Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-01-11
Anna Dickinson at Washington.
EXTRACTS FROM LADY's LETTER.

And now l wish to tell you what can of
the great treat of the year to me-Miss
Dickinson's lecture. She spoke in Lincoln
Hall-nearly as elegant structure as ours on
State Street with the big sign over the door,
and as fine in its interior decoration-to an
audience of perhaps thousand persons, on
Il" Mems Rights" The time has passed when
Miss Dickinson attracts an audience out of
mere curiosity to hear a woman speak, and
am sure that recognized in the friendly looks
of those about us, as well as the absence of
the sneer and cynical expression of counte-
nance, unmistakable evidence of hearty sym
pathy with the speaker.
Vice President Colfax and his lovely wife,
who in these days of extremes in dress is re-
markable for the simplicity of her attire, sat
near the stage. We noticed also the elegant
Mrs Senator Pomeroy, in whose home Miss
Dickinson always finds a warm welcome, and
with her Mrs. Isabella Hooker of Hartford,
and many high in office and public esteem
here.
So much prominence has been absurdly
given to the dress of certain lady lecturers
this winter, that would not allude to that
of Miss Dickinson were it not that she has
recently subjected herself, and perhaps justly,
to criticism in this respect. The most cap
Ious person could hardly question her taste
on this occasion. She wore plain white silk,
short, with q short overskirt edged with a
simple fringe, and l could not discover a
superhuous gew-gaw or ribbon anywhere, her
only ornament being diamond cross which
/ hung from black ribbon about her neck.
| Her dress was as serenely simple as that OF
any Quaker girl. The occasional folding
/ back of the lace frills about her wrists, and
the snatching now and then of dainty lace
kerchief from her pocket, struck me little
oddly at first, but only, suppose, because
men do not indulge in these - vanities - and
our models have so far been on that side OIL
the house.
" Accessories, which are supposed tC
heighten effect so much ever since Dickens
assumed the rose bud, were wanting, unless
the rotund figure and genial face Of the Kan
sas Senator who presented her to the audi
ence, and who sat in subjective silence in the
background during the evening, may b
supposed 10 come under that head | could
not help wishing, by the way, for the SAX
of the illustration, that she might have beer
differently supported, say by pair of aver
age men one of the Bushnell stripe, VIII
consider woman convenience when she il
in her proper sphere of administering to The
wants and whims Of man, and on the Othe
nice Young man, who thinks most womel
fools, U do not now refer to the author o
Ecce Femina,) bat persons Of this stamp ar
pretty sure not to be found in the compan
of such women as Anna Dickinson.
Senator Pomeroy is the personatlon Of be
nevolence. liberality and good fellowship
The very expression Of his countenance Is a
invitation to all the oppressed and unfortu
nate. and l thoroughly believe none of thes
ever seek his help in vain. know that b
dares to assume the cham pionship of We
man in Congress, and has not only secure
pay for those in certain departments of tn
!. Government, equal to that Of men, but ha
also introduced into the Senate propostio
for a 10th amendment to the Constitution
| fear however that if the antagonism whic
this vexed, or. according to Prof. Huxley
this " irrepresEible woman question: he
evoked, in other quarters, be developed j
that body, and a corresponding bitterness
,,rr -,,rrui irvrctIye, cUuceutra Ieu sarcasm an
Z burning injustice be exhibited which hG
: characterized late discussions there, the hor
orable gentleman will almost envy st. Pau
who,only fought with the beasts at EPhesu
e But I've not forgotten that was speakln
j of Miss Dickinson. If the treat of the eyt
ming had been for the eye, it would be q
easier matter to give you some idea of it
but hesitate in my task Her words bur
into your very soul, and you carry away Il
sub-tance,-it lives with you, but you car
!, not impart it. She is often severe, and nor
. and then scathing, but she is true-to hel
: self, to her faith, true to her womans na
= ture
i To report " a lecture Of hers seems
, me good deal like trying to reproduce
4 ink sunset that has charmed the eye-t
i give with unskilled fingers some idea of
= new operate initiate the exquisite textur
c and tints of the blossoms with the dull fabr
d Of the loom.
e Mems rights she summed up in few word
0 Men have right to do as they please-sl
r might have added, women have right
# do as men plea Sc TO have them.
$ She demanded that from man which
/ has never been thought exorbitant for ms
e to demand from woman-but which I'll
n blrbarous sentiment of the age has nevt
e encouraged her TO expect in return-iaiti
: fulness, purity, true love and an equal shar
: in the burdens Of life. She asked that W,
.e man might not be called Queen while ST
n was made to know what it was to live und
= despotism. She demanded that a crimint
10 act be visited with the same recompense
t the case Of man as in woman, and she d
/. not hesitate to use all her wonderful pow
Of rhetoric to utterly demolish the fallaciol
/ argument that the well-being Of socie
h demands the perpetuation of such wron
r She said that the day had passed when W
- men asking bread would receive stone.
can give no idea of the elegance of h
language, her pathos, she stood enshrin'
Is in all the glory of her womanhood, pleadiI
"a for her sex-the privilege of becoming
a that she had the power to become. S
g demanded equality with man she did
sr earnestly, nobly, bravely, and she gave ia
:" warning that, with that perseverance whiC
t. is proverbial in woman, she would have
nt and we pity the man, much more the woma
st who could listen to her words and say tn,
: she was not worthy to receive it,
l.