of flogging children, in which Charles Anthony, principal
of the Albany Academy, quoted Solomon's injunction, "Spare the rod,
and spoil the child."

In 1853, the annual convention being held in Rochester, her place of
residence, Miss Anthony conscientiously attended all the sessions
through three entire days. After having listened for hours to a
discussion as to the reason why the profession of teacher was not as
much respected as that of the lawyer, minister, or doctor, without
once, as she thought, touching the kernel of the question, she arose
to untie for them the Gordian knot, and said, "Mr. President." If all
the witches that had been drowned, burned, and hung in the Old World
and the New had suddenly appeared on the platform, threatening
vengeance for their wrongs, the officers of that convention could not
have been thrown into greater consternation.

There stood that Quaker girl, calm and self-possessed, while with
hasty consultations, running to and fro, those frightened men could
not decide what to do; how to receive this audacious invader of their
sphere of action. At length President Davies, of West Point, in fall
dress, buff vest, blue coat, gilt buttons, stepped to the front, and
said, in a tremulous, mocking tone, "What will the lady have?" "I
wish, sir, to speak to the question under discussion," Miss Anthony
replied. The Professor, more perplexed than before, said: "What is the
pleasure of the Convention?" A gentleman moved that she should be
heard; another seconded the motion; whereupon a discussion pro and con
followed, lasting full half an hour, when a vote of the men only was
taken, and permission granted by a small majority; and lucky for her,
too, was it, that the thousand women crowding that hall could not vote
on the question, for they would have given a solid "no." The president
then announced the vote, and said: "The lady can speak."

We can easily imagine the embarrassment under which Miss Anthony arose
after that half hour of suspense, and the bitter hostility she noted
on every side. However, with a clear, distinct voice, which filled the
hall, she said: "It seems to me, gentlemen, that none of you quite
comprehend the cause of the disrespect of which you complain. Do you
not see that so long as society says a woman is incompetent to be a
lawyer, minister, or doctor, but has ample ability to be a teacher,
that every man of you who chooses this profession tacitly acknowledges
that he has