winter of 1888,
when the International Council of Women met in Washington, as it enabled
the American Association to accept the invitation and send
representatives to this great convocation--which will now be considered.

[Illustration: Zerelda G. Wallace (Signed: "To my Dear friend Susan B.
Anthony with love & severence, Zerelda G. Wallace")]

It had long been the dream of Miss Anthony and Mrs. Stanton to form
an International Suffrage Association for purposes of mutual helpfulness
and the strength of co-operation. During 1883, when in Great Britain,
they discussed this subject with the women there and, as a result, a
large committee of correspondence had been established to promote the
forming of such an association. After a time it was judged expedient to
enlarge its scope and make it an International Council, which should
represent every department of woman's work. This was called to meet at
Washington in 1888, the fortieth anniversary of the first organized
demand for the rights of women, the convention at Seneca Falls, and
active preparations had been in progress for more than a year. It was
decided at the suffrage convention held the previous winter that the
National Association should assume the entire responsibility for this
International Council and should invite the participation of all
organizations of women in the trades, professions, reforms, etc.

Mrs. Stanton and Mrs. Spofford were in Europe and this herculean task
was borne principally by Miss Anthony, May Wright Sewall and Rachel
Foster.[39] Miss Anthony stayed in Washington for two months preceding
the council, perfecting the last arrangements. The amount of labor,
time, thought and anxiety involved in this year of preparation can not
be estimated. Nothing to compare with it ever had been attempted by
women. Not the least part of the undertaking was the raising of the
$13,000 which were needed to defray expenses, all secured by personal
letters of appeal and admission fees, and disbursed with careful economy
and judgment. The intention was to give the suffrage association the
same prominence as other organizations and no more. An entry in Miss
Anthony's diary says: "I have just received proof of the 'call' for the
council and struck out the paragraph saying, 'no one would be committed
to suffrage who should attend.' I can't allow any such apologetic
invitation as that! There is no need to say anything about it." To her
old friend Antoinette Brown B