"At this hour， the best word and work of every man and woman are imperatively demanded. To man， by common consent， are assigned the forum， camp， and field. What is woman's legitimate work and how she may best accomplish it， is worthy our earnest counsel one with another. We have heard many complaints of the lack of enthusiasm among Northern women； but when a mother lays her son on the altar of her country， she asks an object equal to the sacrifice. In nursing the sick and wounded， knitting socks， scraping lint， and making jellies the bravest and best may weary if the thoughts mount not in faith to something beyond and above it all. Work is worship only when a noble purpose fills the soul. Woman is equally interested and responsible with man in the final settlement of this problem of self-government； therefore let none stand idle spectators now. When every hour is big with destiny， and each delay but complicates our difficulties， it is high time for the daughters of the Revolution， in solemn council， to unseal the last will and testaments of the fathers， lay hold of their birthright of freedom， and keep it a sacred trust for all coming generations.
"To this end we ask the Loyal Women of the Nation to meet in the Church of the Puritans (Dr. Cheever's)， New York， on Thursday， the 14th of May next.
"Let the women of every State be largely represented in person or by letter.
"On behalf of the Woman's Central Committee， "ELIZABETH CADY STANTON， "SUSAN B. ANTHONY."
Among other resolutions adopted at the meeting were the following：
" Resolved， There never can be a true peace in this Republic until the civil and political rights of all citizens of African descent and all women are practically established.
" Resolved， That the women of the Revolution were not wanting in heroism and self-sacrifice， and we， their daughters， are ready， in this War， to pledge our time， our means， our talents， and our lives， if need be， to secure the final and complete consecration of America to freedom."
It was agreed that the practical work to be done to secure freedom for the slaves was to circulate petitions through all the Northern States.
For months these petitions were circulated diligently everywhere， as the signatures show杝ome signed on fence posts， plows， the anvil， the shoemaker's bench朾y women of fashion and those in the industries， alike in the parlor and the kitchen； by statesmen， professors in colleges， editors， bishops； by sailors， and soldiers， and the hard-handed children of toil， building railroads and bridges， and digging canals， and in mines in the bowels of the earth. Petitions， signed by three hundred thousand persons， can now be seen in the national archives in the Capitol at Washington. Three of my sons spent weeks in our office in Cooper Institute， rolling up the petitions from each State separately， and inscribing on the outside the number of names of men and women contained therein. We sent appeals to the House of Representatives， and the Senate， from time to time， urging emancipation and the passage of the proposed Thirteenth， Fourteenth， and Fifteenth Amendments to the National Constitution. During these eventful months we received many letters from Senator Sumner， saying， "Send on the petitions as fast as received； they give me opportunities for speech."
Robert Dale Owen， chairman of the Freedman's Commission， was most enthusiastic in the work of the Loyal League， and came to our rooms frequently to suggest new modes of agitation and to give us an inkling of what was going on behind the scenes in Washington. Those who had been specially engaged in the Woman Suffrage movement suspended their conventions during the war， and gave their time and thought wholly to the vital issues of the hour. Seeing the political significance of the war， they urged the emancipation of the slaves as the sure， quick way of cutting the Gordian knot of the Rebellion. To this end they organized a national league， and rolled up a mammoth petition， urging Congress to amend the Constitution as to prohibit the existence of slavery in the United States. From their headquarters in the Cooper Institute， New York City， they sent out the appeals to the President， Congress， and the people at large； tracts and forms of petition， franked by members of Congress， were scattered like snowflakes from Maine to Texas. Meetings were held every week， in which the policy of the Government was freely discussed， and approved or condemned.
That this League did a timely educational work is manifested by the letters received from generals， statesmen， editors， and from women in most of the Northern States， fully indorsing its actions and principles. The clearness to thinking women of the cause of the War； the true policy in waging it； their steadfastness in maintaining the principles of freedom， are worthy of consideration. With this League abolitionists and Republicans heartily co-operated. A course of lectures was delivered for its benefit in Cooper Institute， by such men as Horace Greeley， George William Curtis， William D. Kelly， Wendell Phillips， E. P. Whipple， Frederick Douglass， Theodore D. Weld， Rev. Dr. Tyng， and Dr. Bellows. Many letters are on its files from Charles Sumner， approving its measures， and expressing great satisfaction at the large number of emancipation petitions being rolled into Congress. The Republican press， too， was highly complimentary. The New York Tribune said： "The women of the Loyal League have shown great practical wisdom in restricting their efforts to one subject， the most important which any society can aim at in this hour， and great courage in undertaking to do what never has been done in the world before， to obtain one million of names to a petition."
