characters
upon their platform, among them Miss Lucy Stone--hair short
and rolled under like a man's; a tight-fitting velvet waist
and linen collar at the throat; bombazine skirt just
reaching the knees, and trousers of the same. She is
independent in manner and advocates woman's rights in the
strongest terms:--scorns the idea of woman _asking_ rights
of man, but says she must boldly assert her own rights, and
_take_ them in her own strength. Mrs. Ernestine L. Rose, a
Polish lady with black eyes and curls, and rosy cheeks,
manifests the independent spirit also. She is graceful and
witty, and is ready with sharp replies on all occasions.
Mrs. Lucretia Mott, a Philadelphia Quaker, is meek in dress
but not in spirit. She gets up and hammers away at woman's
rights, politics and the Bible, with much vigor, then
quietly resumes her knitting, to which she industriously
applies herself when not speaking to the audience. She wears
the plain Quaker dress and close-fitting white cap. Mrs.
Frances D. Gage, the president, is a woman of sound sense
and a good writer of prose and poetry. Mrs. Caroline
Severance has an easy, pleasing way of speaking. Mr. Charles
Burleigh, a Quaker, appears to be an original character. He
has long hair, parted in the middle like a woman's, and
hanging down his back. He and Miss Stone seem to reverse the
usual order of things.

My first speech in public, I find by my old journal--which serves
me better than I thought it would--was given in Music Hall in
this city in November, 1870. This meeting was held under the
auspices of the State association, and was presided over by the
Rev. Olympia Brown. I find that in the winter of 1871 I made
addresses in various parts of the State. The journal also tells
of a good deal of trotting about to get signatures to petitions,
for I had more time to do that thing then than I have now.

The first woman suffrage meeting ever held in Hartford, and the
first, probably, in Connecticut, was the one you and Mrs. Stanton
held in Allyn Hall in December, 1867. Our State Suffrage
Association was organized in October, 1869. The signers[168] to
the call for that convention were qu