ndell Phillips and others stood by her, bidding her stand firm.
The conduct of these ladies in marching through the streets of
Dayton, in the most crowded thoroughfares, in the midst of a
State fair, to tell some other women that they were making
themselves "conspicuous." What I said, or how it was said,
mattereth not.

That evening, the Sons of Temperance Hall, which our committee
had promised to "keep clear of men," was well filled with women.
But all around the walls, and between the benches, on the
platform--and in the aisles, there were men from every part of
the State. These ladies had given us a grand advertisement.

The following is the report of said meeting clipped from the _Evening
Post_ twenty-seven years ago, by Mrs. Gage:

THE OHIO WOMEN'S CONVENTION.

DAYTON, _Sept. 24, 1853_.

To-day the Ohio State Women's Temperance Society held a meeting
at this place. The attendance was not large, but was respectable,
both in number and talents. Mrs. Bateman, of Columbus, presided,
and a good officer she made. Parliamentary rules prevailed in
governing the assembly, and were enforced with much promptness
and dignity. She understood enough of these to put both sides of
the question--an attainment which, I have noticed, many Mr.
Presidents have often not reached.

The enactment of the Maine law in Ohio is the principal object at
which they appeared to aim. Its constitutionality and effect were
both discussed, decisions of courts criticised, and all with much
acuteness and particularly happy illustrations. In reference to
the practicability of enforcing it, when once passed, one woman
declared, that "if the men could not do it, the women would give
them effectual aid."

In the course of the meeting, two original poems were read, one
by Mrs. Gage, formerly of this State, and now of St. Louis, and
one by Mrs. Hodge, of Oberlin. There were also delivered three
formal addresses, one by Mrs. Dryer, of Delaware County, Ohio,
one by Mrs. Griffing, of Salem, Ohio, and the other by Mrs. Gage,
either of which would not have dishonored any of our public
orators if we consider the matter, style, or manner of delivery.
Men can deal in statistics and logical deductions, but women only
can describe