《the story of a pioneer》

下载本书

添加书签

the story of a pioneer- 第32部分


按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!

in favor of closing the Fair grounds on Sunday。 

Miss Anthony took issue with him。



‘‘If I had charge of a young man in Chicago at this

time;'' she told the clergyman; ‘‘I would much

rather have him locked inside the Fair grounds on

Sunday or any other day than have him going

about on the outside。''



The clergyman was horrified。  ‘‘Would you like

to have a son of yours go to Buffalo Bill's Wild West

Show on Sunday?'' he demanded。



‘‘Of course I would;'' admitted Miss Anthony。 

‘‘In fact; I think he would learn more there than

from the sermons preached in some churches。''



Later this remark was repeated to Colonel Cody

(‘‘Buffalo Bill''); who; of course; was delighted with

it。  He at once wrote to Miss Anthony; thanking

her for the breadth of her views; and offering her a

box for his ‘‘Show。''  She had no strong desire

to see the performance; but some of us urged her to

accept the invitation and to take us with her。  She

was always ready to do anything that would give

us pleasure; so she promised that we should go the

next afternoon。  Others heard of the jaunt and

begged to go also; and Miss Anthony blithely took

every applicant under her wing; with the result that

when we arrived at the box…office the next day

there were twelve of us in the group。  When she

presented her note and asked for a box; the local

manager looked doubtfully at the delegation。



‘‘A box only holds six;'' he objected; logically。

Miss Anthony; who had given no thought to that

slight detail; looked us over and smiled her seraphic

smile。



‘‘Why; in that case;'' she said; cheerfully; ‘‘you'll

have to give us two boxes; won't you?''



The amused manager decided that he would; and

handed her the tickets; and she led her band to

their places in triumph。  When the performance be…

gan Colonel Cody; as was his custom; entered the

arena from the far end of the building; riding his

wonderful horse and bathed; of course; in the efful…

gence of his faithful spot…light。  He rode directly

to our boxes; reined his horse in front of Miss An…

thony; rose in his stirrups; and with his characteris…

tic gesture swept his slouch…hat to his saddle…bow in

salutation。  ‘‘Aunt Susan'' immediately rose; bowed

in her turn and; for the moment as enthusiastic as a

girl; waved her handkerchief at him; while the big

audience; catching the spirit of the scene; wildly

applauded。  It was a striking picture this meeting

of the pioneer man and woman; and; poor as I am;

I would give a hundred dollars for a snapshot of it。



On many occasions I saw instances of Miss An…

thony's prescienceand one of these was connected

with the death of Frances E。 Willard。  ‘‘Aunt

Susan'' had called on Miss Willard; and; coming to

me from the sick…room; had walked the floor; beating

her hands together as she talked of the visit。



‘‘Frances Willard is dying;'' she exclaimed; pas…

sionately。  ‘‘She is dying; and she doesn't know it;

and no one around her realizes it。  She is lying there;

seeing into two worlds; and making more plans than

a thousand women could carry out in ten years。 

Her brain is wonderful。  She has the most extraor…

dinary clearness of vision。  There should be a stenog…

rapher in that room; and every word she utters

should be taken down; for every word is golden。 

But they don't understand。  They can't realize that

she is going。  I told Anna Gordon the truth; but she

won't believe it。''



Miss Willard died a few days later; with a sudden…

ness which seemed to be a terrible shock to those

around her。



Of ‘‘Aunt Susan's'' really remarkable lack of self…

consciousness we who worked close to her had a

thousand extraordinary examples。  Once; I remem…

ber; at the New Orleans Convention; she reached

the hall a little late; and as she entered the great

audience already assembled gave her a tremendous

reception。  The exercises of the day had not yet

begun; and Miss Anthony stopped short and looked

around for an explanation of the outburst。  It never

for a moment occurred to her that the tribute was

to her。



‘‘What has happened; Anna?'' she asked at last。



‘‘You happened; Aunt Susan;'' I had to explain。



Again; on the great ‘‘College Night'' of the Balti…

more Convention; when President M。 Carey Thomas

of Bryn Mawr College had finished her wonderful

tribute to Miss Anthony; the audience; carried away

by the speech and also by the presence of the vener…

able leader on the platform; broke into a whirlwind

of applause。  In this ‘‘Aunt Susan'' artlessly joined;

clapping her hands as hard as she could。  ‘‘This is

all for you; Aunt Susan;'' I whispered; ‘‘so it isn't

your time to applaud。''



‘‘Aunt Susan'' continued to clap。  ‘‘Nonsense;''

she said; briskly。  ‘‘It's not for me。  It's for the

Causethe Cause!''



Miss Anthony told me in 1904 that she regarded

her reception in Berlin; during the meeting of the

International Council of Women that year; as the

climax of her career。  She said it after the unex…

pected and wonderful ovation she had received from

the German people; and certainly throughout her

inspiring life nothing had happened that moved her

more deeply。



For some time Mrs。 Carrie Chapman Catt; of

whose splendid work for the Cause I shall later have

more to say; had cherished the plan of forming an

International Suffrage Alliance。  She believed the

time had come when the suffragists of the entire

world could meet to their common benefit; and Miss

Anthony; always Mrs。 Catt's devoted friend and ad…

mirer; agreed with her。  A committee was appointed

to meet in Berlin in 1904; just before the meeting

of the International Council of Women; and Miss

Anthony was appointed chairman of the committee。 

At first the plan of the committee was not welcomed

by the International Council; there was even a sus…

picion that its purpose was to start a rival organiza…

tion。  But it met; a constitution was framed; and

officers were elected; Mrs。 Cattthe ideal choice

for the placebeing made president。  As a climax

to the organization; a great public mass…meeting had

been arranged by the German suffragists; but at the

special plea of the president of the International

Council Miss Anthony remained away from this

meeting。  It was represented to her that the in…

terests of the Council might suffer if she and other

of its leading speakers were also leaders in the suf…

frage movement。  In the interest of harmony; there

fore; she followed the wishes of the Council's presi…

dentto my great unhappiness and to that of other

suffragists。



When the meeting was opened the first words of

the presiding officer were; ‘‘Where is Susan B。 An…

thony?'' and the demonstration that followed the

question was the most unexpected and overwhelm…

ing incident of the gathering。  The entire audience

rose; men jumped on their chairs; and the cheering

continued without a break for ten minutes。  Every

second of that time I seemed to see Miss Anthony;

alone in her hotel room; longing with all her big

heart to be with us; as we longed to have her。  I

prayed that the loss of a tribute which would have

meant so much might be made up to her; and it was。 

Afterward; when we burst in upon her and told her

of the great demonstration the mere mention of her

name had caused; her lips quivered and her brave

old eyes filled with tears。  As we looked at her I

think we all realized anew that what the world called

stoicism in Susan B。 Anthony throughout the years

of her long struggle had been; instead; the splendid

courage of an indomitable soulwhile all the time

the woman's heart had longed for affection and

recognition。  The next morning the leading Berlin

newspaper; in reporting the debate and describing

the spontaneous tribute to Miss Anthony; closed

with these sentences:  ‘‘The Americans call her

‘Aunt Susan。'  She is our ‘Aunt Susan;' too!''



Throughout the remainder of Miss Anthony's

visit she was the most honored figure at the Inter…

national Council。  Every time she entered the great

convention…hall the entire audience rose and re…

mained standing until she was seated; each mention

of her name was punctuated by cheers; and the en…

thusiasm when she appeared on the platform to say

a few words was beyond bounds。  When the Em…

press of Germany gave her reception to the officers

of the Council; she crowned the hospitality of her

people in a characteristically gracious way。  As soon

as Miss Anthony was presented to her the Empress

invited her to be seated; and to remain seated; al…

though every one else; including the august lady

herself; was standing。  A little later; seeing the in…

trepid warrior of eighty…four on her feet with the

other delegates; the Empress sent one of her aides

across the room with this message:  ‘‘Please tell my

friend Miss Anthony that I especially wish her to

be seated。  We must not let her grow weary。''



In her turn; Miss Anthony was fascinated by the

Empress。  She could not keep her eyes off that

charming royal lady。  Probably the thing that most

impressed her was the ability of her Majesty as a

linguist。  Receiving women from every civilized

country on the globe; the Empress seemed to address

each in her own tongue…slipping from one language

into the next as easily as from one topic to another。



‘‘And here I am;'' mourned ‘‘Aunt Susan;'' ‘‘speak…

ing only one language; and that not very well。''



At this Berlin quinquennial; by the way; I preached

the Council sermon; and the occasion gained a cer…

tain interest from the fact that I was the first or…

dained woman to preach in a church in Germany。 

It then took on a tinge of humor from the additional

fact that; according to the German law; as suddenly

revealed to us by the police; no clergyman was per…

mitted to preach unless clothed in clerical robes in

小提示:按 回车 [Enter] 键 返回书目,按 ← 键 返回上一页, 按 → 键 进入下一页。 赞一下 添加书签加入书架