NAWSA GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE Jennings, Mary M. Philada Dec 12th 1856 Mrs Lucy Stone, I was sorry that you did not get my letter sooner. I sent it to a friend in New York thinking it would have reached you at the womans rights convention. You were proposed to be invited by the Fair committee as a speaker at the Fair. The colored portion of the committee and some others thought that should you be aware of the lecture being given in the Musical Fund Hall that they did not approve of your being invited by us, and I was solicited to be at the circle and oppose your being invited This was the reason that I write to you to know whither you were aware of the fact before opposing you, and I am very happy that you have sustained your principals so nobley you deserve the greater commendation because I know you have done your duty in opposition to the opinions of those whose sentiments you respect; And instead of rejecting you as a lecturer at the antislavery Fair. I think the great fault among the most prominent members of our society, who felt only sorry that you had committed yourself to error by protesting against sanctioning the prejudice against color with your presence in that Hall, if we plead the cause of the oppressed as being our selves bound with them, can we not submit to the privation of hearing a lecture in the Musical Fund Hall. Very respectfully Mary M. Jennings 482 South St [*√ Hist*] [*Mary M. Jennings Phila. Dec. 12. 1856*] Philada Nov 26th 1856 Mrs. Lucy Stone Blackwell Having seen you advertised as one of the speakers at a course of lectures for the People's Institute I feel it my duty to address you believing you to be ignorant of the fact that these lectures are to be delivered in the Musical Fund Hall the most infamously proslavery place in our city, and the only one from which colored people, and antislavery are alike excluded by positive enactment. I am one of the party to whom one of your complimentary tickets were given, and was denied the pleasure of listening to your eloquent appeals in behalf of womans wrongs; I do most sincerely hope you do not intend to countenance this outrage upon us by again speaking in this Hall while the regulations remain unchanged; especially so since you gave us your word that never would you consent to speak where your colored sisters were excluded. Galling as it was to me to stand at the door enduring the pitiless gaze of the multitude who flocked to hear you, and many of them belonging to the same society that I do, whose standard is equal rights, Still more so is the thought that our feelings are to be lacerated afresh, and that too by one advocating the highest principals of Liberty & equal rights I hope you will pause and consider, before you bring reproach upon the cause you advocate. That your enemies may not be able to say that a few dollars & cents can tempt you to put your foot upon the necks of your down trodden sisters Yours Most Sincerely Mary M. Jennings 482 South St. √ Mary M. Jennings Philadelphia Philadelphia, Nov. 26, 1856 Mrs. Lucy Stone Blackwell Having seen you to advertised as one of the speakers at a course of for the People's Institute, I feel it my duty to address you, believing you to be ignorant of the fact that these lectures are to be delivered in the Musical Fund Hall, the most infamously proslavery place in our city, and the only one from which colored people, and antislavery alike are excluded by positive enactment. I am one of the party to whom one of your complementary tickets were given, and was denied the pleasure of listening to your eloquent appeal in behalf of woman's wrongs; I do most sincerely hope you do not intend to countenance this outrage upon us by again speaking in this Hall while the regulations remain unchanged; especially so since you gave us your word that never would you consent to speak where your colored sisters were excluded. Galling as it was to me to stand at the door enduring the pitiless gaze of the multitude who flocked to hear you, and many of them belonging to the same society that I do, whose standard is equal rights, Still more so is the thought that our feelings are to be lacerated afresh, and that too by one advocating the highest principles of Liberty & equal rights. I hope you will pause and consider before you bring reproach upon the cause you advocate that your enemies may not be able to say that a few dollars and cents can tempt you to put your foot upon the necks of your down trodden sisters. Yours most sincerely Mary M. Jennings 482 South St. Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.