The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 2 of 2): Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty YearsHarper, Ida Husted
History
The Life and Work of Susan B. Anthony (Volume 2 of 2): Including Public Addresses, Her Own Letters and Many From Her Contemporaries During Fifty Years
Harper, Ida Husted
Anthony, Susan B. (Susan Brownell), 1820-1906
During Mrs. Stanton's visit Miss Anthony entertained the Political
Equality Club and a large company of guests, the evening being devoted
to the subject of the admission of women to Rochester University. A
number of the faculty, Congressmen Greenleaf and Baker, several
ministers, the principal of the free academy--about 200 altogether were
present and the discussion was very animated. Practically all of them
believed in opening the doors and a letter of approval was read from
David J. Hill, president of the university. The trustees were
represented by Dr. E. M. Moore, who was in favor of admitting women but
declared that it would be impossible unless an additional fund of
$200,000 was provided beforehand. Miss Anthony insisted that the girls
should first be admitted and then, when a necessity for more money was
apparent, it would be much easier to raise it. In the course of his
remarks Dr. Moore said it was more important to educate boys than girls
because they were the breadwinners.
The Utica Sunday paper came out a few days later with a half-page
cartoon representing the university campus; on the outside of the fence
were Miss Anthony and Mrs. Stanton heading a long procession of girls,
books in hand; standing guard over the fence, labeled "prejudice and old
fogyism," was Dr. Moore pointing proudly to the "breadwinners," who
consisted of two confused and struggling masses, one engaged in a "cane
rush" and the other in a fight over a football. This little incident
merely proved the oft-repeated assertion that these two women never were
three days together without stirring up a controversy, in which the
opposing forces invariably were worsted and public sentiment was moved
up a notch in the direction of larger liberty for woman.
Together they visited the palatial home, at Auburn, of Eliza Wright
Osborne, daughter of Martha C. Wright, where they were joined by
Elizabeth Smith Miller, daughter of Gerrit Smith; and there were
delightful hours of reminiscence and chat of mutual friends, past and
present. The diary shows that Miss Anthony purchased a full set of books
to join the Emerson and Browning classes this year, but there is no
record of attendance save at one meeting. One entry says: "Dancing to
the dentist's these days." Another tells of forgetting to go to a
luncheon after the invitation had been accepted; and still another of
inviting a number of friends to tea and forgetting all about it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account