Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-04

recollection of visit she made to Pittsburg
when it was still the city of smoke, or
| whether she remembers the impressions
which, at the time were strong and we'll de-
fined. 1t was good many years ago, and
she came to deliver lecture. 1 remember
that her 50th birthday had recently been
celebrated and in conversation she made
some very genial jokes about unmarried
women who had no hesitation in letting
public announcement be maze that they
had reached the shady side of 90
SUSAN B. ANTHoNY's VERDICT.
had seen her when she was good many
years younger than that, and when she wore
tine short skirt and trousers of the Bloomer
costume, and her public utterances had the
same vim and vigorous directness on this
later occasion, when she appeared in con-
ventional gown as then, when she wore the
uniform of revolt against fashion. But
those who have only heard Susan B. An
thony on the platform. and have cherished
the idea that she is simply an aggressive
and disgruntled mortal, with no thought
save for the warfare she is waging would do
well to disabuse their minds of wholly
false impression. She is a lady of many
sided intelligence, and of most genial social
qualities.
And this geniality expressed itself in
words which should make her name pleas
ant one for Pittsburgers to remember.
"All the women 1 have seen here have
such wholesome and intelligent iaces!" she
said. "And how very pretty the young
girls are, and how prettlly they are
dressedp'
These words were said privately, but 1
am glad to say that Pittsburg gave the lady
who spoke them good audience and
hearty welcome.
1 think it was in the same winter that an
other famous woman made brief visit to
Pittsburg. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Cady
Stanton, who came also to occupy the lecture
platform. Those who met this champion of
woman suffrage made the acquaintance OF a
thoroughly charming woman, whose talk in
social intercourse had no flavor or sugges-
tion of "strong-minded" aggressiveness
about it. Her brilliant. discourse on the
platform drew forth hearty applause, and
her equally brilliant discourse in converse
tion gave unqualified delight.
If there are any homely girls or ugly
women in your city they must have shut
themselves up" she said. 81 have not seen
any. Probably they don't care to be con-
spicuous bv contrast with the many"
Could any city desire prettier compli-
ment than that?
SAD POPULATION.
There was another very odd idea which
mistaken strangers used to entertain regard
ing Pittsburg in addition to the belief in
the smoke-tanned skins of the inhabitants.
The perpetual gloom of the smoke-laden at
mosphere was partly responsible for it, and
partly, 1 suppose. the traditions of Scotch
Irish Presbyterianism, which were identi-
fed with the place.
This idea was that anything like cheerful
enjoyment was a thing quite unknown to
the people of the forlorn city, quite impos-
sible to them, and altogether out of the
course of nature. That sounds very funny
to those of us who know how much hilar1ty
and gay sociability used to prevail beneath
those overhanging clouds OF murk. But
there were plenty of outsiders who could
not at all reconcile anything in the SEM
bance OF fun with their notions OF life in
Pittsburg.
we'll remember the astonishment of
distant friend whom l was visiting, when 1
happened to say something about dancing.
Dancing! She had not thought of the posi-
bility that anything so gay as that could
ever be indulged in in Pittsburg. 1t must
be a very solemn sort of dancing, she sur
missed; a sort of religious observance, prob
ably. For how in the world could the peo-
pie, young or old. possibly get their spirits
up to the point of dancing for the fun of it?
And when 1 insisted that social enjoy
ments of all sorts prevailed and were heartily
participated in, and that music was a
passion very largely INDUCED, could see
that she wondered how it was that people
could 60 away from home and tell such
whoppers, expecting to be believed.
JAMES G. PURDY.