Page:The part taken by women in American history.djvu/630

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Women Reformers
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and Lucretia Mott, Wendell Philips and his wife, with others. On their arrival in London they were amazed to find that no women were to be admitted as delegates. This seemed a death blow to Mrs. Mott's work, but the friendship of William Lloyd Garrison was here shown when he refused to take part in the convention and sat in the gallery with the women. Mrs. Mott was shown the greatest honors, entertained by the Duchess of Sutherland, Lady Byron, Carlyle expressing for her the greatest admiration. She had made frequent public speeches and addresses while in England and aroused the greatest interest in the work. Soon after their return to this country she spoke before the legislatures of New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania; called upon President Tyler and discussed the slavery question with him. She was greatly interested in the question of suffrage for women, total abstinence, and national differences settled by arbitration instead of war, which after all these years is now so popular in our country. She felt greatly the difference in women's pay for the same work done by men. In 1848 Mrs. Mott, with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and some other noble women of that time, called the first women's suffrage convention held in this country at Seneca Falls, New York. Her home became the rendezvous of the enthusiasts and earnest workers in these various lines, and black as well as white were welcome guests. She aided the escaped slaves and took up the cause of injustice freely. All this multitude of labor was carried on in addition to the duties of her home and to her children, which were always most conscientiously performed. In 1856 it became necessary to change their home from the city into the country, as Mrs. Mott had become much worn with care, and they established the residence, which was known far and wide as "Roadside." In 1861 Mr. and Mrs. Mott celebrated their golden wedding, she being at that time seventy years of age but still active and interested in the cause of humanity. Lucretia Mott passed the latter years of her life near Philadelphia, where in 1880 she died.

MARY A. LIVERMORE.

Mrs. Livermore was one of the great characters and remarkable women developed by the few years prior to the Civil War, and her name is always associated with the great work of the Sanitary Commission of which she was the head and leader. She was born in Boston, December 19, 1821. Her people were Welsh and she was reared under the strictest Calvinistic faith. Mr. Rice, her father, was a man of strong character. The family consisted of five children younger than herself, and even as a child she was imbued with a great religious faith. When but twelve years of age she became anxious to do something in order to earn money to contribute her part toward the support of the family and, as she said, not to have her father work so hard for all of them. She took up the trade of dressmaking, which at that time could not be considered one giving much financial return, as she was paid but thirty-seven cents a day. She was always eager to learn and hungered for an education. In this she met great encouragement from Doctor Neal, their minister, who assisted her to go to the Charlestown (Massachusetts') Female Seminary. While there one of the teachers died, during Mary's first term, and she was asked to fill the vacancy. She