ifts and loving letters.
While busy with preparations for the national convention, she learned of
the project to celebrate her seventieth birthday on February 15.
Supposing it to be simply a tribute from her friends, like the
observance of her fiftieth anniversary twenty years before in New York,
she was pleased at the compliment, but after the arrangements were
commenced she learned that it was to take the form of an elegant banquet
at the Riggs and tickets were to be sold at $4 each. Her feelings were
expressed in a letter to May Wright Sewall and Rachel Foster Avery, who
had the matter in charge:

I write in utter consternation, hoping it is not too late to recall
every notice sent for publication. I never dreamed of your doing
other than issuing pretty little private invitations signed by Mrs.
Stanton and yourselves as officers of the National Association. If
its official board is too far dissolved for this, please let the
whole matter drop, and I will invite a few special friends to sup
with me on my birthday. I know Mr. and Mrs. Spofford would love to
unite with you in a personal entertainment of this kind. I may be
wrong as to the bad taste of issuing a notice, just like a public
meeting, and letting those purchase tickets who wish; but it seems
to me the very persons least desired by us may be the first to buy
them. I should be proud of a banquet with invited guests who would
make it an honor, but with such persons as will pay $5, more or
less, it resolves itself into a mere matter of cash. I would vastly
prefer to ask those we wanted and foot the entire bill myself.

Mrs. Sewall wrote at once to Mrs. Avery, "This letter strikes dismay to
my soul. I will share with you the expense of the banquet." In a day or
two Miss Anthony's heart smote her and she wrote again: "I have blown my
bugle blast and I know I have wounded your dear souls, but I can not see
the plan a bit prettier than I did at first. I may be very stupid or
supersensitive. If it were to honor Mrs. Stanton, I would be willing to
charge for tickets." And then a few days later: "Have I killed you
outright? I can not tell you how much I have suffered because I can not
see this as you do, but I would rather never have a mention of my
birthday than to have it in that way. I know you meant it all lovely for
me, but you did not look at it outside your own dear hearts. Do tell me
tha