Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/192

the treason of the commanding general " (Mc- Clellan). She then made lecturing her profession, speaking chiefly on political subjects. William Lloyd Garrison heard one of her anti-slavery speeches in an annual meeting of the Progressive Friends, held at Kennett, Chester co., Pa.,with great delight, and on his return to Boston spoke of the "girl orator" in such terms that she was invited to speak in the fraternity course at Music Hall, Boston, in 1862, and chose for her subject the " National Crisis." From Boston she went to New Hampshire, at the re-

quest of the Republican state

committee, to speak in the gubernatorial canvass, and thence was called to Connecticut. On election night a reception was tendered her at Hartford, and immediately thereafter she was in- vited to speak in Cooper institute by the Union League of New York, and shortly afterward in the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, by the Union League of that city. From this time to the end of the civil war she spoke on war issues. In the au- tumn of 1863 she was asked by the Republican state committee of Pennsylvania to speak through- out the coal regions in the canvass to re-elect Cur- tin, the male orators at the committee's command being afraid to trust themselves in a district that had recently been the scene of draft riots. Ohio offered her a large sum for her services, but she decided in favor of Pennsylvania. On 16 Jan., 1804, at the request of prominent senators and rep- resentatives, she spoke in the capitol at Washing- ton, giving the proceeds, over $1,000, to the Freed- men's relief society. She also spoke in camps and hospitals, and did much in aid of the national cause. After this her addresses were made chiefly from the lyceum platform. On the termination of the war she spoke on " Reconstruction " and on '• Woman's Work and Wages." In 1869-'70, after a visit to Utah, she lectured on " Whited Sepulchres." Later lectures, delivered in the northern and western states, were " Demagogues and Workingmen," "Joan of Are," and "Between us be Truth," the last-named being delivered in 1873 in Pennsylvania and Missouri, where obnoxious bills on the social evil were before the legislatures. In 1876 Miss Dickinson, contrary to the advice of many of her friends, left the lecture platform for the stage, making her first appearance in a play of her own, entitled " A Crown of Thorns." It was not favor- ably received by the critics, and Miss Dickinson afterward acted in Shakespeare's tragedies, still meeting with little success. " Aurelian " was writ- ten in 1878 for John MeCullough, but was with- drawn by the author when the failing powers of the great tragedian made it apparent that he would be unable to appear in it. It has never been put upon the stage, but Miss Dickinson has given read- ings from it. She lectured on " Platform and Singe " in 1879, and in 1880 wrote '• An American Girl " for Fanny Davenport, which was successful. Miss Dickinson's published works ai'e " What An- swer?" a novel (Boston, 1868); "A Paying In- vestment" (1870); and "A Ragged Register of People, Placos, and Opinions" (New York, 1879).

DICKINSON, Baxter, clergyman, b. m Am- herst, JMiiss., 14 April, 1795; d. iii Brooklyn, N. Y., 7 Dec, 1875. He was graduated at Yale in 1817 and at Andover theological seminary in 1821. After having pastoral charge of Congregational churches at Longmeadow, Mass., and at Newark, N. J., he was in 1835 appointed professor of sacred rhetoric and pastoral theology in Lane seminary, Cincin- nati, Ohio, where he remained until 1839. From 1839 till 1847 he held a similar chair in Auburn seminary, and served as acting professor at An- dover in 1848. He was subsequently engaged for nine years in Boston in the service of the Ameri- can and foreign Christian union and of the Ameri- can board. He was the author of " Letters to Stu- dents," which was republished in England.

DICKINSON, Daniel Stevens, "statesman, b. in Goshen, t'onn., 11 Sept., 1800; d. in New York city, 12 April, 1866. In early life he was taken by his father to Guilford, Chenango co., N. Y., where he obtained a public-school education. In addi- tion to this, with but slight assistance, he acquired the Latin language and made himself acquainted with the higher mathematics and other sciences while apprenticed to a clothier. When he became his own master he occupied himself for a time in teaching and surveying, then studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1828, beginning practice in Guilford. In 1831 he removed to Binghamton, which thenceforth became his home. In 1836 he was chosen state senator, and his great ability as a debater soon made him the leader of his party. Among the questions that came up for discussion were several measures, such as the small-bill law and the general banking law that arose out of the recent overthrow of the U. S. bank, the construc- tion of the Erie railway, and the enlargement of the Erie canal. His strongest oratorical effort at this time was his speech in opposition to the repeal of the usury laws, 10 Feb., 1837. In 1840 he was nominated for the office of lieutenant-governor by the democrats, and, although defeated that year, he was elected in 1842. He thus became ex-officio president of the senate, of the court of errors, and of the canal board. At the expiration of his term of office in 1844, Gov. Bouck appoint- ed him to fill a vacancy in the U. S. senate, and on the meeting of the legislature the appointment was ratified and he was elected for a full term.

Mr. Dickinson

held for several years the chairmanship of the senate committee on finance. In discussing the exciting issues of the day he took strong conservative ground, and from that standpoint spoke frequently on the annexation of Texas, the joint occupation of Oregon, the Mexican war, the Wilmot jiroviso, and the compromise measures of 1850. In December, 1847, he introduced two resolutions regarding the government of the territories, which virtually embod-