had gone with the passing of Miss Anthony's leadership. She
called a halt on further pleading, wheedling, proving, praying.
It was as if she had bidden women stand erect, with confidence in
themselves and in their own judgments, and compelled them to be
self-respecting enough to dare to put their freedom first, and so
determine for themselves the day when they should be free. Those
who had a taste of begging under the old regime and who abandoned
it for demanding, know how fine and strong a thing it is to
realize that you must take what is yours and not waste your
energy proving that you are or will some day be worthy of a gift
of power from your masters. On that glad day of discovery you
have first freed

{14}

yourself to fight for freedom. Alice Paul gave to thousands of
women the essence of freedom.

And there was something so cleansing about the way in which she
renovated ideas and processes, emotions and instincts. Her attack
was so direct, so clear, so simple and unafraid. And her
resistance had such a fine quality of strength.

Sometimes it was a roaring politician who was baffled by this
non-resistant force. I have heard many an irate one come into her
office in the early days to tell her how to run the woman's
campaign, and struggle in vain to arouse her to combat. Having
begun a tirade, honor would compel him to see it through even
without help from a silent adversary. And so he would get more
and more noisy until it would seem as if one lone shout from him