Page:Heroines of freethought (IA cu31924031228699).pdf/222

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214
FRANCES WRIGHT D’ARUSMONT.

St. Louis, lecturing at all the principal towns and cities. From St. Louis, she returned eastward to Baltimore and New York. Her advent as a lecturer created quite a furore, She was often bitterly opposed, and met with many difficulties, but, with indomitable energy and perseverance, she conquered them all. Mrs. Trollope attended one of her first lectures in Cincinnati, and speaks thus of the sensation her appearance on the platform created: “That a lady of fortune, family, and education, whose youth had been passed in the most refined circles of private life, should present herself as a public lecturer, would naturally create surprise anywhere. But in America, where women are guarded by a sevenfold shield of habitual insignificance, it caused an effect that can hardly be described. I shared the surprise, but not the wonder. I knew her extraordinary gift of eloquence, her almost unequaled command of words, and the wonderful power of her rich and thrilling voice. My expectations fell short of the splendor,