Rumor next told of a Quaker maiden coming to teach朼 Quaker maiden of peace principles. The anticipated day and Susan arrived. She looked very meek to the barbarian of fifteen， so he soon began his antics. He was called to the platform， told to lay aside his jacket， and， thereupon， with much astonishment received from the mild Quaker maiden， with a birch rod applied calmly but with precision， an exposition of the argumentum ad hominem based on the a posteriori method of reasoning. Thus Susan departed from her principles， but not from the school.
But， before long， conflicts in the outside world disturbed our young teacher. The multiplication table and spelling book no longer enchained her thoughts； larger questions began to fill her mind. About the year 1850 Susan B. Anthony hid her ferule away. Temperance， anti-slavery， woman suffrage，杢hree pregnant questions，杙resented themselves， demanding her consideration.
Higher， ever higher， rose their appeals， until she resolved to dedicate her energy and thought to the burning needs of the hour. Owing to early experience of the disabilities of her sex， the first demand for equal rights for women found echo in Susan's heart. And， though she was in the beginning startled to hear that women had actually met in convention， and by speeches and resolutions had declared themselves man's peer in political rights， and had urged radical changes in State constitutions and the whole system of American jurisprudence； yet the most casual review convinced her that these claims were but the logical outgrowth of the fundamental theories of our republic.
At this stage of her development I met my future friend and coadjutor for the first time. How well I remember the day！ George Thompson and William Lloyd Garrison having announced an anti-slavery meeting in Seneca Falls， Miss Anthony came to attend it. These gentlemen were my guests. Walking home， after the adjournment， we met Mrs. Bloomer and Miss Anthony on the corner of the street， waiting to greet us. There she stood， with her good， earnest face and genial smile， dressed in gray delaine， hat and all the same color， relieved with pale blue ribbons， the perfection of neatness and sobriety. I liked her thoroughly， and why I did not at once invite her home with me to dinner， I do not know. She accuses me of that neglect， and has never forgiven me， as she wished to see and hear all she could of our noble friends. I suppose my mind was full of what I had heard， or my coming dinner， or the probable behavior of three mischievous boys who had been busily exploring the premises while I was at the meeting.
That I had abundant cause for anxiety in regard to the philosophical experiments these young savages might try the reader will admit， when informed of some of their performances. Henry imagined himself possessed of rare powers of invention (an ancestral weakness for generations)， and so made a life preserver of corks， and tested its virtues on his brother， who was about eighteen months old. Accompanied by a troop of expectant boys， the baby was drawn in his carriage to the banks of the Seneca， stripped， the string of corks tied under his arms， and set afloat in the river， the philosopher and his satellites， in a rowboat， watching the experiment. The baby， accustomed to a morning bath in a large tub， splashed about joyfully， keeping his head above water. He was as blue as indigo and as cold as a frog when rescued by his anxious mother. The next day the same victimized infant was seen， by a passing friend， seated on the chimney， on the highest peak of the house. Without alarming anyone， the friend hurried up to the housetop and rescued the child. Another time the three elder brothers entered into a conspiracy， and locked up the fourth， Theodore， in the smoke-house. Fortunately he sounded the alarm loud and clear， and was set free in safety， whereupon the three were imprisoned in a garret with two barred windows. They summarily kicked out the bars， and， sliding down on the lightning rod， betook themselves to the barn for liberty. The youngest boy， Gerrit， then only five years old， skinned his hands in the descent. This is a fair sample of the quiet happiness I enjoyed in the first years of motherhood.
It was 'mid such exhilarating scenes that Miss Anthony and I wrote addresses for temperance， anti-slavery， educational， and woman's rights conventions.
Here we forged resolutions， protests， appeals， petitions， agricultural reports， and constitutional arguments； for we made it a matter of conscience to accept every invitation to speak on every question， in order to maintain woman's right to do so. To this end we took turns on the domestic watchtowers， directing amusements， settling disputes， protecting the weak against the strong， and trying to secure equal rights to all in the home as well as the nation. I can recall many a stern encounter between my friend and the young experimenter. It is pleasant to remember that he never seriously injured any of his victims， and only once came near fatally shooting himself with a pistol. The ball went through his hand； happily a brass button prevented it from penetrating his heart.
