NAWSA
General Correspondence
Stearns, Sarah B.

Reminiscences of Lucy Stone
Mrs. Sarah Burger Stearns of Duluth,
Minn., in a letter from Los Angeles, dated
Oct. 30, writes to Alice Stone Blackwell as
follows:
"Did you ever know how much I have 
loved and delighted to praise your mother?
All my dearest friends have long known that
I give to your mother even more than to my
own, thanks for having first encouraged
me to go to Ann Arbor in 1856 to prepare
for the classical course of the State University.
It was your mother's words addressed
to young women in 1853 that made
me resolve while finishing my English
studies at the Cleveland High School, that
I would try to open for myself and all other
young women the Michigan State University
at Ann Arbor.  It was through the influence
of her words that I succeeded in persuading
nearly a dozen others to unite with me in
that movement.  In the summer of 1858

we made the first application to the Regents
for admission, that had ever been made by
young women.  We were told in the Fall that
it seemed "inexpedient at the present for the
University to admit ladies."  We were told
the same thing next Fall, but thanks to your
mother and mine, the matter was under discussion,
and it never ceased to be until it
was announced in 1869 that young women
would be admitted.
Your mother having invited me to
speak at the National Convention, held in
Minneapolis in 1884, perhaps, I remember
telling this to that fine audience, with Lucy
Stone on the platform.  I met your
mother only once after that.....I sent
you an account - 1893 - of our planting
a tree on the school grounds at Green 
Cove, Florida, on Arbor Day and naming 
it Lucy Stone in memory of her.
Sarah Burger Stearns


(Copied from the handwriting of Ida Porter Boyer)

Reminiscences of Lucy Stone

Mrs. Sarah Burger Stearns of Duluth, Minnesota, in a letter
from Los Angeles dated October 30th, writes to Alice Stone Blackwell
as follows:

“Did you ever know how much I have loved and delighted to
praise your mother? All my dearest friends have long known that I 
give to your mother even more than to my own, thanks for having
first encouraged me to go to Ann Arbor in 1856 to prepare for the
classical course of the State University. It was your mother’s words
addressed to young women in 1853 that made me resolve while finishing
my English studies at the Cleveland High School, that I would try to
open for myself and all other young women the Michigan State University
at Ann Arbor. It was through the influence of her words that
I succeeded in persuading nearly a dozen others to unite with me in 
that movement. In the summer of 1858 we made the first application to 
the Regents for admission, that had ever been made by young women. 
We were told in the Fall that it seemed “inexpedient at the present for
the University to admit ladies’. We were told the same thing next 
Fall, but thanks to your mother and mine, the matter was under discussion, 
and it never ceased to be until it was announced in 1869 that
young women would be admitted. 

Your mother having invited me to speak at the National Convention, 
held in Minneapolis in 1884, perhaps, I remember telling this to that
fine audience, with Lucy Stone on the platform. I met your mother only
once after that ..... I sent you an account- 1893- of our planting
a tree on the school grounds at Green Cove, Florida, on Arbor Day and
naming it Lucy Stone in memory of her. 

(signed) Sarah Burger Stearns

Reminiscences of Lucy Stone

Mrs Sarah Burger Stearns of Duluth
[?] in a letter from Los Angeles
dated Oct. 30. writes to Alice Stone
Blackwell as follows: (Solid)

Did you ever know how much I have
loved and delighted to praise your mother?
All my dearest friends have long known
that I give to your mother even more than to
my own thanks for having first encouraged
me to go to Ann Arbor in 1856, to prepare
for the classical course of the State University.
It was your mother's. words addressed
to young women in 1853 that made me
resolve while finishing my English studies
at the Cleveland High School, that I
would try to open for myself and all
other young women the Michigan State
University at Ann Arbor. It was through
 the influence of her words that I succeeded
in persuading nearly a dozen others to unite 
with me in that movement.

In the summer of 1858 we made the first
application to the Regents for admission
that had ever been made by young women.
We were told in the Fall that it seemed "inexpedient
at present for the University to 
admit ladies." We were told the same thing
next Fall. But, thanks to your mother and
mine, the matter was under discussion, and
it never ceased to be until it was announced
in 1869 that young women would be admitted.
Your mother having invited me
to speak at the National Convention held in Minneapolis 
in 1884. [Perhaps?], I remember telling this
to that fine audience with Lucy Stone in the platform.
(I met your mother only once after

2
that. It was but for a moment in Chicago in May 1893. It
grieves me to this day to think that I could not respond to her kind
invitation to come to her room for a little visit. She was at a hotel
near where the great Woman's Congress met. You may remember
my sending you an account of our planting a tree on the school grounds
at Green Cove, Florida, on the next Arbor Day and naming it
Lucy Stone in memory of her.
Sarah Burger Stearns

6489 121861 127940
6489
108350 
4.10

[page break]

[image of a woman]
Sarah Burger Stearns. 

Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.