r clipping and report, and
whose persistent and endless labor in collecting facts, dates, etc.,
never can be estimated or sufficiently appreciated; and it is not
probable that any more forcible or graceful pens than those of Mrs.
Stanton and Mrs. Gage ever will be found to enhance their splendid work.

[Illustration: Autograph: "Truly yours as ever, Matilda Joslyn Gage"]

So unanimous and hearty was the reception of this book, to which they
had devoted every moment of spare time for five years, that they felt
encouraged to spend the next five, if necessary, upon the other volume,
which the mass of material now demanded; but if all the criticism had
been unfavorable and everybody had declared the work not needed, they
still would have gone straight on to the finish, because they realized
so strongly the value of putting into permanent form the story of the
struggle for the emancipation of woman. Many letters were received
urging that it was too soon to write this history, to which Mrs. Stanton
invariably responded in her humorous way: "Well, we old workers might
perhaps have 'reminisced' after death, but I doubt if the writing
mediums could do as well as we have done with our pens. You say the
history of woman suffrage can not be written until it is accomplished.
Why not describe its initiative steps? The United States has not
completed its grand experiment of equality, universal suffrage, etc.,
and yet Bancroft has been writing our history for forty years. If no one
writes up his own times, where are the materials for the history of the
future?"

Before the task should be resumed, however, there must be a little rest
and a great deal of work of another kind. The diary says: "Had a man
today and toted all my documents out to the barn, storing them in big
boxes, then packed my winter clothes away in the attic, so that my room
might be renovated for Theodore Stanton and his bride from Paris." Miss
Anthony then returned home, filled several lecture engagements and in
May started for Massachusetts, stopping at Tenafly to take Mrs. Stanton
with her in order that she might not escape.

FOOTNOTES:

[1] The Chicago press gave very satisfactory reports of this meeting,
but the Springfield Republic was vulgar and abusive, called the ladies
"withered beldames," "cats on the back roof," and advised them to "go
home and attend to their children, if they had any, and if not, to
engage in that same occupation as soon as they cou