Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1893-06-04
PURELY FEMININE.
SUSAN B. ANTHONY'S FIRST SPEECH WAS
TO THE POINT.
She Began Under Difficulties, but She Succeeded,
Nsyertheless-This Seasons Jswslry-A New
Gem Found in the Rivers Of CeylOn-Ques
Shapes and Dssigns-InfrmatiOn of Interest 10
the Women.

the Women.
ga woman preaching is like a dogs
walking on it's hind legs. 1t is not done
well, but we are surprised to find 1t done
at ALL"
1t is a long time since Johnson gave
vent TO this statement. In the mean
time. the spectacle of a woman speak
ing ''in public on the stage" has be-
come so common that it Is no longer
either a circus or a sacrilege, In both OF
which lights it was formerly Viewed.
But, as an historical curiosity, the early
experiences OF such women as Susan b.
Anthony are extremely interesting. 1t
is just forty years since MISS anthony
first lifted her voice In pubic. she
spoke exactly three sentences on that
occasion, but they cost her an effort al
most greater than the commotion her
act excited.
It was at the New York State Teach
ers' Convention, in the city OF Roches-
ter. and Miss Anthony was in attend
ance for the first time in her life.
There were about a thousand women
teachers there and about two hundred
men. But the men were certainly a
glorious minority. They gave the re-
ports, made all suggestions, nominated
committees-of themselyes-and, in
short, they were the Convention. Not
one of the women had ever raised her
feeble voice in approval or protest.
At this meeting several Of the men
loudly bewailed the fact that society did
not respect teachers as it respected law
yers, doctors and ministers. They said
that thew were called Miss NancyS and
old grandmothers, which terms they
did not seem to consider respectful.
They declared that the vocation OF a
teacher was superior in importance to
that of 3 lawyer or OF a doctor. Yea!
even OF a minister. Atthis poiut OF the
discussion q strange and awful thing
occurred. A IN rose and said,
Mr.. President. That woman was young
Miss Anthony. This is the way she
tells of what followed:
"When the President stepped to the
front of the platform he said: What
will the lady have?' just as II some one
had tainted away or something had
happened. The thought had never en-
tered that mans head, never even
cracked the shell, that one OF a thous-
and women should speak when there
were 200 men present for that purpose.
"'Mr. President 1 said, Il would
like to speak on the question under dis
CUSTOM
"Wha do you think he said? He
looked down at the handful OF men,
who, of course, had the good seats in
front, and inquired solemnly what was
the pleasure OF the Convention!
some gentleman arose and made a mo-
tion that the lady be allowed-allowed,
mind you-to speak. For half an hour
they discussed that motion. Finally,
by a small majority, l was permitted to
say what l had on my mind. All this
time l had stood there, determined to
keep the floor at any cost. There was
a big lump in my throat, but l choked
it down.
"sMr. President and gentlemen l
said. as bravely as / could. Il have lis
tened to your discussion with a great
deal Of interest, but IL seems to me that
none OF you quite comprehend the cause
OF the d%isrespect you complain OF. Do
you not see that while woman has not
brains enough to be a minister, a doc
tor, or a lawyer, but has ample brains TO
be a teacher, every mar OF you distinct
ly acknowledges that he has not any
more brains than q woman
when | sat down three men walked
the length of the hall, shook hands
with me, and thanked mel hardly
know who. The newspaper accounts
the next day said that made the men
very angry, but that l hit the nail on
the head. But it did some
good, anyway. After my
plunge women were allowed
to read papers, were placed on commit
tees, and took an active part in the
conventions. 1, myself, was asked to
read a paper-which, by the way, l got
my friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton, to
write for sme-and In a voice some
what the worse for having my heart in
nv throat, | read it before the conven-
ton. OF course the paper vas good
Mrs. Stanton wrote it; but this was the
cheerful way in which Father Hazel
ton complfmented me on it,:
's'In matter and manner l would not
have asked that vour address should be
different, but madam, l would rather
have followed my wife aud daughter to
Greenwood cemetery than have had
them stand before this audience and
read that address
''Now, wasn't that nice of him?" says
Miss Anthony, quizzically, and then
murmurs refectively, The world do
move"