The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-05-05
MRS. LUCY STONES FIRST VOTE.

A public spirited woman takes as much
pride in casting her first vote as does
the young society debutante at her first
ball. Perhaps the reader wonders why
we do not saga woman takes as much
pride in casting her frs vote as a man
does; but that would hardly be doing
justice to the woman's enthusiasm, for
there are too many young men who do
not avail themselves of their civil op
portunities.
II went to register my name after
women were granted the privilege of
voting" said Mrs. Lucy Stone, "and
lookedlforward to the casting of my first
vote with much pleasure. The clerk
asked me to read and L read to him." she
said with just a suggestion of a smile.
gave him my customary history,
showed him my tax bill, and just as he
was about to ask me to sign my name
word was sent up from the Registers
Office that must use the name of nv
husband, DR.. Blackwell, Tor had always
retained my maiden name, Lucy Stone,
81 told them should sign my name
as l had always done, or not at all.
"They were much excited over the
matter, and showed me the laws which
pronounced it a criminal offence to sign
anyOne's name but ones own. | as
sured them that / should never commit
any such crime. In the country if a man
uses a cart path for twenty years, and as
had as legally used the name of Lucy
Stone for sixty years, | saw no reason
why | could not continue to do so. They
were persistent, however, and 1 went
away without signing, and my first vote
has never been cast.
Mis-. Stone has long been known in
New England and abroad as An enthu-
siastic and successful worker in behalf
of philanthropic and public interests. In
cooperation with William Lloyd CARR
son and his contemporaries she lectured
and wrote in the interests of anti slavery.
She is one of the pioneers of the mod
ern temperance movement, and is deeply
interested in the many problems rela-
tive to the position to be maintained by
women i'll the world of to-day and the
future. She said to the journal report
er:
SAT present women can vote only in
regard to schools, 50 have let the mat
ter drop for the present in regard to my
voting. But lawyers have told me that
l have perfect right to keep my maid
en- name if | chose to do so. and if
women are ever permitted to vote
complete ticket may put my case in
lawyers hands But at present l thought
it hardly worth while.
"When l was married to DR.. Black
well, we mutually agreed that l should
retain my Own name. | was known to
the public as Lucy Stone, and in that
way my name had become a trademark
to me. Moreover, one of the chief diff
culties in regard to woman's position in
the world of to day is that she is no.
body. She may be Miss Brown this
year, Mrs. Jones next year and Mrs.
Smith the next year, and has no iden-
tity of her own after she is once married.
DR.. Blackwell was perfectly willing that
| should keep my own name and both he
and my daughter call me by it. always
sign my legal documents as Lucy Stone
and never but once have | cad any trou-
BILE about it, Then it was in regard to a
mortgage and the parties went to nay
husband, telling him they preferred to
have me sign the document as Mrs.
BLACKWELL BuG my husband assured
them that my own name was perfectly
legal and that the heavens might fall
before he would ask me to sign any
name but my own.
81 believe women should always main
tain their individuality and identity as
as men, in name as we'll as in
Women's Corn Boston Journal