of policy, namely, whether we should attach ourselves to the two

parties already in existence, according to our individual
inclinations, or whether we should form a third party for

ourselves. We finally accepted the former proposition, and I think
wisely; for the most of us were so ignorant of political tricks and

devices, that we still needed to learn from the men, and we could
not afford to draw upon us the hostility of both parties, in the

very infancy of our movement.
Never in my life did I have such a task, as in drumming up a

few women to attend the primarytownship meeting for the election
of delegates. It was impossible to make them comprehend its

importance. Even after I had done my best to explain the
technicalities of male politics, and fancied that I had made some

impression, the answer would be: "Well, I'd go, I'm sure, just to
oblige you, but then there's the tomatoes to be canned"--or, "I'm

so behindhand with my darning and patching"--or, "John'll be sure
to go, and there's no need of two from the same house"--and so on,

until I was mightily discouraged. There were just nine of us, all
told, to about a hundred men. I won't deny that our situation that

night, at the Wrangle House, was awkward and not entirely
agreeable. To be sure the landlord gave us the parlor, and most of

the men came in, now and then, to speak to us; but they managed the
principal matters all by themselves, in the bar-room, which was

such a mess of smoke and stale liquor smells, that it turned my
stomach when I ventured in for two minutes.

I don't think we should have accomplished much, but for a 'cute
idea of Mrs. Wilbur, the tinman's wife. She went to the leaders,

and threatened them that the women's vote should be cast in a body
for the Democratic candidates, unless we were considered in making

up the ticket. THAT helped: the delegates were properly
instructed, and the County Convention afterward nominated two men

and one woman as candidates for the Assembly. That woman was--as
I need hardly say, for the world knows it--myself. I had not

solicited the honor, and therefore could not refuse,
especially as my daughter Melissa was then old enough to keep house

in my absence. No woman had applied for the nomination for
Sheriff, but there were seventeen schoolmistresses anxious for the

office of County Treasurer. The only other nomination given to the
women, however, was that of Director (or rather, Directress) of the

Poor, which was conferred on Mrs. Bassett, wife of a clergyman.
Mr. Strongitharm insisted that I should, in some wise, prepare

myself for my new duties, by reading various political works, and
I conscientiously tried to do so--but, dear me! it was much more of

a task than I supposed. We had all read the debate on our bill, of
course; but I always skipped the dry, stupid stuff about the

tariff, and finance, and stay laws and exemption laws, and railroad
company squabbles; and for the life of me I can't see, to this day,

what connection there is between these things and Women's Rights.
But, as I said, I did my best, with the help of Webster's

Dictionary; although the further I went the less I liked it.
As election-day drew nearer, our prospects looked brighter. The

Republican ticket, under the editorial head of the "Burroak
Banner," with my name and Mrs. Bassett's among the men's, was such

an evidence, that many women, notably opposed to the cause, said:
"We didn't want the right, but since we have it, we shall make use

of it." This was exactly what Mrs. Whiston had foretold. We
estimated that--taking the County tickets all over the State--we

had about one-twentieth of the Republican, and one-fiftieth of
the Democratic, nominations. This was far from being our due, but

still it was a good beginning.
My husband insisted that I should go very early to the polls. I

could scarcely restrain a tear of emotion as I gave my first ballot
into the hands of the judges. There were not a dozen persons

present, and the act did not produce the sensation which I
expected. One man cried out: "Three cheers for our

Assemblywoman!" and they gave them; and I thereupon returned home
in the best spirits. I devoted the rest of the day to relieving

poorer women, who could not have spared the time to vote, if I had
not, meanwhile, looked after their children. The last was Nancy

Black, the shoemaker's wife in our street, who kept me waiting upon
her till it was quite dark. When she finally came, the skirt of

her dress was ripped nearly off, her hair was down and her comb
broken; but she was triumphant, for Sam Black was with her, and

SOBER." The first time since we were married, Mrs.
Strongitharm!" she cried. Then she whispered to me, as I was

leaving: "And I've killed HIS vote, anyhow!"
When the count was made, our party was far ahead. Up to this time,

I think, the men of both parties had believed that only a few
women, here and there, would avail themselves of their new right--

but they were roundly mistaken. Although only ten per cent. of the
female voters went to the polls, yet three-fourths of them voted

the Republican ticket, which increased the majority of that party,
in the State, about eleven thousand.

It was amazing what an effect followed this result. The whole
country would have rung with it, had we not been in the midst of

war. Mr. Wrangle declared that he had always been an earnest
advocate of the women's cause. Governor Battle, in his next

message, congratulated the State on the signal success of the
experiment, and the Democratic masses, smarting under their defeat,

cursed their leaders for not having been sharp enough to conciliate
the new element. The leaders themselves said nothing, and in a few

weeks the rank and file recovered their cheerfulness. Even Mrs.
Whiston, with all her experience, was a little puzzled by this

change of mood. Alas! she was far from guessing the correct
explanation.

It was a great comfort to me that Mrs. Whiston was also elected to
the Legislature. My husband had just then established his

manufactory of patent self-scouring knife-blades (now so
celebrated), and could not leave; so I was obliged to go up to

Gaston all alone, when the session commenced. There were but four
of us Assemblywomen, and although the men treated us with great

courtesy, I was that nervous that I seemed to detect either
commiseration or satire everywhere. Before I had even taken my

seat, I was addressed by fifteen or twenty different gentlemen,
either great capitalists, or great engineers, or distinguished

lawyers, all interested in various schemes for developing the
resources of our State by new railroads, canals or ferries. I then

began to comprehend the grandeur of the Legislator's office. My
voice could assist in making possible these magnificent

improvements, and I promised it to all. Mr. Filch, President
of the Shinnebaug and Great Western Consolidated Line, was so

delighted with my appreciation of his plan for reducing the freight
on grain from Nebraska, that he must have written extravagant

accounts of me to his wife; for she sent me, at Christmas, one of
the loveliest shawls I ever beheld.

I had frequently made short addresses at our public meetings, and
was considered to have my share of self-possession; but I never

could accustom myself to the keen, disturbing, irritating
atmosphere of the Legislature. Everybody seemed wide-awake and

aggressive, instead of pleasantly receptive; there were so many
"points of order," and what not; such complete disregard, among the

members, of each other's feelings; and, finally--a thing I could
never understand, indeed--such inconsistency and lack of principle

in the intercourse of the two parties. How could I feel assured of
their sincerity, when I saw the very men chatting and laughing

together, in the lobbies, ten minutes after they had been facing
each other like angry lions in the debate?

Mrs. Whiston, also, had her trials of the same character. Nothing
ever annoyed her so much as a little blunder she made, the week

after the opening of the session. I have not yet mentioned that
there was already a universaldissatisfaction among the women, on

account of their being liable to military service. The war seemed
to have hardly begun, as yet, and conscription was already talked

about; the women, therefore, clamored for an exemption on
account of sex. Although we all felt that this was a retrograde

movement, the pressure was so great that we yielded. Mrs. Whiston,
reluctant at first, no sooner made up her mind that the thing must