Volume IV Part 51 (1/2)

Miss Hirschler thus closed the tribute of her profession: ”In the generations to come when courts of law shall have become courts of justice, women lawyers will think of Susan B. Anthony as one who paved the way and made this possible.”

Mrs. Hollister said in part: ”Miss Anthony has opened the portals of activities; has dignified labor; has made it possible for women to manage their own affairs--four millions to-day earning independent incomes. Women have given their lives for philanthropies and reforms, but the one we honor to-day gave hers for woman. Olive Schreiner tells of an artist who painted a wonderful picture and none could learn what pigments he used. When he died a wound was found over his heart; he had painted his masterpiece with his own blood. Such women as Miss Anthony are painting their masterpieces with their life's blood.”

Mrs. Cook, with a dignity and simplicity which won the audience, said:

....It is fitting on this occasion, when the hearts of women the world over are turned to this day and hour, that the colored women of the United States should join in the expressions of love and praise offered to Miss Anthony upon her eightieth birthday.

....She is to us not only the high priestess of woman's cause, but the courageous defender of rights wherever a.s.sailed.

We hold in high esteem her strong and n.o.ble womanhood, for in her untiring zeal, her uncompromising stand for justice to women, her unfailing friends.h.i.+p for all good work, she herself is a stronger and better argument in favor of woman's rights than the most gifted orator could put into words. When she first championed woman's cause, humiliation followed her footsteps and injustice barred the door of her progress among even the most favored cla.s.ses of society; while among less enlightened and enslaved cla.s.ses the wrongs which woman suffered were too terrible to mention. Carlyle has said, ”Beware when the great G.o.d lets loose a thinker upon this earth.” When Susan B. Anthony was born, a thinker was ”let loose.” Her voice and her pen have lighted a torch whose sacred fire, like that of some old Roman temples, dies not, but whose penetrating ray shall brighten the path of women down the long line of ages yet to come. Our children and our children's children will be taught to honor her memory, for they shall be told that she has been always in the vanguard of the immortal few who have stood for the great principles of human rights. Grander than any achievement that has crowned the work of woman in this woman's century has been that which has led her away from the narrow valley of custom and prejudice up to the lofty height where she can accept the Divine teaching that ”G.o.d hath made of one blood all nations of men.”

Not until the suffrage movement had awakened woman to her responsibility and power, did she come to appreciate the true significance of Christ's pity for Magdalene as well as of His love for Mary; not till then was the work of Pundita Ramabai in far away India as sacred as that of Frances Willard at home in America; not till she had suffered under the burden of her own wrongs and abuses did she realize the all-important truth that no woman and no cla.s.s of women can be degraded and all womankind not suffer thereby.

And so, Miss Anthony, in behalf of the hundreds of colored women who wait and hope with you for the day when the ballot shall be in the hands of every intelligent woman; and also in behalf of the thousands who sit in darkness and whose condition we shall expect those ballots to better, whether they be in the hands of white women or black, I offer you my warmest grat.i.tude and congratulations.

Mrs. Thompson presented $200 from the District of Columbia, with the following affectionate tribute:

....In behalf of the Suffragists of the District of Columbia, both men and women, I am happy to say I am deputized to present to you a gift which expresses their regard and love for you as well as their appreciation of the almost superhuman efforts you have made for the past fifty years to secure justice and civil and political equality for women.

The gift is in the form of what is often called ”the sinews of war”--money. Not coa.r.s.e, dead cash, such as pa.s.ses from hand to hand in everyday transactions, but money every penny of which is alive with sincere thanks and earnest, loving wishes for happiness and continued success in all your endeavors....

We do not hail you, love you, as one who has made woman's life easier, strewn it with more rose leaves of idleness, s.h.i.+elded it from more stress and storm, but as one who has taken the grander, truer view, that by equally sharing stress and storm, by equal effort and work, by equality in rights, privileges, powers and opportunities with her other self--man--woman will evolve and will reach her loftiest, loveliest development. Not as an apostle of ease, parasitism and shrinking fear do we regard you, but as the apostle, the incarnation, of work, of high courage and deathless endeavor.

We wish our gift were myriad-fold greater, but it would never express more appreciation of what you stand for and what you are--a _Liberator of Woman_.

Mrs. Helen M. Warren, wife of the Senator from Wyoming, speaking in a fine, resonant voice which would do credit to any legislative hall, read the poem written by Miss Phoebe Cary for the celebration of Miss Anthony's fiftieth birthday, presented her with a brooch, a little American flag, made of gold and jewels, and said: ”I feel honored on this, your eightieth birthday, to represent the State of Wyoming which has espoused your cause for more than thirty years. I have in my hand a flag, which bears on its field forty-one _common_ stars and four diamonds, representing the four progressive or suffrage States--Wyoming, the banner State; Colorado, Utah and Idaho. The back of the flag bears this inscription: 'Miss Anthony. From the ladies of Wyoming, who love and revere you. Many happy returns of the day.

1820-1900.' We hope you may live to see all the common stars turn into diamonds. With kindly greetings from Wyoming I present you this expression of her esteem.”

Mrs. Shafroth, wife of the Representative from Colorado, presented a gift designed and made by the women of her State, saying: ”It is with great pleasure that I bring you the greeting from the sun-kissed land of the West, where the flag which we all love, and of which we all sing, really waves over the land of the free and the home of the brave. Our men are brave and generous and our women are free. You and your n.o.ble co-workers stormed the heights of ridicule and prejudice to win this freedom for woman. In behalf of our Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage a.s.sociation, I beg you to accept this 'loving cup' of Colorado silver.”

Mrs. Emily S. Richards brought the affectionate greetings of the women of Utah, and Mrs. Chapman Catt referred to the loving testimonials which had been sent by the Idaho women.[133] Then after an exquisite violin solo by Mr. Dougla.s.s, she said: ”The liberties of the citizens of the future will be still more an outgrowth of this movement than those of the present,” and to the delighted surprise of the audience the following scene occurred, as described by the _Post_:

The most beautiful and touching part of the program was when eighty little children, boys and girls, pa.s.sed in single file across the stage, each bearing a rose. Slowly they marched, keeping time to music, and, as they reached the spot where Miss Anthony sat, each child deposited a blossom in her lap, a rose for every year. It was a surprise so complete, so wonderfully beautiful, that for a few moments she could do nothing more than grasp the hand of each child. Then she began kissing the little people, and the applause which greeted this act was deafening.

The roses were distributed among the pioneers at the close of the exercises by her request.

Mrs. c.o.o.nley-Ward of Chicago gave an eloquent poem, ent.i.tled Love's Rosary, which closed as follows:

Behold our Queen! Surely with heart elate At homage given to her love and power, World-famed a.s.sociate of the wise and great, She is herself the woman of the hour.

How kindly have the years all dealt with her!

She proves that Bible promises are true; She waited on the Lord without demur, And He failed not her courage to renew.

Oft on the wings of eagles she uprose; On mercy's errands have her glad feet run; And yet no sign of weariness she shows; She does not faint, but works from sun to sun.

Deep in her eyes burn fires of purpose strong; Her hand upholds the sceptre of G.o.d's truth; Her lips send forth brave words against the wrong; Glows in her heart the joy of deathless youth.

Kindly and gentle, learned too, and wise; Lover of home and all the ties of kin; Gay comrade of the laughing lips and eyes; Give us new words to sing your praises in.

Yet let us rather now forget to praise, Remembering only this true friend to greet, As drawing near by straight and devious ways, We lay our hearts--love's guerdon--at her feet.

Blow, O ye winds across the oceans, blow!

Go to the hills and prairies of the West!