“You ask whether I will speak at a Whole World’s Temperance Convention to be held in New York during the World’s Fair.  You will have observed that my humble name is signed to a call for such a convention at that time and place, together with Chancellor Walworth’s and others of like distinction.  Providence favoring, it is my purpose to participate in the deliberations of that meeting and I see no sufficient reason for another convention having the same object in view.”  Possibly if Mr. Gary and “others of like distinction” had been refused permission to speak a word or even to serve on a committee, they might have been able to see “sufficient reason for another convention.”  Horace Greeley sent the following: 

I may not be able to write you a long letter, as you request, but I will give you a little confidential advice.  All I know on temperance (pretty nearly) I put into a tract which was long ago printed at the Organ office....  Now, as to tracts:  Make it your first rule to Be Thorough.  Most of our temperance tracts are too short and flimsy and not calculated to convince reasoning beings.  Let each tract take up some one aspect of the question and exhaust it, none of your fly-away five or six pages but from twelve to thirty-two, the whole case presented in all its aspects and proved up.  Nothing less than this will do much good.

Now as to church matters:  The short and safe way is simply to set them aside.  If those who have outgrown the church do not introduce the subject by treading on the old lady’s corns, they can effectually resist all interposition of shibboleths by the followers of Pusey in all sects.  Do not make the reform movement a pretext for assaulting the church.  In short, the whole question with regard to the woman’s movement is best solved by those engaged in it going quietly and effectively on with their work.  That will soonest stop the mouths of gainsayers.  “It does move, though,” is the true answer to all cavils.

    I can’t be at your convention, and Mrs. Greeley is overwhelmed with
    moving and babies.

[Autograph: 

  Yours,
  Horace Greeley]

While Miss Anthony was thus engaged, the State Teachers’ Convention was held in Corinthian Hall, Rochester, August 3, 1853, and true to her resolve made the year previous she put aside everything else in order to attend.  According to the rules any one paying a dollar was entitled to all the rights and privileges of the convention; so she paid her dollar and took her seat.  There were over 500 teachers in attendance, two-thirds at least being women.  For two entire days Miss Anthony sat there, and during that time not a woman spoke; in all the deliberations there was not the slightest recognition of their presence, and they did not vote on any question, though all had paid the fee and were members of the association.  In a letter describing the occasion Miss Anthony said:  “My heart was filled with grief and indignation thus to seethe minority, simply because they were men, presuming that in them was vested all wisdom and knowledge; that they needed no aid, no counsel from the majority.  And what was most humiliating of all was to look into the faces of those women and see that by far the larger proportion were perfectly satisfied with the position assigned them.”