The Story of an African Farm

第18章

IwasonalecturetourinOhioinApril，1908，whenonenight，asIwasstartingforthehallwherethelecturewastobegiven，mytelephonebellrang。

``Longdistancewantsyou，’’theoperatorsaid，andthenextminuteavoiceIrecognizedasthatofMissThomaswasofferingcongratulations。``Thelastdollarofthe$60，000，’’sheadded，``waspledgedatfouro’clockthisafternoon。’’

IwassoovercomebythenewsthatIdroppedthereceiverandshookinaviolentnervousattack，andthistremblingcontinuedthroughoutmylecture。

Ithadnotseemedpossiblethatsuchaburdencouldbeliftedfrommyshoulders；$7，500ayearwouldgreatlyaidourwork，and$4，500ayear，eventhoughdividedamongthreeofficers，wouldbeamostwel—

comehelptoeach。Assubsequentlyarranged，thesalariesdidnotcometousthroughtheNationalAssociationtreasury；theywerepaiddirectlybyMissThomasandMissGarrettascustodiansofthefund。SoitisquitecorrecttosaythatnosalarieshaveeverbeenpaidbytheNationalAssociationtoitsofficers。

Threeyearslater，in1911，anotherglorioussur—

prisecametomeinaveryinnocent—lookingletter。

Itwasoneofmanyinaheavymail，andIopeneditabsent—mindedly，forthedayhadbeenproblem—filled。

Thewriterstatedverysimplythatshewishedtoputalargeamountintomyhandstoinvest，todrawon，andtousefortheCauseasIsawfit。

Thematterwastobeasecretbetweenus，andshewishednosubsequentaccounting，asshehadentirefaithinmyabilitytoputthemoneytothebestpossibleuse。

Thepropositionratherdazedme，butIralliedmyforcesandrepliedthatIwasinfinitelygrateful，butthattheamountshementionedwasalargeoneandI

wouldmuchprefertosharetheresponsibilityofdis—

bursingit。Couldshenotselectonemoreperson，atleast，tosharethesecretandactwithme？Shere—

plied，tellingmetomaketheselection，ifIinsistedonhavingaconfidante，andIsentherthenamesofMissThomasandMissGarrett，suggestingthatasMissThomashaddonesomuchoftheworkincon—

nectionwiththe$60，000fund，MissGarrettmightbewillingtoacceptthedetailworkofthisfund。

Myfriendrepliedthateitheroftheseladieswouldbeperfectlysatisfactorytoher。Sheknewthemboth，shesaid，andIwastoarrangethematterasI

chose，asitrestedwhollyinmyhands。

Iusedthismoneyinsubsequentstatecampaigns，andIamverysurethattoitwaslargelyduethewinningofArizona，Kansas，andOregonin1912，andofMontanaandNevadain1914。Itenabledusforthefirsttimetoestablishheadquarters，se—

cureanofficeforce，andengagecampaignspeakers。

Ialsospentsomeofitinthestateswelostthenbutwillwinlater——Ohio，Wisconsin，andMichigan——

usinginallmorethanfifteenthousanddollars。InSeptember，1913，Ireceivedanothercheckfromthesamefriend，showingthatsheatleastwassatisfiedwiththeresultswehadachieved。

``Itgoestoyouwithmylove，’’shewrote，``andmyearnesthopesforfurthersuccess——nottheleastofthisacrowningofyourfaithful，earnest，splendidworkforourbelovedCause。Howblesseditisthatyouareourpresidentandleader！’’

Ihadtalkedtothiswomanonlytwiceinmylife，andIhadnotseenherforyearswhenherfirstcheckcame；soherconfidenceinmewasanevengreatergiftthanherroyaldonationtowardourCause。

XIV

RECENTCAMPAIGNS

TheintervalbetweenthewinningofIdahoandUtahin1896andthatofWashingtonin1910

seemedverylongtoloversoftheCause。Wewereworkingashardasever——harder，indeed，fortheoppositionagainstuswasgrowingstrongerasouropponentsrealizedwhattriumphantwomansuf—

fragewouldmeantotheunderworld，thegrafters，andthewhitedsepulchersinpublicoffice。Butin1910wewerecheeredbyourWashingtonvictory，followedthenextyearbythewinningofCalifornia。

Then，withoursplendidbanneryearof1912camethewinningofthreestates——Arizona，Kansas，andOregon——precededbyacampaignsofullofvimandinterestthatitmusthaveitsbriefchroniclehere。

Tobegin，weconductedin1912thelargestnum—

berofcampaignswehadeverundertaken，workinginsixstatesinwhichconstitutionalamendmentswerepending——Ohio，Michigan，Wisconsin，Oregon，Arizona，andKansas。Personally，IbeganmyworkinOhioinAugust，withthemodestaspirationofspeakingineachoftheprincipaltownsineveryoneofthesestates。InMichiganIhadtheinvaluableassistanceofMrs。LawrenceLewis，ofPhiladelphia，andIvisitedatthistimetheregionofmyoldhome，greatlychangedsincethedaysofmygirlhood，andtalkedtotheoldfriendsandneighborswhohadturnedoutinforcetowelcomeme。Theyshowedtheirfurtherinterestinthemostsatisfactoryway，bycarryingtheamendmentintheirpartofthestate。

Atleastfourandfivespeechesadaywereexpected，andasusualwetraveledineverysortofconveyance，fromfreight—carstoeightyhorse—powerFrenchauto—

mobiles。InEauClair，Wisconsin，Ispokeattheracesimmediatelyafterthepassingofaprocessionofcattle。Attheendoftheprocessionrodeawom—

aninanox—cart，torepresentpioneerdays。Sheworeacalicogownandasunbonnet，anddroveherox—teamwithgenuineskill；andthelasttouchtothepictureshemadewasfurnishedbythepresenceofabeautifulbiplanewhichwhirredlightlyintheairaboveher。Theobviouscomparisonwastoogoodtoignore，soItoldmyhearersthattheirwomento—daywerestillridinginox—teamswhilethemensoaredintheair，andthatwomen’sworkintheworld’sservicecouldbeproperlydoneonlywhentheytoowereallowedtofly。

InOregonwewerejoinedbyMissLucyAnthony。

There，atPendleton，Ispokeduringthegreat``roundup，’’holdingthemeetingatnightonthestreet，inwhichthousandsofhorsemen——cowboys，Indians，andranchmen——wereridingupanddown，blowinghorns，shouting，andsinging。Itseemedimpossibletointerestanaudienceundersuchcon—

ditions，butevidentlythemenlikedvariety，forwhenwebegantospeaktheyquieteddownandclosedaroundusuntilwehadanaudiencethatfilledthestreetsineverydirectionandasfarasourvoicescouldreach。Neverhavewehadmorecourteousorenthusiasticlistenersthanthosewildandhappyhorsemen。Bestofall，theynotonlycheeredoursentiments，buttheyfolloweduptheircheerswiththeirvotes。Ispokefromanautomobile，andwhenIhadfinishedoneofthecowboysrodeclosetomeandaskedformyNewYorkaddress。``Youwillhearfrommelater，’’hesaid，whenhehadmadeanoteofit。IntimeIreceivedagreatlinenbanner，onwhichhehadmadeasuperbpen—and—inksketchofhimselfandhishorse，andineverycornersketchesofscenesinthedifferentstateswherewomenvoted，togetherwithdrawingsofallthedetailsofcowboyequipment。Overtheseweredrawnthewords：

WOMANSUFFRAGE——WEAREALLFORIT。

Thebannerhangsto—dayintheNationalHead—

quarters。

InCaliforniaMr。EdwardspresentedmewiththemoneytopurchasethediamondinMissAnthony’sflagpinrepresentingthevictoryofhisstatetheprecedingyear；andinArizonaoneofthehigh—

lightsofthecampaignwasthesplendideffortofMrs。FrancesMunds，thestatepresident，andMrs。

AlicePark，ofPaloAlto，California，whowerecarry—

ingontheworkintheirheadquarterswithtre—

mendouscourage，and，asitseemedtome，almostunaided。Mrs。Park’sspecialtywasthedistribu—

tionofsuffrageliterature，whichshecirculatedwithremarkablejudgment。TheGovernorofArizonawasinfavorofourCause，butthereweresofewactiveworkersavailablethattome，atleast，thewinningofthestatewasahappysurprise。

InKansaswestolesomeoftheprestigeofChampClark，whowasmakingpoliticalspeechesinthesameregion。Atonestationabrass—bandandagreatgatheringwerewaitingforMr。Clark’strainjustasourtraindrewin；sothelocalsuffragistsper—

suadedthebandtoplayforus，too，andImadeaspeechtotheinspiringaccompanimentof``HailtotheChief。’’Thepassengersonourtrainweregreat—

lyimpressed，thinkingitwasallforus；thecrowdatthestationweregladtobeamuseduntilthegreatmancame，andIwasgladoftheopportunitytotalktosomanyrepresentativemen——sowewereallhappy。

IntheSoldiers’HomeatLeavenworthItoldtheoldmenofthedayswhenmyfatherandbrothersleftusinthewilderness，andmymotherandIcaredforthehomewhiletheyfoughtatthefront——andIhavealwaysbelievedthatmuchofthelargevotewereceivedatLeavenworthwascastbythoseoldsoldiers。

NoonewhoknowstheconditionsdoubtsthatwereallywonMichiganthatyearaswellasthethreeotherstates，butstrangethingsweredoneinthecount。Forexample，inoneprecinctinDetroitfortymorevoteswerecountedagainstouramend—

mentthantherewerevotersinthedistrict。Inotherdistrictsthereweresevenoreightmorevotesthanvoters。Undertheseconditionsitisnotsur—

prisingthat，afterthevigorousrecountingfollowingthefirstwide—spreadreportsofoursuccess，Michi—

ganwasdeclaredlosttous。

Thecampaignof1914，inwhichwewonMontanaandNevada，deservesspecialmentionhere。Imustexpressalsomyregretthatasthisbookwillbeonthepressesbeforethecampaignof1915isended，I

cannotincludeinthesereminiscencestheresultsofourworkinNewYorkandotherstates。

Asabeginningofthe1914campaignIspentadayinChicago，onthewaytoSouthDakota，totakemypartinamoving—picturesuffrageplay。Itwasmyfirstexperienceasanactress，andIfounditataxingone。AsamodestbeginningIwasorderedtomakeaspeechinthirty—threeseconds——somethingofatask，asmyusualtimeallowanceforaspeechisonehour。Themanagerassuredme，however，thataspeechofthirty—threesecondsmadetwenty—sevenfeetoffilm——enough，hethought，toconvertevenalieutenant—governor！

TheDakotacampaigns，asusual，resolvedthem—

selveslargelyintofeatsofphysicalendurance，inwhichIwasinspiredbythefineexampleofthestatepresidents——Mrs。JohnPyleofSouthDakotaandMrs。ClaraV。DarrowofNorthDakota。Everydaywemadespeechesfromtherearplatformofthetrainsonwhichweweretraveling——sometimesonlytwoorthree，sometimeshalfadozen。OnedayI

rodeonehundredmilesinanautomobileandspokeinfivedifferenttowns。AnotherdayIhadtomakeajourneyinafreight—car。Itwas，withafewex—

ceptions，theroughesttravelingIhadyetknown，andittookmesixhourstoreachmydestination。

WhileIwasgatheringuphair—pinsandpullingmy—

selftogethertoleavethecarattheendoftherideIaskedtheconductorhowfarwehadtraveled。

``Fortymiles，’’saidhe，tersely。

``ThatmeansfortymilesAHEAD，’’Imurmured。

``Howfarupanddown？’’

``Oh，ahundredmilesupanddown，’’grinnedtheconductor，andtheexchangeofpersiflagecheeredusboth。

Thoughwedidnotwin，IhaveverypleasantmemoriesofNorthDakota，forMrs。Darrowac—

companiedmeduringtheentirecampaign，andtookeveryburdenfrommyshoulderssoefficientlythatIhadnothingtodobutmakespeeches。

InMontanaourmostinterestingdaywasthatoftheStateFair，whichendedwithasuffrageparadethatIwasinvitedtolead。Onthisoccasionthesuffragistswishedmetowearmycapandgownandmydoctor’shood，butasIhadnotbroughtthosegarmentswithme，weborrowedandIproudlyworethecapandgownoftheUnitarianminister。Itwasasmallbutreallybeautifulparade，andallthecos—

tumesforitweredesignedbythestatepresident，MissJeannetteRankin，towhosefinework，bytheway，combinedwiththeworkofherfriends，thewinningofMontanawaslargelydue。

InButtethebigstrikewason，andthetownwasundermartiallaw。Alargebanquetwasgivenusthere，andwhenwedroveuptotheclub—housewherethisfestivitywastobeheldwewerestoppedbytwoarmedguardswhoconfronteduswithsternfacesandfixedbayonets。ThesituationseemedsoabsurdthatIburstintohappylaughter，andthusdeeplyoffendedtheearnestyoungguardswhoweregraspingthefixedbayonets。Thissadmemorywaswipedout，however，bytheinterestofthebanquet——

averydelightfulaffair，attendedbythemayorofButteandotherlocaldignitaries。

InNevadathemostinterestingfeatureofthecampaignwasthesplendidworkofthewomen。Ineachofthelittletownstherewasthesamespiritofceaselessactivityanddetermination。Thepresi—

dentoftheStateAssociation，MissAnneMartin，whowasattheheadofthecampaignwork，accom—

paniedmeoneSundaywhenwedroveseventymilesinamotorandspokefourtimes，andshewasalsomycompanioninawonderfuljourneyoverthemountains。MissMartinwasatirelessandworthyleaderofthefineworkersinherstate。

InMissouri，underthedirectionofMrs。WalterMcNabbMiller，andinNebraska，whereMrs。E。

DraperSmithwasmanagingthecampaign，wehadsomeinspiringmeetings。AtLincolnMrs。WilliamJenningsBryanintroducedmetothebiggestaudi—

enceoftheyear，andtheprogrammetookonaspecialinterestfromthefactthatitincludedMrs。Bryan’sdebutasaspeakerforsuffrage。Sheisatallandattractivewomanwithanextremelypleasantvoice，andshemadeanadmirablespeech——clear，terse，andmuchtothepoint，puttingherselfonrecordasastrongsupporterofthewoman—suffragemovement。

Therewasalsoanamusingaftermathofthisocca—

sion，whichSecretaryBryanhimselfconfidedtomeseveralmonthslaterwhenImethiminAtlanticCity。Heassuredme，withthedeepsincerityheassumessowell，thatforfivenightsaftermyspeechinLincolnhiswifehadkepthimawakelisteningtoherreportofit——andheadded，solemnly，thathenowknewit``byheart。’’

AlesspleasingmemoryofNebraskaisthatIlostmyvoicethereandmyactivitiesweresadlyinter—

rupted。ButIwastakentothehomeofMr。andMrs。FrancisA。Brogan，ofOmaha，andsuppliedwithatrainednurse，athroatspecialist，andsuchcareandcomfortthatIreallyenjoyedtheenforcedrest——knowing，too，thatthecampaigncommitteewascarryingonourworkwithgreatenthusiasm。

InMissourioneofourmostsignificantmeetingswasinBowlingGreen，thehomeofChampClark，SpeakeroftheHouse。Mrs。Clarkgaveareception，madeaspeech，andintroducedmeatthemeeting，asMrs。BryanhaddoneinLincoln。SheisoneofthebrightestmemoriesofmyMissouriexperience，for，withfewexceptions，sheisthemostentertainingwomanIhaveevermet。Subsequentlywehadanall—daymotorjourneytogether，duringwhichMrs。

ClarkrarelystoppedtalkingandIevenmorerarelystoppedlaughing。

CONVENTIONINCIDENTS

From1887to1914wehadasuffrageconventioneveryyear，andIattendedeachofthem。Inpre—

cedingchaptersIhavementionedvariousconventionepisodesofmoreorlessimportance。Now，lookingbackoverthemallasIneartheendoftheseremi—

niscences，Irecallafewadditionalincidentswhichhadabearingonlaterevents。

Therewas，forexample，themuch—discussedat—

tackonsuffrageduringtheAtlantaconventionof1895，byaprominentclergymanofthatcitywhosenameImercifullywithhold。OntheSundaypre—

cedingourarrivalthisgentlemanpreachedasermonwarningeveryonetokeepawayfromourmeetings，asoureffortwasnottosecurethefranchiseforwomen，buttoencouragetheintermarriageoftheblackandwhiteraces。IncidentallyhedeclaredthatthesuffragistsweretryingtobreakupthehomesofAmericaanddegradethemoralsofwomen，andthatwewereallinfidelsandblasphemers。Heendedwithapersonalattackonme，sayingthatonthepreviousSundayIhadpreachedintheEpworthMemorialMethodistChurchofCleveland，Ohio，asermonwhichwasofsoblasphemousanaturethatnothingcouldpurifythechurchafteritexcepttoburnitdown。

Asusualatourconventions，IhadbeenannouncedtopreachthesermonatourSundayconference，andIneedhardlypointoutthatthereverendgentle—

man’schargecreatedadeeppublicinterestinthiseffort。Ihadalreadyselectedatext，butIim—

mediatelychangedmyplansandannouncedthatIwouldrepeatthesermonIhaddeliveredinCleve—

landandwhichtheAtlantaministerconsideredsoblasphemous。TheannouncementbroughtoutanaudiencewhichfilledtheOperaHouseandcalledforasquadofpoliceofficerstokeepinorderthestreetcrowdthatcouldnotsecureentrance。TheassemblagehadnaturallyexpectedthatIwouldmakesomereplytotheclergyman’sattack，butI

madenoreferencewhatevertohim。Imerelyre—

peated，withemphasis，thesermonIhaddeliveredinCleveland。

Attheconclusionoftheserviceoneofthetrusteesofmyreverendcritic’schurchcameandapologizedforhispastor。Hehadahighregardforhim，thetrusteesaid，butinthisinstancetherecouldbenodoubtinthemindofanyonewhohadheardbothsermonsthatofthetwominewasthetolerant，thereverent，andtheChristianone。Theattackmademanyfriendsforus，firstbecauseofitsinjustice，andnextbecauseofthegood—humoredtolerancewithwhichthesuffragistsacceptedit。

TheAtlantaconvention，bytheway，wasar—

rangedandlargelyfinancedbytheMissesHoward——

threesisterslivinginColumbus，Georgia，andeachanofficeroftheGeorgiaWomanSuffrageAssociation。

ItisaremarkablefactthatinmanyofourSouthernstatesthesuffragemovementhasbeenledbythreesisters。InKentuckythethreeClaysisterswereformanyyearsleadersinthework。InTexasthethreeFinnegansistersdidsplendidwork；inLoui—

sianatheGordonsisterswereourstanchestallies，whileinVirginiawehadtheinvaluableaidofMaryJohnston，thenovelist，andhertwosisters。Weusedtosay，laughingly，iftherewasafailuretoorganizeanystateintheSouth，thatitmustbeduetothefactthatnofamilytherehadthreesisterstostartthemovement。

FromtheAtlantaconventionwewentdirectlytoWashingtontoattendtheconventionoftheNationalCouncilofWomen，andonthefirstdayofthiscouncilFrederickDouglasscametothemeet—

ing。Mr。Douglasshadaspecialplaceintheheartsofsuffragists，forthereasonthatatthefirstcon—

ventioneverheldforwomansuffrageintheUnitedStates（atSenecaFalls，NewYork）hewastheonlypersonpresentwhostoodbyElizabethCadyStan—

tonwhenshepresentedherresolutioninfavorofvotesforwomen。EvenLucretiaMottwasstartledbythisradicalstep，andprivatelybreathedintotheearofherfriend，``Elizabeth，theeismakingusridiculous！’’FrederickDouglass，however，tookthefloorindefenseofMrs。Stanton’smotion，aservicewesuffragistsneverforgot。

Therefore，whenthepresidingofficerofthecouncil，Mrs。MayWrightSewall，sawMr。DouglassentertheconventionhallinWashingtononthisparticularmorn—

ing，sheappointedSusanB。Anthonyandmeacom—

mitteetoescorthimtoaseatontheplatform，whichwegladlydid。Mr。Douglassmadeashortspeechandthenleftthebuilding，goingdirectlytohishome。

There，onenteringhishall，hehadanattackofheartfailureanddroppeddeadashewasremovinghisovercoat。Hisdeathcastagloomoverthecon—

vention，andhisfuneral，whichtookplacethreedayslater，wasattendedbymanyprominentmenandwomenwhowereamongthedelegates。MissAnthonyandIwereinvitedtotakepartinthefuneralservices，andshemadeashortaddress，whileIofferedaprayer。

TheeventhadanaftermathinAtlanta，foritledourclericalenemytorepeathischargesagainstus，andtoofferthefuneralofFrederickDouglassasproofthatwewerehandinglovewiththenegrorace。

UnderthegraciousdirectionofMissKateGordonandtheLouisianaWomanSuffrageAssociation，weheldanespeciallyinspiringconventioninNewOrleansin1903。Innopreviousconventionwerearrangementsmoreperfect，andcertainlynowhereelsedidthemenofacommunityco—operatemoregen—

erouslywiththewomeninentertainingus。Aclubofmenpaidtherentofourhall，charteredasteam—

boatandgaveusarideontheMississippi，andinmanyotherwayshelpedtomaketheoccasionasuc—

cess。MissGordon，whowaschairmanoftheprogrammecommittee，introducedtheinnovationofputtingmebeforetheaudiencefortwentyminuteseveryevening，atthecloseoftheregularsession，asatargetforquestions。Thosepresentwereprivilegedtoaskanyquestionstheypleased，andI

answeredthem——ifIcould。

Wewereallconsciousofthedangersattendingadiscussionofthenegroquestion，anditwasunder—

stoodamongtheNorthernwomenthatwemusttakeeveryprecautiontoavoidbeingledintosuchdiscussion。IthadnotbeeneasytopersuadeMissAnthonyofthewisdomofthiscourse；herwaywastofaceissuessquarelyandoutintheopen。ButsheagreedthatwemustrespecttheconvictionsoftheSouthernmenandwomenwhowereentertain—

ingussohospitably。

Ontheopeningnight，asItookmyplacetoanswerquestions，almostthefirstslippassedupborethesewords：

WhatisyourpurposeinbringingyourconventiontotheSouth？Isitthedesireofsuffragiststoforceuponusthesocialequalityofblackandwhitewomen？Politicalequalitylaysthefoundationforsocialequality。Ifyougivetheballottowomen，won’tyoumaketheblackandwhitewomanequalpoliticallyandthereforelaythefoundationforafutureclaimofsocialequality？

Ilaidthepaperononesideanddidnotanswerthequestion。Thesecondnightitcametomeagain，putinthesamewords，andagainIignoredit。Thethirdnightitcamewiththisaddition：

Evidentlyyoudonotdaretoanswerthisquestion。There—

foreourconclusionisthatthisisyourpurpose。

WhenIhadreadthisIwenttothefrontoftheplatform。

``Here，’’Isaid，``isaquestionwhichhasbeenaskedmeonthreesuccessivenights。IhavenotanswereditbecauseweNorthernwomenhadde—

cidednottoenterintoanydiscussionoftheracequestion。ButnowIamtoldbythewriterofthisnotethatwedarenotanswerit。Iwishtosaythatwedaretoansweritifyoudaretohaveitanswered——andIleaveittoyoutodecidewhetherIshallansweritornot。’’

Ireadthequestionaloud。Thentheaudiencecalledfortheanswer，andIgaveitinthesewords，quotedasaccuratelyasIcanrememberthem：

``Ifpoliticalequalityisthebasisofsocialequality，andifbygrantingpoliticalequalityyoulaythefoundationforaclaimofsocialequality，Icanonlyanswerthatyouhavealreadylaidthatclaim。Youdidnotwaitforwomansuffrage，butdisfranchisedbothyourblackandyourwhitewomen，thusmakingthempoliticallyequal。Butyouhavedonemorethanthat。Youhaveputtheballotintothehandsofyourblackmen，thusmakingthemthepoliticalsuperiorsofyourwhitewomen。Neverbeforeinthehistoryoftheworldhavemenmadeformerslavesthepoliticalmastersoftheirformermistresses！’’

Thepointwenthomeanditwentdeep。Idroveitinalittlefurther。

``ThewomenoftheSoutharenotalone，’’Isaid，``intheirhumiliation。AllthewomenofAmericashareitwiththem。ThereisnoothernationintheworldinwhichwomenholdthepositionofpoliticaldegradationourAmericanwomenholdto—day。

GermanwomenaregovernedbyGermanmen；

FrenchwomenaregovernedbyFrenchmen。ButintheseUnitedStatesAmericanwomenaregov—

ernedbyeveryraceofmenunderthelightofthesun。Thereisnotacolorfromwhitetoblack，fromredtoyellow，thereisnotanationfrompoletopole，thatdoesnotsenditscontingenttogovernAmericanwomen。IfAmericanmenarewillingtoleavetheirwomeninapositionasdegradingasthistheyneednotbesurprisedwhenAmericanwomenresolvetoliftthemselvesoutofit。’’

ForafullmomentafterIhadfinishedtherewasabsolutesilenceintheaudience。Wedidnotknowwhatwouldhappen。Then，suddenly，asthetruthofthestatementstruckthem，themenbegantoapplaud——andthedangerofthatsituationwasover。

Anotherepisodehaditspartindrivingthesuf—

fragelessonhometoSouthernwomen。TheLegis—

laturehadpassedabillpermittingtax—payingwomentovoteatanyelectionwherespecialtaxesweretobeimposedforimprovements，andthefirstelectionfollowingthepassageofthisbillwasoneinNewOrleans，inwhichthequestionofbetterdrainageforthecitywasbeforethepublic。MissGordonandthesuffrageassociationknownastheEraClubenteredenthusiasticallyintothefightforgooddrainage。Accordingtothelawwomencouldvotebyproxyiftheypreferred，insteadofinperson，soMissGordondrovetothehomesoftheoldcon—