Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-01-17
A,CRAYON PORTRAIT.
IT RECALLED TO ELIZABETH CADY
STANTON HER GlRLHOOO.
"Reminiscences of Child Net Like Other
Chiidysn, Who Grew Into Woman Not
Like Other Women stories of Her Early
Impressions and Aspirations.

| Elizabeth Cady Stanton's home on Sixty
| first street. was met by the statement,
made with an air of sympathy and regret
| by the negro servant that his mistress
| would see no visitors as she was writing
| piece" But / sent up my card with
request for an appointment. The man re-
| turned directly 10 shy that his mistress
| would receive me at once. ! WAS uShered
into ~ room full Of suggestions of the pur-
suits and tastes Of the woman who occu-
| pied it-books, pictures, piano, nowspa-
pers, periodicals. large desk with neat
| piles of manuscript and files Of correspond
cncc and small writing table with the
pretty appointments and triflcs which be-
long TO ones social letter writing.
had hardly settled myself when maid
entered with large crayon portrait Of
young girl, which Mrs. stanton directed
her to place in good light before the Wis
itor.
"What do you think of itE' was the
question after moments pause.
at is a charming facc-brimful Of char
acter and determination and courage. /
also discover n strong family likeness"
"That is not strange" replied my host
EOS, evidently much amused, for it is my
own portrait at the ago of 90. You can
trace all the features, but the short, curly
hair WAS brown then, though even at that
age had number Of gray hairs.
~ was married AT - During our en-
gagcmont my flancc wrote begging me for
lock of hair when one of my girl friends,
In pure spirit Of mischief, pulled out Of
my head enough white hairs To form II
very respectable little curl which | tied
up with "A blue ribbon and sent TO my
sweet heart y
She was silent "a moment. and Il little
slow smile crepI over her countcnancc, a5
she gazed at the youthful face in the pic
ture. Then she said softly:
Il love TO look at that girl like 10
study her and to think how She has full
filled herself.
Had she any distinct idea then Of what
her career would boz
Yes She had resolved upon that long
years before. ] was only - little child
when my attention was drawn to those
conditions Of women which | have spent
my life seeking TO improve IL happened
in this way:
Ny father was "A lawyer, Judge Cady
and had a great many young men in his
Office who came TO him rs students. They
used 10 sit at their books in large room
adjoining the Office and library | was "a
child Of or years. brimful of mischief
life and activity, with three sisters youn-
ger than myself who readily followed my
lead often when orr noise and fun and
pranbs became uncomfortable in the house
my mother restored peace ny banishing
the ringleader Ia the Office. There | al
ways became perfectly quiet, hut IL was
because took the kecnost interest in what
! heard. II gradually dawncd upon me
that of all the clients who came there the
women alone got no comfort When they
took down the law books and read from
them what related 20 each particular case,
tho women went away S0rrowiul. My
evident interest in the legal right, of my
rcX greatly entertained those students, and
they let mo pore over the l3N~ myself,
thinking il one of the funniest Of sights
to see such "A young child 80 occupied. |
was taking it all much moro seriously
than any ono imagined.
by and by ! had - birthday. and my
father gave mo set OF corals--nccklacc,
bracelets and earrings. ! was cnchanted
and that day loved those corals better
than anything else in the world OF course
| rushed 10 show them - nay student
friends, among whom was u young man
from Delaware. named Bayard an uncle
Of Minister I}ayHrd. He was always in
clincd Ia tease me and diSccrncd an oppor
tunity ON this occasion. - he said, II
you were my wife. those would belong TO
me
What ! ga>pod.
Yes they would bc mine. You could
not even wear them unless gave YOU
leave, and | could take Thorn from you ISL
together and give them TO some one else il
! chose.
"This nearly finished me. But one
straw moro remained TO be added. There
was an old -cutchwuman Flora Campbell
who used to como 90 our house every sat
urday TO bring chickens, eggs, sweet flag
maple sugar and herbs. We children were
all very fond of Flora she had been in
good circumstances Oncr and was - SUI
perior woman. Her husband had died,
leaving all hc possessed tu his son. Then
the son : wife came into Flora house and
turned her out. There was no redress
This story came To my ears, ard ! resolved
to act.
"Thc next saturday followed Flora To
the gate and babe her be- at good cheer. ~
those wicked laws were about 10 bc abol-
ishcd and she would soon be- able TO enter
upon "a life of peace and plenty. The plan
] unfolded to her was to avail myself uf
the absence of the family at church the
next morning, to 20 10 the library aud
there To cut from the books every line oi
those dreadful laws against women. | AS.
surcd Flora that ! could de- this ia "a very
short time, a. ] had already put mark
upon the back of each doomed volume i'm
order that | might lay my hands on it
readily.
"Of course Flora told my father. But
he did not bctray her. That evening ho
took me on hi, knee and explained he en-
actmont OF Laws. remarking quite casually
that even if his library CHANGED to take fire
and every volume was consumed II would
not make the slightest difference in the
condition ~ anybody beyond the loss To
himself The only WAY go remedy unsat-
isfactory laws was to go before the legis-
lature and got new ones passed 10 replace
them. That Is what viii do, | cried.
81 was only 10 years old, but from that
ipomcnt never forgot my purposc--nover
abandoned it for an instant until il was
carried out. When wont before tho leg
islature with the wOman's property bill,
women / had known we'll before crossed
the street To avoid meeting me. | suppose