Her First Speech On Woman's Rights

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the pioneer suffragist, has this to say of her maiden speech : "When I retnrned home f rom my wedding trip, I decided to hold a convention and discuss woman's rights, for I considered the condition of woman about as degraded as that of the slaves ou the soutbern plantation. I wrote to ruy two friends in the legislature to know if I could have a hearing on the niarried woman's property bilí, and they replied 'Yes.' From 1840 to 1848 Ernestina L. Rose, Paulina Wrightjind tuyself had oircnlated petitions in'the state of New York. "I used to go up in the garret every day and read over my speech, thinking I oeuld ilip to Albauy and back without the knowledge of anybody bnt the legialature, and one day, when I was think ing of all this, my father entered witb the old Albany JSvening Journal, edited by Thurlow Weed. He laid the paper down in front of me and said, 'What does this mean?' and there I read, 'Eliz-abeth Cady Stanton is to address the legislature on Monday afternoon at 2 o'clock 011 the mairiad woinan's property bill.' "I ausvfered, 'I srrapose it means what it says. ' He was perfectly coufounded, and so was L "Then he said, 'When my client-s have goae, I wish yon would read it to me. ' I was in the dopths of despair. I had never seen wynauje in print beforo and thought it was the most awful disgrace that oonld befall a womau "When I read my speech to my futher, he euggested several improvenients and fouud worse laws for illnstration tban I had, working with me nnül 1 o'clock in the moruing. Yet for a conservative old jndge to have bis danghter the enbject of ridicule was a deep blow. I spoke two honrs, and this my flrst speech was pnblished in The Evening Jonrnal. That same year, 3 848, the married womau's property law passed and gave married womea their rights to their proporty. ' '