The New York herald., 1867-02-19
SOMETHING TO DO"

Lecture by Miss Anna 4. Dickinson.
Na'lonn Hail, Harlem, thronged last evenng by
IA audence assembled 10 hear Miss Anna T. Dickinson
lecture on Something 70 Do" The fair lecturess
anAously waited for previous to her appearance, and
everybody who came the platform was applauded by
the audience One Of the persons thus honorsd being
on the masculine gender, but with somewhat Of femi-
nine appearance. received the compliment verv good.
nauredy and explained that he was not Miss Dickinson
but somebody else, which created some merrtment
When Miss Dickinson did put in appearance she was
received with considerable applause She looked ss
usual. veli and with her o.handed manner moved over
the platform with an air Of nonchalancs that said
sho master Of tho situation subject ana herself
Her dress plain blacK silk trimmed with velvet
She commenced her lecture by asking who OF thoss
present mot familiar with that Infinitely pathetic
story told BY Charles DIckens Of poor little Oliver Twist
taking his ponger in his thin weak hands, and OF bis
asking In his trembling hungry voice. for nore and Of
the horror and amazement Of Mr. Bundle the boys
audacity. She was afraid there was moro than Mr.
Bumble. There arc hungry mouths TO feed, waiting for
something 70 eat waiting for something TO an them
waiting for something to do and the proud people draw
away, pass ey silently O. .nswsr indnsrsn.y q the
the mnltttudes Of suffering, neglected. women. The
lecturess then said-Let me have audience. am
long for coarse bread and bed Of straw; women who
strive and struggle, and live In ro0me twenty IN the
place OF one; women VINO DO the same WORK as men
beside them, and who do not receive onehaf the pay
They desire no other emnence than that they shall re-
ccive the same pay a. men for the same work There
are women whose purses ara ned with gold and whose
lives are but dross who live In palaces clad In
ettering. costly and beautiful array; whose lives 60
dull empty useless for OF ambition something
TO do gather all these voices Of women into my one
voice. all their want all their SUFFERING all their pain,
and over all am holding out the poor empty porrnger
Of their lives and cry for more-more work, more
money. culture freedom, moro Just dealing
at the hands Of the world The speaker continued by
pretended full we'll what opposition she was to
encounter. Men on the one side, women on the
other mon; passive and indifferent. the polished sneer
hended but what could be done by accustoming people
70 ideas, which, II at first they secuted, afterwards
would become familiar An instance Of that, she al
uded TO the change which had taken place in regard TO
women speaking in public Twenty years ago people
would hardly have thought OF such q thing. To-day
woman would be listened to with courtesy and respect
There had been agitation and that demonstrated The fact
that somewhere there was wrongsto se overcome for
there would be discussion where there wrong.
Twenty years ago there suggestion Fifteen years
ago there change for the better To-day all there
was to do was to wait, and wait, and wait She then
said that she would not recapituiae the regard
TO the condition Of laborng women In midst II
the old tale often told that Hood had in the Song
Of the shirt" Nobody In this day needed to
be told that there were multitudes Of women
in cur midst toiling in garrets and cellars,
wanting for Clothes wanting for food Nobody this day
needed to be told that there mutitudes OF women
walking day by day on the verge OF crme precipce
which day after day breaks in the edge and sweeps
them into the abyss beneath was the fashion for the
world TO say that woman should be angel whether in
prosperity adversely Words cost nothing She asked
for woman only what her due, in her behalf,
and she was met on all sides with the cry Of horror
horror, women's nghts Meanwhile the great wheel OF
time turned and turned and while women going TO
perdton, the proud stand by and cry ',he fallen
from her high estate; for her there Is hope In
day push her aside pssh nsr down % Al, SIR An
what you behold Think Of the birth OF child II
tue regions Of ball. IL is we'll to considse these thinss
Is not necessary TO 60 through all tho sewers and
sinks a life: bat look at gnret window and
The attenuase1 Angcn Of wonaaa struggling between
efforts Il psssas made 70 rsss this stas Of thn ere
not sucentthey DO not touch me root q this attsr
and the number e Iose o. Y = nons the i.usaes
woman's work. As 500 what women arc my very soul
is tortured No thoughtul soul can consider this with
First, would make every woman feel tha. she Is
woman Second, would make her feel that she Is the
win think that she Is not (IAughtsrl Would you
have z woman = merchant, lawyer You
in Philadelphia who has husband. Iaughter) Hcr
clerk but his wife earns $1,000 year By practising
cooks the Ainner--wbo minds the housef" These
arc small minds, for this woman goes about
young gen ssa.ls%an % the other day, .And would you
bave all women strong.mindeds" answered mo,
certainly not my friend FOR then there would p no
o. terry ssfrioy 0f woman % ID .ushssr
nous 1t all TO women comparatively How would socie-
" stand u young girls were TO work mon do and A.
women prsmatursiy wlthersds You have taksn away
the spinning and weaving OF their grandmothers and
fec. IL
youth, and when YOU take on the bandags you wonder
why she does not run as you do. You talk TO women
homo work, home ambition and all that laugh
teri Their work is untouched and undone There
women listening tonight who do not be.
y woman, though, who has not said TO herself
at some time or other, ~ wish were man." uAugh-
sno ala not 70 81 but
man who did wish TO be . woman for forty eight
hours IAaghter.) Cease TO create an imaginary type
OF woman II men would study women ittle more
would come to better understanding Of this matter
You woman who screams or fants foolishy aud
you cry, "There is woman for y0u" You see Q
woman ex,ravsgan. and ruiung her husband, while
q hundred toll aud work 70 assist theirs. You exclam
There Is woman for YOU" II woman ~ does anything
thing very small you exclaim how very much like
woman shs acts" II a woman succeeds you wonder u
sck lately the Northwest and No tried 10 ruin
me, but anosher man, No z came along and cured me
y NO orss would ~ % allowed 70
ticc medicine for The next twenty years; yst that
individual case proved nothing against men IN
fui gfsd talented aud speaks boldly FOR she Is
regarded exceptional and precedent fos her
soms @ hs may % BE- to-day soa o
TO- morrow. Sometimes the critic meaning 70 b CON-
plmenaSy, writes OF me that am pretty and not ugly,
aud whom he does this he ofierz me an insult want
my speech 70 be written down for what IL worth and
nothing more IL have genius give me-credt for it
ask no. o.compliment when compliment ID shame. ZAP
plause) But will be said that | am, fighting
against The laws Of nature So then drowning msa II
not TO try and ksep his bead water for sar of vio
latng tia laws OF gravratiop Some women could
cry over; some women could annihiiaie because Of
their apathy uAughterI Whore are there any schools
in midst where women can prepare themselves for
any ussful occupanonf The lecturer here gave mum.
Der Of Statistics showing what women have co.srbue cd
TO advance young men, and complained how little has
been done 10 prepare Tor life. she charged the
women with the duty OF dschargsg the oblgstions 70
themselves that upon them. The great Trouble she
said s not with man, but with woman. She will always
deny her advancement In life, while " . man from
boosblack becomes millionaire he will boast or L. You
may say easy for me TO talk; do not work your
salt tell ysu that the nrss money lever earned was
two shlings for scrubbing pavement and spent u
70 hear Wendell Phillips lecture Ianghter) Ny homo
was humble but plsasAnt and industry was encouraged
there scrubbing honorable school teaching or
sny other work. The night wears on 70 morning.
Leave the shadows and msts Of superstition and fear
behind and 60 forth with honor TO greet ,he rising day