The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-12-21
That Atlantic-Whittier Dinner,


To abe Editors Of the Boston Daily Advertiser
Some of us feel as though our own mothers
had received a slight; a few Of US have cried
and many stormed but L alone am left to tell
thee. In the republic of letters, il nowhere
else, woman is a citizen. Parnassus seats god,
and goddesses on the same throne; the MUSES.
are feminine, the entire nine OF them. Along
side facts like these set the Brunswick ban
queting-table, with a guest at its head accus-
toned to see women honored equally with
men in bis Quaker home and church, down the
sides OF the groaning board, among the ICON.
tributors to the Atlantic" see the brilliant
women of that guild conspicuous only for their
abseDcei
Astr@a at the Capital, forsooth! Dear Bard
of Freedom, what did you think about As
treas absence from; your birthday f5te? "As.
suredly," we thought, glancing along the col.
umns radiant with the wit and wisdom of the
feast, ''there will be letters of regret, showing
that all the leading contributors were at least
invited, but the hope proved vain. Then,
most assuredly," we. gasped, the publishers OF
editors Will give some explanations of all this
some recognition OF services so splendid, some
brief phrase, at least, to redeem the very dome
of American brain from the charge of an obliv.
iousness not explainable by any law Of mind
yet ascertained?" But no; from generous pub
Usher and genial editor to grotesqae humorist
their praise The only reference to the gentlel
sex that anywhere creeps in is this: when the
afterdinner speaking began the women who
were staying in the hotel entered and were
favored with seats"
Indeedi But who had earned seat at Whit
tiers own right hand? Who but Harriet Beech
or Stowe, one of the chief contributors to the
Atlantic? And Harriet Prescott Spofford, Re
becca Harding Davis, Gail Hamilton, Eliza.
beth Stuart Phelps, Mrs: Whitney, Harriet w.
Preston and Louisa M. Alcott-where they not
ito the manner born?' Among the sweet
singers. ought Rose Terry and Lucy Larcom,
Celia Thaxter, Florence Percy, and "H H. to
have been overlooked? And Mrs. S. M. B.
Piatt-why should she not have had an invita-
tlon and sent poem, as well as John? Yet this
isBoston, that sat on her theehills and ruled the
world And these are the Bostonians-so broad
30 liberal and so iustl
And Colonel Higginson was there, and he for
got us tool Alb, me this is the unkindest cut
of ALL
Hopeless ss seems the task, we must still
seek an explanation of this uncomely state of
things Was it because women are angels
that the contributors belonging to that celes-
tial class were not invited to nor mentioned al
banquet in honor of total abstainer before
whom were set lin delicate coplmiment Of
Eve, belog first in transgrassion" las temptel
la chief at the first dinuer) her sons determined
she should never more sit down beside them
at the convivial board2 Or was it that prestige
of sex is not yet offset by the chivalry OF justice
even among the liberals?
If it were not Boston we should say, 81 wo
1t Is through ignorance ye did it" But, as il
Is, we dismiss the subject with the mild reprooi
IN sorrow, not 10 anger, "My brethren, these
things ought not so to bel"
[Sgned] A Few AMONG MANY.
PARNASsUsvILLE, Dec. Is, 1877.