第 38 节
作者:痛罚      更新:2024-04-07 11:54      字数:9319
  She showed a passionate eagerness to make it one
  of the greatest conventions ever held in the history
  of the movement; and we; who loved her and saw
  that the flame of her life was burning low; also bent
  all our energies to the task of realizing her hopes。
  In November preceding the convention she visited me
  and her niece; Miss Lucy Anthony; in our home in
  Mount Airy; Philadelphia; and it was clear that her
  anxiety over the convention was weighing heavily
  upon her。  She visibly lost strength from day to
  day。  One morning she said abruptly; ‘‘Anna; let's
  go and call on President M。 Carey Thomas; of
  Bryn Mawr。''
  I wrote a note to Miss Thomas; telling her of Miss
  Anthony's desire to see her; and received an im…
  mediate reply inviting us to luncheon the following
  day。  We found Miss Thomas deep in the work
  connected with her new college buildings; over which
  she showed us with much pride。  Miss Anthony; of
  course; gloried in the splendid results Miss Thomas
  had achieved; but she was; for her; strangely silent
  and preoccupied。  At luncheon she said:
  ‘‘Miss Thomas; your buildings are beautiful;
  your new library is a marvel; but they are not the
  cause of our presence here。''
  ‘‘No;'' Miss Thomas said; ‘‘I know you have
  something on your mind。  I am waiting for you to
  tell me what it is。''
  ‘‘We want your co…operation; and that of Miss
  Garrett;'' began Miss Anthony; promptly; ‘‘to make
  our Baltimore Convention a success。  We want you
  to persuade the Arundel Club of Baltimore; the
  most fashionable club in the city; to give a recep…
  tion to the delegates; and we want you to arrange
  a college night on the programmea great college
  night; with the best college speakers ever brought
  together。''
  These were large commissions for two extremely
  busy women; but both Miss Thomas and Miss
  Garrettrealizing Miss Anthony's intense earnest…
  nesspromised to think over the suggestions and
  see what they could do。  The next morning we re…
  ceived a telegram from them stating that Miss
  Thomas would arrange the college evening; and that
  Miss Garrett would reopen her Baltimore home;
  which she had closed; during the convention。  She
  also invited Miss Anthony and me to be her guests
  there; and added that she would try to arrange the
  reception by the Arundel Club。
  ‘‘Aunt Susan'' was overjoyed。  I have never seen
  her happier than she was over the receipt of that
  telegram。  She knew that whatever Miss Thomas
  and Miss Garrett undertook would be accomplished;
  and she rightly regarded the success of the conven…
  tion as already assured。  Her expectations were
  more than realized。  The college evening was un…
  doubtedly the most brilliant occasion of its kind
  ever arranged for a convention。  President Ira
  Remsen of Johns Hopkins University presided; and
  addresses were made by President Mary E。 Woolley
  of Mount Holyoke; Professor Lucy Salmon of Vassar;
  Professor Mary Jordan of Smith; President Thomas
  herself; and many others。
  From beginning to end the convention was prob…
  ably the most notable yet held in our history。
  Julia Ward Howe and her daughter; Florence Howe
  Hall; were also guests of Miss Garrett; who; more…
  over; entertained all the speakers of ‘‘College Night。''
  Miss Anthony; now eighty…six; arrived in Baltimore
  quite ill; and Mrs。 Howe; who was ninety; was taken
  ill soon after she reached there。  The two great
  women made a dramatic exchange on the programme;
  for on the first night; when Miss Anthony was un…
  able to speak; Mrs。 Howe took her place; and on the
  second night; when Mrs。 Howe had succumbed;
  Miss Anthony had recovered sufficiently to appear
  for her。  Clara Barton was also an honored figure
  at the convention; and Miss Anthony's joy in the
  presence of all these old and dear friends was over…
  flowing。  With them; too; were the younger women;
  ready to take up and carry on the work the old
  leaders were laying down; and ‘‘Aunt Susan;'' as
  she surveyed them all; felt like a general whose
  superb army is passing in review before him。
  At the close of the college programme; when the
  final address had been made by Miss Thomas; Miss
  Anthony rose and in a few words expressed her
  feeling that her life…work was done; and her con…
  sciousness of the near approach of the end。  After
  that night she was unable to appear; and was indeed
  so ill that she was confined to her bed in Miss Gar…
  rett's most hospitable home。  Nothing could have
  been more thoughtful or more beautiful than the
  care Miss Garrett and Miss Thomas bestowed on her。
  They engaged for her one of the best physicians in
  Baltimore; who; in turn; consulted with the leading
  specialists of Johns Hopkins; and they also secured
  a trained nurse。  This final attention required
  special tact; for Miss Anthony's fear of ‘‘giving
  trouble'' was so great that she was not willing to
  have a nurse。  The nurse; therefore; wore a house…
  maid's uniform; and ‘‘Aunt Susan'' remained wholly
  unconscious that she was being cared for by one of
  the best nurses in the famous hospital。
  Between sessions of the convention I used to
  sit by ‘‘Aunt Susan's'' bed and tell her what was
  going on。  She was triumphant over the immense
  success of the convention; but it was clear that
  she was still worrying over the details of future
  work。  One day at luncheon Miss Thomas asked
  me; casually:
  ‘‘By the way; how do you raise the money to
  carry on your work?''
  When I told her the work was wholly dependent
  on voluntary contributions and on the services of
  those who were willing to give themselves gratui…
  tously to it; Miss Thomas was greatly surprised。
  She and Miss Garrett asked a number of practical
  questions; and at the end of our talk they looked at
  each other。
  ‘‘I don't think;'' said Miss Thomas; ‘‘that we have
  quite done our duty in this matter。''
  The next day they invited a number of us to
  dinner; to again discuss the situation; and they
  admitted that they had sat up throughout the
  previous night; talking the matter over and trying
  to find some way to help us。  They had also dis…
  cussed the situation with Miss Anthony; to her vast
  content; and had finally decided that they would
  try to raise a fund of 60;000; to be paid in yearly
  instalments of 12;000 for five yearspart of these
  annual instalments to be used as salaries for the
  active officers。
  The mere mention of so large a fund startled us
  all。  We feared that it could not possibly be raised。
  But Miss Anthony plainly believed that now the
  last great wish of her life had been granted。  She
  was convinced that Miss Thomas and Miss Gar…
  rett could accomplish anythingeven the miracle
  of raising 60;000 for the suffrage causeand they
  did; though ‘‘Aunt Susan'' was not here to glory
  over the result when they had achieved it。
  On the 15th of February we left Baltimore for
  Washington; where Miss Anthony was to cele…
  brate her eighty…sixth birthday。  For many years
  the National American Woman Suffrage Associa…
  tion had celebrated our birthdays together; as hers
  came on the 15th of the month and mine on the
  14th。  There had been an especially festive banquet
  when she was seventy…four and I was forty…seven;
  and our friends had decorated the table with floral
  ‘‘4's'' and ‘‘7's''the centerpiece representing ‘‘74''
  during the first half of the banquet; and ‘‘47'' the
  latter half。  This time ‘‘Aunt Susan'' should not
  have attempted the Washington celebration; for she
  was still ill and exhausted by the strain of the con…
  vention。  But notwithstanding her sufferings and
  the warnings of her physicians; she insisted on being
  present; so Miss Garrett sent the trained nurse to
  Washington with her; and we all tried to make the jour…
  ney the least possible strain on the patient's vitality。
  On our arrival in Washington we went to the
  Shoreham; where; as always; the proprietor took pains
  to give Miss Anthony a room with a view of the
  Washington monument; which she greatly admired。
  When I entered her room a little later I found her
  standing at a window; holding herself up with hands
  braced against the casement on either side; and so
  absorbed in the view that she did not hear my ap…
  proach。  When I spoke to her she answered with…
  out turning her head。
  ‘‘That;'' she said; softly; ‘‘is the most beautiful
  monument in the world。''
  I stood by her side; and together we looked at it
  in silence I realizing with a sick heart that ‘‘Aunt
  Susan'' knew she was seeing it for the last time。
  The birthday celebration that followed our exec…
  utive meeting was an impressive one。  It was held
  in the Church of Our Father; whose pastor; the Rev。
  John Van Schaick; had always been exceedingly kind
  to Miss Anthony。  Many prominent men spoke。
  President Roosevelt and other statesmen sent most
  friendly letters; and William H。 Taft had promised to
  be p