e this
vision of beauty from the common people. Fortunately, this time a sense
of justice outweighed religious bigotry. I sent my leaflets to every
member of Congress and of the State legislatures, and to the managers of
the Exposition, and made it a topic of conversation at every
opportunity. The park and parts of the Exposition were kept open on
Sunday, but some of the machinery was stopped as a concession to narrow
Christian sects.

In June, 1892, at the earnest solicitation of Mrs. Russell Sage, I
attended the dedication of the Gurley Memorial Building, presented to
the Emma Willard Seminary, at Troy, New York, and made the following
address:

"MRS. PRESIDENT, MEMBERS OF THE ALUMNAE:

"It is just sixty years since the class of '32, to which I
belonged, celebrated a commencement in this same room. This was the
great event of the season to many families throughout this State.
Parents came from all quarters; the _elite_ of Troy and Albany
assembled here. Principals from other schools, distinguished
legislators, and clergymen all came to hear girls scan Latin verse,
solve problems in Euclid, and read their own compositions in a
promiscuous assemblage. A long line of teachers anxiously waited
the calling of their classes, and over all, our queenly Madame
Willard presided with royal grace and dignity. Two hundred girls in
gala attire, white dresses, bright sashes, and coral ornaments,
with their curly hair, rosy cheeks, and sparkling eyes, flitted to
and fro, some rejoicing that they had passed through their ordeal,
some still on the tiptoe of expectation, some laughing, some in
tears--altogether a most beautiful and interesting picture.

"Conservatives then, as now, thought the result of the higher
education of girls would be to destroy their delicacy and
refinement. But as the graduates of the Troy Seminary were never
distinguished in after life for the lack of these feminine virtues,
the most timid, even, gradually accepted the situation and trusted
their daughters with Mrs. Willard. But that noble woman endured for
a long period the same ridicule and persecution that women now do
who take an onward step in the march of progress.

"I see around me none of the familiar faces that greeted my coming
or said farewell in parting. I do not know that one of my
classmates still lives. Fri