The Rev. Amos Phelps, a staunch abolitionist, wrote a private letter to the sisters, remonstrating earnestly but kindly against their lecturing to men and women, and requesting permission to publish the fact of his having done so, with a declaration on their part that they preferred having female audiences only.  Angelina says to Jane Smith:—­

“I wish you could see sister’s admirable reply to this.  We told him we were entirely willing he should publish anything he felt it right to, but that we could not consent to his saying in our name that we preferred female audiences only, because in so saying we should surrender a fundamental principle, believing, as we did, that as moral beings it was our duty to appeal to all moral beings on this subject, without any distinction of sex.  He thinks we are throwing a responsibility on the Anti-Slavery Society which will greatly injure it.  To this we replied that we would write to Elizur Wright, and give the Executive Committee an opportunity to throw off all such responsibility by publishing the facts that we had no commission from them, and were not either responsible to or dependent on them.  I wrote this letter.  H.B.  Stanton happened to be here at the time; after reading all the letters, he wrote to Elizur Wright, warning him by no means to publish anything which would in the least appear to disapprove of what we were doing.  I do not know what the result will be.  My only fear is that some of our anti-slavery brethren will commit themselves, in this excitement, against women’s rights and duties before they examine the subject, and will, in a few years, regret the steps they may now take.  This will soon be an absorbing topic.  It must be discussed whether women are moral and responsible beings, and whether there is such a thing as male and female virtues, male and female duties, etc.  My opinion is that there is no difference, and that this false idea has run the ploughshare of ruin over the whole field of morality.  My idea is that whatever is morally right for a man to do is morally right for a woman to do.  I recognize no rights but human rights.  I know nothing of men’s rights and women’s rights; for in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor female....  I am persuaded that woman is not to be as she has been, a mere second-hand agent in the regeneration of a fallen world, but the acknowledged equal and co-worker with man in this glorious work....  Hubbard Winslow of Boston has just preached a sermon to set forth the proper sphere of our sex.  I am truly glad that men are not ashamed to come out boldly and tell us just what is in their hearts.”

In another letter she mentions that a clergyman gave out a notice of one of their meetings, at the request, he said, of his deacons, but under protest; and he earnestly advised his members, particularly the women, not to go and hear them.  At a meeting, also, at Pepperell, where they had to speak in a barn, on account of the feeling against them, she mentions that an Orthodox clergyman opened the meeting with prayer, but went out immediately after finishing, declaring that he would as soon rob a hen-roost as remain there and hear a woman speak in public.