Even our jubilee was thinly attended, and all but
two of the members on whom we relied for speeches failed us.
Governor Battle, who was to have presided, was at Washington, and
Olympia, already his wife, accompanied him. (I may add that she
has never since taken any active part with us. They have been in
Europe for the last three years.)
Most of the women--here in Burroak, at least--expressed a feeling
of disappointment that there was no palpable change in their lot,
no sense of extended liberty, such as they imagined would come to
transform them into brighter and better creatures. They supposed
that they would at once gain in importance in the eyes of the men;
but the men were now so preoccupied by the events at the South that
they seemed to have forgotten our political value. Speaking for
myself, as a good Union woman, I felt that I must lay aside,
for a time, the interests of my sex. Once, it is true, I proposed
to accompany Mr. Strongitharm to a party caucus at the Wrangle
House; but he so suddenly discovered that he had business in
another part of the town, that I withdrew my proposition.
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