/10 ADVENTURES IN IDEALISM 



honor, to love and protect thee, our country and the 

 liberty of the American people forever !" 



The enthusiasm of the people assembled knew no 

 bounds and the walls rang with cheers. 



My husband was imbued with a truly democratic 

 spirit. He met everyone on a footing of equality, with 

 the simplicity of a truly good nature unburdened by 

 conventional prejudices. One of the yearly Teachers' 

 Institutes was held in Woodbine. Among the assem- 

 bled teachers was a colored woman. During the session 

 she read an extremely interesting paper on education, 

 and had taken an active part in the discussion that fol- 

 lowed. My husband acted as host. He invited the 

 association to meet in Woodbine, and, as a special cour- 

 tesy, ordered a dinner at the hotel and summoned them 

 all. When the guests had been seated, himself at the 

 head of the table with the president of the association, 

 a Southerner, at his right hand, he noticed that the col- 

 ored teacher was not with them. Leaving his place, he 

 went in search of her, and came upon her in one of 

 the adjoining rooms opening a dinner-basket. In 

 answer to his inquiry why she had not availed herself 

 of his invitation to dinner, she said that, as a colored 

 woman, she thought she was not included. He imme- 

 diately escorted her to the table and placed her beside 

 himself, on the left. He remained quite indifferent to 

 the storm of criticism evoked from the President and a 

 few others who entertained the same prejudices. 



