The Republican journal., 1869-11-04
HOW ANNA DICKINSON LOOKS AND TALKS

woman so much ''talked about''-but not in
the gossiping tea-table sense. We wantedto
hear 4 woman talk to abig crowd, to see how
she managed her subject, and to note the i'm
preston she made. We wanted also to Judge
of the power that she and other womcn's-
Fighters are to bring to bearupon the many sins
of commission and omission of which men are
guilty. If the world is to be turned over like
a half-done tlap-iack, it is best to have a
realizing sense of the danger at an early day,
and thus be prepared to stand from under So
we went.
1t seems queer to one accustomed to strict
notions of New England piety and propriety
to behold the announcement, anywhere with
in its borders, of u Sunday evening lecture
with a money-changer at the door, and a fix
ed price for admission. And it seemed still
stranger that the doors Of the Boston Theatre
should open wide to admit a crowd on Sunday
night But all this actually took place The
house was crowded with an audience quiet,
orderly, welldrcssed, intellectual. There was
epackedparquette, the well-filled boxes, the
curtain up, the scenery displayed, and most of
the accessories that were visible last sum.
mer when we beheld ON the same stage the
half-naked and bespangled nymphs of the
White Fawn finging their legs in the air,
We Were told that even more startling con
edfice-inasmuch rs 4 popular clergyman
recently preached from the stage his farewell
sermon to thousand of mourning admirers
Satan and the saints appear to have a Joint
interest in the uses of the building.
At the appointed hour clerical looking
man and Il we'll dressed woman glided in from
the sidescenes, much like the opening act Of
a play. 1t would have been perfectly in keep
ING had he lifted up his voice in parental au-
thority, commanding her not to marry her in
pecunious lover, but to take the wealthy and
elderly sutton he had selected. Instead, how
ever, he made a few introductory remarks,
and said ''let us pray" The prayer ended
the clergyman fell to the rear, and the chief
performer came forward. OF medium height
rather full and square in figure, with a dark
silk, trimmed with white buttons and lace
and trailing along the stage, she marched
clear to the front, clasped her hands and stood
surveying the audience rs much as to say
Here am I, Anna Dckinson--look at me =
Her black hair short and curly. parted ovcl
!. low but wcll-shaped forehead swept be
hind the ears, with no huge and deformin9
knot of artificial hair. She lacks the cleal
white complexion SO common to New Eng
land women, and has the fight olive hue pecu-
liar to the south and west. She has the square
jaw and firm mouth which marks those who
grip hard and hold on long, whether man,
woman or bulldog. Her heavy black eye
brows were frequently raised in emphasis
when she uttered a strong sentence. Anna
may have seen thirty summers. Whel
she worked in the Philadelphia mint, 70,
small pay, she used to ncnounce in her debat
ing club the vlnities of female drcss-but ii
was now observable that Il diamond cross
spanked pendant from 4 ribbon on her neck
and that diamond rings adorned her fingers
Probably she thinks them better Jewels than
consistency.
The subject WAS announced as 'Whltcd
Sepulchres'- particular and special srpul
chrc under consideration, and that ''full O
dead acomcn's bones" being Salt Lake City
which She visited the past summer. Anl
didn't the saints catch it F! Brigham Young she
credited with most of the brains to govern the
community, which he did with the will of ;
despot. There were two hundred of his chic
men and tools that We're intelligent-the rest
were mere animals The women were de-
graded 50 low rs to say that they liked polyg
amy She assaird the administration :.
Washington for permitting the shame 10 exist
But men, she said, never would view the sub
men who were her companions joked abou,
the plurality of wives.
Anna then passed to a general review o.
the wrongs of her sex everywhere. The seni
or New York or Philadelphia than it is in
Salt Lake City. AT this her audience opened
their eyes, and some men and women laugh
ed. 1t was an easy thing, She said, to scol
at right. A little wit mingled with Il LITTLE
malice would do it; and yet it would not SUI
flee. You could not laugh this thing down
nor snecr it down, nor legislate, nor preach
nor denounce it down, for on our side wcr
Natures laws, and Gods life was in the caus
that we struggled for to-day.
The lecturer with the clipped cnunciatiol
of the Middle States, has good voice, filling
the house easily-but III some Of the tcryi,
passages it rose so high and shrill as to b.
painfully like Il scream. Her gestures wer
few, her hands being mainly engaged in hold
ing slip Of paper with notes-but the few
she did make were with clenched hand IN,
raised arm rs a pugilist strikes out from tho
shoulder. Sometimes she moved swift,
across the stage front, like a Gagged tiger
Sitting we'll to the front we felt alarm les
she might get loose She concluded with u
admonition to women to take the crown o
social independence that of right belonged
to them and see that no man wrest it from
them We left with the crowd, after listen
ing to the most intense and prolonged scold
ing ever inflicted on mankind, individually o