r on
war themes, and subjects in a lighter strain; was the first woman
widely received as a lecturer by the colleges and lyceums. With a
commanding presence, handsome face, an agreeable, permeating voice, a
natural offhand manner, and something to say, she was at once a
decided favourite, and travelled great distances to meet her
engagements. She often quoted that ungallant speech from the Duke of
Argyle: "Woman has no right on a platform--except to be hung; then
it's unavoidable"; and by her eloquence and wit proved its falsity and
narrowness. Without the least imitation of masculine oratory, her
best remembered lectures are, "The Heroic in Common Life," and
"Characteristics of Yankee Humour." She always had the rare gift of
telling a story capitally, with ease, brevity, and dramatic effect,
certain of the point or climax. I cannot think of any other woman of
this country who has caused so much hearty laughter by this enviable
gift. She can compress a word-picture or character-sketch into a few
lines, as when she said of the early Yankee: "No matter how large a
man he was, he had a look of shrinking and collapse about him. It
looked as if the Lord had made him and then pinched him." And a woman
who has done such good work in poetry, juvenile literature,
journalism, on the platform, and in books of travel and biography,
will not soon be forgotten. There is a list of eighteen volumes from
her pen.

She never established a _salon_, but the widespread, influential daily
paper and the lecture hall are the movable _salon_ to the women of
genius in this Republic.

This is just a memory. After all, we are but "Movie Pictures," seen
for a moment, and others take our place.

CHAPTER VI

In and Near Boston--Edward Everett Hale--Thomas Wentworth
Higginson--Julia Ward Howe--Mary A. Livermore--A Day at the Concord
School--Harriet G. Hosmer--"Dora D'Istria," our Illustrious Visitor.

Edward Everett Hale was kind to me, as he was to all who came within
his radius. He once called to warn me to avoid, like poison, a
rascally imposter who was calling on many of the authors in and near
Boston to get one thousand dollars from each to create a publishing
company, so that authors could have their books published at a much
cheaper rate than in the regular way. This person never called on me,
as I then had no bank account. He did utterly impoverish many other
credulous persons, both writers, and in private families. All was
gri