The Story of an African Farm

第9章

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—