hony in her usual pleasant
suite of rooms at the Riggs House. She plunged at once into preparations
for the approaching convention, interviewing congressmen, calling at the
newspaper offices and conferring with local committees. The Twenty-first
National Convention opened January 21, in the Congregational church,
with the speakers as bright and full of hope as they had been through
all the score of years. The opening address was given by Hon. A. G.
Riddle and, during the sessions, excellent speeches were made by Hon.
William D. Kelley, Senator Blair, Rev. Alexander Kent and State Senator
Blue, of Kansas. Rev. Anna H. Shaw made her first appearance on the
National platform and delivered her splendid oration, "The Fate of
Republics." Laura M. Johns gave a practical and pleasing talk on
"Municipal Suffrage in Kansas;" and there was the usual array of talent.
Miss Anthony presided, putting every speaker to the front and making a
substantial background of her own felicitous little speeches, each
containing an argument in a nutshell.

[Illustration: Autograph: "Very truly yours, Wm D Kelley"]

While in Washington she was entertained at dinner by the "Six O'clock
Club," and seated at the right hand of its president Dr. Wm. A.
Hammond. The subject for the evening was "Robert Elsmere" and, in giving
her opinion, she said she had found nothing new in the book; all those
theological questions had been discussed and settled by the Quakers long
ago. What distressed her most was the marriage of Robert and Catherine,
who, any outsider could have seen, were utterly unfitted for one
another, and she wondered if there could be any way by which young
people might be able to know each other better before marrying.

On February 11, Miss Anthony spoke in Cincinnati to an audience of
2,000, under the management of A. W. Whelpley, city librarian.[46] The
Commercial Gazette commented: "Miss Susan B. Anthony had every reason
for congratulation on the audience, both as to quality and quantity,
which greeted her Sunday afternoon at the Grand Opera House. Her
discourse proved to be one of the most entertaining of the Unity Club
lectures this season, and if she did not succeed in gaining many
proselytes to her well-known views regarding woman's emancipation, she
certainly reaped the reward of presenting the arguments in an
interesting and logical manner. Every neatly turned point was received
with applause and that good-natured laughter that carri