za.

On December 4, 1833, the Abolitionists assembled in Philadelphia to
hold a national convention, and to form the American Anti-Slavery
Society. During all the sessions of three days, women were constant
and attentive listeners. Lucretia Mott, Esther More, Sidney Ann Lewis,
and Lydia White, took part in the discussions.

The following resolution, passed at the close of the third day,
without dissent, or a word to qualify or limit its application, shows
that no one then thought it improper for women to speak in public:

_Resolved_, That the thanks of the Convention be presented to our
female friends for the deep interest they have manifested in the
cause of anti-slavery, during the long and fatiguing sessions of
this Convention.

Samuel J. May, in writing of this occasion many years after, says: "It
is one of the proudest recollections of my life that I was a member of
the Convention in Philadelphia, in December, 1833, that formed the
American Anti-Slavery Society. And I well remember the auspicious
sequel to it, the formation of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery
Society. Nor shall I ever forget the wise, the impressive, the
animating words spoken in our Convention by dear Lucretia Mott and two
or three other excellent women who came to that meeting by divine
appointment. But with this last recollection will be forever
associated the mortifying fact, that we _men_ were then so blind, so
obtuse, that we did not recognize those women as members of our
Convention, and insist upon their subscribing their names to our
'Declaration of Sentiments and Purposes.'"

PHILADELPHIA ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY.

No sooner did the National Society adjourn, than the women who had
listened to the discussions with such deep interest, assembled to
organize themselves for action. A few extracts from Mary Grew's final
report of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1870 show
that--

A meeting convened at the school-room of Catherine McDermott,
12th mo. 9th, 1833, to take into consideration the propriety of
forming a Female Anti-Slavery Society; addresses were made by
Samuel J. May, of Brooklyn, Conn., and Nathaniel Southard, of
Boston, who pointed out the important assistance that might be
rendered by our sex in removing the great evil of slavery. After
some discussion upon this interesting subject, it was concluded
to form a Society, in the belief that our combi