingelectionwecarriedthetownforprohibitionbyabigmajority。
Therehavebeenotheroccasionswhenourop—
ponentshavenotfoughtusfairly。Once，inanOhiotown，agroupofpoliticians，hearingthatIwastolectureontemperanceinthecourt—houseonacertainnight，tookpossessionofthebuildingearlyintheevening，onthepretenseofholdingameeting，andhelditagainstus。When，escortedbyacom—
mitteeofleadingwomen，Ireachedthebuildingandtriedtoenter，wefoundthatthemenhadlockedusout。Ouraudiencewasgatheringandfillingthestreet，andwefinallysentacourteousmessagetothemen，assumingthattheyhadforgottenusandre—
mindingthemofourposition。Themessengerre—
portedthatthemenwouldleave``abouteight，’’
butthattheroomwas``blackwithsmokeandfilthywithtobacco—juice。``Wewaitedpatientlyuntileighto’clock，holdinglittleoutsidemeetingsingroups，asouraudiencewaitedwithus。Ateightweagainsentourmessengerintothehall，andhebroughtbackwordthatthemenwere``notthrough，didn’tknowwhentheywouldbethrough，andhadtoldthewomennottowait。’’
Naturally，thewaitingtownswomenweredeeplychagrinedbythis。Soweremanymenintheout—
sidecrowd。Weaskediftherewasnootheren—
trancetothehallexceptthroughthelockedfrontdoors，andweretoldthatthejudge’sprivateroomopenedintoit，andthatoneofourcommitteehadthekey，asshehadplannedtousethisroomasadressingandretiringroomforthespeakers。Aftersomediscussionwedecidedtostormthehallandtakepossession。Withinfiveminutesallthewomenhadformedinlineandwerecrowdingupthebackstairsandintothejudge’sroom。Thereweunlockedthedoor，againformedinline，andmarchedintothehall，singing``Onward，ChristianSoldiers！’’
Therewerehundredsofus，andwemarcheddi—
rectlytotheplatform，wheretheastonishedmengotuptostareatus。Moreandmorewomenentered，comingupthebackstairsfromthestreetandfillingthehall；andwhenthemenrealizedwhatitallmeant，andrecognizedtheirwives，sis—
ters，andwomenfriendsinthethrong，theysheep—
ishlyunlockedthefrontdoorsandleftusinposses—
sion，thoughwepolitelyurgedthemtoremain。Wehadagreatmeetingthatnight！
Anotherreminiscencemaynotbeoutofplace。
WewereworkingforaprohibitionamendmentinthestateofPennsylvania，andthenightbeforeelectionIreachedCoatesville。Ihadjustcom—
pletedsixweeksofstrenuouscampaigning，andthatdayIhadalreadyconductedandspokenattwobigoutdoormeetings。WhenIenteredthetownhallofCoatesvilleIfounditfilledwithwomen。Onlyafewmenwerethere；therestwerecelebratingandcampaigninginthestreets。SoIaroseandsaid：
``Iwouldliketoaskhowmanymenthereareintheaudiencewhointendtovotefortheamendmentto—morrow？’’
Everymaninthehallstoodup。
``Ithoughtso，’’Isaid。``NowIintendtoaskyourindulgence。Asyouareallinfavoroftheamendment，thereisnouseinmysettingitsclaimsbeforeyou；and，asIamutterlyexhausted，I
suggestthatwesingtheDoxologyandgohome！’’
Theaudiencesawthecommonsenseofmyposition，sothepeoplelaughedandsangtheDoxol—
ogyanddeparted。AswewereleavingthehalloneofCoatesville’sprominentcitizensstoppedme。
``Iwishyouwereaman，’’hesaid。``Thetownwastohaveabigoutdoormeetingto—night，andtheoratorhasfailedus。Therearethousandsofmeninthestreetswaitingforthespeech，andthesaloonsaresendingthemfreedrinkstogetthemdrunkandcarrythetownto—morrow。’’
``Why，’’Isaid，``I’lltalktothemifyouwish。’’
``GreatScott！’’hegasped。``I’dbeafraidtoletyou。Somethingmighthappen！’’
``Ifanythinghappens，itwillbeinagoodcause，’’
Iremindedhim。``Letusgo。’’
Down—townwefoundthestreetssopackedwithmenthatthecarscouldnotgetthrough，andwiththegreatestdifficultywereachedthestandwhichhadbeenerectedforthespeaker。Itwasagorgeousaffair。Therewereflaringtorchesallaroundit，anda``bull’s—eye，’’takenfromtheheadofalocomotive，madeanespeciallybrilliantpatchoflight。Thestandhadbeenerectedatapointwherethecity’sfourprincipalstreetsmeet，andasfarasIcouldseethereweresolidmassesofcitizensextendingintothesestreets。Aglee—clubwasdoingitsbesttohelpthingsalong，andthemusicofanorganette，aninstrumentmuchusedatthetimeincampaignrallies，swelledthejoyfultumult。AsImountedtheplatformthecrowdwassinging``VoteforBettyandtheBaby，’’andItookthatsongformytext，speakingofthehelplessnessofwomenandchildreninthefaceofintemperance，andtellingthecrowdtheonlyhopeoftheCoatesvillewomenlayinthevotecastbytheirmenthenextday。
Directlyinfrontofmestoodahugeandex—
traordinarilyrepellent—lookingnegro。Aglanceathimalmostmadeoneshudder，butbeforeIhadfinishedmyfirstsentenceheraisedhisrightarmstraightabovehimandshouted，inadeepandwonderfullyrichbassvoice，``HallelujahtotheLamb！’’Fromthatpointonhepunctuatedmyspeecheveryfewmomentswithgood，old—fashionedexclamationsofsalvationwhichhelpedtoinspirethecrowd。Ispokeforalmostanhour。Threetimesinmylife，andonlythreetimes，Ihavemadespeechesthathavesatisfiedmetothedegree，thatis，ofmakingmefeelthatatleastIwasgivingthebestthatwasinme。ThespeechatCoatesvillewasoneofthosethree。Attheendofitthegood—naturedcrowdcheeredfortenminutes。ThenextdayCoatesvillevotedforprohibition，and，rightlyorwrongly，IhavealwaysbelievedthatIhelpedtowinthatvictory。
Here，bytheway，ImayaddthatofthetwootherspeecheswhichsatisfiedmeonewasmadeinChicago，duringtheWorld’sFair，in1893，andtheotherinStockholm，Sweden，in1912。TheInternationalCouncilofWomen，itwillberemembered，metinChicagoduringtheFair，andIwasinvitedtopreachthesermonattheSunday—morningsession。Theoccasionwasaveryimportantone，bringingto—
getheratleastfivethousandpersons，includingrepresentativewomenfromalmosteverycountryinEurope，andalargenumberofwomenministers。
Thesemadeanimpressivegroup，astheyallworetheirministerialrobes；andforthefirsttimeI