nted to women, would not the ignorant and
degraded ones hasten to crowd the polls while those of the better sort
would stay away from them?"

Mr. Garrison, rising, said in reply, "Mr. Chairman, it seems to me that
the question just propounded is answered by the present occasion. Here
are education, character, intelligence, asking for suffrage, and here
are ignorance and vulgarity protesting against it." This crushing
sentence was uttered by Mr. Garrison in a tone of such bland simplicity
that it did not even appear unkind.

On a later occasion a lady of excellent character and position appeared
among the remonstrants, and when asked whether she represented any
association replied rather haughtily, "I think that I represent the
educated women of Massachusetts," a goodly number of whom were present
in behalf of the petition.

The remonstrants had hearings of their own, at one of which I happened
to be present. On this occasion one of their number, after depicting at
some length the moral turpitude which she considered her sex likely to
evince under political promise, concluded by saying: "No woman should be
allowed the right of suffrage until _every_ woman shall be perfectly
wise, perfectly pure, and perfectly good."

This dictum, pronounced in a most authoritative manner, at once brought
to my mind the homely proverb, "What is sauce for the goose is sauce for
the gander;" and I could not help asking permission to suggest a single
question, upon which a prominent Boston lawyer instantly replied: "No,
Mrs. Howe, you may not [speak]. We wish to use all our time." The
chairman of the committee here interposed, saying: "Mr. Blank, it does
not belong to you to say who shall or shall not be heard here." He
advised me at the same time to reserve my question until the
remonstrants should have been fully heard. As no time then remained for
my question, I will ask it now: "If, as is just, we should apply the
test proposed by Mrs. W. to the men of the community, how long would it
be before they could properly claim the privilege of the franchise?"

_Du reste_, the gentleman in question, with whom my relations have
always been entirely friendly, explained himself to me at the close of
the hearing by saying: "I treated you as I would have treated a man
under similar circumstances."

I now considered my occupations as fully equal to the capacity of my
time and strength. My family, my studies, and my club demanded much
attention.