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ably as in any heart there； always preserved his ex…
quisite tranquillity。
Once； I remember； Stephen Foster insisted on
having the word ‘‘tyranny'' put into a resolution；
stating that women were deprived of suffrage by the
TYRANNY of men。 Mr。 Garrison objected； and the
debate that followed was the most exciting I have
ever heard。 The combatants actually had to ad…
journ before they could calm down sufficiently to go
on with their meeting。 Knowing the stimulating
atmosphere to which he had grown accustomed； I
was not surprised to have Theodore Weld explain
to me； long afterward； why he no longer attended
suffrage meetings。
‘‘Oh；'' he said； ‘‘why should I go？ There hasn't
been any one mobbed in twenty years！''
The Ralph Waldo Emersons occasionally attended
our meetings； and Mr。 Emerson； at first opposed to
woman suffrage； became a convert to it during the
last years of his lifea fact his son and daughter
omitted to mention in his biography。 After his
death I gave two suffrage lectures in Concord；
and each time Mrs。 Emerson paid for the hall。 At
these lectures Louisa M。 Alcott graced the assem…
bly with her splendid； wholesome presence； and on
both occasions she was surrounded by a group of
boys。 She frankly cared much more for boys than
for girls； and boys inevitably gravitated to her when…
ever she entered a place where they were。 When
women were given school suffrage in Massachusetts；
Miss Alcott was the first woman to vote in Concord；
and she went to the polls accompanied by a group
of her boys； all ardently ‘‘for the Cause。'' My gen…
eral impression of her was that of a fresh breeze
blowing over wide moors。 She was as different as
possible from exquisite little Mrs。 Emerson； who；
in her daintiness and quiet charm； suggested an old
New England garden。
Of Abby May and Edna Cheney I retain a general
impression of ‘‘bagginess''of loose jackets over
loose waistbands； of escaping locks of hair； of bodies
seemingly one size from the neck down。 Both
women were utterly indifferent to the details of
their appearance； but they were splendid workers and
leading spirits in the New England Woman's Club。
It was said to be the trouble between Abby May and
Kate Gannett Wells； both of whom stood for the
presidency of the club； that led to the beginning of
the anti…suffrage movement in Boston。 Abby May
was elected president； and all the suffragists voted
for her。 Subsequently Kate Gannett Wells began
her anti…suffrage campaign。 Mrs。 Wells was the
first anti…suffragist I ever knew in this country。
Before her there had been Mrs。 Dahlgren； wife of
Admiral Dahlgren； and Mrs。 William Tecumseh Sher…
man。 On one occasion Elizabeth Cady Stanton chal…
lenged Mrs。 Dahlgren to a debate on woman suffrage；
and in the light of later events Mrs。 Dahlgren's reply
is amusing。 She declined the challenge； explaining
that for anti…suffragists to appear upon a public
platform would be a direct violation of the principle
for which they stoodwhich was the protection of
female modesty！ Recalling this； and the present
hectic activity of the anti…suffragists； one must feel
that they have either abandoned their principle or
widened their views。
For Julia Ward Howe I had an immense admira…
tion； but； though from first to last I saw much of
her； I never felt that I really knew her。 She was a
woman of the widest culture； interested in every
progressive movement。 With all her big heart she
tried to be a democrat； but she was an aristocrat to
the very core of her； and； despite her wonderful work
for others； she lived in a splendid isolation。 Once
when I called on her I found her resting her mind
by reading Greek； and she laughingly admitted that
she was using a Latin pony； adding that she was
growing ‘‘rusty。'' She seemed a little embarrassed
by being caught with the pony； but she must have
been reassured by my cheerful confession that if
_I_ tried to read either Latin or Greek I should need
an English pony。
Of Frances E。 Willard； who frequently came to
Boston； I saw a great deal； and we soon became close…
ly associated in our work。 Early in our friendship；
and at Miss Willard's suggestion； we made a com…
pact that once a week each of us would point out
to the other her most serious faults； and thereby
help her to remedy them； but we were both too sane
to do anything of the kind； and the project soon
died a natural death。 The nearest I ever came to
carrying it out was in warning Miss Willard that she
was constantly defying all the laws of personal
hygiene。 She never rested； rarely seemed to sleep；
and had to be reminded at the table that she was
there for the purpose of eating food。 She was al…
ways absorbed in some great interest； and oblivious
to anything else； I never knew a woman who could
grip an audience and carry it with her as she could。
She was intensely emotional； and swayed others by
their emotions rather than by logic； yet she was the
least conscious of her physical existence of any one
I ever knew； with the exception of Susan B。 Anthony。
Like ‘‘Aunt Susan；'' Miss Willard paid no heed to
cold or heat or hunger； to privation or fatigue。 In
their relations to such trifles both women were dis…
embodied spirits。
Another woman doing wonderful work at this time
was Mrs。 Quincy Shaw； who had recently started her
day nurseries for the care of tenement children whose
mothers labored by the day。 These nurseries were
new in Boston； as was the kindergarten system she
also established。 I saw the effect of her work in the
lives of the people； and it strengthened my growing
conviction that little could be done for the poor in a
spiritual or educational way until they were given
a certain amount of physical comfort； and until more
time was devoted to the problem of prevention。
Indeed； the more I studied economic issues； the more
strongly I felt that the position of most philan…
thropists is that of men who stand at the bottom
of a precipice gathering up and trying to heal those
who fall into it； instead of guarding the top and pre…
venting them from going over。
Of course I had to earn my living； but； though I
had taken my medical degree only a few months
before leaving Cape Cod； I had no intention of prac…
tising medicine。 I had merely wished to add a
certain amount of medical knowledge to my mental
equipment。 The Massachusetts Woman Suffrage
Association； of which Lucy Stone was president； had
frequently employed me as a lecturer during the
last two years of my pastorate。 Now it offered me
a salary of one hundred dollars a month as a lecturer
and organizer。 Though I may not have seemed so
in these reminiscences； in which I have written as
freely of my small victories as of my struggles and
failures； I was a modest young person。 The amount
seemed too large； and I told Mrs。 Stone as much；
after which I humbly