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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..de597a4 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63781 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63781) diff --git a/old/63781-0.txt b/old/63781-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 96db1c4..0000000 --- a/old/63781-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4863 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Group of Famous Women, by Edith Horton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: A Group of Famous Women - stories of their lives - -Author: Edith Horton - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63781] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Fay Dunn, Fiona Holmes and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GROUP OF FAMOUS WOMEN *** - - -Transcriber's Notes. - -Hyphenation has been standardised. - - - - - A GROUP OF - FAMOUS WOMEN - - STORIES OF THEIR LIVES - - - BY - EDITH HORTON - - - ILLUSTRATED - - - D. C. HEATH AND COMPANY, PUBLISHERS - BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1914, BY - D. C. HEATH & COMPANY - 1 C 4 - - - - - TO THE - WOMEN TEACHERS OF AMERICA - WHOSE NOBLE LIVES HAVE EVER BEEN - AN INSPIRATION TO THE YOUTH - OF OUR LAND - - - - -FOREWORD - - -The best kind of American woman is proud. She has confidence in -herself. She is not vain or conceited or self-assertive, but she -has faith in her own powers. Even if she could, she would not spend -her life in play or in idleness; she would choose to work. She -believes that because she is doing her chosen work—whatever it may -be—steadily, hour by hour, day by day, she is achieving. Because she -has confidence in herself, she can live and labor serenely, proudly. -No matter how obscure her lot, she feels herself to be in the same -class as the most famous of her American sisters who have worked -with steadiness and confidence at their task, and who have achieved -greatness. - -So difficult has it been for teachers to find brief, readable -biographies of distinguished women to use in connection with their -lessons in history and civics that they will welcome this interesting -collection. It should help to make the girls in our American schools -proud of their womanhood and it should give them a strong desire to be -worthy of belonging to the same class as this group of noble workers. - - EMMA L. JOHNSTON - - Principal Brooklyn Training School for Teachers. - - March 16, 1914. - - "If women now sit on thrones, if the most beautiful painting in the - world is of a mother and her child, if the image of a woman crowns the - dome of the American Capitol, if in allegory and metaphor and painting - and sculpture the highest ideals are women, it is because they have a - right to be there. By all their drudgery and patience, by all their - suffering and kindness, they have earned their right to be there." - - —_O. T. Mason_ - - "The Egyptian people, wisest then of nations, gave to their Spirit - of Wisdom the form of a woman; and into her hand, for a symbol, the - weaver's shuttle." - - —_John Ruskin_ - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -The advantages of biography as a means of education are obvious. -History and biography go hand in hand, the latter giving vitality and -reality to the former. - -Educators have for a long time appreciated this, and in many Courses -of Study throughout our land provision has been made for the teaching -of history through biography. In most cases, emphasis has been laid -upon the notable careers of Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, and other -illustrious men, with the purpose of interesting the young and -inspiring in them the spirit of emulation. - -It is a remarkable fact that little attention, if any, has been given -to the study of the careers of distinguished women, and the question -has often been asked why short biographies should not be prepared, in -order that the pupils in our schools might become familiar with the -noble and unselfish lives of the many remarkable women whose influence -has been inspiring and uplifting. It is hoped that those who read the -stories of the lives of the women whose names appear in this volume -will find in them an incentive to guide their own lives into useful -channels. - -These types have been selected because of their direct influence upon -events of world-wide significance. Only a limited number of types has -been given because it would be impossible, within the compass of one -volume or of many, to record the great and good deeds of women, past -and present. - -The compiler has no intention of expressing her personal opinions; the -facts of these women's lives speak for themselves, and the stories, -necessarily brief here, of their careers are so full of vital and human -interest that it is hoped that the young reader may be led to the -perusal of more complete biographies in later life. - -Many foreign born girls in our schools have practically no means -of acquiring any adequate idea of the ideal standard of American -womanhood—a standard radically different from that in their own native -lands. The foreign born boys, however, invariably study the lives -of great American men, and thus have no difficulty in familiarizing -themselves with high ideals in ethics and statesmanship at precisely -the time when the most enduring impressions are being made. As there is -no reason whatever for this disparity of opportunity, it should cease, -and by means of this little work and others of similar character, -our school girls in general—and more especially those of foreign -birth or parentage—should be made acquainted with the traditions and -responsibilities of American women, and the unlimited opportunities for -development and progress in this great Republic. - -Women have been important factors in our national growth, and the value -of their aid in carrying forward the progress of human improvement -has never been properly estimated. The future of woman in America is -undoubtedly to be of still greater significance to our country. Every -art and profession is open to her, everything compatible with womanhood -is within her reach, and she should be in readiness for the supreme -civic privilege if such be granted her. - -To-day, women are voting in ten states of the Union, a fact which -calls attention to the necessity of educating girls for the duties of -citizenship. The woman of the future will be better equipped to meet -such duties by the study of the lives of certain representative women. - -In the schools, side by side with boys, our girls study civics. Side by -side with boys, they salute the Flag. Grown to womanhood, still side by -side with men, they will help to uphold all the sacred traditions for -which our Flag stands,—the true woman never forgetting that the home -and the family are the bulwarks of the country. - - E. H. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - JOAN OF ARC 1 - - DOROTHY PAYNE MADISON 13 - - ELIZABETH FRY 27 - - LUCRETIA MOTT 35 - - MARY LYON 49 - - DOROTHEA DIX 61 - - MARGARET FULLER 75 - - HARRIET BEECHER STOWE 83 - - MARIA MITCHELL 99 - - LUCY STONE 107 - - JULIA WARD HOWE 115 - - QUEEN VICTORIA 123 - - FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE 133 - - SUSAN B. ANTHONY 143 - - MARY A. LIVERMORE 151 - - CLARA BARTON 165 - - HARRIET HOSMER 173 - - LOUISA M. ALCOTT 183 - - FRANCES E. WILLARD 199 - - WOMEN ON THE BATTLE-FIELD AND IN PIONEER - LIFE 207 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - PAGE - - Joan of Arc: The Peasant Girl _Frontispiece_ - - "The Maid of Orleans" 11 - - Dorothy Payne Madison 12 - - Elizabeth Fry 26 - - Lucretia Mott 34 - - Mary Lyon 48 - - Dorothea Dix 60 - - Margaret Fuller 74 - - Harriet Beecher Stowe 82 - - Maria Mitchell 98 - - Lucy Stone 106 - - Julia Ward Howe 114 - - Queen Victoria 122 - - Florence Nightingale 132 - - Susan B. Anthony 142 - - Mary A. Livermore 150 - - Clara Barton 164 - - Harriet Hosmer 172 - - Louisa M. Alcott 182 - - Frances E. Willard 198 - - Martha Washington 206 - - Molly Pitcher 210 - - - - -A GROUP OF FAMOUS WOMEN - - - "_The woman's cause is man's; they rise or sink - Together, dwarf'd or godlike, bond or free._" - - —ALFRED TENNYSON - -[Illustration: - - _Henri Chapu, (1833-1891)_ _Louvre_ - - -JOAN OF ARC: THE PEASANT GIRL AT DOMRÉMY] - - - - -JOAN OF ARC - -(1410, 1412-1431) - - "Oh child of France! Shepherdess, peasant girl! Trodden under foot by - all around thee, how I honor thy flashing intellect, quick as God's - lightning, and true as God's lightning to its mark, that ran before - France and laggard Europe by many a century, confounding the malice of - the ensnarer, and making dumb the oracles of falsehood!" - - —_De Quincey_ - - -The story of the life of Joan of Arc is so unusual and so wonderful -that it would be difficult to believe it to be true, if all that -happened to her had not been told in a court of law and written down -during her lifetime. Few facts in history come to us so directly, for -these old records are still preserved in France, where they may be seen -and read to-day. - -Joan was born sometime between 1410 and 1412, in the little village of -Domrémy, France, being the fifth child of Jacques and Isabelle d'Arc. -Her parents were peasants in comfortable circumstances and Joan did -not suffer through poverty. She never learned to read or write—indeed, -very few people at that time were able to do so—but she became -skillful in the use of the needle and helped her mother in all the -household tasks. She was always good and obedient to her parents and -kind to every one, especially the sick and the poor. - -When work for the day was over, Joan ran about with her playmates, full -of fun and frolic, dancing and singing for the pure joy of living. -Often the children would run to the beautiful forest near the village, -where there was an oak which they called the fairy tree. Here they -would bring cakes for little feasts, at which they would dance, hanging -garlands of flowers on the branches in honor of the good fairies. This -was a custom of peasant children of France in those days. - -Joan would sometimes steal away from her companions and sit quietly -and thoughtfully alone. For she was living in a very unhappy time for -France, and the misfortunes of her beloved country weighed upon her -spirits. - -Her father had told her of the sad condition of France, of how the -kings of England had been for nearly a hundred years trying to make -themselves kings of France, and how, little by little, they had taken -possession of French lands until it was feared they would soon own the -entire country and France would have an English king. Charles, called -the Dauphin, son of the old French king, did not dare to be crowned, -and no prince was thought to become really king of France until that -ceremony had taken place. For centuries, the French kings had been -crowned and anointed with sacred oil at the Cathedral of Rheims, but -as the city of Rheims was far away and in the power of the English, -Charles thought he could not safely go there. - -As Joan grew older, she spent much of her time alone and in prayer, -brooding over the wrongs of her country. She implored God to have pity -on France. When about thirteen years of age, and while she was standing -in her father's garden at noon one summer day, she suddenly saw a great -light and heard voices telling her to be good, and telling her, also, -that she must go to the rescue of her country. Joan said that she was -only a young, ignorant peasant girl, who could neither ride a horse nor -use a sword. But the voices kept on speaking to her for years, always -telling her the same thing, to go to the relief of the Dauphin. - -Joan at last came to believe that the visions and the voices came from -God, and she determined to obey them. When she told her father and -mother what she intended to do, they tried to dissuade her, telling her -that the voices she heard were imaginary, and that it was impossible -for a girl to do what trained military men and great generals had -failed to accomplish. Though it was very hard for her to act contrary -to the wishes of her parents, Joan said she must do the work God had -planned for her. Soon her gentle persistence had its effect, and people -stopped laughing at her and ridiculing her, some even beginning to -believe in her mission. - -The voices bade Joan go to the Dauphin, who was then living at Chinon, -a castle on the Loire, and tell him that she had come to lead his army -to victory and that he would shortly go to Rheims to be crowned. - -At first it seemed impossible for her to get to Chinon, but she went to -Vaucouleurs, where her uncle lived, and with his help she succeeded in -persuading Robert de Baudricourt, the commander there, to give her an -escort of a few armed men for the journey. Someone gave her a beautiful -war-horse, which, to the surprise of all, she rode well, though she had -never ridden before in her life. She cut her long, black hair short -and dressed herself in doublet and hose like a boy, and this costume -she wore during the remainder of her life. - -On February 23, 1429, she rode out of Vaucouleurs through a gate -which is standing to-day, and after several days journeying came to -Chinon. Here there was some delay, for Charles was surrounded by people -who advised him not to grant Joan an interview, but she was finally -permitted to enter the great hall of the castle, where crowds of men, -knights, and nobles in gorgeous attire, were assembled. But Joan was -not dismayed. With confidence, but also with modesty, she walked up -to one who was very plainly dressed, and fell on one knee before him -saying, "God send you long life, gentle Dauphin." The man pointed to -another, richly dressed in gold and silk embroidery, saying, "That is -the King." But Joan said, "No, fair Sir!" She was not to be deceived, -and her recognition of Charles, notwithstanding his disguise, caused -all to wonder and many to believe in her. - -The King asked her name and what she wanted. - -"Fair Dauphin, my name is Jeanne the Maid; and the King of Heaven -speaks unto you by me, saying that you shall be anointed and crowned at -Rheims," Joan replied. - -She then asked to be allowed to lead his army to the relief of Orleans, -which city was under siege by the English at that time, telling him -that under her guidance the victory would be theirs. Many of the nobles -laughed at the idea of a girl leading an army, but after talking -with her, Charles granted her request and sent her to Tours, where -preparations were made for the journey to Orleans. - -At length all was in readiness and the start was made. On a bright -spring day, Joan rode away from Tours at the head of the King's army, -wearing beautiful armor of white wrought iron. She carried an ancient -sword, which she had divined was hidden behind the altar of St. -Catherine in the chapel at Fierbois, and a banner embroidered with -golden lilies. Such a sight was never seen before nor since. - -It was night, April 29, when the French reached Orleans. They had -safely passed an English fortress and entered the town without trouble. -The people of Orleans, carrying torches, crowded around Joan, eager -to see the brave girl who had come to their rescue. The women tried -to kiss her hands and all the people shouted and cheered. The entire -city rejoiced, for Joan's calm confidence, her bravery and decision, -inspired the soldiers with belief in her and in the success of her -undertaking. - -Very soon Joan led her soldiers forth against the English and they were -successful in taking several forts. She had prophesied long before this -time that she would be wounded during the fighting, and one evening, -shortly before the siege was raised, she said to Brother Pasquerel, the -priest who was with her, "To-morrow rise even earlier than to-day. Stay -always at my side, for to-morrow I shall have much ado—more than I -have ever had, and to-morrow blood shall flow from my body." - -The next day, while placing a ladder against a wall during the thick -of the fight, a cross-bow entered her shoulder in spite of her armor -and blood flowed. The arrow was drawn out and the wound was dressed, -whereupon she insisted upon returning to the battle, though it is said -she cried a little because of the pain. - -At eight o'clock that night one of Joan's generals came to her for -permission to stop the fighting until morning. But Joan asked him -to wait a while. Then she rode into a vineyard and prayed. When she -returned to the field, she found that a soldier had carried her banner -into a ditch. She seized it, and waving it so that all the men saw it, -cried, "When my standard touches the wall, we shall take the fort!" -Soon the wind blew the fringe of the banner against the wall and with a -mad rush the French climbed into the fort, while the English fled. - -The next day, May 8, 1429, the siege was raised, and ever since, the -people of Orleans celebrate that day and pay honor to Joan, called by -them "The Maid of Orleans." - -Several other victories were won by the French under Joan's leadership -until the English were driven far to the North. Then Joan tried to -induce Charles to go to Rheims to be crowned, so that the French people -would feel that he was really their King. But the distance was great -and the roads passed through towns which were occupied by friends of -the English, and Charles, who loved his ease, was hard to move. At -length, however, he was persuaded, and with an army of twelve thousand -men Charles started on his journey to Rheims, which city he entered on -July 16, being crowned the next day with imposing ceremonies. - -This was perhaps the happiest day of Joan's life. The great Cathedral -was crowded with people, only the center aisle being kept free for -the procession. First came the Archbishop, accompanied by his canons -in their robes of state. Then came men of high rank, magnificently -dressed. From the west door Joan and the King appeared side by side, -and cheers and cries of welcome greeted them, followed by a deep -silence preceding the solemnity of the coronation. The Archbishop of -Rheims administered the coronation oath; then the Dauphin was anointed -with the sacred oil, and crowned, while the trumpeters played and the -people shouted. The Maid knelt at the King's feet and wept for joy. - -When asked by Charles to choose a gift as a reward for her work for her -country, she begged that the people of her native town Domrémy might be -free from paying taxes. This was granted, and for three hundred years -the taxes were remitted. On the books is written against the town of -Domrémy: "Nothing. For the sake of the Maid." - -This was all Joan would accept. For herself she desired nothing except -to be allowed to go back to her village home to tend her sheep and be -again with her mother. But Charles VII would not consent to that, for -France was not yet free from the English. - -So it was decided to try to recapture Paris. Shameful to say, however, -the King did not give Joan the assistance he should, withdrawing -instead from the city. Soon afterwards, while leading an attack -against the Duke of Burgundy, Joan was taken prisoner and sold to the -English. King Charles made no effort to effect a ransom for her, nor -did anyone else in France attempt to raise money to save her from her -unhappy fate. She was charged with sorcery, put into prison in Rouen, -and after a year was brought to trial. At the trial she was found -guilty, was sentenced to death, and burned at the stake in the market -place of Rouen, May 30, 1431. - -Joan of Arc had no grave; her ashes were thrown into the Seine. There -remains no relic of her, no portrait, or any article she ever touched. -Still she will never be forgotten. It is now nearly five hundred years -since her death, yet to-day she is honored and reverenced, and many -statues have been erected to her memory. - -A mere child in years, she rescued her country from the English by a -series of brilliant victories, crowned the French king, and in return -for this was burned alive at the stake, while those for whom she had -fought looked on, making no effort to save her. She was seventeen years -of age when she led the armies of France to victory, and but nineteen -when she met her cruel death. - -[Illustration] - -Her pure, steadfast, simple faith, together with her devotion to God -and her patriotism, constitute her greatness. During her life in camp, -in Court, in her home, and in prison, she never forgot her womanly -ideals, though she was called upon to do a man's work; and she stands -to-day to all nations a shining example of pure and noble womanhood. - - - - -[Illustration: DOROTHY PAYNE MADISON] - - -DOROTHY PAYNE MADISON - -(1772-1849) - - "It is by woman that Nature writes on the hearts of men." - - —_Richard Brinsley Sheridan_ - - -Dollie Madison was born May 27, 1772, in North Carolina. Her father, -John Payne, was a native of Virginia, but he lived on a large -plantation in North Carolina which had been given him by his father. -He married Mary Coles, a noted belle and beauty, and their daughter -Dorothy inherited her mother's good looks. - -In their home on the Southern plantation, the Paynes avoided all -display, although they enjoyed every comfort and were generous in -hospitality. The little Dorothy was brought up to dress quietly and -wear no finery. After their removal to Philadelphia, which occurred -when Dorothy was fourteen years of age, both John Payne and his wife, -already Quakers, became more strict in that creed than they had been -before. It was Mr. Payne's conviction—as it was of all Quakers in good -and regular standing—that slavery was sinful, and this belief led him -to free his slaves, sell his plantation and come North. - -In their Northern home, the Quaker rules were rigidly carried out. -Though young and of a particularly gay and joyous disposition, -Dorothy—or "Dollie" as her friends called her—was forbidden such -pleasures as dancing, music, and many other amusements. All this -discipline, which we should call unnatural, Dollie received with -sweetness and cheerfulness. Her beautiful face reflected a beautiful -character. - -Mr. Payne, who was untrained in business ways, met with financial -reverses, and in his troubles was aided by a young lawyer of wealth -named John Tod, also a member of the Society of Friends. This young -man, who had fallen in love with Dollie, showed Mr. Payne much -kindness, finally obtaining his consent to ask his daughter's hand in -marriage. When he proposed to Dorothy, however, she replied that she -"never meant to marry." But her father was ill at the time, and to -please him, Dorothy, like the dutiful daughter she had always been, -consented, and so had the satisfaction of making her father happy for -the remaining few months of his life. - -After her marriage, Dollie lived for three years the life of a Quaker -matron, devoting herself to her husband, her home, and her two babies. -Then an epidemic of yellow fever broke out, and John Tod sent Dollie -and the babies away from the city while he remained to look after his -parents, who were both dying of the fever. - -As soon as he could leave, and already ill, he hastened to his wife -and children. Mrs. Payne, Dollie's mother, opened the door for him. "I -feel the fever in my veins," he gasped, "but I must see her once more!" -In a few hours, he and one of the babies were dead. Dollie herself was -then stricken, and fatally, it was believed. She recovered, however, -and taking with her the remaining child, a boy whom she had named John -Payne after her father, Dollie went to her mother in Philadelphia. - -These sad experiences broadened and deepened her lovely nature so that -she developed from a shy girl into an attractive woman. Her troubles -seemed only to increase the natural sweetness of her disposition and -enhance her beauty. These gifts, together with her youth and riches, -caused her to become the object of much curiosity and attention. - -On a certain morning during her walk, she was seen by James Madison, -who immediately sought for an introduction. This undoubtedly flattered -Dollie, for Mr. Madison was a very prominent and important figure in -Congress, with a name celebrated throughout Europe and America. He had -worked with Washington, Franklin, and Hamilton to establish the United -States government on a firm basis, so that he has since been called the -Father of the Constitution. - -In a letter to her friend Mrs. Lee, Dollie wrote: - - DEAR FRIEND: - - Thou must come to me. Aaron Burr says that the "great-little Madison" - has asked to be brought to see me this evening.... - -When he came, Mrs. Tod received him in a fine mulberry satin gown, with -silk tulle about her neck and a dainty lace cap on her head, a curl of -her pretty black hair showing from underneath. She so sparkled with fun -and wit that the scholarly Mr. Madison concluded that there was nothing -to do but to offer himself as a husband, and before long they became -engaged. - -President and Mrs. Washington were much pleased when they heard of this -and sent for Dollie to come to them. Mrs. Washington said, "Be not -ashamed to confess it, if it is so," for Dollie was shy and confused. -Then she added, - -"He will make thee a good husband and all the better for being so -much older. We both approve of it. The esteem and friendship existing -between Mr. Madison and my husband is very great and we would wish thee -to be happy." - -Dollie was just twenty-two years of age and Mr. Madison forty-four. In -September, 1794, at Harewood, Virginia, the home of Dollie's sister -who had become the wife of a nephew of Washington, Mrs. Tod and James -Madison were married. The guests came from far and near, and there was -much merrymaking and gaiety at the wedding; even the quiet, reserved -bridegroom became transformed and permitted the girls to cut off bits -of Mechlin lace from his ruffled shirt as mementoes. - -The bride and groom went first to Montpelier, Virginia, Mr. Madison's -home, but soon returned to Philadelphia, where, at the request of her -husband, Dollie, laying aside her Quaker dress, entered society and -began to entertain largely. Her tact and kindness of heart won every -one, and at a time when party spirit ran high and political differences -caused bitter feeling, Mrs. Madison entertained with dignity and -elegance, slighting no one, hurting the feelings of none, and sometimes -making friends out of foes. - -When Washington died, Mr. and Mrs. Madison were among his sincere -mourners, and helped to comfort the lonely widow for the loss of -her greathearted husband. When Thomas Jefferson became President of -the United States, James Madison was made Secretary of State. Mr. -Jefferson, being a widower, and requiring a lady to assist at his state -banquets, often called upon Mrs. Madison to sit at the head of his -table in the White House. Her charms especially fitted her for such a -position. - -After Jefferson had served two terms as President, James Madison was -elected to fill his place. At the inauguration ball Mrs. Madison wore a -gown of buff-colored velvet, a turban with a bird of paradise plume on -her head, and pearls on her beautiful neck and arms. - -During the first years of Madison's administration, while national -affairs were going on smoothly, Mrs. Madison's entertainments at the -White House were many and popular. She had the rare gift never to -forget a name and the faculty of putting people at their ease, and thus -banishing shyness and stiffness. Her receptions were never dull. Her -sparkling conversation drew the best minds to her, and the ease with -which she met strangers was remarkable. - -She was kind alike to rich and poor, and gave generously of her wealth -to the deserving. To her husband she was an able adviser, her sound -common sense and good judgment often helping him in his decisions of -public matters. President Madison said that, when he was tired and worn -out from matters of state, a visit to his wife's sitting-room never -failed to rest him. - -But national affairs were not to remain quiet. Trouble had long been -brewing with England. The commerce of the United States had been almost -entirely destroyed by acts of the British. The Atlantic coast from -north to south was blockaded by them and many American seamen were -impressed. Washington and Adams had managed to avert this war, but now -matters were come to a crisis: the whole nation was inflamed, and on -June 18, 1812, Congress formally declared war. - -As most of the fighting was done at sea, life at the capital went -on undisturbed until August 19th, when it began to be rumored that -the British were coming to attack Washington. The rumor became a -certainty when a horseman dashed through the villages forty miles below -Washington, shouting: - -"To arms! Cockburn is coming!" - -The English had landed five thousand men and were marching toward the -capital. Washington was in a state of panic. Citizens banded together -for defence and marched to meet the enemy. On August 22, President -Madison bade farewell to his wife and left for the front. Up to this -time Mrs. Madison had been without fear, but now, learning that the -American ships had been destroyed and knowing that her husband was in -danger, she became very uneasy. - -The work of saving records was at once begun. Important papers were -piled into wheelbarrows and carts and carried away. At three o'clock, -August 24, Mrs. Madison sat anxiously waiting for some word from her -husband. She refused to leave the White House until a large portrait -of General Washington was saved, and time being too short to admit of -its being unscrewed from the wall, she gave the order to have the frame -broken with an axe and the canvas taken out. It was sent in a carriage -to a woman living beyond Georgetown, who afterward returned it to Mrs. -Madison. It now hangs in the White House again. - -A hurried note from the President bade her be in readiness to leave in -a carriage at a moment's notice, for it was feared the British would -destroy the city. Soon her worst fears were realized, for sounds of -approaching troops were heard. Two gentlemen rushed into the room, -exclaiming: - -"Fly, madam! At once! The British are upon us!" - -Mrs. Madison suddenly remembered that the Declaration of Independence, -which was kept in a case separate from other documents, had been -overlooked when the other papers were sent away. She turned, and -notwithstanding the protests of her friends, ran into the house, broke -the glass in the case, secured the Declaration, and then jumped into -the carriage, which took her to the home of a friend in Georgetown. - -Washington could be rebuilt and many valuable articles which were -destroyed could be replaced, but the Declaration of Independence once -gone would have been lost forever. - -That night, few people in or near the city of Washington slept. -Instead, they watched the flames destroying the beautiful city, for the -British had set fire to the public buildings, the President's house, -the new Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Treasury Buildings, the -Arsenal and Barracks, besides many private buildings, and the wind from -an approaching storm fanned the flames, thus completing the fearful -destruction. - -Before daybreak, Mrs. Madison left her retreat and traveled to a -small tavern, sixteen miles from Washington, where her husband met -her. Shortly, word was brought to them that the hiding place of the -President had been discovered, and that the British were even then in -pursuit of him. Mrs. Madison induced him to retreat at once to a small -house in the woods, while she started for Washington, first disguising -herself, for the English had said that they were going to capture the -beautiful woman and take her to England. - -President Madison, however, learning that the British had evacuated -Washington, returned to the city that night. His wife had also reached -there in safety. The burning of Washington filled the hearts of -Americans with indignation, and even in England many condemned the act -of Admiral Cockburn, saying that it was "a return to barbaric times." - -After three years of fierce conflict, the peace treaty between England -and the United States was signed at Ghent, on December 24, 1814. Every -one was glad, but no one more so than President Madison, who had been -drawn by his party into the war and who was greatly criticized and -blamed for it. The President and his wife now took a large house on -Pennsylvania Avenue. The brilliancy of social life at the White House -had never been equaled before Dollie Madison's time, and it is doubtful -if it has been since. - -In 1817, James Monroe became President and Mr. Madison retired to -Montpelier, Virginia, where he and his wife entertained with true -Virginian hospitality the many friends and tourists who came to -visit them. Their home was a beautiful one, containing many artistic -treasures. Here they lived happily until Mr. Madison's death in 1836. - -Soon after her husband's death, Mrs. Madison returned to Washington to -live among her old friends, and after a time her home again became a -social center. Much consideration was shown her by Congress and by high -officials, who respected her for her worthy and honorable life, and for -her heroism during the burning of Washington. - -During her latter years she was saddened by the dissolute habits of her -only son, Payne Tod, whose debts had been frequently paid by President -Madison and who now appealed to his mother for money. To save him from -disgrace she even sold her beloved Montpelier. - -Dollie Madison died in Washington, July 12, 1849, at the age of -eighty-two, and was buried in the cemetery at Montpelier beside her -husband. - -Lossing says: "Mrs. Madison adorned every station in life in which she -was placed." - - - - -[Illustration: MRS. FRY READING TO THE PRISONERS IN NEWGATE PRISON - -_From an old engraving_] - - -ELIZABETH FRY - -(1780-1845) - - "A lamp is lit in woman's eyes - That souls, else lost on earth, - Remember angels by." - - —_N. P. Willis_ - - -In Warwick, England, lived a family of Quakers named Gurney. They were -not "plain Quakers" at that time, which means that they did not wear -plain clothes and refrain from the use of ornaments, nor did they -refuse to take part in the pleasures of the world, as strict Quakers -are supposed to do. The children, nevertheless, were brought up in -accordance with the doctrines of the Bible, very rigidly interpreted. - -Mrs. Gurney, a woman of fine education and sound judgment, instructed -her little daughters in English, mathematics, literature, Latin and -French, and in domestic duties. They were taught to sew and to make -plain garments, to oversee the preparation of the meals, and if -necessary, to do the cooking. Very great care was taken with their -manners, for Mrs. Gurney believed that gentleness and polite behavior -were necessary in women. - -Elizabeth, the third child, born May 21, 1780, who became the famous -Elizabeth Fry, was frail in health, and so nervous that she was afraid -of the dark. To cure her of this, her father compelled her to go to bed -without a light—a treatment that only increased her nervousness and -fear. So firmly was the memory of this severe punishment fixed in the -child's mind that, when she married and had children of her own, she -never permitted any method of discipline that tended to cause fear. - -Elizabeth had not a tractable disposition, but was inclined to be -wilful, obstinate, and opinionated. Even as a child, she would act -independently. This pronounced trait in her character, so objectionable -in youth, enabled her in later years to do many things worth while, in -the face of unreasonable opposition. - -Her mother died when Elizabeth was twelve years old. As she grew older, -she gradually broke loose from her Quaker training and began to think -more about dress and adornments; she even learned to dance, and enjoyed -going into society. But, while enjoying these pleasures, she all the -while realized that she was not really happy. Then she tried to find -out the reason. She went among the poor and helped them, but this was -no more than all Quakers did. She feared that she was becoming more and -more satisfied with the light, pleasant, easy things of life, while the -great and good things that might be done ever haunted her, and called -to her to regard them. - -At this time a traveling Quaker preacher named William Savery, a man -of great force and a powerful and compelling speaker, came over from -America. He addressed a meeting of Friends which the Gurney sisters -attended, including Elizabeth, all sitting in a row on the women's -side in the Meeting-House. These young girls wore some ornaments and -were more elaborately dressed than the other Quaker girls. When the -speaker touched on this matter of adornment and in a gentle, tender -voice pleaded for the customs of the plain Quakers, Elizabeth was much -affected; all her pleasures seemed to her sinful, and she wept bitterly. - -Afterward she had long talks with William Savery, in the course -of which, it is said, he prophesied her future. His words changed -Elizabeth utterly; she cared no more for the world and its pleasures. - -Her father, to test the genuineness of her conversion, induced her to -visit friends in London who lived in the midst of gaiety. There, she -attended the theater, but was not interested; she danced, but found it -dreary; she played cards, but was wearied. All the enjoyments of former -times failed to satisfy her. She returned home, and after several -months spent in meditation, finally came to the conclusion that, for -her at least, those things were wrong; that, for her, life held more -important duties. She then gave up all amusements, began to use the -"thee" and "thou" of the strict sect, adopted the close cap and plain -kerchief of the Quakeress, and preached at meetings. - -Once her mind had cleared, she never wavered in the belief that her -life must be devoted to works of charity. She began by opening a school -for poor children. She was only nineteen, very youthful-looking and -very pretty. Everybody wondered how she could govern this school of -seventy wild street-children, who had never before known restraint. - -While she was occupied with this school, a young Quaker from London, -named Joseph Fry, fell in love with her and proposed marriage. At first -Elizabeth thought she could not accept Joseph's offer; that to marry -would interfere with her plans. But the young man was deeply interested -in benevolent work, himself, and had sufficient means to assist her in -her projects. - -So they were married at Norwich, and later their home at St. Mildred's -Court, London, became a meeting place for Quakers from all parts of the -world. Instead of card-games and dancing for their entertainment, the -visitors in this house heard discussions of plans for the formation of -poorhouses, schools, and hospitals for the poor. - -In 1809, Elizabeth's father died; and on her knees by his bedside, -Elizabeth again vowed to devote her life to the service of God. She now -lived in Plashet, Essex, the country seat of her husband's family. With -growing children of her own about her and great numbers of guests, one -might suppose that she had all she could possibly do. Nevertheless, she -found time to open a girls' school for street-children, to organize a -soup kitchen, a drug-store, and a library for them, while in her own -home she kept a collection of clothes of all sorts with which to clothe -them. - -When this enterprise was well established and the poor people about her -made comfortable, Mrs. Fry turned her attention to the great prison -at Newgate, London, where conditions were reported to be shocking. -In company with officials and a party of friends, she made her first -visit, in 1813. They found things much worse than they had been led to -believe. - -Mrs. Fry at once determined to reform prison life. Illness in the -family delayed this project for nearly three years; but the idea never -left her until at last the work was begun. The life of the prisoners in -Newgate, and in all prisons at that time, was too harrowing to be here -described. - -The public listened to her reports, were properly shocked, but scoffed -at the bare idea of Elizabeth Fry as a reformer. For a _woman_ to -attempt such a work was absurd! Mrs. Fry paid no attention to what was -said, but went straight ahead. She began by establishing a school for -the prisoners' children, and gave the wretched women prisoners work for -which they were paid. Before this, being idle, they had spent their -time quarreling, fighting and gambling; now, when they could earn a -little money, their behavior began to improve. - -Soon Parliament took an interest in this work, ordering an -investigation. When the wonderful reforms she had accomplished became -known, Mrs. Fry was the most famous woman in England. Queen Victoria -expressed a desire to become acquainted with her, and a meeting was -arranged which has been described as follows: - - Her Majesty's small figure, her dress ablaze with diamonds, her - courtesy and kindness as she spoke to the now celebrated Quakeress, - who stood outwardly calm in the costume of her creed and just a little - flushed with the unwonted excitement, attracted universal homage. The - two women spoke, and cheer after cheer went up from the crowd gathered - about. - -The Court learned that day that there was in goodness and benevolence -something better than fashion and nobler than rank. - -Mrs. Fry's work for the poor and unfortunate took her to the prisons of -many lands, and everywhere honors were bestowed upon her. She died at -the age of sixty, October 13, 1845. - - - - -[Illustration: LUCRETIA MOTT] - - -LUCRETIA MOTT - -(1793-1880) - - "There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire which - beams and blazes in the dark hours of adversity." - - —_Washington Irving_ - - -Born on the quaint little island of Nantucket, January 3, 1793, -Lucretia Coffin grew to girlhood among peaceful and beautiful -surroundings. Her father was Captain of a whaler and was, consequently, -often away from home for long periods of time, so that the mother was -responsible for the early training of the children. - -Lucretia and her sisters were taught to be thrifty in household -matters, and trustworthy in all the relations of life. Industry, too, -was greatly encouraged in the Coffin family. When the mother had to -go out, she would set her daughters at their knitting, telling them -that when they had accomplished a certain amount of work, they might -go down into the cellar and pick out as many of the small potatoes as -they wanted, and roast them. This was considered a great treat, and we -can picture the six little children gathered about the big fireplace -watching the potatoes in the ashes. - -Captain Coffin gave up the sea at last and moved his family to Boston, -where he entered into business. The children at first attended a -private school, but Captain Coffin, who was nothing if not democratic, -decided afterward that they should go to the public school, where they -might "mingle with all classes without distinction." Lucretia said in -after life that she was glad of this action of her father. "It gave me -a feeling of sympathy for the patient and struggling poor, whom but for -this experience, I might never have known." - -At thirteen years of age, Lucretia was sent to a Friends' boarding -school at Nine Partners, New York. Both boys and girls attended this -school, but were not permitted to speak to each other unless they -were near relatives. In that case they might talk together a little -while, on certain days, over a corner of the fence that divided the -playgrounds. - -One of Lucretia's sisters—"the desirable little Elizabeth," as her -father called her—accompanied her to this school. These sisters, -although very different in character, loved each other with a -peculiarly deep affection. Elizabeth, though clever, was retiring in -disposition and always kept in the background, while Lucretia, who was -high-spirited and wide awake, was inclined to take the lead among her -companions. Throughout their lives they remained devoted friends, and -although Elizabeth could never be persuaded to take any part in public -life, she counseled and advised her distinguished sister, who seldom -took any important action without consulting her. - -At this school, on the boys' side of the house, was an able young -teacher named James Mott. It happened one day that a little boy, a -cousin of James Mott, was punished by being confined in a dark closet, -being allowed only bread and water for his supper. Lucretia, who -thought the boy had not been at fault, managed to get some bread and -butter to him. This act attracted the attention of James Mott to the -girl, and afterward his sister Sarah, who also attended the school, -became Lucretia's most intimate friend. During one of the vacations, -Lucretia visited Sarah Mott and thus met the family into which she -afterward married. - -When fifteen years old, Lucretia became assistant teacher in this -school, at a salary of one hundred dollars a year. Her father, who -thought women should be trained to usefulness, gave his consent to -have Lucretia remain away from home for this extra year, which proved -to be an eventful one for her. The two young teachers, James Mott and -Lucretia Coffin, found that they had many ideas in common. Both had -ability and both were desirous of gaining knowledge. They formed a -French class and it was while studying together that their attachment -began. - -It was at this time, also, that Lucretia became impressed with the -unequal condition of women as compared with that of men. She said: - -"Learning that the charge for the tuition of girls was the same as that -for boys, and that when they became teachers, women received only half -as much as men for their services, the injustice of this distinction -was so apparent that I early resolved to claim for myself all that an -impartial Creator had bestowed." She little thought at the time what an -important part she would play in supporting that claim. - -While the two sisters were at school, their father gave up his business -in Boston and took charge of a factory in Philadelphia, where Lucretia -and Elizabeth joined him in 1810. Soon after, James Mott resigned -his position as teacher and followed them to Philadelphia, entering -business life. In a short time, he and Lucretia became engaged. These -two young people were just different enough to live in harmony together. - -Lucretia was a bright, active and very pretty girl, quick to understand -and quick to execute,—qualities that often made her impatient with the -slowness or stupidity of others. She was fond of a joke, too. - -James, on the other hand, was quiet, reserved and shy, taking serious -views of life. In 1811, they were married according to Quaker rites. -Then began one of the happiest of wedded lives,—and in spite of -privations, for James Mott always found it difficult to support his -family. - -When Lucretia's father died, leaving her mother with three children -to support, the Motts did all they could to help her. Lucretia opened -a school for the purpose, and soon afterward her husband's business -ventures prospered, so that he, too, could assist. - -Just as their prospects were brightening, however, there came a severe -blow in the death of their only son. Lucretia then gave up teaching and -spent a great deal of time in the study of the Bible and of theology. -She used to read William Penn, Dean Stanley, and John Stuart Mill with -her baby on her knee. - -Soon she took her place as a preacher in the Society of Friends, -feeling "called," as she tells us, "to a public life of usefulness"; -and during the latter part of the year 1818, she accompanied another -minister named Sarah Zane to Virginia, for the purpose of holding -religious meetings. Here Mrs. Mott came into contact with the question -of slavery, and in all her discourses she never failed to urge the -doctrine of emancipation. She believed in liberty of the body and -liberty of thought; indeed, her belief in liberty may be said to have -been the basis of all her sermons. - -The Quakers who held slaves freed them as early as 1774. The Society -of Friends, to which Mr. and Mrs. Mott belonged, became so interested -in the slavery question as to recommend that any goods produced by -slave-labor should not be handled by any Quaker in regular standing. -Mr. Mott was at that time engaged in a prosperous cotton business, -but consistent with his views, he gave up this business,—for a while -finding great difficulty in making a living. - -In 1833, the Female Anti-Slavery Society was formed in Philadelphia. -Mrs. Mott was one of four women who, braving public opinion, gave -their voices to the cause of Freedom. She was President of the society -during most of its existence; and it was due mainly to her inspiring -presence, her courage and activity, and her unfailing dignity, that the -society accomplished its great work. - -She sheltered fugitive slaves, everywhere befriended the colored -people, and traveled from place to place preaching the doctrine of -liberty. - -Young people of the present time can hardly understand the bitter and -fierce opposition encountered by those people who were working to -free the slaves. For many years, public feeling on the subject was -so intense that many anti-slavery meetings were broken up by acts -of violence. Sometimes mobs of men and women stoned the windows of -the houses where these meetings were being held, breaking into the -assemblage, leaping upon the platform, and shouting so loudly that the -speaker's voice was lost in the noise. - -In 1838, during a riot in Philadelphia, a mob burned Pennsylvania Hall, -and then marched through the streets threatening an attack upon the -house of James and Lucretia Mott. Mrs. Mott sent her children out of -the house to a place of safety, and she, with her husband and a few -friends, sat quietly waiting for the mob. Before it reached the house, -however, the leaders urged the rioters to attack a home for colored -orphans in another part of the city, and so the raid upon the Mott -house was given up for that night. - -At another time, when the mob was expected, and when Mr. and Mrs. -Mott, surrounded by their friends, sat listening to the angry cries -of threatening men outside, it happened that in the crowd was a young -man friendly to the Mott family. He cried, "On to the Motts'!" and -purposely ran up the wrong street. The rioters followed him blindly, -and the Motts were a second time saved from violence. - -Women who had formerly been Mrs. Mott's friends passed her on the -street without speaking, and scornful people laughed at her. Sometimes -rough men, carried away by the excitement of the times, surged round -her like maniacs, threatening violence, but Mrs. Mott never lost her -temper or her composed manner. In her own story of her life she says, -"The misrepresentation, ridicule and abuse heaped upon these reforms do -not in the least deter me from my duty." - -When the National Anti-Slavery Society was formed, Mrs. Mott took a -prominent part, offering suggestions with "such charm and precision -that they were readily assented to." In this work she was associated -with Garrison, Whittier, and other noted Abolitionists. - -In 1840, Mrs. Mott was sent to London to represent the Abolitionists -of the United States at the World's Anti-Slavery Convention, where she -met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, also a delegate. They were not permitted to -take their places in the Convention, for by a vote taken at their first -sitting, that body decided that only men were to be admitted. Aside -from this, however, the women were treated with the greatest courtesy. -But, though their feelings were supposed to be salved by being given -seats of honor in the hall, they felt keenly the humiliation of their -position. It was certainly an indignity. - -Mrs. Mott had for years been accustomed to speaking in public, people -of all denominations coming many miles to hear the great Quaker -preacher. Her home had been a refuge for hunted slaves, and all her -eloquence was devoted to the cause of their freedom. Without doubt, she -was one of the most prominent persons present at this meeting. She, if -anyone, should have been allowed to speak in behalf of humanity. - -Out of the indignation aroused on this occasion in the minds of Mrs. -Mott and Mrs. Stanton, grew the Woman Suffrage Movement. The first -Woman's Rights Convention was called in Seneca Falls, New York, July, -1848, the rights of women to the ballot and their equality with man -under the law being the subjects discussed. - -James Mott approved of his wife's course and assisted her all that he -could by presiding at the first meeting. No end of ridicule was heaped -upon the women who thus openly claimed equal rights with men, but Mrs. -Mott argued her cause so politely and so wittily that her opponents -were disarmed. It is a pleasure to know that Lucretia Mott lived to -see the slaves freed and to note the change of public opinion toward -herself and others who had worked for freedom. - -When Mrs. Mott was seventy-five and her husband eighty years of age, -they went to Brooklyn to visit their grandchildren. While there, Mr. -Mott was taken ill with pneumonia and passed away quietly while his -wife was sleeping on the pillow beside him. Colored men bore him to -his grave, at their own request, to show their regard for one who had -worked so persistently to benefit their race. The Motts' married life -had been one of great happiness, not the slightest shadow having ever -come between them. One who knew them well said, "Theirs was the most -perfect wedded life to be found on earth." - -Mrs. Mott was greatly solaced to know that her opponents had changed -their opinions in respect to her. During the latter part of her life, -it was no unusual thing for a stranger to stop her in the street and -ask the privilege of shaking hands. Once a woman in mourning passed -quickly by her, whispering, "God bless you, Lucretia Mott." - -Each Christmas Day she visited the Colored Home in Philadelphia, -carrying turkeys and pies and personal gifts to every inmate. She also -sent a box of candy to every conductor and brakeman on the railroad on -which she traveled, saying: "They never let me lift out my bundles, -and they all seem to know me!" The number of children, both black and -white, named after her, was astonishing. - -At the Centennial Anniversary of the Old Pennsylvania Abolition -Society, Lucretia Mott was greeted by the vast audience with cheers and -waving of handkerchiefs and hats. Another ovation occurred at a July -Fourth meeting of the National Woman Suffrage Association. When she -rose to speak some-one called to her, "Go up into the pulpit!" As she -ascended the pulpit steps, all sang, "Nearer, my God, to Thee!" - -Mrs. Mott lived twelve years after her husband's death; then she too -passed away, on November 11, 1880, at the age of eighty-seven. - -All women have cause to remember her with affection, for she braved -public opinion to secure recognition for them. - - - - -[Illustration: MARY LYON] - - -MARY LYON - -(1797-1849) - - "Human kind is but one family. The education of its youth should be - equal and universal." - - —_Frances Wright D'Arusmont_ - - -To-day if a girl wishes to obtain an education equal to that of a man, -the doors of many colleges and other institutions of learning are open -to her. It is not so many years ago that this was not the case. Most -people, then, thought that girls had no need for a knowledge of the -higher branches, and it is largely owing to Mary Lyon that the young -women of to-day have such splendid advantages for education. - -Born in Buckland, in Western Massachusetts, February 28, 1797, Mary -began life, poor and obscure. She was the fifth of a family of seven -children, and her early life was one of hard work and of meager -opportunity. - -Yet it was not unhappy. Her mountain home was well kept, and her -parents governed entirely by kindness, insisting upon gentle words, -pleasant looks and thoughtfulness for others, on the part of all the -children. Out of doors all was beautiful. The mountains, the rocks -and streams, the fine trees which surrounded the house,—all gave the -child much pleasure. To Mary it seemed as though the peaches and the -strawberries raised on their own little farm were larger and more -delicious than any others. Her parents had a wonderful faculty for -making things grow, and the neighbors said that the plants in Mrs. -Lyon's dooryard always bloomed more luxuriantly than any others in the -neighborhood. - -When Mary was four years old her father died, but her mother, with the -help of a hired man, continued the work of the farm and succeeded in -supporting her family. Mary, as she grew up, did much of the housework -and the spinning. In those days, nearly every family spun the thread to -weave the cloth for their own garments, and by the time she was twelve -years old, Mary had become expert at this work. - -At the age of seven, Mary walked two miles to school. She delighted in -her studies and made such rapid progress that visitors to the school -were astonished. Finally, the district school moved still farther away, -and then Mary went to Ashfield to study, living there during school -months and doing housework to pay for her board. - -Every spare moment was spent over her books and, when she was twelve -years old, Mary Lyon determined to become a teacher. None of the other -girls in the school had any definite purpose as to the future. The boys -planned to become carpenters, farmers, teachers, lawyers, or ministers, -but girls were supposed to become wives, mothers and housekeepers, for -which offices no special training was thought necessary. Since that -time, fortunately for the race, public opinion has changed in this -respect; to-day, everybody knows that in order to manage a household -well, to rear children, and to make a happy home, girls need to have a -great deal of knowledge. - -When Mary Lyon announced her intention of being a teacher, the -community was astonished, not to say shocked. It was predicted that she -would fail. Men, not women, were meant for the teaching profession! -Mary's proficiency in her studies, however, could not be denied. Early -and late she pored over her books; in four days, to the amazement of -her teacher, she learned all of Alexander's Grammar and recited it -perfectly. When she was thirteen, her mother married again and went to -live in Ohio, but Mary remained on the farm and kept house for her only -brother. He paid her one dollar a week—a large sum for a girl to earn -in the year 1810. - -For a while it looked as though her high ambitions would never be -realized, but the brave girl did not know the word despair. She studied -all she could and read every book she could lay her hands upon. After -five years spent in this way her brother married and went away, leaving -his sister free to do as she pleased. - -Thus thrown entirely upon her own resources, Mary began her career as a -teacher in Shelburne Falls. Seventy-five cents a week and board made up -her munificent salary. By dint of spinning and weaving for some of the -neighbors, she earned a little more. Luckily, she did not care for fine -clothes or trinkets, so that at the age of twenty she had saved enough -money to enable her to spend a term at Sanderson Academy at Ashfield. -This was her great opportunity and she improved it well, making a real -sensation in the school by her brilliancy. They say that when Mary Lyon -stood up to recite, her class-mates laid aside their tasks to listen to -her. - -The term over, Mary planned to go back to teaching, for she had no -money to continue her studies. It so happened that some of the trustees -of the Academy, hearing of her unusual scholarship, offered her another -term, tuition free. Mary thankfully accepted this favor, and doubtless, -had wonderful dreams of the use she might make of all her knowledge -when she should get it. But, first, she must plan some way to pay her -board while studying. Among her possessions were some bedding, some -table linen, and a few other household articles. These she succeeded -in exchanging at a boarding house for a room and a seat at table. Her -companions in the boarding house told of her that she slept but four -hours, spending all the remainder of her time at her books. - -But though she had now reached a point in scholarship where she could -easily hold a position as teacher, Mary Lyon by no means considered her -education completed. All her vacations were spent in the study of some -branch in which she found herself deficient. She spent some time in the -family of the Reverend Edward Hitchcock, afterward President of Amherst -College, with whom she studied natural science, at the same time taking -lessons in drawing and painting from his wife. - -In 1821, at the age of twenty-four, Mary had saved enough money to -enable her to enter the school of Reverend Joseph Emerson at Byfield. -Her friends were strongly opposed to her going, telling her that she -knew enough already; that, as she would never be a minister, it was -unnecessary for her to study more. But Mary had other ideas, and could -not be diverted from her purpose. - -Mr. Emerson was a broad-minded man of very advanced notions for his -day and generation. He actually believed that women could understand -philosophical subjects as well as men and that, if their minds demanded -good solid food, they ought to have it! His wife was a woman of much -ability, and together they discussed questions of science and religion -with their pupils. - -It was undoubtedly these discussions that turned Mary Lyon's mind and -thoughts to spiritual things. Heretofore, she had been so absorbed in -her passion for general knowledge that the matter of religion had never -touched her. Suddenly the fact burst upon her that all things in this -life were useless and unsatisfying, except as they were used in helping -humanity. From this time on, her work of teaching seemed little short -of inspired. - -When, later, an assistant was wanted at Sanderson Academy, -notwithstanding the opposition of many who believed that a man should -fill the place, Mary Lyon was selected for the position. Before long -one of her former teachers, Miss F. P. Grant, sent for her to fill a -higher position at Derry, New Hampshire. Mary delayed going in order to -take some lessons in chemistry from Professor Eaton of Amherst. - -The school in Derry numbered ninety pupils. It was held only during -the summer months, and during the winter Mary again taught at Ashfield -and Bucklands. She charged twenty-five cents a week for tuition, the -scholars boarding with families in the vicinity, at the rate of $1.25 -weekly. Meanwhile Miss Grant, who had removed to Ipswich, induced Miss -Lyon to join her there. Together they conducted the Ipswich Academy, -and together they worked out their ideas of what a school should be. - -During these years of teaching, Mary Lyon's heart had been full of -sympathy for girls who desired an education but could not obtain it. -There were no scholarships offered in those days and the doors of men's -colleges were closed to women. At Ipswich, Mary found it impossible -to conduct a good school on the income derived from the fees of the -pupils. So she tried to interest wealthy men, ministers, and college -presidents in her plan of forming a high-grade school or college for -women, asking those who were able, to donate a sum of money for the -purpose. - -Most of these men refused to aid her in the project, repeating the -old story that "girls had no need for a knowledge of science or the -classics; that, in fact, they were unfitted for studying advanced -branches." Miss Lyon held a quite different view, and stuck to her -purpose through every discouragement. - -Yet, sometimes even brave Mary Lyon had moments of despondency, when -she would weep bitterly over her failure to interest others in her -plans. But the idea of giving up the work never crossed her mind. She -often said to her pupils, "If you feel depressed, think of others, not -of yourself!" - -About this time she refused a good offer of marriage, saying that her -life was devoted to one purpose and that she must give herself entirely -to her work. She prayed, and begged her mother to pray, for success. -Over and over again she would say: "Commit thy way unto the Lord. He -will keep thee. Women _must_ be educated. They _must_ be!" - -At last her faith turned to a faint hope. People began to be -interested, and she now gave all her time to the work of soliciting -funds. It was her desire to raise the first thousand dollars from -women, and this she succeeded in doing in two months' time. Dr. -Hitchcock, always her staunch friend, aided her with his support and -approval, and one by one broad-minded, noble men lent their assistance, -until the Female Seminary was an assured thing. - -On October 3, 1836, the corner stone of Mount Holyoke Seminary was -laid at South Hadley, Massachusetts. Mary Lyon in writing to a friend -of the occasion said: "I have indeed lived to see the time when a body -of gentlemen has ventured to lay the corner stone of an edifice, which -will cost $15,000 and which will be an institution for the education of -females. This will be an era in female education." - -In about one year the Seminary was opened to pupils. Since its -advantages were intended chiefly to benefit poor girls, the charges -were placed at the low figure of sixty dollars a year for board and -tuition. There were accommodations for eighty pupils, but one hundred -and sixteen attended the first year! - -In order to lessen expenses, as well as to insure good health and to -teach domestic science, all the household work was done by the pupils. -Moreover, if it could be shown that the graduates of the Seminary -had acquired a knowledge of household matters together with their -classical and scientific studies, the prejudice which existed against -education for girls might be lessened. - -Miss Lyon received a salary of two hundred dollars a year, and her -teachers received from one hundred to one hundred and fifty dollars -each. Catherine Beecher once took Mary Lyon to task for the small -salaries paid her teachers. Miss Lyon replied, "In a list of motives -for teaching, I should first place the great motive, 'Love thy neighbor -as thyself'." She aimed to employ only such teachers as would work as -she did—for the benefit of humanity. Her own best reward was the love -which her pupils manifested for her, and the respect with which they -treated her. - -She never had any trouble with discipline because she never required -anything of the students but compliance with the ordinary rules of -lady-like behavior, consideration for others, and attention to their -studies. They were expected to do right, or to go away. The fact is -that none but earnest workers sought to enter Mount Holyoke. - -After twelve years as Principal of Mount Holyoke Seminary, Miss Lyon -died, March 5, 1849, and was buried in the Seminary grounds. Over her -grave is a beautiful monument of white Italian marble bearing the -memorable sentence she uttered when giving her last instruction to her -scholars: - -"There is nothing in the world I fear, but that I shall not know all my -duty or shall fail to do it!" - -To her was due one of the greatest revolutions in the history of our -country. She reversed the prevailing opinion of the men of that time -regarding female education, and was the grand pioneer in a movement -which has gone steadily forward ever since. - -To-day the property of Mount Holyoke is worth $3,000,000. Thousands of -girls have been educated there, many of whom have become missionaries -and teachers. Many others have married, their education enabling them -to be better wives and mothers, and to do their full duty in any -station in life to which they may be called. - - - - -[Illustration: DOROTHEA DIX] - - -DOROTHEA DIX - -(1802-1887) - - "Great women belong to history and to self-sacrifice." - - —_Leigh Hunt_ - - -Dorothea Dix has been called "the most useful and distinguished woman -America has yet produced." Let us follow the events of her life and -decide for ourselves whether this statement is true. - -Dorothea Lynde Dix was born April 4, 1802, at Hampden, Maine. Her -father, Joseph Dix, was a man of unstable character and of a most -singular mental make-up. In fact, he was regarded as almost insane on -religious questions. He wandered about from place to place writing -and publishing tracts, spending in this way the little money he had, -without regard to the needs of his family. His wife and children were -required to assist in the stitching and pasting of the tracts, a -tiresome work which brought them no return. - -At twelve years of age Dorothea rebelled against this labor. She wished -to attend school, but there was little chance for her to study while -she lived with her father. So she ran away from Worcester, where the -family then lived, and went to Boston, the home of her grandmother, -Mrs. Dorothea Lynde Dix. - -Mrs. Dix received the girl as kindly as her nature would permit. But -she was a stern woman, with very strict ideas of training children, -and every piece of work done for her had to be perfectly performed or -severe punishment followed. - -Once, when little Dorothea had failed to accomplish a task as well -as her grandmother thought she should, she was compelled to spend a -whole week alone without speaking to anyone. This sounds cruel, but -Dorothea's grandmother wished to make the child careful and painstaking. - -Poor little Dorothea! She said in after years that she "never knew -childhood." But she submitted to her grandmother's sternness rather -than return to her father and the wandering, useless life he led. She -had always in mind the day when she would be able to support herself -and help her younger brothers. So she studied diligently, and being -clever, made great progress. When she was fourteen, she returned to -Worcester, where she opened a small school for young children. In order -to look old enough for a teacher, she lengthened the skirts of her -dresses and arranged her hair grown-woman fashion. - -The school succeeded, for Dorothea, though always kind and gentle, was -a strict disciplinarian. The year following, she returned to Boston and -studied to fit herself for more advanced work in teaching. In 1821, -when she was nineteen years of age, she opened a day and boarding -school in that city, in a house belonging to her grandmother. Here she -received pupils from the best families in Boston and the neighboring -towns, and was able to send for her brothers and educate them, while -supporting herself. Dorothea's sympathies, meanwhile, were drawn to the -poor children about her, who had no means of obtaining an education -because their parents could not afford to pay the tuition. She put the -matter before her austere grandmother, and begged for the use of a loft -over the stable for a school room for these children. The little "barn -school" was the beginning of a movement that grew, and later resulted -in the Warren Street Chapel. - -You may imagine how happy Dorothea Dix was now,—to be self-supporting -and to be helping others to become so! She managed the two schools, -had the care of her two brothers, and took entire charge of her -grandmother's home. For Mrs. Dix had learned to admire and trust the -granddaughter whom she had once found so careless. - -This amount of work would completely fill the lives of most people, yet -Dorothea found time to prepare a text-book upon _Common Things_. Sixty -editions of the book were printed and sold. It was followed by two -others: _Hymns for Children_ and _Evening Hours_. - -In order to do all this work, she arose early and sat up late into the -night. Naturally her health failed under such a strain. After six years -she gave up her schools, and took a position as governess in a family -living at Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Here she lived much in the open -air, and her great desire for universal knowledge led her to make a -special study of botany and marine life. - -Her health failing again, she visited Philadelphia, and then went South -as far as Alexandria, Virginia, writing short stories the while to -support herself. The winter of 1830 she spent in the West Indies with -the family of Dr. Channing. There she at last regained her health. - -The following spring, Miss Dix returned to Boston, and reopened her -school in the old Dix homestead. Pupils flocked to her, and for five -years the work flourished. Her influence over her pupils was wonderful. -They thought her very beautiful, as indeed she was. Mrs. Livermore -writes of her: "Miss Dix was slight and delicate in appearance. She -must have been beautiful in her youth and was still very sweet looking, -with a soft voice, graceful figure and winning manners." - -In 1836, ill health obliged her to close her school once more. This -time she went to England. Though only thirty-four, she had saved enough -money to enable her to live in comfort without labor. Shortly after, -her grandmother died, leaving her enough to carry out the plans for -helping others, which had become a part of her life. She then returned -from England and made her home in Washington. - -In 1841, however, we find her again in Boston and at this time her real -life work began. It happened that a minister well known to Miss Dix -had charge of a Sunday school in the East Cambridge jail. He needed a -teacher to take charge of a class of twenty women, and asked Miss Dix -if she could tell him of any suitable person. - -Miss Dix thought the matter over and then said, "I will take the class -myself!" - -Her friends objected because of her frail health, but having once -arrived at a decision, Dorothea Dix never changed her mind. As one of -her pupils said, "Fixed as fate, we considered her!" - -The following Sunday, after the session was over, she went into the -jail and talked with many of the prisoners. It seemed that they had -many righteous grievances, one being that no heat of any kind was -provided for their cells. - -When Miss Dix asked the keeper of the jail to heat the rooms, he -replied that the prisoners did not need heat, and that besides, stoves -would be unsafe. Though she begged him to do something to make the -cells more comfortable, he refused. She then brought the case before -the Court in East Cambridge. The Court granted her request and heat was -furnished the prisoners. - -In the East Cambridge jail she saw many things too horrible to believe. -The cells were dirty, the inmates crowded together in poorly ventilated -quarters, the sane and insane often being placed in the same room. -These conditions, and others too sad to mention, she made public -through the newspapers and the pulpits. But she did not stop at this. -Every jail and almshouse in Massachusetts was visited by her; she must -see for herself how the unfortunate inmates were treated. For two years -she traveled about, visiting these institutions and taking notes. Then -she prepared her famous Memorial to the Legislature. - -In this Memorial Miss Dix said: "I proceed, gentlemen, briefly to call -your attention to the present state of insane persons within this -Commonwealth, in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens, chained and -naked, beaten with rods and lashed into obedience." Proofs were offered -for all facts stated. - -The Memorial was presented by Dr. S. G. Howe, husband of Julia Ward -Howe. Dr. Howe was then a member of the Legislature. The conditions -thus made public shocked the entire community, so that, after much -discussion, a bill was passed enlarging the asylum at Worcester. A -small beginning, yet the grand work of reform was started, and Miss Dix -was grateful. - -She then turned her attention to other States, visiting the jails, -almshouses, and insane asylums as far west as Illinois and as far south -as Louisiana. In Rhode Island she found the insane shockingly treated. - -At that time there lived in Providence a very rich man named Butler. -He had never been known to give anything to help the unfortunate, but -Miss Dix decided to appeal to him. People smiled when they heard that -she intended to call upon Mr. Butler and ask him for money. - -During the call, he talked of everything except the subject nearest -Miss Dix's heart, "talking against time," as they say, to prevent her -from putting the vital question. At length she said in a quiet but -forceful manner: - -"_Mr. Butler, I wish you to hear what I have to say._ I bring before -you certain facts involving terrible suffering to your fellow -creatures, suffering you can relieve." - -She then told him what she had seen. - -Mr. Butler heard her story to the end without interruption. Then he -said, - -"What do you want me to do?" - -"I want you to give $50,000 to enlarge the insane hospital in this -city!" - -"Madam, I'll do it!" was the reply. - -After three years of this sort of work, Miss Dix became an expert on -the question of how an insane asylum should be built and managed. In -New Jersey, she succeeded after much hard work in securing the passage -of a bill establishing the New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum, and the -money necessary to build it. This building was a model for the times. - -For twelve years she went up and down through the United States in the -interests of the suffering insane, securing the enlargement of three -asylums and the building of thirteen. - -In 1850, Miss Dix secured the passage of a bill giving twelve million -acres of public lands for the benefit of the poor insane, the deaf -and dumb, and the blind. Applause went up all over the country, yet, -strange to say, after the passage of the bill by both Houses, President -Franklin Pierce vetoed it! - -This was a severe blow to Miss Dix and she again went to Europe for a -rest. But rest she could not. All the large European cities had abuses -of this kind to be corrected, and she must work to help them. - -A most interesting story is told of her encounter with Pope Pius -IX. In vain had she tried to get authority in Rome to enable her to -do something to improve the horrible Italian prisons. She had even -tried, but vainly, to get audience with the Pope. One day she saw his -carriage, _stopped it_, and addressed him, willy-nilly, in _Latin_, -as she knew no Italian. Her enterprise appears to have impressed the -Pope favorably, for he gave her everything she asked for. In her own -country, again, she extended her labors to the Western States. Then the -breaking out of the Civil War rendered such labors useless. - -But now there were the soldiers to help! Her active interest in them -came about in the following way: - -Shortly after April, 1861, she happened to be passing through Baltimore -when the Sixth Regiment of Massachusetts, on its way to Washington, -was stoned by a vast mob, several men being killed. At once Miss Dix -knew what to do. She took the first train she could get for Washington, -and reported at the War Department for free service in the hospitals, -where through Secretary Simon Cameron, she immediately received the -appointment as "Superintendent of Women Nurses." Here, truly, was an -enormous piece of work for her. - -Among her duties were the selection and assignment of women nurses; the -superintendence of the thousands of women already serving; the seeing -that supplies were fairly distributed; and looking after the proper -care of wounded soldiers. Her remarkable executive ability soon brought -order and system out of confusion. It is said that she accepted no -women who were under thirty years of age, and demanded that they be -plain in dress and without beauty. Good health and good moral character -were also, of course, requirements. - -Many of the surgeons and nurses disliked her. They said she was severe, -that she would not listen to any advice nor take any suggestions. The -real cause of her unpopularity, however, was that she demanded of all -about her entire unselfishness and strict devotion to work. Very severe -was she with careless nurses or rough surgeons. - -Two houses were rented by her to hold the supplies sent to her care, -and still other houses were rented for convalescent soldiers or nurses -who needed rest. She employed two secretaries, owned ambulances and -kept them busy, printed and distributed circulars, settled disputes in -matters which concerned her nurses, took long journeys when necessary, -and paid from her own private purse many expenses incurred. Everything -she possessed—fortune, time, strength—she gave to her country in its -time of need. - -During the four years of the War, Miss Dix never took a holiday. Often -she had to be reminded of her meals, so interested was she in the -work. At the close of the War, when the Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, then -Secretary of War, asked her how the nation could best thank her for -her services, she answered, "I would like a flag." - -Two beautiful flags were given to her with a suitable inscription. -These flags she bequeathed to Harvard College, and they now hang over -the doors of Memorial Hall. - -The War over, Miss Dix again took up her work for the insane and for -fifteen years more devoted herself to their welfare. - -In 1881, at the age of seventy-nine, she retired to the hospital she -had been the means of building at Trenton, New Jersey, and here she was -tenderly cared for until her death in 1887. - - - - -[Illustration: MARGARET FULLER D'OSSOLI] - - -MARGARET FULLER D'OSSOLI - -(1810-1850) - - "I have always said it: Nature meant to make woman its masterpiece." - - —_Gotthold Ephraim Lessing_ - - -Margaret Fuller was born in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, May 23, 1810. -Her parents were people of great culture and refinement, and devotedly -attached to each other. Margaret wrote years after her father's death: - -"His love for my mother was the green spot on which he stood apart from -the commonplaces of a mere bread-winning existence. She was one of -those fair, flowerlike natures, which sometimes spring up even beside -the most dusty highways of life. Of all persons whom I have known, she -had in her most of the angelic." - -It was not surprising therefore that Margaret should have inherited -a beautiful nature and a fine mind. She became the idol of her -father, who was fifty years in advance of his neighbors in his ideas -of bringing up girls. Mr. Fuller believed that his daughter should -have as good an education as his boys! But since there were no girls' -colleges, and the boys' colleges were closed to them, he was obliged to -teach Margaret himself. - -At six years of age this clever child began to read Latin. Once, when -she was eight, her father found her so absorbed in _Romeo and Juliet_ -that she did not hear him when he spoke to her. It is probable that -much of Margaret's later ill-health was the result of the severe mental -work demanded of her in childhood by her father. - -Mr. Fuller was certainly very ambitious that Margaret should excel in -her studies. Often she remained up until late at night reciting to him, -not knowing that she was working beyond her strength. - -She describes her life at the age of fifteen in the following manner: - -"I rise a little before five, walk an hour, and then practice on the -piano until seven, when we breakfast. Next, I read French till eight; -then two or three lectures in Brown's Philosophy. About half past nine, -I go to Mr. Perkins's School and study Greek till twelve, when, the -school being dismissed, I recite, go home, and practice again till -dinner at two. Then when I can, I read two hours in Italian." - -Though frail in body and plain in looks, this young girl grew to -be a fascinating and attractive woman. Men and women of prominence -fell under the influence of her charms. At seventeen, her unusual -intellectual qualities gained her the friendship of Rev. James Freeman -Clark; and later she became a valued friend of the Emerson family. - -At the age of twenty-three, Margaret taught in the famous school of -Mr. Alcott in Boston. Through working with this great educator, she -met most of the gifted men and women of the time. Elizabeth Peabody, -another remarkable woman, to whom we are indebted for bringing -Froebel and the Kindergarten into notice in the United States, -became Margaret's friend, and together these two labored to revive -intellectual thought among women. - -When Mr. Alcott ceased teaching, Margaret became Principal of a school -in Providence, Rhode Island. But longing to become better educated -herself, she resigned from her position to give private lessons in -the higher branches, meanwhile studying languages. So great were her -acquisitive powers that before long she had a good teaching knowledge -of Latin, Greek, German, French, and Italian. - -Her greatest gift was her ability to entertain people by conversing -with them. Deeply interested in the welfare of women, her talent for -talking led her to open a "School of Conversation." A large number of -intelligent, educated women met in the home of Miss Elizabeth Peabody -where, led by Margaret Fuller, they discussed important books and -philosophical subjects. Her idea was to induce women to do something -worth while with their knowledge. - -These _Conversations_ were ridiculed by the community at large, yet -they were continued successfully for five years, and attracted many -serious and intellectual women who felt the need of mental activity. -At last the _Conversations_ became an old story, and Margaret looked -about for other occupation. One came to her in the form of an editorial -position on the New York Tribune offered her by Horace Greeley, the -editor-in-chief. She used her pen, also, for the benefit of the people, -writing editorials to influence the rich to help the poor, the unjust -to become just. She also translated books from foreign languages, and -kept a journal which was published after her death. - -In 1847, Miss Fuller went to Rome to live, and while there met a -handsome young Italian named Giovanni Angelo, the Marchese d'Ossoli. -This gentleman had been discarded by his family for his part in a -political movement led by Mazzini for the independence of Italy. His -troubles attracted Margaret to him, they became attached to each other, -and finally married. - -It was necessary, however, to keep the marriage a secret, Margaret -being a Protestant. During the siege of Rome by the French army in -1849, Margaret, still known as Miss Fuller, took an active part in -hospital work, spending the greater part of her time in nursing the -sick and wounded. - -The Marchese d'Ossoli, had charge of the battery on Pincian Hill, the -most exposed of all positions. Such great fear was felt for the men -stationed there that Margaret summoned Mr. Cass, the American minister -at Rome, and gave him certain letters and papers. He was astonished to -learn from these that she was married to d'Ossoli, and that the package -contained the certificate of their marriage and that of the birth and -baptism of their child; also that she intended to go to the Pincian -Hill, remain with her husband and die with him if necessary. - -Mr. Cass willingly took charge of these papers, and watched the -Marchese and Margaret walk away together as if on a pleasant stroll. -They survived the night, however, and next morning the French army -entered Rome. Soon after, the Marchese and Marchesa with their child -left Rome for Florence, to sail for America as soon as possible. - -It is recorded that both dreaded the voyage, as d'Ossoli had been -told by a fortune-teller to avoid the sea, and Margaret had a strong -presentiment of disaster. - -They sailed May 5, 1850, and from the first the voyage was a bad -one. The captain died of small-pox and had to be buried at sea. -Then wind-storms delayed them; and when little Angelo was taken ill -with small-pox, the agony of the parents may be imagined. The child -recovered, but on July 19, during a terrific gale, the vessel was -wrecked off Fire Island, and Margaret, her husband, and her child were -lost. - -A trunk containing papers and manuscripts belonging to Margaret was -picked up, and in this way her relatives and friends came to know the -true history of her life abroad. - - - - -[Illustration: HARRIET BEECHER STOWE] - - -HARRIET BEECHER STOWE - -(1811-1896) - - "Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works praise her - at the gates." - - —_Solomon_ - - -Few women's names have made so vivid a mark upon the history of our -country as that of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's -Cabin. - -On June 14, 1811, in the little town of Litchfield, Connecticut, -Harriet first saw the light of day. She was the seventh child, the -eldest being but eleven years of age. Just two years after Harriet was -born came a little brother, Henry Ward, who became the renowned pastor -of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn. - -Harriet's father, the Reverend Lyman Beecher, was a man of marked -ability, and her mother, Roxanna Beecher, was a woman whose beautiful -life has been a help to many. The family was a large one to be -supported on a salary of five hundred dollars a year, and in order -to assist, Roxanna Beecher started a select school, where she taught -French, drawing, painting and embroidery, as well as the higher -English branches. - -A great grief came to little Harriet, when she was between three and -four, in the death of her mother. Certain things in connection with -this event, as the funeral, the mourning dresses, and the walk to the -burial ground, never left her memory. Her little mind was confused by -being told that her mother had gone to heaven, when Harriet had with -her own eyes seen her laid in the ground. Her brother Henry suffered -likewise from this confusion of thought. He was found one day in the -garden digging diligently. When his elder sister Catherine asked him -what he was doing, he answered: "I'm going to heaven to find mamma!" - -When Harriet was six, her father married again. At first the little -girl, who had loved her own mother so dearly, felt very sad about this; -but she afterward learned to love and respect her new mother. - -Harriet had a remarkable memory. At seven she had memorized -twenty-seven hymns and two long chapters in the Bible. She read -fluently, and continually searched her father's library for books -which might interest her. Very few did she find there, however. Most -of the titles filled her childish soul with awe, and she longed for -the time when she could understand and enjoy such works as Bonnett's -_Inquiries_, Bell's _Sermons_, and Bogue's _Essays_. - -One day good luck befell her. In the bottom of a barrel of old sermons -she came upon a well-worn volume of _The Arabian Nights_. Imagine her -joy! A world of enchantment opened to her. When _Ivanhoe_ fell in her -way, she and her brother George read it through, together, seven times. - -It was in the school of Mr. John P. Brace that Harriet discovered -her taste for writing. Her compositions were remarkable for their -cleverness; when one of them was read at the entertainment at the close -of the year, Harriet's cup of joy was full to the brim. - -About this time Harriet's elder sister, Catherine, opened a school -in Hartford. The circumstances which led her to do so were very sad. -Catherine, who was remarkably gifted, had been engaged to Professor -Fisher of Yale, a brilliant and promising young man. These young people -expected to be married on the return of the Professor from a European -trip. But the vessel on which he sailed was wrecked, and he never came -back. - -This almost prostrated Catherine, but her strong nature rose to meet -the blow. She determined to devote her life to the work of helping -girls. After hard work she raised several thousands of dollars and -built the Hartford Female Seminary, where girls studied subjects -heretofore taught only in boys' colleges, and received an education -more on an equality with that given to boys. - -People of that time wondered what use girls would make of Latin and -philosophy, but Miss Beecher's able management of the school and her -womanly and scholarly attainments so filled them with admiration that -they gladly put their daughters in her charge. Here also entered twelve -year old Harriet, not only as a pupil, but a pupil teacher, that she -might help her father in paying the expenses of his large family. The -experience of Harriet in this school was of much use in after life. She -had to master problems without any assistance from others, and in doing -this, she became self-reliant. - -About ten years after this, her father was called to become President -of Lane Theological Seminary at Cincinnati, Ohio. Catherine and Harriet -felt bound to go with him, to help him in the new field of work. The -journey, made by stage-coach across the mountains, was very tiresome. -They settled in Walnut Hills, a suburb of Cincinnati, where the -sisters opened another school. - -In 1836, Harriet married Calvin E. Stowe, professor of Biblical -Criticism and Oriental Literature in the Lane Seminary. Mr. Stowe, -together with other intelligent men in Ohio at that time, was much -interested in the advancement of education in the common schools. -In order to study the question and to purchase books for the Lane -Seminary, Mr. Stowe was sent abroad. This happened shortly after his -marriage. - -During his absence Harriet lived in Cincinnati with her father and -brother, writing short stories and essays for publication and assisting -her brother, Henry Ward, who was then editing a small daily paper. - -The question of slavery had become an exciting topic in Cincinnati. -Being near the borderland of Kentucky, a slave state, this city -naturally became the center of heated discussions. Many slaves who -escaped sought refuge in Cincinnati, and people who were friendly to -their cause assisted them to reach Canada, where they were safe from -capture by their so called masters. - -Among the students of Lane Seminary were both Northerners and -Southerners, and many fierce debates as to the rights and wrongs of -slavery were carried on in that institution. The feeling was very -intense and excitement ran high. Dr. Bailey, an editor who attempted to -carry on in his newspaper a fair discussion of the slavery question, -had his presses broken and thrown into the river. - -Mrs. Stowe took into her family, as servant, a colored girl from -Kentucky. Though by the laws of Ohio this girl was free, having been -brought into the state by her mistress and left there, yet it was -rumored that some one had come to the city from over the border hunting -for her, with the intention of taking her back into slavery. Mrs. Stowe -and Henry Ward Beecher drove the poor girl by night twelve miles into -the country and left her with an old friend until such time as the -search for her should be given up. This incident served Mrs. Stowe as -the basis of her description in _Uncle Tom's Cabin_ of Eliza's escape -from Tom Loker and Marks. - -Houses of free colored people were burned and even Lane Seminary stood -in danger from the mob. Mr. Stowe and his family slept with firearms at -hand ready to defend themselves if necessary. When the trustees of the -college forbade all discussion of the question of slavery, nearly all -the students left the institution. - -Then Mrs. Stowe opened her house to colored children and taught them. -One boy in her school was claimed by a master in Kentucky, arrested and -put up at auction. Mrs. Stowe raised sufficient money to buy him and -gave it to his distracted mother, who thus saved him. Heart-rending -incidents like this were continually brought to the attention of the -Stowe family, until at last they felt unable to endure the situation. -They decided to come North where Mr. Stowe accepted a position in -Bowdoin College, Maine. - -Very poor was the Stowe family in those days. Mrs. Stowe earned a -little now and then, by her writings, and from a few boarders. She had -now apparently all she could do, with a family of young children whom -she herself taught, with her writing, and with caring for the strangers -in the house; but even so, she could never get out of her mind those -wretched creatures, her brothers and sisters, who were being bought and -sold. What could she do for them? - -The most frequent topic of conversation everywhere was the proposed law -called The Fugitive Slave Act. This law would give the slave-holders -of the South the right to bring back into slavery any colored person -claimed as a slave, and also commanded the people of the North to -assist in the business of pursuit. Public feeling grew more and more -heated, but the law was passed. After its passage many pitiable scenes -occurred. The Stowe and Beecher families received frequent letters -telling of shocking incidents. Families were broken up, children -sold and sent far from their parents, while many slaves who ran away -perished from cold and hunger. - -One day Mrs. Stowe received a letter from her sister-in-law, Mrs. -Edward Beecher, which she read to her family. When she came to this -passage: _Now, Hattie, if I could use a pen as you can, I would write -something that would make the whole nation feel what an accursed thing -slavery is_, Mrs. Stowe stood up, an expression upon her face which -those who saw it never forgot. - -What she said, however, was simply, "I _will_ write something! I will, -if I live!" - -Some months after this Mrs. Stowe was seated at communion in the -college church at Brunswick, when the scene of the death of Uncle Tom -passed through her mind as clearly as in a vision. She hastened home, -wrote out the chapter on his death, as it now stands, and then read it -to her assembled family. Her two sons aged eleven and twelve years -burst out crying, saying, "Oh, mamma! Slavery is the most cruel thing -in the world!" - -When two or three more chapters were ready, she offered it for -publication to Dr. Bailey, then in Washington, and _Uncle Tom's Cabin_ -was first published as a serial in his paper _The National Era_. For it -Mrs. Stowe received three hundred dollars. - -When completed, it was published by Jewett of Boston, in March, 1852, -meeting with instant success. In ten days ten thousand copies were -sold. Thirty different editions appeared in London in six months, and -it was translated into twenty foreign languages. It was dramatized, and -several theaters were playing it at one time. In less than a year over -three hundred thousand copies were sold. - -Mrs. Stowe "woke up to find herself famous,"—not to say wealthy. -Letters of congratulation poured in upon her from all parts of the -world. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert sent hearty thanks. Charles -Dickens wrote, "Your book is worthy of any head and any heart that ever -inspired a book." Charles Kingsley wrote, "It is perfect!" - -The poet Whittier wrote to Garrison, "What a glorious work Harriet -Beecher Stowe has wrought! Thanks for the Fugitive Slave Law! Better -would it be for slavery if that law had never been enacted, for it gave -occasion for _Uncle Tom's Cabin_!" - -Longfellow also wrote in praise of the book, and letters were received -from most of the noted men who opposed slavery. - -The possibility of making money by the publication of this book was -quite remote from Mrs. Stowe's disinterested mind. As she wrote in a -letter to a friend: "Having been poor all my life, and expecting to -be poor for the rest of it, the idea of making money by a book which -I wrote just because I could not help it, never occurred to me." But -from this time forth she was to be free from the anxieties of poverty. -As the first payment of three months' sale, Mrs. Stowe received ten -thousand dollars. - -The following year Professor and Mrs. Stowe went to Great Britain, -having been urgently invited to visit in many Scotch and English -houses. Even in foreign lands, Mrs. Stowe found herself known and -loved. Crowds greeted her in Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and -London. Children ran ahead of her carriage, throwing flowers to her, -and officials of the Anti-Slavery Societies met her and offered -hospitality. - -A national penny offering, turned into a thousand golden sovereigns, -was presented to her on a magnificent silver salver for the advancement -of the cause for which she had written. This offering came from all -classes of people. - -A personal gift which Mrs. Stowe valued highly was a superb gold -bracelet presented by the beautiful Duchess of Sutherland who -entertained her at Stafford House. It was made in the form of a slave's -shackle and bore the inscription, "We trust it is a memorial of a chain -that is soon to be broken." On two of the links were already inscribed -the dates of the abolition of slave trade and of slavery in the English -territories. Years afterward, on the clasp of the bracelet, Mrs. Stowe -had engraved the date of the Constitutional Amendment abolishing -slavery in the United States. - -Upon Mrs. Stowe's return from her visit to Europe in the autumn -of 1853, she became very active in public affairs. She supported -anti-slavery lectures, established schools for the colored people, -assisted in buying ill-treated slaves and setting them free, and -arranged public meetings for the advancement of anti-slavery opinions, -using the money which had been given to her in England to support the -work. In addition, she kept up a correspondence with influential men -and women on the subject of the abolition of slavery. - -The books she wrote after this were _Sunny Memories of Foreign Lands_; -_Dred_, a great anti-slavery story; _The Minister's Wooing_; _Agnes of -Sorrento_; _The Pearl of Orr's Island_; and _Old Town Folks_. All have -been widely read, but _Uncle Tom's Cabin_, though lacking in literary -form and finish, written as it was at white heat and with no thought -of anything but its object, remains her greatest work. It made the -enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law impossible, by making people see -slavery in all its inhumanity. - -In addition to her books, Mrs. Stowe wrote an appeal to the women of -America, in which she set forth the injustice and misery of slavery, -begging all thoughtful women to use their influence to have the wicked -system abolished. Here are a few paragraphs: - - What can the women of a country do? Oh! women of the free states, - what did your brave mothers do in the days of the Revolution? Did not - liberty in those days feel the strong impulse of woman's heart? - - For the sake, then, of our dear children, for the sake of our common - country, for the sake of outraged and struggling liberty throughout - the world, let every woman of America now do her duty! - -Nobly, indeed, did the women of America respond to her call, for -during the Civil War, which was begun before the abolition of slavery -was an accomplished fact, the women, though they went not to the war -themselves, loyally sent out their fathers, husbands and brothers. Who -shall say these women were not heroic? - -After the close of the Civil War, Mrs. Stowe purchased a home in -Florida overlooking the St. John's River, where she lived during the -winter, going in summer to her old home in Hartford. - -On her seventieth birthday, June 14, 1882, her publishers, Messrs. -Houghton, Mifflin Company, of Boston, gave a reception for her in -the form of a garden party at the beautiful residence of ex-Governor -Claflin of Massachusetts in Newtonville, one of Boston's fine suburbs. -Here gathered men and women well known in the literary and artistic -world, eager to do honor to the woman whose life had been such an -inspiration to others, and whose work of such benefit to mankind. Mr. -Houghton made an address of congratulation and welcome, to which Henry -Ward Beecher replied. Oliver Wendell Holmes spoke, and many poems and -letters from noted persons were read. - -This was the last public appearance of Mrs. Stowe. Her husband died in -August, 1886, and she herself, passed away July 1, 1896, at Hartford, -at the age of eighty-four. She was buried in the cemetery of the -Theological Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts, next to her husband. - - - - -[Illustration: MARIA MITCHELL] - - -MARIA MITCHELL - -(1818-1889) - - "On the cultivation of women's minds depends the wisdom of men." - - —_Richard Brinsley Sheridan_ - - -Maria Mitchell was born on the Island of Nantucket, Massachusetts, -August 1, 1818, and to-day if you go there, you may see a monument -erected to her memory. - -Her ancestors were Quakers who had fled hither from Massachusetts -because of religious persecution. Nantucket Island then belonged to -New York State, and here these good people were free to worship God as -they pleased. Almost all of the inhabitants of the Island belonged to -the Society of Friends, from which sect have sprung many of our notable -men and women, among them John G. Whittier, "the Quaker Poet," who all -his life wore the Quaker garb and spoke the language of that religious -society. - -The Mitchell family were not very strict; that is, they did not wear -the plain clothes of the sect, although they probably used the "thee" -and "thou." Maria's mother was a woman of great strength of character. -Her father was a kindly gentleman, whose affection for his children was -so great that he could refuse them nothing. Often Mrs. Mitchell was -obliged to check him, fearing they would be spoiled by his indulgence. - -The little girls were brought up to be industrious. They learned to -make their own clothes by making those of their dolls, and frequently -they made their own dolls, too, the eldest sister painting the faces. - -Maria received the first rudiments of her education from her mother -and an excellent woman teacher, but not until she entered her father's -school, at the age of eleven, did she begin to show marked ability as a -student. - -Mr. Mitchell was greatly interested in the study of astronomy, and -owned a small telescope, which he used to examine the heavens at night. -Maria was especially fond of her father's pursuit. She also had a -taste for mathematics, without which astronomy as a science cannot be -mastered, and she watched, patient and absorbed, when her father would -compute distances by means of his scientific instruments. There was -no school in the country where Maria Mitchell could be taught higher -mathematics, so she continued to study with her father. - -Every fine night the telescope was placed in Mr. Mitchell's back yard, -and the neighbors would come in to gaze through it at the moon and -the planets. Little Maria was always on hand listening for scraps of -information. - -In 1831, and while Maria was still a child, there occurred a total -eclipse of the sun at Nantucket. With her father, Maria observed -this eclipse through a new Dolland telescope which had been recently -purchased and, for the first time in her life, counted the seconds of -the eclipse. At that time she was studying with Mr. Cyrus Pierce, who -took a great interest in her, and who helped her in her mathematics. - -At the age of sixteen she left school, becoming for a while an -assistant teacher, but she soon gave up teaching to accept the new -position of librarian in the Nantucket Atheneum. This post she -continued to fill for twenty years. She had much time while acting as a -librarian to study her favorite subject, and she used the opportunity -to advantage. - -Every evening Miss Mitchell spent on the housetop "sweeping" the -heavens. One memorable evening, October 1, 1847, she had put on her -old clothes and taken her lantern to the roof as usual. After gazing -through her telescope for a few minutes, she observed an object which -she concluded must be a comet. Hurriedly she called her father, who -also examined the unusual body in the heavens and agreed with her that -it was a comet. - -He immediately announced the discovery to Professor Bond of Cambridge. -It was learned afterward that the same comet had been seen in Rome by -an astronomer on October 3, and in England by another on October 7, -and still later in Germany. To Maria Mitchell was given the credit of -the first discovery, and she received the gold medal which had been -promised by the King of Denmark to the first discoverer of a telescopic -comet. This brought her letters of congratulation from astronomers in -all parts of the world. - -Miss Mitchell had always had a desire to travel abroad, and as her -tastes were simple she soon saved enough from her small salary to -enable her to do so. During her visits in foreign countries, she met -many eminent scientists, among them Herschel, Airy, Mrs. Somerville, -and Humboldt. The plain Nantucket lady was perfectly at home in the -society of these distinguished people, whose tastes and occupations -were similar to her own. They all opened their observatories for her -inspection and their homes for social intercourse. - -The Greenwich Observatory especially interested Miss Mitchell. It -stands in Greenwich Park, which comprises a group of hills with many -beautiful oak trees which are said to date back to the time of Queen -Elizabeth. The observatory was then in charge of Sir George Airy, who -showed Miss Mitchell all the treasures of the place, among them the -instruments used by the great astronomers Halley, Bradley, and Pond. -The meridian of Greenwich is the zero point of longitude for the -globe, and you can perhaps imagine the pleasure which Miss Mitchell -experienced in being on the spot where time is set for the whole world. - -Miss Mitchell became Professor of Astronomy and Director of the -Observatory at Vassar College, where her work gave the subject a -prominence which it has never had in any other woman's college. She -was not only a famous astronomer, but a noble, inspiring woman, much -interested in the higher education of women and devoting much of her -time to advancing this work. Many a young girl can trace the success -of her life work to the impulse she received from Maria Mitchell. - -At the age of sixty-nine Miss Mitchell's health began to fail and she -resigned her position in the College, going to live at her home in -Lynn, Massachusetts, where she died June 28, 1889. - - - - -[Illustration: LUCY STONE] - - -LUCY STONE - -(1818-1893) - - "Woman is a creation between men and the angels." - - —_Honoré de Balzac_ - - -In the town of West Brookfield, Massachusetts, in 1818, lived a farmer, -named Francis Stone, and his wife, a gentle and beautiful woman, whose -life was spent in devotion to her husband and in aiding him in his work -on the farm. Mrs. Stone worked continuously from early morning until -late at night, often milking eight cows after the necessary housework -was done. The family consisted of seven children. When, on August 18th, -the eighth was born, and Mrs. Stone was told that the new baby was a -girl, she said, "Oh, dear! I am sorry it is a girl. A woman's life is -so hard!" - -It seems as if this little girl, who was called Lucy, must have -understood her mother's words, for, as she grew up, she showed very -clearly that she intended to try to make life easier for all women. -Her childhood was spent in doing useful work about the house and on -the farm. She cooked, swept, dusted, made butter and soap. She drove -the cows, planted seeds, weeded the garden,—in short, was never idle. -But all the time she worked in this way, Lucy was thinking deeply and -comparing her life with that of her brother at college. She pondered -deeply over questions like the following: - -Why are not girls permitted to earn their living like their brothers? - -Why is it that mother works so hard, and father has all the money? - -Why are boys given the great benefits of a college education and girls -refused it? - -She could think of no satisfactory answers. At last, gathering up her -courage, she asked her father to assist her to go to college like her -brothers. Mr. Stone was both astonished and angry. He told Lucy that -it was enough for her to learn how to read and cipher and write, as -her mother did. But Lucy persisted in her determination to gain an -education. She earned a little money by picking berries and gathering -chestnuts, and with it she bought some books. Her mother could not help -her, for, though she worked very hard, she had not a penny to bless -herself with. Her husband took all that came in through their joint -labors, and spent it as he thought best. - -When Lucy had learned enough to fit her for teaching, she got a -position in a district school at a salary of one dollar per week. A -little later she was earning sixteen dollars a month, and when her -brother, who received thirty dollars a month for teaching, became ill, -Lucy took his place, receiving sixteen dollars for exactly the same -work. The committee said that sixteen dollars was enough for a woman. - -Lucy Stone studied for a while at Mt. Holyoke Seminary under Mary -Lyon, and also at Wilbraham Academy, and later at Oberlin College, -Ohio, which was then the only college in the country willing to admit -women,—all the while paying her own tuition fees by means of teaching -and doing housework in boarding houses. - -When the question of slavery came into prominence, Lucy Stone quickly -took her position as a friend of the slave. She taught in a school for -colored people, which was established at Oberlin, and her first public -speech was made in their behalf. Though severely criticized for her -public speaking and obliged to bear unpleasant comment because of it, -she never swerved from her idea of what she believed to be right. - -Soon she was engaged by the Anti-Slavery Society, in which William -Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips were officers, to lecture for their -cause, and while doing so, traveled over the greater part of the United -States, speaking both for woman suffrage and for the abolition of -slavery. - -But the rights of woman stood first in the heart of Lucy Stone. As a -child, she had seen her mother overruled by a stern husband, who never -allowed her an opinion contrary to his will, nor a penny to use without -his sanction. - -It may have been because of this early object lesson that Lucy Stone -made up her mind never to marry; or because she thought that she could -carry on her work for the advancement of women better by being entirely -free. Nevertheless, she did consent to marry Mr. Henry B. Blackwell, a -merchant of Cincinnati, Ohio, who overcame her objections by sharing -all her views on suffrage and slavery, and they were married by Rev. -Thomas Wentworth Higginson, May 1, 1855. - -Before their marriage Mr. Blackwell and Lucy signed a protest which -read: - - We believe that personal independence and equal human rights can never - be forfeited except for crime; that marriage should be an equal and - permanent partnership and so recognized by law. - -This protest was the beginning of much serious thought about the rights -of man and woman as individuals, and led the way to improved laws. In -most states, to-day, a married woman may own her own property and may -will a part of it away from her husband, if she wishes to; she may live -an individual life, also, and control equally with her husband the -education of their children. - -Lucy Stone retained her maiden name, never adopting that of her -husband. Their married life proved to be remarkably happy, one child, a -daughter, being born to them. - -Mrs. Stone helped to organize the American Equal Rights Association, -which grew into the American Woman Suffrage Association. William Lloyd -Garrison, George William Curtis, Colonel Higginson, Julia Ward Howe, -and other prominent people joined in the work with her. She served -as President of the New England Woman Suffrage Association, and even -studied law that she might learn how to correct legal injustice to -women. In 1877, Mrs. Stone and Mr. Blackwell went to Colorado to assist -in the Woman Suffrage movement in that state. Sixteen years later the -constitutional amendment granting the suffrage to woman was carried by -popular vote, and women were given "exactly the same rights as men in -exercising the elective franchise." - -Lucy Stone did not live to see success in Colorado, but she did see -school suffrage gained in twenty-two states, and full suffrage in -Wyoming. She lived, also, to see many great colleges admit women. - -In the summer of 1893, Mrs. Stone was obliged to rest from her labors. -A little later she wrote Mrs. Livermore, her devoted friend and -co-worker: "I have dropped out, and you will go on without me! Good-by. -If we don't meet again, never mind. We shall meet sometime, somewhere; -be sure of that." - -She passed away in the presence of her husband and her daughter, Alice, -on October 18. Her gentleness and sweetness of character had made her -beloved by all, and her great work for the advancement of woman in -intellectual, social, and political life will never be forgotten. - - - - -[Illustration: JULIA WARD HOWE] - - -JULIA WARD HOWE - -(1819-1910) - - "We all are architects of fate, - Working in these walls of time, - Some with massive deeds and great, - Some with ornaments of rhyme." - - —_Henry W. Longfellow_ - - -Julia Ward Howe was born May 27, 1819, in New York City. Her father, -Samuel Ward, was a wealthy banker, and her mother a descendant of the -Marions of South Carolina, being a grand-niece of General Marion. - -Both parents came from families of refined and scholarly tastes, and -little Julia directly inherited her love of good books. Her mother died -at an early age, leaving six little children, Julia, the fourth, being -then only five years old. - -Julia, who from babyhood had given promise of superior intellectual -attainments, received special attention from her father. Mr. Ward -was anxious that she should know the joy which only true knowledge -and right living can give. He did not wish her to become merely a -fashionable girl with no thought of doing anything in life but amuse -herself. Every advantage was given her, therefore, for reading, and the -best teachers in music, German, and Italian were selected for her. - -Julia well repaid this care. She showed great fondness for books, and -at nine years of age was studying Paley's _Moral Philosophy_ in a -class with girls twice her age. At fourteen, she was an accomplished -musician. Her friends thought she should devote her life to music, but -she was equally fond of literature. At sixteen she wrote her first -poem. Her brother, Samuel Ward, Jr., shared in all her tastes, and -together the brother and sister enjoyed the society of the most noted -musicians and literary men and women of the day, the poet Longfellow -being one of their closest friends. - -The death of their beloved father brought a change in the home, and -the family went to live with an uncle, Mr. John Ward. Julia continued -to spend her time in the cultivation of her mind and in the enjoyment -of the fine arts. She excelled in the study of the German language, -reading Goethe, Schiller, Swedenborg, Kant, and other great German -poets and philosophers, and translating much of their work. She wrote -many verses and began to dream of publishing a play. - -In Boston, Julia Ward was a welcome addition to the circle of -distinguished literary people then living there. She met Margaret -Fuller, Horace Mann, Charles Sumner, Ralph Waldo Emerson. All were -charmed with the brilliant and intellectual young woman from New York. -Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, a philanthropist and reformer, was one of this -delightful group. - -Dr. Howe, a graduate of Brown University, was deeply interested in the -Greek War for Independence. He went to Greece to offer his services as -a surgeon and for the purpose of organizing hospitals, but later took -such an active part in the war that he endeared himself to the Greeks -for his assistance and sympathy. Contracting a fever, however, he was -obliged to leave Greece for a better climate. For some time he traveled -abroad, studying and attending lectures. - -But to help others was his sole object in life. At that time there -were no schools for the blind in the United States. Through Dr. Howe's -influence, men of wealth became interested in this matter and helped -him to establish such a school. Going again to Europe, to investigate -such schools in foreign lands, he was temporarily turned aside from -his project by the condition of Poland, oppressed as it then was by -Prussia. In consequence of the assistance he gave this unhappy country, -he was arrested, and imprisoned for some time. - -All the world knows now of Dr. Howe through his kindness to Laura -Bridgman, a child, who at the age of two years, and before she had -learned to speak, became blind and deaf through a severe illness. When -she was about eight, Dr. Howe took her into his home and taught her to -read, write, do needlework, and play the piano. His success with Laura -was so great that he, later, gave almost his entire energy to work for -feeble-minded children and in this accomplished many wonderful results. - -Dr. Howe fell in love with Julia Ward. Two such souls could hardly meet -and not love each other. Though he was eighteen years older than she, -similar tastes and aims naturally united them. - -Their marriage took place when Julia was twenty-four years of age. Soon -after the wedding, Dr. and Mrs. Howe made an extensive tour of Europe. -For five months they lived in Rome, where their first child was born. - -On their return to Boston, Dr. Howe bought a large estate near the -Institute for the Blind, of which he was a Director, and in this happy -home were born five more children. While a devoted mother, Mrs. Howe -still found time to continue her studies, reading the Latin poets and -the German philosophers, and all the while writing essays and poems for -the magazines. - -At the age of thirty-five she published her first volume of poems -entitled _Passion Flowers_, and two years later, another called _Words -for the Hour_. She also assisted her husband in editing the _Boston -Commonwealth_, an anti-slavery newspaper, for in this cause both became -leaders, being associated with Garrison, Sumner, Phillips, Higginson, -and Theodore Parker. - -In 1862, Mrs. Howe published in the _Atlantic Monthly_ her best known -poem, _Battle Hymn of the Republic_. This inspiring hymn reached the -prisoners in Libby Prison through Chaplain McCabe, who sang it to -celebrate a victory of the Union troops. After Chaplain McCabe was -released from prison, and while he was lecturing in Washington, he -narrated this incident. This attracted the attention of the public, so -that the beautiful hymn soon became popular throughout the country. -Later, it became the battle cry of the Union army, being sung by the -men as they marched into action. - -When Colonel T. W. Higginson urged Mrs. Howe to sign a call for a Woman -Suffrage Convention to be held in Boston, she not only signed, but -attended the Convention, and later became intimately associated with -the movement, often making speeches on the subject. - -She was a delegate to the Congress for Prison Reform in England, -where, besides speaking earnestly against the flogging of prisoners, -she also urged arbitration as the means of settling international -disputes. In her own country, she organized the Women's Peace Festival, -with the object of turning the attention of women to the horrors and -needlessness of war. Thus we find this remarkable woman always in the -van of progress and generally much ahead of her time. - -In 1876, after a brief illness, Dr. Howe died. Mrs. Howe then took her -daughter Maud to Europe, where she remained for two years, trying by -travel to dull the sharp edge of her affliction. It was at this time -that Mrs. Howe took up the study of Greek, in which she became very -proficient, and the study of which she kept up until her last illness. - -For a long period of years Mrs. Howe lectured and wrote on subjects -which concerned the social improvement of mankind. - -Almost her last appearance in public was at the reception given to -the representatives of twenty-seven nations by the Hudson-Fulton -Celebration Commission at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York City. -Mrs. Howe read an original poem written for the occasion. While she -read, the entire audience stood respectfully, and as she sat down, -all joined in singing the _Battle Hymn of the Republic_. Her really -last appearance in public was but two weeks before her death, at -the inauguration of the second president of Smith College, at which -function she was given the degree of LL. D. - -Mrs. Howe died October 18, 1910, at her country place in Portsmouth. -She will long be remembered for her work in the anti-slavery cause and -for the advancement of woman, for her literary merits, and for her -beautiful domestic life. - - - - -[Illustration: QUEEN VICTORIA - -_From an old engraving_] - - -QUEEN VICTORIA - -(1819-1901) - - "Her court was pure; her life serene; - God gave her peace; her land reposed; - A thousand claims to reverence closed - In her as Mother, Wife and Queen." - - —_Alfred Tennyson_ - - -On May 24, 1819, a little girl was born in Kensington Palace, London, -who received the name of Victoria. Her father, Edward, the Duke of -Kent, was the fourth son of King George III. - -At the time of Victoria's birth it seemed unlikely that she would ever -become queen. Between her and the crown stood three uncles and her -father. But when, in January, 1820, within a few days of each other her -father and the King died, it began to be seen that Victoria would in -all probability become the future ruler of England. In consequence, her -education was conducted with the greatest care. Her mother, the Duchess -of Kent, devoted herself to the child and made every effort to develop -in her all that was good and noble. - -Victoria lived a quiet and natural life in the open air, having for -instructor a tutor who was a clergyman of the Church of England. When -lessons were over, the little Princess used to go out into Kensington -Gardens, where she rode a donkey gaily decked with blue ribbons. Here -she also walked, and would kiss her hand to the children who sometimes -gathered about and looked through the railing to see a real Princess. - -Victoria was very fond of dolls. She had one hundred and thirty-two, -which she kept in a house of their own. She herself made their -clothes, and the neatness of her needlework surprised all who saw it. -The Princess grew up a merry, affectionate, simple-hearted child, -thoughtful for the comfort of others, and extremely truthful. - -Victoria's baptismal name was Alexandra Victoria. She preferred to be -called by the latter name, but to the English people "Victoria" had a -foreign sound and was not very popular. It remained for the Queen to -make it illustrious and beloved. - -By the death of George IV in 1830, William, Duke of Clarence, came to -the throne. As he had no children who might succeed to the throne, -Victoria became the direct heir. King William was a good-natured, -undignified sort of man, often ridiculous in his public actions. He -encouraged Victoria to take part in public ceremonies, and if there was -a hall to be dedicated, or a bridge to be opened, or a statue unveiled, -the little Princess was called upon quite often to act for the King at -the ceremony. - -William reigned only nine years, expiring one morning in June, 1837, at -Saint James's Palace in London. - -When a king or queen dies, it is the custom for persons of high rank to -go immediately and salute the new king or queen. - -As soon as William, therefore, had drawn his last breath, the -Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Chamberlain went straight to -Kensington Palace to notify Victoria that she had succeeded to the -throne. It was five o'clock in the morning, and as she had just arisen -from bed, she received them in her dressing-robe. Her first words -to the Archbishop were, "I beg your Grace to pray for me." There -is a pretty picture of this scene in the Tate Gallery in London, -representing the two old men on their knees before a young girl of -eighteen years, kissing her hands. - -And so, at the age of eighteen, Victoria became Queen of Great Britain -and Ireland and the Empire beyond the seas. Though not beautiful, the -young Queen was self-possessed, modest and dignified. Every one bore -testimony to the dignity and grace of her actions at this time. - -Victoria selected as her Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, to whom she was -much attached, and who was her trusted adviser for many years. Just -eight days after the first anniversary of her accession to the throne, -Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey, sitting in the chair where -so many English monarchs have received their crowns. The coronation -was of great splendor. The sun shone brightly as the procession left -Buckingham Palace and her Majesty was greeted all along the route with -enthusiastic cheers. - -When the Queen entered the Abbey, "with eight ladies all in white -floating about her like a silvery cloud, she paused as if for breath -and clasped her hands." When she knelt to receive the crown, with the -sun shining on her fair young head, the beauty and solemnity of the -scene impressed every one. The Duchess of Kent, Victoria's mother, was -affected to tears. The ceremonies in the Abbey lasted five hours and -the Queen looked pale and weary as she drove to the Palace wearing her -crown. - -Carlyle, who was among the spectators, said: "Poor little Queen! She -is at an age when a girl can hardly be trusted to choose a bonnet for -herself. Yet a task is laid upon her from which an archangel might -shrink." - -Many important matters had to be decided by the young Queen, and -sometimes serious troubles grew out of her inexperience. However, being -sensible and wise beyond her years, her decisions were for the most -part just, and with time she became more and more tactful and better -able to cope with the difficulties of governing so great a nation. - -A matter of great interest to the public was Victoria's marriage. There -were many princes willing and anxious to marry the young Queen of -England, but Victoria had a mind and will of her own. She remembered -with interest her handsome cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, -who had visited England two years before, while she was still a -Princess. - -The Duchess of Kent had been fond of this nephew, whose tastes were -refined and whose habits were good. Victoria herself remembered him -with affection. - -Another visit was arranged by King Leopold, and this time Victoria's -interest grew into love. One day she summoned the Prince to her room -and offered him her hand in marriage. It must have been a trying thing -for her to do, but of course a mere Prince could not propose to the -Queen of England. Prince Albert was overjoyed, for he loved Victoria. - -The Queen announced her engagement to Parliament, and on February 10, -1840, she was married in the Chapel Royal of Saint James's Palace. She -wore a white satin gown trimmed with orange blossoms and a veil of -Honiton lace costing one thousand pounds, which had been ordered to -encourage the lace-makers of Devonshire. Guns were fired, bells rung, -and flags waved, when the ceremony was completed. - -After the wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace, Victoria and Albert -drove to Windsor Castle, past twenty-two miles of spectators, who -shouted and cheered the youthful pair. There was great rejoicing, and -dinners were given to thousands of poor people throughout the Kingdom. -After three days spent at Windsor, the Queen and the Prince Consort, as -Albert was called, returned to London and began their busy life for the -state. - -Victoria found a wise adviser in her young husband. He was about her -own age, and like her, had a sincere desire always to do the right -thing. For a while he was not liked in England, owing to his foreign -birth, but before long he gained the affections of that exacting -people. The married life of Victoria and Albert was one of unusual -happiness and beauty, lasting for twenty years,—until 1861. The -Prince, in dying, left a family of nine children. The eldest became the -Empress of Germany, and the second was the late King Edward. - -The death of the Prince Consort made a great change in the life of the -Queen. She became very reserved in her widowhood, and her withdrawal -from public life lasted a long time, to the displeasure of the English -people. She wore mourning for many years, and was averse to presiding -over ceremonious Court functions. - -Although impetuous and wilful, Victoria was yet quite willing to be -advised by older and wiser persons, and the great men of England very -soon learned to respect her character and give heed to her wishes. As -a Queen, she really reigned; which means that she was the true head -and controller of public affairs. Naturally, she could not do it all -herself, but she had the fortunate gift of knowing how to choose her -helpers. No reign of any English monarch can be reckoned so great as -that of Victoria. It was full of great events, which would require -several volumes to recite. - -In 1849 she paid a visit to Ireland. In 1851 the first great World's -Exposition was held in London. In 1853 there was a war with Russia, and -in 1857 the Indian Mutiny occurred. Years later, in 1876, Victoria was -formally proclaimed Empress of India. This was accomplished by means of -the clever management of Lord Beaconsfield, her Prime Minister, who was -a Jew named Disraeli, and a very great statesman. - -She encouraged artists and literary men. She made Alfred Tennyson -the Poet Laureate of England. Some of his most beautiful lines were -addressed to her and the Prince Consort. - -The Duke of Wellington, victor at Waterloo, where Napoleon was -defeated, was her trusted friend and adviser. - -England, in Victoria's reign, made great strides in wealth, art, -science, and population. Great men clustered around this wonderful -little woman and helped make her rule a glorious one. In 1887, when she -had been queen for fifty years, England gave herself a great jubilee -which was attended by all the great princes and representatives of -kings in the world. - -Queen Victoria was fond of music, was an excellent singer, and spoke -many languages. When in London she lived at Buckingham Palace, going -at times to Windsor Castle, and occasionally to Balmoral Castle in -Scotland, where she would throw off the cares of state and live simply -as an English gentlewoman. She had another pleasant home on the Isle of -Wight, called Osborne House, where she had her last illness. - -Victoria died on January 22, 1901, in her eighty-second year. Her reign -was the longest in English history, being nearly sixty-four years. -It was exceeded in Europe only by Louis XIV of France, who reigned -seventy-one years. - -The English people mourned Victoria sincerely and deeply. She had added -greatly to the extent and glory of her country. She had been a great -and wise ruler. She had commanded the respect of every one at home and -abroad, and while she did not talk much, her life proved that a woman -can rule as well and wisely as a man. Her private life, as mother, -wife, and sovereign, has been a noble example. - -At her own request, Queen Victoria's funeral was a military one, her -body being placed in the mausoleum built for Prince Albert at Frogmore. - - - - -[Illustration: FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE] - - -FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE - -(1820-1910) - - "Theirs is a heroism and patriotism no less grand than that of the - bravest soldier they ever nursed back to life and health." - - —_Charles R. Skinner_ - - -Florence Nightingale, one of the most illustrious personages of Queen -Victoria's reign, was born in Florence, Italy, of English parents. -Since they were visiting that city at the time, they named their little -daughter after the city of her birth. A sister, also born in Italy, was -named Parthenope after her birthplace. - -The Nightingales were well-to-do people. They owned a beautiful country -seat in Derbyshire, which was for many years the residence of Florence -and her parents. Florence's love for animals and flowers was second -only to her love of humanity. Very early she formed the idea of a -vocation which should be lofty and altruistic. - -Her acquaintance with Elizabeth Fry did much to develop this idea. Mrs. -Fry, already famous as the first woman who made the welfare of women -in prison her care, was a preacher of the Quaker sect. - -Having decided upon her course, Miss Nightingale began to learn in the -hospitals the medical nurse's duties; and, hearing of a German training -school for nurses at Kaiserswerth on the Rhine, she went thither and -enrolled herself as a "deaconess." - -Kaiserswerth had been started in a very small way by Pastor Fleidner. -It was a Protestant school, which combined religious teaching with -charitable work among the poor and outcast. The Pastor himself was -poor, but his devotion to his work attracted many helpers who gave him -money to carry it on. - -Florence here became interested also in prison reform, which led her to -open a small home for women after they should come out of prison. The -few years she spent here brought her face to face with much suffering -and want, and taught her how to find and help unfortunate people. - -From Kaiserswerth she went to Paris and entered a Catholic Convent -to study the methods of the Sisters. While there she learned to -respect and admire so greatly the love and devotion of the nuns, that -afterwards, in the Crimean War, she called upon them to assist her. -In England once more, Miss Nightingale settled down to a quiet life, -devoting herself to the care of the sick and the poor about her. - -Living near the Nightingales, were Sidney Herbert and his wife. -Herbert, who afterwards became Lord Herbert of Lea, was made Secretary -of War in the English Government. The post was no sinecure, for almost -immediately after his appointment, war broke out between Russia on one -side and England, France, and Turkey on the other. - -The scene of the fighting was on the border where Turkey and Russia -join. Near this border is the Crimea, a peninsula, whose principal city -is Sebastopol. To capture this city was the object of the fighting in -that part of the country, from which fact the whole war is known as the -Crimean War. - -England had lived in peace since 1815, a period of forty years, and -had to some degree lost the practical knowledge of how to conduct -a military campaign. The result was a great waste of time, men and -stores, through the inexperience of both officers and soldiers. -Disaster followed disaster, each treading upon the other's heels. - -Finally William Howard Russell, the War Correspondent of the London -Times, wrote a strong letter home to England in which he spoke of -the suffering of the wounded, saying: "For all I can see, the men die -without the least effort to save them." - -Food and clothing were lost, or delayed in transport; the surgeons -were without lint or bandages or other of the commonest supplies for -hospital work. Russell finally asked a question that made a great stir -in England: - -"Are there no devoted women among us, able and willing to go forth to -minister to the sick and suffering soldiers of the East? Are none of -the daughters of England at this extreme hour of need ready for such a -work of mercy?" - -Florence Nightingale heard this clarion cry and immediately wrote to -Secretary Herbert offering her services. Her letter crossed one from -him offering her the place of Chief Nurse. - -It is doubtful if any choice of a person to do a great work has ever -been so fortunate and successful as this one. Florence Nightingale, -by her studies and her work in Germany and at home, was already well -prepared for nursing. Now it was seen that she was an able organizer as -well. - -All this came as a great surprise to the world, for Miss Nightingale -had never been written or talked about very much. Now, however, every -one asked who she was. - -She gathered together thirty-eight nurses, ten of whom were Roman -Catholic Sisters of Mercy, and they all left England on October 21, -1854. - -On landing in France, the fish-women of Boulogne cared for their trunks -and luggage with their own hands and saw the Englishwomen safely on -the train for Paris, where they made a short stay at the Convent which -Florence had visited years before. Then they set forth for Marseilles, -where they took steamer for Scutari, in Turkey. Every one helped them -and no one would take pay for their service. - -There was no little fun made in Europe over the nurses, but ridicule -changed to admiration when the first news of their work began to -reach home. Miss Nightingale paid no attention either to the shallow -fault-finding, or to praise, but went straight ahead to do the work she -found in Scutari. And great need there was of her help! - -It might be well here to quote a description of Florence Nightingale: - - You cannot hear her say a few sentences, no, not even look at - her without feeling that she is an extraordinary being. Simple, - intellectual, sweet, full of love and benevolence, she is a - fascinating and perfect woman. She is tall and pale. Her face is - exceedingly lovely, but better than all is the soul's glory that - shines through every feature. Nothing can be sweeter than her smile. - It is like a sunny day in summer. - -It would be difficult and painful to describe the conditions she found -existing in the hospital at Scutari. The doctors were so few and so -overworked, and the wounded men were so numerous, that many died who -might have been saved. Hospital supplies were there, but could not be -found. Perhaps never in civilized times was there so much unnecessary -suffering. - -Miss Nightingale and her staff of nurses could do very little -compared to the great need, but they took up the work bravely. Here -Miss Nightingale's ability as a manager and director was shown. She -soon came to be ranked with the Generals in ability and power. All -opposition to her as a woman began to fade away as her blessed work -among the sick and dying soldiers began to be appreciated. - -Soon all England was alive to the great work, and more nurses, and -large gifts of supplies and money began to be hurried to the Crimea. - -Florence Nightingale spent nearly two years in the Crimea. Once she -fell dangerously ill with a fever, but the care she had given to -others was returned in the form of all manner of attentions to her. She -never quite recovered from the effects of that terrible Crimean fever. - -When the war was over, she went back to England so quietly that hardly -anyone outside her home knew of her return. When it became known, she -was overwhelmed by all sorts of people trying to do her honor. Most of -them she refused to see. Queen Victoria invited her to come to Balmoral -Castle and this honor she could not refuse, for the request of a Queen -is a command. The Queen decorated her with a beautiful jewel, treating -her simply in the spirit of one woman recognizing another who deserved -recognition. - -Florence Nightingale lived to be ninety years old, thus spending fifty -years in England after the Crimean war. - -She devoted all her life to benevolent works: building new hospitals, -writing books on the care of the sick, and inspiring many young women -to give their lives to the service of humanity. She never married. - -At her death it was proposed to bury her in Westminster Abbey, that -great final home of England's illustrious sons and daughters, but -the honor was declined by her friends, and she sleeps sweetly in the -village church-yard near her old country home in Hampshire. - -Our own Longfellow wrote these fine lines about Florence Nightingale, -referring to her habit of going about the hospitals at night with a -lamp in her hand: - - "On England's annals through the long - Hereafter of her speech and song, - A light its ray shall cast - From the portals of the past. - - "A lady with a lamp shall stand - In the great history of the land; - A noble type of good - Heroic womanhood." - - - - -[Illustration: SUSAN B. ANTHONY] - - -SUSAN B. ANTHONY - -(1820-1906) - - "That one who breaks the way with tears, - Many shall follow with a song." - - -Among those who believed that in certain lines woman can do as valuable -work as man, was Susan B. Anthony. During her long, busy life of -eighty-six years, she protested against the injustice done to woman on -the part of Society. - -It has been truly said that woman's place is in the home, and true it -is that most women prefer home life; yet does not every one know that, -in numerous instances, women are compelled to earn their own living, -and often in addition to support their brothers and sisters, fathers -and mothers? - -"Why, then," thought Miss Anthony, "should laws be such as to prevent -women from having the same opportunities as men in the business world?" -This line of thought was early forced upon her. - -Born on the fifteenth of February, 1820, in South Adams, Massachusetts, -of Quaker ancestry, she received a liberal education from her father. -Mr. Anthony being a well-to-do merchant, it was not supposed that his -daughters would ever be obliged to support themselves, but he believed -that girls as well as boys should be fitted to do so, if the necessity -arose. - -The wisdom of Mr. Anthony's course early became apparent, for when -Susan was seventeen years of age, he failed in business, and his -daughters were able to assist him to retrieve his fortunes. - -Susan began to teach in a Quaker family, receiving the sum of one -dollar a week and board. Later she taught in the Public Schools of -Rochester, to which place the family had removed. Here she received a -salary of eight dollars a month for the same work for which men were -paid twenty-five and thirty dollars. - -It was this injustice which first led her to speak in public. At a -meeting of the New York State Teachers' Association, she petitioned the -Superintendent for equal pay with men, but notwithstanding the fact -that her work was admitted to be entirely satisfactory, her petition -was refused on the ground that she was a woman. - -Miss Anthony worked for years trying to bring the wages of women -workers up to those of men, and although she did not succeed in -accomplishing her desire, still by her efforts the general standing of -women was greatly improved. - -She continued to teach until 1852, but all the while she was taking -a keen interest in every reform movement. The more she studied and -pondered over the condition of women, the stronger grew her conviction -that they would never receive proper pay or recognition, never be able -to do the work God intended them to do in the world, unless they should -be given equal political rights with man. - -Miss Anthony did not at first advocate full suffrage for women; at that -period it appeared a thing quite impossible for them to obtain. Wisely -she worked for what she believed was within the range of possibility to -secure. She was much interested in the temperance movement, and spoke -frequently in public for that cause. It happened one day that the Sons -of Temperance invited the Daughters of Temperance to their Convention -at Albany. The Daughters accepted the invitation and attended, but the -Sons would not allow them to speak,—which so angered Miss Anthony and -some other women that they left the hall and held a meeting of their -own outside. Out of this episode grew the Women's New York State -Temperance Society, founded in 1852, and afterward developing into the -Women's Christian Temperance Union. - -By this time Miss Anthony was well known as a lecturer. But when she -actually called a Convention of Women at Albany to urge the public to -recognize the wrongs, and demand the rights of her sex, considerable -comment followed. In the sixth decade of the Nineteenth Century women -had not become so active in public affairs that one of them could call -a Convention and the general public take no notice. - -The right to vote on educational questions was at length granted women -in New York State, and the credit for this is due to Susan B. Anthony -and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. - -Miss Anthony's friendship with Mrs. Stanton started her in new fields -of action. Mrs. Stanton's husband was a lawyer and journalist, who had -been a student in Lane Theological Seminary. A noted abolitionist, he -went as delegate to the World's Anti-Slavery Convention in London. -Mrs. Stanton accompanied him, meeting there Lucretia Mott, who was the -sole woman delegate. These two women called the first Woman's Rights -Convention at Seneca Falls in 1848. Though Miss Anthony did not attend -this meeting, she later became a complete convert, being already headed -in the direction of woman's political and social emancipation. - -As soon as Miss Anthony became convinced that only through the use -of the ballot could woman succeed in obtaining the same rights in -the business world as men, she entered heart and soul into the work -of securing it, going to many cities of the North and the South -to lecture, often speaking five or six times a week. Her platform -manner was direct, straight-forward, and convincing; her good humor, -unfailing; her quickness to see and grasp an opportunity for retort, -noteworthy. - -In 1860 the New York Legislature passed a bill giving to married -women the possession of their earnings and the guardianship of their -children. This was largely due to Miss Anthony's exertions. For -many years she had kept up a constant agitation on the injustice of -depriving women of these fundamental rights. - -Belonging to the Abolition Party, she had worked during the war -with the Women's Loyal Legion for the abolition of slavery. In 1867 -Mrs. Stanton, Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony went to Kansas in -the interests of woman suffrage; there the three women secured nine -thousand votes in favor of the cause. Their work, however, had no -immediately visible effect, but to-day, forty-five years later, women -in that State enjoy the privilege of the ballot. - -As a citizen of Rochester wishing to test her right to the suffrage, -she voted at the National election of 1872. For so doing she was -arrested, tried, and fined one hundred dollars and costs. With her -characteristic defiance of injustice, Miss Anthony refused to pay the -fine, which to this day remains unpaid. - -Beloved by her co-workers, to strangers Miss Anthony appeared stern and -uncompromising. Yet all her friends testify to her lovable qualities -and generous nature. Mrs. Stanton, her intimate friend for eighteen -years, said of her: - - She is earnest, unselfish, and as true to principle as the needle - to the pole. I have never known her to do or say a mean or narrow - thing; she is entirely above that petty envy and jealousy that mar the - character of so many otherwise good women. - -Miss Anthony herself said, "My work is like subsoil ploughing—preparing -the way for others to perfect." - -But the last eight years of her long life, in which she worked -constantly and achieved much, must have given her the satisfaction of -knowing that all the "subsoil ploughing" had not been in vain. Her -constancy in keeping the idea of votes for women before the public -won many over to the cause, and paved the way for the partial victory -of to-day. At present, women have the privilege of the ballot in ten -States of the Union: California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, -Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, and Michigan. It is clear that the -question of woman suffrage has ceased to be a mere matter of academic -discussion and that it is a very practical and even vital issue to-day. - -For years Miss Anthony endured cruel misrepresentation and ridicule; -now she is acknowledged to have been a woman of splendid intellect and -wonderful courage, who devoted her life to the betterment of humanity. - -To her co-workers she was always "Aunt Susan," and when her last -illness came, there were many loving friends to care for her. The -Reverend Anna Howard Shaw was with her when she died at Rochester, -March 16, 1906. She says, "Miss Anthony died with calmness and courage. -She spent her life in making other women freer and happier." - - - - -[Illustration: MARY A. LIVERMORE] - - -MARY A. LIVERMORE - -(1821-1905) - - "I am not accustomed to the language of eulogy. I have never studied - the art of paying compliments to women. But I must say that if all - that has been said by orators and poets since the Creation of the - World, in praise of women, was applied to the women of America, it - would not do them justice for their conduct during this war. I will - close by saying, God bless the women of America." - - —_Abraham Lincoln_ - - -The life of Mary A. Livermore shows how a poor, unknown girl became -famous, the world over, as an orator and reformer. - -Mary Rice was born in Boston, Massachusetts, December 19, 1821. Her -parents were stern Calvinists, her grandfathers for six generations -having been Welsh preachers. Hence, Mary was brought up "after the -strictest sect a Pharisee." She was a restless, active child, fond of -play, yet interested in work. At an early age she was sent to a Public -School in Boston, where she made rapid progress in her studies, being -quick to learn and persistent and enthusiastic over her tasks. - -Her class-mates were fond of her, and by reason of an unusually strong -character, she became a leader among them. The poor or unfortunate -always appealed to her. If ever a girl appeared in the school wearing -shabby clothes or eating a scanty luncheon, Mary would manage to -prevent her from feeling uncomfortable. It is not surprising that she -was a favorite. - -In out-of-door sports she excelled most of the girls, being famous for -running, jumping and sliding. One day, after she had spent a happy hour -at her favorite sport of sliding on the ice, she ran into the house -exclaiming, "Splendid, splendid sliding!" - -Her father replied, "Yes, Mary, it is good fun, but hard on the shoes!" - -This led the child to believe that her father's burden was increased by -her amusement, so she decided that she would never slide again. When -ten years of age she grew so deeply anxious for the spiritual welfare -of her five little brothers and sisters that she could not sleep. She -would crawl out of bed at night and beg her father and mother to arise -and pray for their conversion, once saying: "It is no matter about me; -if they can be saved, I can bear anything." - -Even in her play she would devise means of instructing as well as -entertaining the children. There being no money to buy toys for them, -Mary introduced the game of playing school. It is said that she -imitated her own teacher to perfection. Sometimes in the old woodshed -she arranged the logs to represent the pews of a church, and desiring -a larger audience than that of the children, she stood up sticks of -wood to represent people. Then, when the assemblage was sufficiently -large to warrant a service, she would conduct one herself, praying and -preaching with the utmost seriousness. - -Her mother, surprised at her ability in this line, once said to her, -"Mary, I wish you had been a boy; you could have been trained for the -ministry!" - -In those days no one even thought of educating a girl to speak from the -pulpit, though to-day it is not uncommon; nor could Mrs. Rice dream -that her daughter would one day become a powerful public speaker in an -important cause, and deliver speeches in lecture halls and churches. - -When Mary was twelve, she resolved to assist her father in supporting -the large family, for she had observed with sorrow how hard he worked. -Dressmaking seemed to offer good opportunities, so she entered a shop -as apprentice. In three months she had learned her trade, and was then -hired at thirty-seven cents a day to work three months more, but being -desirous of earning more money, she engaged to make a dozen flannel -shirts at home for a clothier. After sewing all day in the shop and -sitting up at home until early morning hours, she could not finish the -shirts in the time agreed upon. - -One evening the man called for them, greatly to Mrs. Rice's surprise, -for she had known nothing about Mary's plan. Mary explained the delay, -promising to have the shirts finished the next day. When the clothier -had left, Mrs. Rice burst into tears. "We are not so poor as that, my -dear child! What will become of you if you take all the cares of the -world upon you?" she said. - -Mary completed the shirts, took them to the clothier and received the -sum of seventy-five cents. This ended her experience as a seamstress, -for her mother would not permit the child to continue such work. - -At fourteen, Mary was graduated from the Public School, receiving a -gold medal for good scholarship. She then entered the Charlestown -Female Seminary, where she became one of the best scholars in the -institution. Her ability was so pronounced, that when one of the -teachers died, she was at once asked to take the vacant position. She -conducted her class with much tact and wisdom, earning enough to pay -for the four year course, which she completed in two, by studying and -reciting out of school hours. - -At the age of eighteen, she took a position as governess in the family -of a wealthy Virginia planter. Her object was not altogether teaching; -she wished to investigate for herself the slavery question, which was -then much discussed by Abolitionists. She had heard the lectures of -Lucretia Mott and John G. Whittier and determined to find out if the -facts were as bad as stated. Her two years' experience in Virginia made -her an uncompromising Abolitionist. - -The faculty of the Duxbury High School was in need of a Principal. It -was customary to place men in such positions, but Mary Rice's fame had -made its way to Duxbury. They had heard of her as an unusual young -woman and one of the most learned of the day. So Mary was placed over -the High School, and there she remained until she was twenty-three -years old, when she resigned to become the wife of the Reverend D. P. -Livermore, a young minister, two years her senior, whose church was -near her school. - -Mary immediately began to coöperate with Dr. Livermore in his work. -For thirteen years she assisted him in the affairs of his parish, -during which time three children were born to them. She started -literary and benevolent societies among the church members and was -active in the cause of temperance, organizing a club of fifteen hundred -boys and girls which she called the "Cold Water Army." - -In 1857 the Livermores removed to Chicago. Mrs. Livermore while there -aided in editing the _New Covenant_, a religious paper, at the same -time writing stories and sketches for many Eastern publications. In -1860, when Abraham Lincoln was nominated for the Presidency, Mrs. -Livermore was the only woman present,—probably the first woman -representative of the press who ever reported a political convention. - -The breaking out of the Civil War changed her life of domestic -quietness to public activity. Being in Boston at the time that the -President called for volunteer troops, she witnessed their departure -for the seat of war. The sad scenes at the station, where mothers -parted from sons, and wives from their husbands, affected her strongly. -As the train carrying the soldiers started off, some of the women -fainted. Mrs. Livermore helped to revive them, telling them not to -grieve, but rather to be thankful that they had sons to fight for -their country. For her part, she told them, she grieved to have no son -to send. - -Then a question arose in her mind: What _could_ women do to help? The -general feeling seemed to be that women could do nothing, since they -were not allowed to enlist and fight as soldiers. They were told they -were not wanted in the hospitals, but notwithstanding this a large -number of women banded together and formed "The United States Sanitary -Commission," whose object was to provide bedding, clothing, food, and -comforts for the soldiers in camp, and supplies for the wounded in the -hospitals. - -Branch associations were formed in ten large cities. Mrs. Livermore -and Mrs. Jane C. Hoge were put in charge of the Northwestern branch. -Together with others Mrs. Livermore went to Washington to talk with -President Lincoln. They asked him the question, "May women go to the -front?" - -Lincoln replied, "The _law_ does not _grant_ to any civilian, either -man or woman, the privilege of going to the front." - -The emphasis he placed upon the words _law_ and _grant_ convinced these -women that he would not disapprove of their plans. So Mrs. Livermore -entered hand, heart and soul into the work of relief. - -The North was entirely unprepared for war. The hospitals were few and -poorly equipped; nurses were scarce and not well trained; there were -no diet kitchens; nor was there any way of supplying proper medicines -to the sick or of caring for the wounded. To all of these matters Mrs. -Livermore gave her attention; the confusion came to an end, and soon -the machinery of the new department was running smoothly. - -She formed soldiers' aid societies; enlisted nurses for the hospitals -and took them to their posts; she went to the front with supplies, and -saw that they were properly distributed; she nursed and cheered the -wounded soldiers, and often brought back invalids with her to their -homes. With all this work, she kept cheerful and well, and found time -to write letters of comfort and cheer to the families of the sick. In -one year she wrote seventeen hundred letters, many being from dying -soldiers, and containing their last farewell to loved ones at home. - -The Sanitary Commission was permitted in time of battle to keep its -wagons in the rear of the army. Hot soup and hot coffee were kept in -readiness, cool water and medicines were given when necessary, while -the mere fact that brave women were ready to assist the wounded, put -confidence into the hearts of the men. - -It is impossible to describe the great work done by this untiring -woman. Mrs. Livermore tells about it in her book called _My Story of -the War_, which is said to be the best account of the hospital and -sanitary work of the Civil War that has ever been written. - -This work took a great deal of money. Donations must be constantly -solicited and Sanitary Fairs arranged. From all parts of the country, -people were writing and begging Mrs. Livermore to come to them and tell -them about her plans. She frequently did describe them in an informal -way to small audiences. - -Her first public speech was made in Dubuque, Iowa, where she had -consented to address some ladies. Leaving Chicago by the night train -she reached the Mississippi River at a point where there was no bridge, -travelers being obliged to cross by ferry. It was very cold and the ice -in the river had stopped the ferryboats. Mrs. Livermore, after waiting -nearly all day, began to think she would not be able to keep her -engagement. At last she saw two men starting out in a small boat, whom -she asked to row her across. - -One man said, "No, we can't think of it! You'll be drowned!" - -Mrs. Livermore replied, "I can't see that I shall be drowned any more -than you!" - -Her offer to pay them well settled the matter. This determination to -accomplish whatever she undertook to do was the chief reason for Mrs. -Livermore's success in all her undertakings. The fact is, she liked to -do hard things. - -Upon her arrival at Dubuque she found that the ladies had made great -preparations to receive her. They had invited the Governor of the State -and many noted men, and the largest church in town was crowded with -eager people. This rather alarmed her. At first she refused to speak, -saying that she had come to talk to a few ladies only; that she had -never made a speech in her life. But when they said that by speaking -she might be the means of inducing the great State of Iowa to enter -upon the work of Sanitary Relief, her shyness departed and she held her -audience spellbound for an hour and a quarter. A new power had suddenly -developed in her. - -At the close of her address the Governor of the State arose and said, - -"Mrs. Livermore has told us of the soldiers' needs and of our duties! -It is now our turn to speak, and we must speak in dollars and gifts!" - -The enthusiasm was great; eight thousand dollars was soon pledged and -other donations were made. It was decided to hold a Sanitary Fair in -Dubuque, and Mrs. Livermore was engaged to speak in different towns -throughout the State to interest the people in it. When the fair was -held, sixty thousand dollars was cleared. After that, Mary Livermore -was never again afraid to speak before a large audience. By her -lectures she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the hospital -work. - -At the close of the war, people were so anxious to hear Mrs. Livermore -that she became a regular public lecturer, traveling from place to -place and lecturing always before crowded houses. Her eloquence has -been equaled by few modern speakers, and undoubtedly she was the -foremost of women orators. - -Before the war, Mrs. Livermore had been opposed to woman suffrage, -but life in the army caused her to change her views on that question. -She saw that, under existing political and social conditions, women -could never hope to complete reforms until they possessed the right -to vote. She was also devoted to the cause of temperance, serving for -ten years as President of the Women's Christian Temperance Union of -Massachusetts. All this while she was writing articles for magazines, -and at the age of seventy-five Mrs. Livermore produced a book of seven -hundred pages, entitled _The Story of My Life_. - -A bust of Mrs. Livermore, made by the sculptor, Annie Whitney, was -presented to the Shurtleff School in Boston by the Alumnae Association -of that institution. It stands opposite that of Lucy Stone, which was -the first bust of a woman ever accepted by the city of Boston for its -schools. - -Mrs. Livermore continued in public work, while living at her beautiful -home in Melrose, Massachusetts, until May 23, 1905, when she passed -away at the age of eighty-four. - - - - -[Illustration: CLARA BARTON] - - -CLARA BARTON - -(1821-1912) - - "She was on the firing line for humanity all her life." - - -The Red Cross Society, whose object is to relieve the sufferings caused -by war, is well known the world over, and the name of Clara Barton must -ever be associated with it. - -This Society was founded in Europe in 1864, but did not make its way to -America until 1881, when Clara Barton succeeded in establishing it. - -Born in the town of North Oxford, Massachusetts, on Christmas Day, -1821, Clara Barton began life under most favorable circumstances. - -The family was well-to-do and Clara, being the youngest, received much -attention from all. Her father, who had fought under Mad Anthony Wayne -against the Indians of the West, used to tell her stories of army -life—knowledge which she afterward turned to good account. - -Her elder brother was fond of mathematics, and insisted upon teaching -Clara the mysteries of number. These she mastered rapidly and soon no -toy equaled her little slate in her esteem. - -Her younger brother, David, was a fearless and daring rider. On the -farm were several fine horses, for Mr. Barton was fond of the animals -and raised his own colts. It was David's delight to take little Clara, -throw her upon the back of a colt and spring upon another himself. -Then, shouting to her to "cling fast to the mane," he would catch hold -of her by one foot and together they would gallop away. What mad rides -they took, and how well Clara learned to stick on a horse's back! These -lessons, too, she had cause to be thankful for later in life, when -she was obliged to mount a strange horse on the battle-field and ride -fearlessly to a place of safety. - -Her two sisters, who were teachers, took care that she should have a -knowledge of books. Miss Barton said that she did not remember the time -when she could not read; she always did her own story reading. - -When old enough she was sent to an academy at Clinton, New York, where -she graduated. She then became a teacher and opened the first free -school in the State of New Jersey, at Bordentown. Here her work was -very successful, her school numbering at the close of the first year -six hundred pupils. But, her health failing, she gave up the school -work in 1854 and obtained a position as Head Clerk in the Patent Office -at Washington. - -When the Civil War broke out, she offered her services as a volunteer -nurse, and from the beginning of the war until its close she worked in -the hospital, in the camp, and on the battle-field. - -During the Peninsula campaign in 1862, Miss Barton faced horrible -scenes on the field. She also served eight months in the hospitals on -Morris Island during the siege of Charleston, and was at the front -during the Wilderness campaign. In 1864 she was put in charge of the -hospitals at the front of the Army of the James, and continued that -work until the close of the war. - -All this time Miss Barton persisted in aiding the wounded soldiers of -_both_ armies—a practice which shocked many people and caused them -to protest. But she paid no attention to the protests, nor are any -such heard to-day, for Clara Barton's way of helping the suffering, -regardless of the uniform they wore, is now followed over the civilized -world; it is the very heart of the plan of the Red Cross Society itself. - -War over, and peace assured to our land, President Lincoln requested -Miss Barton to search for the eighty thousand men whose names were on -the army records, but of whom no trace could be found. In the course of -this work, Miss Barton visited the prison at Andersonville and helped -the released prisoners to regain their health and their homes. She -laid out the ground of the National Cemetery at that place, identified -the dead, and caused marked gravestones to be placed over the bodies -of twelve thousand nine hundred men. Four hundred tablets, marked -"Unknown," were placed over the bodies of other dead soldiers. - -This Work took four years to accomplish, and when it was over Miss -Barton went to Switzerland for rest. Here she first heard of the Red -Cross Society. The idea had originated with a Swiss, M. Henri Dunant. -Each European country had signed a treaty permitting the members of -this association to help all the wounded on the battle-field without -interference, and without regard to religion or race, or whether they -were friends or foes. - -Miss Barton devoted herself to this work during the Franco-Prussian -War. After the siege of Strasburg, when the people of that city were in -a terrible condition, she organized a relief fund for the starving, and -saw to it that the homeless were given places to sleep. Materials for -garments were obtained, and the poor women were set to work at a fair -price to make articles of wearing apparel for the needy. - -When no longer needed in Strasburg, Miss Barton went to Paris, where -the breaking out of the French Revolution after the war with Prussia -had caused great distress. She entered the city on foot, for it was -impossible to procure a horse, thousands having been slain to use as -food for the starving inhabitants. Miss Barton immediately began relief -work there, with such success that she came to be looked upon as an -angel. - -In 1873, on her return to America, she asked Congress to join in a -treaty with the European powers to establish the Red Cross Society -here. It took a long time to secure this legislation, and it was not -until 1881, as stated before, that the Red Cross was established with -us. Clara Barton was chosen as the first President and soon afterward -she had an amendment passed widening the scope of the Society so as to -include cases of suffering from floods, fires, famine, earthquake, and -other forms of disaster. The amendment also gave protection to all Red -Cross workers. This was agreed to at a conference of the Society held -at Berne in 1882, but was not adopted by any of the European nations. -At that time there was little possibility of a war in the United -States, and Miss Barton thought she would have little to do unless she -extended the plan of work. As it was, she found quite enough to do. - -The forest fires in Michigan, the Mississippi Valley floods, 1882-1883, -the Charleston earthquake, the Johnstown flood—all afforded much -work for the Red Cross. During the famine in Russia, 1891-1892, Miss -Barton and her Society took an active part in distributing food and -clothing. When the frightful massacres in Armenia brought horror to the -civilized world, again Miss Barton made an appeal to a European country -to be allowed to help the sufferers. The Sultan at first objected, but -public opinion was too strong for him, and he finally consented on -condition that the workers should place the crescent above the cross -on the badges worn by them. Miss Barton and her assistants were then -pleasantly received and succeeded in giving valuable aid. - -In 1898 President McKinley sent Miss Barton to Cuba to help the poor -people of that country, many of whom were starving. During the Cuban -War which followed, she went to the battle-fields and did heroic work -there. - -When the Galveston flood occurred, Miss Barton was eighty years old. -Yet to Galveston she hastened. The strain, however, was more than she -could endure. From that time she gave up active work and made her -home in Glen Echo, a small village in Maryland. Here, enjoying the -companionship of a few faithful friends, she spent the remainder of her -life, passing away on April 12, 1912. - -Miss Barton possessed one of the most remarkable collections of medals -and other decorations in existence. They were presented to her by -nearly every country on the globe. Many are set with rare jewels and -bear inscriptions. Among them is the Iron Cross of Germany, the highest -honor Germany can bestow, and one conferred only for deeds of great -personal bravery. A rare jewel, which Miss Barton always wore, was a -pansy cut from a single amethyst, presented to her by the Grand Duchess -of Baden in memory of their lifelong friendship. - -Clara Barton ranks as one of the greatest heroines the world has known. -Her name is known and loved throughout Europe and America for unselfish -devotion to a great cause. Her services in foreign lands were offered -as freely as in her own country, for her creed was the brotherhood of -man. - - - - -[Illustration: HARRIET HOSMER] - - -HARRIET HOSMER - -(1830-1908) - - ... "A sculptor wields - The chisel, and the stricken marble grows - To beauty." ... - - —_Bryan_ - - -Harriet Goodhue Hosmer was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, October 9, -1830. She was the youngest child of Hiram and Sarah Grant Hosmer. From -her father came her marked independence of character; from her mother, -her imagination and artistic tastes. - -The latter died when Harriet was four years of age. Dr. Hosmer -determined to save his daughters from the insidious disease which had -carried away his two sons as well as his wife, and so instituted for -them a system of physical training, insisting upon out-of-door sports -and amusements. Notwithstanding all his efforts, however, the elder -daughter died, leaving Harriet as the sole surviving child. - -Dr. Hosmer, grieved, but undismayed, renewed his endeavors to -strengthen Harriet's vigor and increase her powers of endurance. -Harriet took to this treatment very kindly, spending many joyous days -tramping through the woods with her dogs. All the while, she observed -keenly, acquiring a knowledge of plant and animal life, and storing up -impressions of the beautiful and harmonious in Nature. - -Her home was situated on the Charles River. She had her own boathouse -and bathhouse. In summer she rowed and swam; in winter she skated. No -nook or corner of the country round was unknown to her; the steepest -hills, the wildest and most rugged regions, were her familiar haunts. A -madcap was Harriet, and the sober neighbors were often astonished and -even scandalized, by the undignified speed she made on her beautiful -horse. - -This kind of life would always have satisfied her, and Harriet thought -it nothing short of an affliction when her father said she must go to -school. Was she not getting her education in riding about the country? -However, to school she went, in Boston, for several years. - -But when she reached the age of fifteen, Dr. Hosmer became convinced -that Harriet would never thrive, mentally or physically, unless she -were left free to follow her own bent. And perhaps he never in his -life made a wiser decision. - -So he sent the wild girl to the home school of Mrs. Charles Sedgwick -of Lenox. Here she had the benefits of cultured and elevating -surroundings, together with motherly care, and also of the out-of-door -life so dear to her heart and so necessary to her well-being. - -Lenox, in the beautiful Berkshire Hills, was at that time a primitive -village, though it has since grown into a fashionable summer resort. -There, in Mrs. Sedgwick's refined and peaceful home, Harriet acquired -her real education from listening to the conversations of such men and -women as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederika Bremer and -Fanny Kemble. - -This stimulus was all Harriet needed to develop in her the idea of -doing some serious work in life. She began to give a great deal of time -to drawing, her study of nature and her splendid powers of observation -being of great assistance to her here. - -Those were happy days for Harriet. She was the life of the household, -being always ready to deliver comic lectures, to dress up in odd -costumes, to give impromptu theatricals, or to say or do original -things. Mrs. Kemble, who occupied a villa near the Sedgwicks, often -entertained the school-girls by reading and reciting Shakespeare -to them. Harriet became devotedly attached to her, their friendship -lasting throughout their lives. - -In 1849, Harriet left Lenox and returned to Watertown for the purpose -of beginning her life work, which she had decided should be that of -a sculptor. To work intelligently, it was necessary for her to know -anatomy thoroughly, but there was no college where she could prepare -herself in that study, for the subject was at that time reserved -strictly for men. - -It happened that Harriet went to St. Louis to visit friends, and -that while she was there some lectures on anatomy were delivered by -Dr. J. N. McDowell, the head of the medical department of the State -University. The lectures were not open to women, but so great was -Harriet's desire to profit by them that Professor McDowell allowed her -to see his notes and examine the specimens by herself—a very radical -act on his part, since it was thought indelicate for a woman to study -this noble subject, even though the knowledge was to be used to create -the beautiful in art and, so, to elevate public thought. - -Harriet studied hard, and was rewarded at the close of the term by -receiving her diploma with the class. This great concession had been -gained through the influence of Mr. Wayman Crow, the father of a -classmate of Harriet. Mr. Crow became her intimate friend and close -adviser, watching over her and guiding her affairs as long as he lived. - -The coveted diploma secured, Miss Hosmer decided to travel before -returning home. She visited New Orleans and traversed almost the entire -length of the Mississippi River. While on a Mississippi steamboat, -some young men began to talk of their chances for reaching the top of -a certain bluff which they were then approaching. Miss Hosmer made a -wager that she could reach it before any of them. The race was made, -Miss Hosmer winning easily. The bluff, about five hundred feet in -height, was straightway named Mount Hosmer. - -In 1852 appeared her first finished product. This was the bust of a -beautiful maiden just falling asleep, and was entitled _Hesper, the -Evening Star_. - -About this time Miss Hosmer met the renowned actress, Charlotte -Cushman. Miss Cushman, seeing promise in the girl's work, urged her to -go to Rome and study. Dr. Hosmer approved of this suggestion, and soon -father and daughter sailed for Europe. - -Upon their arrival in Rome, they called upon John Gibson, the most -noted English sculptor of the day, to whom they had letters of -introduction. After examining the photographs of _Hesper_, and talking -with Harriet, who always impressed strangers with a sense of her -ability and earnestness, Gibson consented to take her into his studio -as a pupil. - -Overjoyed was she to be assigned to a small room formerly occupied by -Canova, of whom Gibson had been a pupil. Here she began the study of -ancient classical art, making copies of many masterpieces and selling -them without any trouble. When her first large order for a statue came -from her friend, Mr. Wayman Crow, Harriet felt that she was beginning -the world in earnest. When this order was soon afterward followed by -another for a statue to be placed in the Library at St. Louis, she knew -that her career as a sculptor was assured. - -International fame came to her with a figure of _Puck_, copies of -which found their way into important public galleries and into private -collections on both continents. - -When the State of Missouri decided to erect its first public monument, -she was requested to design a statue of Thomas H. Benton, to be cast in -bronze and placed in St. Louis. - -A work attracting unusual attention was _Zenobia_, _Queen of Palmyra, -in Chains_. A replica of this now stands in the Metropolitan Museum, -of New York City. Miss Hosmer's whole soul was enlisted in her work -on this particular piece of sculpture. She spent days searching the -libraries for information upon the subject, information that should -stimulate her hand to express powerfully her conception of the great -queen—dignified, imposing, and courageous, despite her fallen -fortunes. This statue was exhibited in Rome, England and America. - -Harriet Hosmer possessed a great faculty for inspiring warm and lasting -friendships. Among her intimate friends during her long residence in -Italy were the Brownings, Mrs. Jameson, Sir Frederick Leighton, and W. -W. Story. The charming group of artistic people living at that time in -Rome, most of them engaged in earnest work, occasionally took a holiday -in the form of a picnic or an excursion to the Campagna. In one of -her letters Mrs. Browning speaks of these excursions, which had been -instituted by Fanny Kemble and her sister, Adelaide Sartoris: - - Certainly they gave us some exquisite hours on the Campagna with - certain of their friends. Their talk was almost too brilliant. I - should mention, too, Miss Hosmer (but she is better than a talker), - the young American sculptress who is a great pet of mine and - Robert's. She lives here all alone (at twenty-two), works from six - o'clock in the morning till night as a great artist must, and this - with an absence of pretension and simplicity of manners, which accord - rather with the childish dimples in her rosy cheeks, than with her - broad forehead and lofty aims. - -Frances Power Cobbe wrote of her: - - She was in those days the most bewitching sprite the world ever saw. - Never have I laughed so helplessly as at the infinite fun of that - bright Yankee girl. Even in later years when we perforce grew a little - graver, she needed only to begin one of her descriptive stories to - make us all young again. - -During five happy years, Charlotte Cushman, Miss Hosmer and another -friend made their home together. In a letter to America, Harriet wrote: -"Miss Cushman is like a mother to me, and spoils me utterly." - -In 1862, Miss Hosmer received the news of her father's death. Though -grieving sincerely, she worked but the more assiduously, to keep -herself free of selfish sorrow. By means of the moderate fortune left -her, she was able to take an apartment of her own, and establish a -studio which was considered the most beautiful in Rome. - -Here she entertained noted people of the day, who came to visit her. -Usually, after a hard day's work, she would mount her horse and gallop -over the Campagna, returning refreshed at night and ready to dine with -her friends. Her animation and wit in discussion, her musical laughter, -her gaiety and lightness of spirits, astonished and charmed all who met -her. - -Like most thinking women of the time, Harriet Hosmer abhorred slavery, -and did her part in the Abolition movement by making an inspiring -statue called _The African Sibyl_—the figure of a negro girl -prophesying the freedom of her race. Of this work, Tennyson said, "It -is the most poetic rendering in art of a great historical truth I have -ever seen." - -One of her notable orders came from the beautiful Queen of Naples, -whose portrait she executed in marble. The Queen became a close friend -of Miss Hosmer, and her brother, King Ludwig II of Bavaria, frequently -visited the studio. - -Miss Hosmer's last years were spent in England and America, with only -occasional visits to Rome. Death came to her in 1908, at the age of -seventy-eight, but to the end she remained an entertaining talker, -recalling with joy the many episodes of her busy, happy life and the -great people she had known. - - - - -[Illustration: LOUISA MAY ALCOTT] - - -LOUISA MAY ALCOTT - -(1832-1888) - - "God bless all good women! To their soft hands and pitying hearts we - must all come at last." - - —_Oliver Wendell Holmes_ - - -The following is said to be a description of Louisa May Alcott at the -age of fifteen, written by herself and published in her book called -_Little Women_. She is supposed to be _Jo_, and her three sisters were -the other _little women_. - - Jo was very tall, thin and brown, and reminded one of a colt, for she - never seemed to know what to do with her long limbs, which were very - much in the way. She had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp - grey eyes which appeared to see everything, and were by turns fierce - or funny or thoughtful. Her long, thick hair was her one beauty, - but it was usually bundled into a net to be out of her way. Round - shoulders had Jo, and big hands and feet, a fly-away look to her - clothes, and the uncomfortable appearance of a girl who was rapidly - shooting up into a woman and didn't like it. - -Louisa May Alcott was born November 29th, 1832, in Germantown, -Pennsylvania. Her father was Amos Bronson Alcott, a remarkable man, -known as a philosopher and educator. His views of education differed -from those of most people of his time, though many of his ideas are -highly thought of to-day. - -He became an important member of that circle of great men of Concord -known as Transcendentalists, and he counted Ralph Waldo Emerson and -Henry D. Thoreau among his closest friends. - -Miss Alcott's mother was the daughter of Col. Joseph May of Boston and -the sister of the Rev. Samuel J. May, a noted anti-slavery leader. Mrs. -Alcott was a quiet, unassuming woman, intellectual in her tastes, and -accustomed from her childhood to the companionship of cultured people. -Although an excellent writer, both in prose and verse, her home and -her children were always her first thought. She herself never became -publicly known, but her influence may be traced in the lives and works -of her brilliant daughter and gifted husband. It is doubtful whether -either could have achieved success without her guidance and sympathy. - -Thus Louisa came into the world blessed with a heritage of culture -and intellect. Her disposition was sunny and cheerful. Upon one -occasion, when scarcely able to speak so as to be understood, she -suddenly exclaimed at the breakfast table, "I lub everybody in dis -whole world!"—an utterance that gives the keynote to her character and -nature. - -When she was about two years of age, her parents removed to Boston, -where Mr. Alcott opened a school. The journey was made by sea. Louisa -liked steam-travel so well that she undertook to investigate it -thoroughly. To the alarm of her parents, she disappeared, being found -after a search in the engine room, sublimely unconscious of soiled -clothes, and deeply interested in the machinery. - -Her father believed in play as an important means of education, so -Louisa and her sister were encouraged in their games. Her doll was to -her a real, live baby, to be dressed and undressed regularly, punished -when naughty, praised and rewarded when good. She made hats and gowns -for it, pretended it was ill, put it to bed, and sent for the doctor, -just as any other normal little girl does. - -The family cat also came in for its share of attention at the hands of -Louisa. No one was allowed to abuse or torment pussy, but the children -might "play baby" with her, and rock her to sleep; or they might play -that she was sick and that she died, and then attend her funeral. - -All this sort of thing Mr. Alcott called "imitation," and at a time -when many good parents looked disapprovingly on children's sports, Mr. -Alcott placed them in his system of education. These plays were so real -to Louisa that she never forgot her joy in them, and years afterward -she gave them out delightfully to other children in her stories. - -At seven years of age she began, under her father's direction, a daily -journal. She would write down the little happenings of her life, her -opinions on current events, on books she read, and the conversations -she heard. This was good training for the future writer, developing the -power of accurate thought and of clear and charming expression. - -In 1840, it became evident to Mr. Alcott that he could not remain in -Boston. His views on religion and education were so much in advance -of the people about him that his school suffered. Concord had long -attracted the Alcott family, not only because it was the home of -Emerson and others of high intellectual attainments, but because it -offered a simple life and rural surroundings. And so it came that the -family removed there, occupying a small house known as the Hosmer -Cottage, about a mile from Mr. Emerson's home. - -At that time there were three Alcott children: Anna, nine years of age, -Louisa, eight, and Elizabeth, five years. A boy, born in Boston, died -early. A fourth girl, named Abby May, was born in Hosmer Cottage. These -four sisters lived a happy life at Concord, although the family had a -hard struggle with poverty; for Mr. Alcott, always a poor business man, -had lost the little he had in trying to form a model colony, called -Fruitlands. - -But all were devoted to one another. The children made merry over -misfortune, and wooed good luck by refusing to be discouraged. They -were always ready to help others, notwithstanding their own poverty. -Once, at their mother's suggestion, they carried their breakfast to -a starving family, and at another time they contributed their entire -dinner to a neighbor who had been caught unprepared when distinguished -guests arrived unexpectedly. - -Mr. Alcott first attempted to earn his living by working in the fields -for his neighbors, and by cultivating his own acre of ground; but this -work being uncongenial, he soon drifted into his true sphere—that -of writing and lecturing. He supervised the instruction of all his -children, but becoming convinced of Louisa's exceptional ability, he -took sole charge of her education, and except for two brief periods she -was never permitted to attend school. - -He was a peculiar man, this Mr. Alcott. One of his methods of guiding -his children was to write letters to them instead of talking. The talks -they might forget, he said, but the letters they could keep and read -over frequently. Louisa had one letter from him on _Conscience_, which -helped to mold her whole life. - -Mrs. Alcott, too, would sometimes write to Louisa, giving her some -advice or calling her attention to a fault or undesirable habit. On -Louisa's tenth birthday her mother wrote her as follows: - - DEAR DAUGHTER: - - Your tenth birthday has arrived. May it be a happy one, and on each - returning birthday may you feel new strength and resolution to be - gentle with sisters, obedient to parents, loving to every one, and - happy in yourself. - - I give you the pencil case I promised, for I have observed that you - are fond of writing, and wish to encourage the habit. Go on trying, - dear, and each day it will be easier to be and do good. You must help - yourself, for the cause of your little troubles is in yourself; and - patience and courage only will make you what mother prays to see you, - a good and happy girl. - -To another letter, received on her eleventh birthday, Louisa replied by -writing these verses: - - I hope that soon, dear mother. - You and I may be - In the quiet room my fancy - Has so often made for thee— - - The pleasant sunny chamber, - The cushioned easy-chair, - The book laid for your reading, - The vase of flowers fair; - - The desk beside the window - When the sun shines warm and bright, - And there in ease and quiet - The promised book you write - - While I sit close behind you, - Content at last to see - That you can rest, dear mother, - And I can cherish thee. - -Louisa very early took upon herself the task of building up the family -fortunes. When only fifteen, she began teaching school in a barn. Among -her pupils were the children of Mr. Emerson. At this same period we -find her writing fairy stories which she sent out to various editors. -The editors promptly published these stories, but they sent her no -money for them. But money she must have, so, besides her teaching, -this enterprising girl took in sewing, which brought her little, but -was better than writing stories for nothing! Louisa's intellect and -ability did not make her vain; she was not ashamed to do any kind of -honorable work. - -Since the father proved a failure in supporting the family, Mrs. Alcott -tried to earn something by keeping an intelligence office as an agent -for the Overseers of the Poor. One day a gentleman called who wanted -"an agreeable companion" for his father and sister. The companion would -be expected to do light housework, he said, but she would be kindly -treated. - -Mrs. Alcott could think of no one to fill the position. Then Louisa -said, "Mother, why couldn't I go?" - -She did go, remained two months, and was treated very unkindly, being -obliged to do the drudgery of the entire household. After returning -home, she wrote a story that had a large sale, entitled _How I Went out -to Service_. Surely Louisa Alcott had the ability to make the best of -things, and to turn trials into blessings. - -At nineteen she developed great interest in the theatre and straightway -decided to become an actress. During her childhood she had written -plays which her sister Anna and a few other children acted, to the -amusement of the elder members of the family. Now she dramatized her -book, _Rival Prima Donnas_, and prevailed upon a theatrical manager to -produce it. The man who had her play in charge, however, neglected to -fulfil his part of the bargain, and meanwhile, Louisa's ardor for the -theatre cooled off. - -By the time she was twenty-one, Miss Alcott was fairly launched as an -author. Two years later she published a book, entitled _Flower Fables_, -receiving from its sale the astonishing sum of thirty-two dollars. Then -her work began to be accepted by the _Atlantic Monthly_ and by other -magazines of good standing. - -It was very difficult for her to write in Concord, where she -continually saw so much to be done at home. When a book was in process -of writing she would go to Boston, hire a quiet room, and shut herself -in until the work was completed. Then she would return to Concord to -rest, "tired, hungry and cross," as she expressed it. While in Boston -she worked cruelly hard, often writing fourteen hours out of the -twenty-four. Worn out in body, she would grow discouraged and lose -hope, wondering if she would ever be able to earn enough money to -support her parents. - -A dear and good friend of hers was the Reverend Theodore Parker. At his -home the tired, anxious girl was certain to receive encouragement and -cheer. There she met Emerson, Sumner, Garrison, Julia Ward Howe, and -other eminent men and women of the time. A few years before her death -she wrote to a friend: - - Theodore Parker and Ralph Emerson have done much to help me see that - one can shape life best by trying to build up a strong and noble - character through good books, wise people's society, and by taking an - interest in all the reforms that help the world. - -While in Boston Miss Alcott found time to go to teach in an evening -Charity School. In her diary we find these jottings: - - I'll help, as I am helped, if I can. - - Mother says no one is so poor that he can't do a little for some one - poorer yet. - -At twenty-five years of age, Louisa Alcott was receiving not over five, -six, or ten dollars for her stories. This would hardly support herself, -to say nothing of the family. Writing might be continued, but sewing -and teaching could not be dropped. - -In 1861, when the Civil War broke out, her natural love of action as -well as her patriotism caused her to offer her services as nurse. In -December, 1862, she went to Washington where she was given a post in -the Union Hospital at Georgetown. The Alcott family had been full of -courage until it was time for her to depart. Then all broke down. -Louisa herself felt she was taking her life in her hands and that she -might never come back. - -She said, "Shall I stay, Mother?" - -"No, no, go! and the Lord be with you," replied her mother, bravely -smiling, and waving good-bye with a wet handkerchief. So Louisa -departed, depressed in spirits and with forebodings of trouble. - -She found the hospital small, poorly ventilated, and crowded with -patients. Her heart was equal to the task, but her strength was not. - -In her diary, she tells us the events of a day: - - Up at six, dress by gas light, run through my ward and throw up the - windows, though the men grumble and shiver; but the air is bad enough - to breed a pestilence. Poke up the fire, add blankets, joke, coax, - command; but continue to open doors and windows as if life depended - upon it. - - Till noon I trot, trot, giving out rations, cutting up food for - helpless boys, washing faces, teaching my attendants how beds are - made, or floors are swept, dressing wounds, dusting tables, sewing - bandages, keeping my tray tidy, rushing up and down after pillows, - bed-linen, sponges, books, and directions till it seems I would - joyfully pay all I possess for fifteen minutes' rest. - - When dinner is over, some sleep, many read, and others want letters - written. This I like to do, for they put in such odd things. The - answering of letters from friends after some one has died is the - saddest and hardest duty a nurse has to do. - -After six weeks of nursing Miss Alcott fell seriously ill with -typhoid-pneumonia. - -As she refused to leave her duties, a friend sent word of her condition -to her father, who came to the hospital and took her back with him -to Concord. It was months before she recovered sufficiently even to -continue her literary work, and never again was she robust in health. -She writes: "I was never ill before I went to the hospital, and I have -never been well since." - -Her letters written home while she was nursing in Georgetown contained -very graphic and accurate descriptions of hospital life. At the -suggestion of her mother and sisters, Miss Alcott revised and added to -these letters, making a book which she called _Hospital Sketches_. -This book met with instant success, and a part of the success was money. - -After that, all was easy. There came requests from magazine editors -offering from two to three hundred dollars for serials. Her place in -the literary field being now an assured thing, her natural fondness for -children led her to writing for them. - -The series comprising _Little Women_, _Jo's Boys_, and _Little Men_; -together with _An Old Fashioned Girl_, _Eight Cousins_, _Rose in -Bloom_, _Under the Lilacs_, _Jack and Jill_, and many others, are books -dear to the hearts of all children. Editions of all these books were -published in England, and in several other European countries where -translations had been made of them,—all of which brought in large -royalties for the author. - -What happiness it must have given her to make her family independent, -and to be able to travel! Twice she visited Europe, the first time as -companion to an invalid woman, and a second time, after she had earned -enough to pay her own expenses. - -Miss Alcott never married. When about twenty-five years of age, an -offer of marriage came to her which most young women would have -considered very flattering. But she did not love her suitor, and on -her mother's advice, refused him, thus being saved from that worst of -conditions—a loveless union. - -This first offer was not the last Miss Alcott received and declined. -Matrimony, she said, had no charms for her! She loved her family, and -her literary work. Above all, she loved her freedom. Her health was not -benefited by her second trip to Europe; excessive work had been too -great a strain upon her, and her father's failing health demanded her -constant care. - -In 1877 Mrs. Alcott died, and in the autumn of 1882 Mr. Alcott had a -stroke of paralysis. From this he never fully recovered. Louisa was his -constant nurse, and it gave her great happiness to be able to gratify -his every wish. About this time Orchard House, which had been the -family home for twenty-five years, was sold, and the family went to -live with Mrs. Pratt, the eldest daughter. - -Hoping that an entire change of air and scene might help her father, -Miss Alcott rented a fine house in Louisburg Square, Boston, to which -she had him removed. Here she showed him every attention, until her own -health became so impaired that she was obliged to go to the home of Dr. -Lawrence, at Roxbury, for medical care. - -A few days before her death, she was taken to see her dying father. -Shortly after her visit he passed away, and three days later she -followed him. Born on her father's birthday, she died on the day he was -buried, March 6, 1888. - -All her life Louisa Alcott labored to make others happy, and she is -still reaping her harvest of love the world over. - - - - -[Illustration: FRANCES WILLARD] - - -FRANCES E. WILLARD - -(1839-1898) - - "There is a woman at the beginning of all great things." - - —_Alphonse de Lamartine_ - - -It was not until 1873 that the vast amount of drunkenness in our -country attracted the attention of the women of America. - -A crusade was formed against it in the West, and this led in 1874 to -the foundation of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Frances -Elizabeth Willard was offered the position of president, an honor she -then declined, preferring to work in the ranks; but four years later -she yielded to the universal demand, and accepted the chairmanship of -this great movement. - -This able woman was born at Churchville, very near Rochester, N. Y., -on September 28, 1839. Her father, of English descent, was a man of -intellectual force, brave, God-fearing; her mother, a woman of strong -religious feeling, great courage, and of fine mental equipment. Frances -inherited the best qualities of both parents. When she was two years -of age, the family removed to Oberlin, Ohio, and about five years later -to Janesville, Wisconsin, then almost a wilderness. Here they lived -the simple, hard life of pioneers. Frances was at first taught by her -mother and a governess; afterward, she and her younger sister entered -the Northwestern College at Evanston, from which Frances was graduated. - -Mr. Willard removed to Evanston in order to be near his daughters while -they were in college, and in 1858 built a house there. Here the younger -daughter died, and later Mr. Willard, but Frances and her mother -continued to make it their home, even after the death of the only son. -Frances named it Rest Cottage, and here she returned each year of her -busy life to spend two months with the mother whom she had christened -St. Courageous. - -Idleness was an impossibility for Frances Willard. After her graduation -she taught in a little district school, and from 1858 until 1868 -continued the work of teaching in various schools and colleges. In 1868 -she went to Europe and spent two years in travel and study. Upon her -return she was elected President of the Evanston College for Women, -being the first woman in the world to hold such a position. Two years -later, when the college became a part of the Northwestern University, -Miss Willard became Dean of the Women's College, but as some of her -views conflicted with those of the President, she soon resigned the -position. - -It was about this time that the women of Ohio began fighting the liquor -traffic. To use Mrs. Livermore's words, "Frances Willard caught the -spirit of the Woman's Crusade and believed herself called of God to -take up the temperance cause as her life work." - -Every one, even her mother, opposed her, but feeling herself called to -the work she gave to it all her energies of heart and soul. - -When Miss Willard became President of the Women's Christian Temperance -Union in 1879, the yearly income of the Union was only twelve hundred -dollars. The movement was too new and too strange to command much -understanding or sympathy from the public; the work, so far, had been -done without system. Frances Willard at once began to put the machinery -in order: she organized bodies of workers and lecturers; she instituted -relief work and educative centers; and the numbers of these she -constantly increased. - -Perhaps Miss Willard's greatest moral asset was the power of winning -followers. Many, many women rallied enthusiastically to her support and -helped her to carry out her plans. To zeal and intelligence she added -charming manners and eloquence. As a leader her ability was marvelous. -Love came to her from all sides because love went out from her to -everybody. - -Her own love of the work was so great that for years she labored -without a salary, for the Union had hard struggles to live even after -Miss Willard undertook the leadership of it. But with or without -salary, never did she spare herself. - -It is said that during the first two years of her work she delivered -on an average one speech a day on temperance and other reforms. -She visited every town in the United States of over ten thousand -inhabitants and most of those above five thousand. - -The next step in Miss Willard's progress was a very great one; no less -a thing than the organization of a World's Women's Christian Temperance -Union! Yes, this courageous and enterprising woman actually planned to -carry her crusade against strong drink into every corner of the globe. -At the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 she was chosen Chairman -of the World's Temperance Convention. - -Meanwhile, Lady Henry Somerset, a charming and brilliant Englishwoman -who had been working in her own country to secure the same reforms Miss -Willard was pushing forward in America, came to this country. It was -her first visit—made, she said, less to see America than to see Miss -Willard, and learn from her the principle upon which she had founded -the marvelous organization. - -These two noble women became devoted friends, and when, in the autumn -of 1892, Lady Henry again came to America to attend a National -Convention at Denver, she persuaded Miss Willard to return with her -to England. Our great temperance leader had a fine reception from the -English people, and won all hearts by her gentleness and earnestness, -as well as by her remarkable gift of oratory. - -Four years after this, the World's Women's Christian Temperance Union -held a Convention in London. Every country in the civilized world sent -delegates to this meeting, over which Miss Willard and Lady Somerset -presided. These indefatigable world-workers had secured a petition of -seven million names. It encircled the entire hall of the Convention, -and besides lay in large rolls on the platform. This petition asked -of all governments to have the sale of intoxicating liquors and of -opium restricted. But, in spite of the seven million signatures and an -enormous enthusiasm, the sale of liquors and drugs went on as before. -Yet something was accomplished: a great increase of sympathy in public -opinion. - -In addition to all these activities Miss Willard was much engaged in -literary work. She acted as editor on various papers and magazines; -also she wrote several books, _Nineteen Beautiful Years_, _Glimpses of -Fifty Years_, _Woman and Temperance_, being the best known. - -When the White Cross and White Shield movements for the promotion of -social purity were formed, Miss Willard, as leader, did a glorious -work. Under the white flag of the Women's Christian Temperance Union -with its famous motto, _For God, for Home and Native Land_, she brought -together, to work as sisters, the women of the South and the North. - -Miss Willard was always dignified, earnest, and inspiring, but when -talking on the subject so dear to her heart she grew eloquent. As a -presiding officer, justice, tact, grace, and quick repartee made her -the ideal platform speaker, though, perhaps, courage may be called her -chief characteristic. - -In later years, although suffering from ill health, she yet kept -cheerfully at work and actually presided over the Convention of 1897. -This, however, proved too great a strain, and on February 18, 1898, at -the Empire Hotel, New York City, she died. Her body died, but her soul -"goes marching on." - - - - -[Illustration: MARTHA WASHINGTON] - - -WOMEN IN PIONEER LIFE AND ON THE BATTLE-FIELD - - "If we wish to know the political and moral condition of a State, we - must ask what rank women hold in it. Their influence embraces the - whole of life." - - —_Aimé Martin_ - - -The first foot that pressed Plymouth Rock was that of Mary Chilton, a -fair and delicate maiden, and there followed her eighteen women who -had accompanied their husbands on the Mayflower to the bleak, unknown -shore of Massachusetts. Truly the "spindle side" of the Puritan stock -deserves great admiration and respect. - -These women came from a civilized land to a savage one; from homes of -plenty, where they had been carefully guarded and tended, to a place -where their lives could be only danger, toil and privation. Often they -were obliged to pound corn for their bread, and many were the times, -their husbands being away fighting the Indians, when they gathered -their children together, panic-stricken by the war whoops that rang out -from the wilderness near by. Little wonder that four of these eighteen -women died during the first winter, killed by cold, hunger, and mental -anguish! - -The early European settlers of America, both men and women, were of -a truly heroic breed. It was spiritual as well as bodily courage -they displayed—suffering as they did for a religious principle. The -women often performed the duties of men, even planting the crops in -their husbands' absence, and frequently using firearms to guard their -children and their homes. Shoulder to shoulder with the men these women -worked, and from the struggle was evolved a new type—the woman of -1776, without whose assistance the Revolutionary War could scarcely -have succeeded. - -One of these women, who might have lived in luxury, aloof from -scenes of suffering, had she so wished, stands out prominently. This -was Martha Washington, the wife of the Commander-in-Chief of the -Continental Army, who gathered the wives of the officers around her -at Valley Forge, during the severe winter of 1777-78, and with them -undertook the work of relieving the needs of the soldiers. Under -her leadership the women gave up their embroidery, spinnet playing, -and other light accomplishments, and knitted stockings and mittens, -of which hundreds of pairs were distributed. We may regard her as -the pioneer in a form of work which later developed into Sanitary -Commissions and the great organization of the Red Cross. - -A different type of woman was Moll Pitcher. She showed her courage -in quite another way. She was the wife of John Hayes, a gunner. At -that time, a few married women, who found it easier to stand the -fearful strain of battle than to remain at home in suspense, waiting -for news of it, were allowed to accompany their husbands to the -battle-field,—not to fight—oh, no, but to wash, and mend, and cook -for the men. Moll was one of these. - -During the Battle of Monmouth, _Moll o' the Pitcher_, as she was -called, because of the stone pitcher she used in carrying water to the -soldiers, was engaged in her usual work when she saw her husband fall -by the side of his gun. Running to him, she helped him to a place of -safety; then, at his request, she returned to his gun. The commander -was just about to have it taken from the field, but as Moll offered -her services, he allowed it to remain. She managed it so well that the -report of her prowess spread, even to the ears of General Washington. -The General called upon her to thank her, and the Continental Congress -gave her a sergeant's commission and half-pay for life. "Captain -Mollie," done with military service, took her wounded husband home and -nursed him, but he died of his wounds before the war closed. - -[Illustration: MOLLY PITCHER] - -Lydia Darrah, a Quakeress of Philadelphia, by her quick wit and courage -saved General Washington's army from capture at Whitemarsh after the -defeat at Germantown. During the winter of 1777 the British commander, -General Howe, had his headquarters in Second Street. Directly opposite -dwelt William and Lydia Darrah, strict Quakers whose religion debarred -them from taking sides in the war. Because of this, perhaps, the -British officers considered their home a safe place for private -meetings, a large, rear room in the house being frequently used for -conferences with the staff-officers. - -One evening, the Adjutant General told Lydia that they would be there -until late, but that he wished the family to retire early, adding that, -when the conference was over he would call her to let them out and put -out the lights. Lydia obeyed, but could not sleep. Her intuition told -her that something of importance to Washington was being discussed. Try -as she might to be neutral, as a Quaker should, her sympathies were -with the great General. - -At last she slipped from her bed, crept to the door of the -meeting-room, and listened at the keyhole. She heard an order read -for all British troops to march out on the evening of December fourth -to capture Washington's army, which was then encamped at Whitemarsh. -Frightened and excited, she returned to her room. - -Not long after, the officer knocked at her door, but she pretended to -be asleep and did not answer. As the knocking continued, she finally -opened the door and sleepily returned the officer's good night. Then -she locked up the house and put out the lights, but spent the remainder -of the night in thinking over what she should do. Early next morning -she told her husband that their flour was all gone and she would have -to go to the mill at Franklin, five miles away, to get more. - -She presented herself at the British headquarters bright and early, -asking permission to pass through the lines on a domestic errand. -Permission was granted, and she started for Franklin. She did not stop -there, however, but leaving her bag to be filled ready for her upon her -return, she continued walking until she reached the American outposts. -Asking that she might speak to an officer, she told what she had -heard, begging that she might not be betrayed. Then she hastened back -to the mill, secured her bag of flour and returned home as if nothing -had happened. - -And so it came about that, when the British reached Whitemarsh, they -found the American Army, which they had planned to surprise, drawn up -in line awaiting battle. No battle took place; but the British returned -to Philadelphia, and there tried to find out who had betrayed their -plans. Lydia Darrah was called up and questioned. She said that the -members of her family were all in bed at eight o'clock on the night of -the conference. - -"It is strange," said the officer; "I know that you were sound asleep, -for I had to knock several times to awaken you." - -So the matter was dropped, and nobody knows to this day whether the -British ever learned the truth or not. - -The story of Emily Geiger's bravery has been told in prose and poetry -many times. It became necessary for General Green to get reinforcements -from General Sumter. The latter was about fifty miles away, and the -country between them was overrun with British soldiers. When Emily -heard that General Green needed a messenger for the dangerous journey, -she immediately offered her services. Well she knew that discovery -would mean being hanged for a spy, but the risk did not appal her. -Rather unwillingly the General consented to her entreaties, and -entrusted the letter to her, telling her its contents in case it should -by any chance get lost. A woman, he said, _might_ run a chance of -getting past the British soldiers when a man would surely fail. - -"I have a fleet horse," said Emily, "which I broke and trained myself; -I know the country and I am sure I can get through." She dashed away, -but was captured on the second day and imprisoned in a room of an old -farm-house. - -As soon as she was alone, she tore the letter up, and chewed and -swallowed the pieces. This was done none too soon, for immediately -afterward, a woman entered and Emily had to submit to being searched. -Nothing of a suspicious nature being found upon her, the British -allowed her to go on. Before sundown Emily reached General Sumter's -camp and delivered the message. As a result, after a hard fought battle -at Eutaw Springs, the British were defeated by General Green. Emily -Geiger married happily and lived to a good old age. Long should she be -remembered for her courage and patriotism. - -It is certain that at least one woman enlisted in the Continental -Army and fought as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. This woman -was Deborah Samson, the daughter of poor parents of Plymouth County, -Massachusetts. She was but twenty-two years of age when she left home, -adopted male attire, and enlisted under the name of Robert Shirtliffe. - -A flaxen-haired girl was Deborah, with blue eyes and rosy cheeks; she -was not pretty, although as a man she might have passed for handsome. -Accustomed from childhood to do farm work, she had acquired the vigor -and strength that enabled her to perform the trying duties of military -life. Deborah saw something of real war. At White Plains she received -two bullet holes in her coat and one in her cap; at Yorktown she went -through a severe fight but came out unhurt. Once she was shot in the -thigh, but fear of discovery exceeded the pain of the wound, and she -refused to go to the hospital. Later she fell ill of brain fever, and -in the hospital her sex was discovered by the doctor. He did not betray -her, but as soon as her health permitted he had her removed to his own -house, where he gave her every care. - -When her health was restored, the physician had a conference with the -Commander of the Regiment to which "Robert" belonged. Soon there -followed an order to the young man to carry a letter to Washington. -Our young soldier felt very uneasy, but a soldier must obey. In due -time, she appeared before General Washington. With great delicacy the -General said not a word to her regarding the letter she had brought, -but handed one, Robert Shirtliffe, a discharge from the army, and a -note containing a few words of advice, with sufficient money to pay her -expenses until she could find a home. - -Deborah then resumed woman's attire and returned to her family. At -the close of the war she married Benjamin Gannet of Sharon. While -Washington was President, he invited Deborah to visit the capital. She -accepted, and during her stay there Congress passed a bill granting her -a pension for the services she had rendered the country. - -It has been stated, and is doubtless true, that many women, disguised -as men, enlisted during the Civil War and served as soldiers. Others -followed the army as nurses, fighting when it became necessary. Many -of these women went because they could not bear the separation from -their husbands. A notable example of this class was Madame Turchin, -wife of the Colonel of the Nineteenth Illinois. She was the daughter -of a Russian officer and had always lived in foreign camps with her -father. During the War of the Rebellion, she accompanied her husband to -the battle-field and became a great favorite with the soldiers under -his command. To her the men went when they were ill or in any trouble, -knowing they would always meet with sympathy, and when necessary would -be given careful nursing. - -Upon one occasion, when the regiment was actively engaged in Tennessee, -Col. Turchin fell ill, having to be carried for several days in an -ambulance. His wife took the most tender care of him, and also assumed -his place at the head of the regiment, even leading the troops into -action. Officers and men in the ranks alike obeyed her, for her courage -and skill equaled those of her husband. Without faltering she faced -the hottest fire. When her husband recovered and again took command, -she retired to the rear and resumed the work of nursing the sick and -wounded. - -Like Madame Turchin, Mrs. Kady Brownell had been accustomed to camp -life, her father having been a soldier in the British Army. She married -an officer of the Fifth Rhode Island Infantry and accompanied him to -the front. She bore the regimental colors and marched with the men, -asking no favors and standing the brunt of battle fearlessly. A fine -shot was Mrs. Kady Brownell, also an expert in the use of the sword. -She was in General Burnside's expedition to Roanoke Island and Newburn. -There her husband was so seriously wounded that he was judged unfit -for further service and given his discharge. Mrs. Brownell asked for a -discharge likewise, and together they retired to private life. - -Annie Etheridge of Michigan is said to have been with the Third -Michigan in every battle in which it was engaged. When the three years -of its service was over, she followed the re-enlisted veterans to the -Fifth Michigan. Through the entire four years of war, this fearless -woman never left the field, though often under the hottest fire. She -made herself beloved and respected by both officers and men. - -Bridget Devins, known as "Michigan Bridget," because she went to the -front with the First Michigan Cavalry, in which her husband served as -private, was noted for her daring deeds and her good service. When the -troops were about to retreat, it was Michigan Bridget who rallied them. -When a soldier fell, she took his place, fighting bravely in his stead. -Often she carried the wounded from the field, risking her own life -in the performance of her duty. Michigan Bridget liked military life -so well that at the close of the war she and her husband joined the -regular army and were sent to a station on the western plains. - -These women soldiers who served so bravely on the field of battle, we -must honor, yet we cannot regret that their numbers were small. The -nobler service of those countless women, who, with white faces and -breaking hearts, sent to the front their husbands, fathers and sons, -can never be properly estimated nor sufficiently honored. - -These women toiled day and night, determined that the soldiers should -be well cared for and well fed; they organized relief work so that the -fighters might have comforts and good hospitals. These women as truly -enlisted for battle as did the others who went to the front. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GROUP OF FAMOUS WOMEN *** - -***** This file should be named 63781-0.txt or 63781-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/7/8/63781/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: A Group of Famous Women - stories of their lives - -Author: Edith Horton - -Release Date: December 05, 2020 [EBook #63781] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Fay Dunn, Fiona Holmes and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GROUP OF FAMOUS WOMEN *** -</pre> - -<div class="transnote"> -<h2 class="nopagebreak" title="">Transcriber's Notes.</h2> - -<p class="center">Hyphenation has been standardised.</p> -</div> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/i_cover.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="1000" /> -</div> - -<h1> A GROUP OF - FAMOUS WOMEN</h1> - -<p class="center p90"> STORIES OF THEIR LIVES</p> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<p class="center p90"> BY</p> -<p class="center p110"> EDITH HORTON</p> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<p class="center p80"> ILLUSTRATED</p> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<p class="center p90"> D. C. HEATH AND COMPANY, PUBLISHERS</p> -<p class="center p80">BOSTON<span class="gap2">NEW YORK<span class="gap2">CHICAGO</span> -</span> -</p> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p class="center p80"> <span class="smcap">Copyright, 1914, by<br /> - D. C. HEATH & COMPANY<br /> - 1 C 4</span></p> - -<p class="space-above2"></p> - - -<p class="center p80"> TO THE<br /> - WOMEN TEACHERS OF AMERICA<br /> - WHOSE NOBLE LIVES HAVE EVER BEEN<br /> - AN INSPIRATION TO THE YOUTH<br /> - OF OUR LAND -</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_v" id="Page_v">[v]</a></span></p> -<h2><a name="FOREWORD" id="FOREWORD"></a>FOREWORD</h2> - - -<p>The best kind of American woman is proud. She has -confidence in herself. She is not vain or conceited or self-assertive, -but she has faith in her own powers. Even if -she could, she would not spend her life in play or in idleness; -she would choose to work. She believes that because -she is doing her chosen work—whatever it may be—steadily, -hour by hour, day by day, she is achieving. -Because she has confidence in herself, she can live and -labor serenely, proudly. No matter how obscure her lot, -she feels herself to be in the same class as the most famous -of her American sisters who have worked with steadiness -and confidence at their task, and who have achieved -greatness.</p> - -<p>So difficult has it been for teachers to find brief, readable -biographies of distinguished women to use in connection -with their lessons in history and civics that they will welcome -this interesting collection. It should help to make -the girls in our American schools proud of their womanhood -and it should give them a strong desire to be worthy of -belonging to the same class as this group of noble workers.</p> - -<p class="right"><span class="smcap">Emma L. Johnston</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Principal Brooklyn Training School for Teachers.</p> - -<p>March 16, 1914.</p></div> -</div> - -<p class="space-above2"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vi" id="Page_vi">[vi]</a></span></p> -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"If women now sit on thrones, if the most beautiful painting -in the world is of a mother and her child, if the image of a -woman crowns the dome of the American Capitol, if in allegory -and metaphor and painting and sculpture the highest ideals -are women, it is because they have a right to be there. By -all their drudgery and patience, by all their suffering and -kindness, they have earned their right to be there."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>O. T. Mason</em></p> - -<p>"The Egyptian people, wisest then of nations, gave to their -Spirit of Wisdom the form of a woman; and into her hand, -for a symbol, the weaver's shuttle."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>John Ruskin</em></p> -</div></div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span></p> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="INTRODUCTION" id="INTRODUCTION"></a>INTRODUCTION</h2> - - -<p>The advantages of biography as a means of education -are obvious. History and biography go hand in hand, the -latter giving vitality and reality to the former.</p> - -<p>Educators have for a long time appreciated this, and in -many Courses of Study throughout our land provision -has been made for the teaching of history through biography. -In most cases, emphasis has been laid upon the -notable careers of Washington, Franklin, Lincoln, and -other illustrious men, with the purpose of interesting the -young and inspiring in them the spirit of emulation.</p> - -<p>It is a remarkable fact that little attention, if any, has -been given to the study of the careers of distinguished -women, and the question has often been asked why short -biographies should not be prepared, in order that the pupils -in our schools might become familiar with the noble -and unselfish lives of the many remarkable women whose -influence has been inspiring and uplifting. It is hoped -that those who read the stories of the lives of the women -whose names appear in this volume will find in them -an incentive to guide their own lives into useful channels.</p> - -<p>These types have been selected because of their direct -influence upon events of world-wide significance. Only -a limited number of types has been given because it -would be impossible, within the compass of one volume or -of many, to record the great and good deeds of women, -past and present.</p> - -<p>The compiler has no intention of expressing her personal -opinions; the facts of these women's lives speak for -themselves, and the stories, necessarily brief here, of their -careers are so full of vital and human interest that it is -hoped that the young reader may be led to the perusal of -more complete biographies in later life.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span></p> -<p>Many foreign born girls in our schools have practically -no means of acquiring any adequate idea of the ideal -standard of American womanhood—a standard radically -different from that in their own native lands. The -foreign born boys, however, invariably study the lives -of great American men, and thus have no difficulty in -familiarizing themselves with high ideals in ethics and -statesmanship at precisely the time when the most enduring -impressions are being made. As there is no reason -whatever for this disparity of opportunity, it should cease, -and by means of this little work and others of similar -character, our school girls in general—and more especially -those of foreign birth or parentage—should be made -acquainted with the traditions and responsibilities of -American women, and the unlimited opportunities for -development and progress in this great Republic.</p> - -<p>Women have been important factors in our national -growth, and the value of their aid in carrying forward the -progress of human improvement has never been properly -estimated. The future of woman in America is undoubtedly -to be of still greater significance to our country. Every -art and profession is open to her, everything compatible with -womanhood is within her reach, and she should be in readiness -for the supreme civic privilege if such be granted her.</p> - -<p>To-day, women are voting in ten states of the Union, -a fact which calls attention to the necessity of educating -girls for the duties of citizenship. The woman of the -future will be better equipped to meet such duties by the -study of the lives of certain representative women.</p> - -<p>In the schools, side by side with boys, our girls study -civics. Side by side with boys, they salute the Flag. -Grown to womanhood, still side by side with men, they -will help to uphold all the sacred traditions for which our -Flag stands,—the true woman never forgetting that the -home and the family are the bulwarks of the country.</p> - -<p class="right">E. H.</p> -</div> -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CONTENTS</h2> - -<table summary="Contents" class="toc"> -<tr> - <td> </td> - <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Joan of Arc</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_1" title="Page 1">1</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Dorothy Payne Madison</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_13" title="Page 13">13</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Elizabeth Fry</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_27" title="Page 27">27</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Lucretia Mott</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_35" title="Page 35">35</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Mary Lyon</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_49" title="Page 49">49</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Dorothea Dix</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_61" title="Page 61">61</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Margaret Fuller</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_75" title="Page 75">75</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Harriet Beecher Stowe</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_83" title="Page 83">83</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Maria Mitchell</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_99" title="Page 99">99</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Lucy Stone</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_107" title="Page 107">107</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Julia Ward Howe</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_115" title="Page 115">115</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Queen Victoria</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_123" title="Page 123">123</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Florence Nightingale</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_133" title="Page 133">133</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Susan B. Anthony</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_143" title="Page 143">143</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Mary A. Livermore</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_151" title="Page 151">151</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Clara Barton</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_165" title="Page 165">165</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Harriet Hosmer</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_173" title="Page 173">173</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Louisa M. Alcott</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_183" title="Page 183">183</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Frances E. Willard</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_199" title="Page 199">199</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"><span class="smcap">Women on the Battle-field and in Pioneer - Life</span></td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#Page_207" title="Page 207">207</a></td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - -<hr class="tb" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span></p> -<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> -<table summary="Illustrations" class="toi"> -<tr> - <td> </td> - <td class="tdr"><small>PAGE</small></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Joan of Arc: The Peasant Girl</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#image_frontis" title=""><em>Frontispiece</em></a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">"The Maid of Orleans"</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_011">11</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Dorothy Payne Madison</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_012">12</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Elizabeth Fry</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_026">26</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Lucretia Mott</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_034">34</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"> Mary Lyon</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_048">48</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Dorothea Dix</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_060">60</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Margaret Fuller</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_074">74</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht"> Harriet Beecher Stowe</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_082">82</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Maria Mitchell</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_098">98</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Lucy Stone</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_106">106</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Julia Ward Howe</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_114">114</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Queen Victoria</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_122">122</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Florence Nightingale</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_132">132</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Susan B. Anthony</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_142">142</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Mary A. Livermore</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_150">150</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Clara Barton</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_164">164</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Harriet Hosmer</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_172">172</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Louisa M. Alcott</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_182">182</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Frances E. Willard</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_198">198</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Martha Washington</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_206">206</a></td> - </tr> -<tr> - <td class="cht">Molly Pitcher</td> - <td class="pag"><a href="#i_210">210</a></td> -</tr> -</table> -</div> - - -<hr class="full" /> -<div class="chapter"> -<h2><a name="A_GROUP_OF_FAMOUS_WOMEN" id="A_GROUP_OF_FAMOUS_WOMEN"></a>A GROUP OF FAMOUS WOMEN</h2> - - -<p class="center">"<em>The woman's cause is man's; they rise or sink<br /> -Together, dwarf'd or godlike, bond or free.</em>"</p> -<p class="right">—<span class="smcap">Alfred Tennyson</span></p> -</div> -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="image_frontis" name="image_frontis"><img src="images/i_frontis.jpg" alt="" width="334" height="447" /></a> -<p class="caption center"><em>Henri Chapu, (1833-1891)</em> <em>Louvre</em></p> -<p class="caption center">JOAN OF ARC: THE PEASANT GIRL AT DOMRÉMY</p> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="JOAN_OF_ARC" id="JOAN_OF_ARC"></a>JOAN OF ARC</h2> - -<p class="center">(1410, 1412-1431)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Oh child of France! Shepherdess, peasant girl! Trodden under -foot by all around thee, how I honor thy flashing intellect, -quick as God's lightning, and true as God's lightning to its -mark, that ran before France and laggard Europe by many a -century, confounding the malice of the ensnarer, and making -dumb the oracles of falsehood!"</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>De Quincey</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>The story of the life of Joan of Arc is so unusual -and so wonderful that it would be difficult to believe -it to be true, if all that happened to her had not been -told in a court of law and written down during her -lifetime. Few facts in history come to us so directly, -for these old records are still preserved in France, -where they may be seen and read to-day.</p> - -<p>Joan was born sometime between 1410 and 1412, -in the little village of Domrémy, France, being the -fifth child of Jacques and Isabelle d'Arc. Her parents -were peasants in comfortable circumstances -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span>and Joan did not suffer through poverty. She never -learned to read or write—indeed, very few people -at that time were able to do so—but she became -skillful in the use of the needle and helped her mother -in all the household tasks. She was always good and -obedient to her parents and kind to every one, -especially the sick and the poor.</p> - -<p>When work for the day was over, Joan ran about -with her playmates, full of fun and frolic, dancing and -singing for the pure joy of living. Often the children -would run to the beautiful forest near the village, -where there was an oak which they called the fairy -tree. Here they would bring cakes for little feasts, at -which they would dance, hanging garlands of flowers -on the branches in honor of the good fairies. This -was a custom of peasant children of France in those -days.</p> - -<p>Joan would sometimes steal away from her companions -and sit quietly and thoughtfully alone. For -she was living in a very unhappy time for France, -and the misfortunes of her beloved country weighed -upon her spirits.</p> - -<p>Her father had told her of the sad condition of -France, of how the kings of England had been for -nearly a hundred years trying to make themselves -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span>kings of France, and how, little by little, they had -taken possession of French lands until it was feared -they would soon own the entire country and France -would have an English king. Charles, called the -Dauphin, son of the old French king, did not dare to -be crowned, and no prince was thought to become -really king of France until that ceremony had taken -place. For centuries, the French kings had been -crowned and anointed with sacred oil at the Cathedral -of Rheims, but as the city of Rheims was far -away and in the power of the English, Charles -thought he could not safely go there.</p> - -<p>As Joan grew older, she spent much of her time -alone and in prayer, brooding over the wrongs of her -country. She implored God to have pity on France. -When about thirteen years of age, and while she was -standing in her father's garden at noon one summer -day, she suddenly saw a great light and heard voices -telling her to be good, and telling her, also, that she -must go to the rescue of her country. Joan said that -she was only a young, ignorant peasant girl, who -could neither ride a horse nor use a sword. But the -voices kept on speaking to her for years, always telling -her the same thing, to go to the relief of the Dauphin.</p> - -<p>Joan at last came to believe that the visions and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span>the voices came from God, and she determined to -obey them. When she told her father and mother -what she intended to do, they tried to dissuade her, -telling her that the voices she heard were imaginary, -and that it was impossible for a girl to do what -trained military men and great generals had failed -to accomplish. Though it was very hard for her to -act contrary to the wishes of her parents, Joan said -she must do the work God had planned for her. -Soon her gentle persistence had its effect, and people -stopped laughing at her and ridiculing her, some even -beginning to believe in her mission.</p> - -<p>The voices bade Joan go to the Dauphin, who was -then living at Chinon, a castle on the Loire, and tell -him that she had come to lead his army to victory -and that he would shortly go to Rheims to be -crowned.</p> - -<p>At first it seemed impossible for her to get to -Chinon, but she went to Vaucouleurs, where her uncle -lived, and with his help she succeeded in persuading -Robert de Baudricourt, the commander there, to -give her an escort of a few armed men for the -journey. Someone gave her a beautiful war-horse, -which, to the surprise of all, she rode well, though she -had never ridden before in her life. She cut her -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span>long, black hair short and dressed herself in doublet -and hose like a boy, and this costume she wore during -the remainder of her life.</p> - -<p>On February 23, 1429, she rode out of Vaucouleurs -through a gate which is standing to-day, and after -several days journeying came to Chinon. Here there -was some delay, for Charles was surrounded by people -who advised him not to grant Joan an interview, but -she was finally permitted to enter the great hall of -the castle, where crowds of men, knights, and nobles in -gorgeous attire, were assembled. But Joan was not -dismayed. With confidence, but also with modesty, -she walked up to one who was very plainly dressed, -and fell on one knee before him saying, "God send you -long life, gentle Dauphin." The man pointed to -another, richly dressed in gold and silk embroidery, -saying, "That is the King." But Joan said, "No, -fair Sir!" She was not to be deceived, and her -recognition of Charles, notwithstanding his disguise, -caused all to wonder and many to believe in her.</p> - -<p>The King asked her name and what she wanted.</p> - -<p>"Fair Dauphin, my name is Jeanne the Maid; -and the King of Heaven speaks unto you by me, saying -that you shall be anointed and crowned at -Rheims," Joan replied.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></p> -<p>She then asked to be allowed to lead his army to -the relief of Orleans, which city was under siege by -the English at that time, telling him that under her -guidance the victory would be theirs. Many of the -nobles laughed at the idea of a girl leading an army, -but after talking with her, Charles granted her request -and sent her to Tours, where preparations -were made for the journey to Orleans.</p> - -<p>At length all was in readiness and the start was -made. On a bright spring day, Joan rode away from -Tours at the head of the King's army, wearing -beautiful armor of white wrought iron. She carried -an ancient sword, which she had divined was hidden -behind the altar of St. Catherine in the chapel at -Fierbois, and a banner embroidered with golden -lilies. Such a sight was never seen before nor -since.</p> - -<p>It was night, April 29, when the French reached -Orleans. They had safely passed an English fortress -and entered the town without trouble. The people -of Orleans, carrying torches, crowded around Joan, -eager to see the brave girl who had come to their -rescue. The women tried to kiss her hands and all -the people shouted and cheered. The entire city -rejoiced, for Joan's calm confidence, her bravery and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span>decision, inspired the soldiers with belief in her and -in the success of her undertaking.</p> - -<p>Very soon Joan led her soldiers forth against the -English and they were successful in taking several -forts. She had prophesied long before this time -that she would be wounded during the fighting, and -one evening, shortly before the siege was raised, she -said to Brother Pasquerel, the priest who was with -her, "To-morrow rise even earlier than to-day. Stay -always at my side, for to-morrow I shall have much -ado—more than I have ever had, and to-morrow -blood shall flow from my body."</p> - -<p>The next day, while placing a ladder against a wall -during the thick of the fight, a cross-bow entered her -shoulder in spite of her armor and blood flowed. -The arrow was drawn out and the wound was dressed, -whereupon she insisted upon returning to the battle, -though it is said she cried a little because of the pain.</p> - -<p>At eight o'clock that night one of Joan's generals -came to her for permission to stop the fighting until -morning. But Joan asked him to wait a while. -Then she rode into a vineyard and prayed. When -she returned to the field, she found that a soldier had -carried her banner into a ditch. She seized it, and -waving it so that all the men saw it, cried, "When -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span>my standard touches the wall, we shall take the fort!" -Soon the wind blew the fringe of the banner against -the wall and with a mad rush the French climbed into -the fort, while the English fled.</p> - -<p>The next day, May 8, 1429, the siege was raised, -and ever since, the people of Orleans celebrate that -day and pay honor to Joan, called by them "The -Maid of Orleans."</p> - -<p>Several other victories were won by the French -under Joan's leadership until the English were driven -far to the North. Then Joan tried to induce Charles -to go to Rheims to be crowned, so that the French -people would feel that he was really their King. -But the distance was great and the roads passed -through towns which were occupied by friends of -the English, and Charles, who loved his ease, was -hard to move. At length, however, he was persuaded, -and with an army of twelve thousand men -Charles started on his journey to Rheims, which -city he entered on July 16, being crowned the next -day with imposing ceremonies.</p> - -<p>This was perhaps the happiest day of Joan's life. -The great Cathedral was crowded with people, only -the center aisle being kept free for the procession. -First came the Archbishop, accompanied by his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span>canons in their robes of state. Then came men of -high rank, magnificently dressed. From the west -door Joan and the King appeared side by side, and -cheers and cries of welcome greeted them, followed by -a deep silence preceding the solemnity of the coronation. -The Archbishop of Rheims administered the -coronation oath; then the Dauphin was anointed -with the sacred oil, and crowned, while the trumpeters -played and the people shouted. The Maid -knelt at the King's feet and wept for joy.</p> - -<p>When asked by Charles to choose a gift as a reward -for her work for her country, she begged that the -people of her native town Domrémy might be free -from paying taxes. This was granted, and for three -hundred years the taxes were remitted. On the -books is written against the town of Domrémy: -"Nothing. For the sake of the Maid."</p> - -<p>This was all Joan would accept. For herself she -desired nothing except to be allowed to go back to her -village home to tend her sheep and be again with -her mother. But Charles <abbr title="the seventh">VII</abbr> would not consent to -that, for France was not yet free from the English.</p> - -<p>So it was decided to try to recapture Paris. Shameful -to say, however, the King did not give Joan -the assistance he should, withdrawing instead from -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>the city. Soon afterwards, while leading an attack -against the Duke of Burgundy, Joan was taken -prisoner and sold to the English. King Charles -made no effort to effect a ransom for her, nor did anyone -else in France attempt to raise money to save her -from her unhappy fate. She was charged with -sorcery, put into prison in Rouen, and after a year -was brought to trial. At the trial she was found -guilty, was sentenced to death, and burned at the -stake in the market place of Rouen, May 30, 1431.</p> - -<p>Joan of Arc had no grave; her ashes were thrown -into the Seine. There remains no relic of her, no -portrait, or any article she ever touched. Still she -will never be forgotten. It is now nearly five hundred -years since her death, yet to-day she is honored -and reverenced, and many statues have been erected -to her memory.</p> - -<p>A mere child in years, she rescued her country -from the English by a series of brilliant victories, -crowned the French king, and in return for this was -burned alive at the stake, while those for whom she -had fought looked on, making no effort to save her. -She was seventeen years of age when she led the -armies of France to victory, and but nineteen when -she met her cruel death.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span></p> - -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_011" name="i_011"><img src="images/i_011.jpg" alt="Picture of Joan of Arc" width="355" height="468" /></a> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Her pure, steadfast, simple faith, together with her -devotion to God and her patriotism, constitute her -greatness. During her life in camp, in Court, in -her home, and in prison, she never forgot her womanly -ideals, though she was called upon to do a man's -work; and she stands to-day to all nations a shining -example of pure and noble womanhood.</p> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_012" name="i_012"><img src="images/i_012.jpg" alt="" width="344" height="462" /></a> -<p class="caption center"> DOROTHY PAYNE MADISON</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p> - - -<h2><a name="DOROTHY_PAYNE_MADISON" id="DOROTHY_PAYNE_MADISON"></a>DOROTHY PAYNE MADISON</h2> - -<p class="center">(1772-1849)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"It is by woman that Nature writes on the hearts of men."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Richard Brinsley Sheridan</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>Dollie Madison was born May 27, 1772, in North -Carolina. Her father, John Payne, was a native -of Virginia, but he lived on a large plantation in -North Carolina which had been given him by his -father. He married Mary Coles, a noted belle and -beauty, and their daughter Dorothy inherited her -mother's good looks.</p> - -<p>In their home on the Southern plantation, the -Paynes avoided all display, although they enjoyed -every comfort and were generous in hospitality. -The little Dorothy was brought up to dress quietly -and wear no finery. After their removal to Philadelphia, -which occurred when Dorothy was fourteen -years of age, both John Payne and his wife, already -Quakers, became more strict in that creed than they -had been before. It was Mr. Payne's conviction—as -it was of all Quakers in good and regular standing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>—that -slavery was sinful, and this belief led him to -free his slaves, sell his plantation and come North.</p> - -<p>In their Northern home, the Quaker rules were -rigidly carried out. Though young and of a particularly -gay and joyous disposition, Dorothy—or -"Dollie" as her friends called her—was forbidden -such pleasures as dancing, music, and many other -amusements. All this discipline, which we should -call unnatural, Dollie received with sweetness and -cheerfulness. Her beautiful face reflected a beautiful -character.</p> - -<p>Mr. Payne, who was untrained in business ways, -met with financial reverses, and in his troubles was -aided by a young lawyer of wealth named John Tod, -also a member of the Society of Friends. This young -man, who had fallen in love with Dollie, showed Mr. -Payne much kindness, finally obtaining his consent -to ask his daughter's hand in marriage. When he -proposed to Dorothy, however, she replied that she -"never meant to marry." But her father was ill at -the time, and to please him, Dorothy, like the dutiful -daughter she had always been, consented, and so had -the satisfaction of making her father happy for the -remaining few months of his life.</p> - -<p>After her marriage, Dollie lived for three years -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>the life of a Quaker matron, devoting herself to her -husband, her home, and her two babies. Then an -epidemic of yellow fever broke out, and John Tod -sent Dollie and the babies away from the city while -he remained to look after his parents, who were both -dying of the fever.</p> - -<p>As soon as he could leave, and already ill, he hastened -to his wife and children. Mrs. Payne, Dollie's -mother, opened the door for him. "I feel the fever -in my veins," he gasped, "but I must see her once -more!" In a few hours, he and one of the babies -were dead. Dollie herself was then stricken, and -fatally, it was believed. She recovered, however, -and taking with her the remaining child, a boy whom -she had named John Payne after her father, Dollie -went to her mother in Philadelphia.</p> - -<p>These sad experiences broadened and deepened -her lovely nature so that she developed from a -shy girl into an attractive woman. Her troubles -seemed only to increase the natural sweetness of her -disposition and enhance her beauty. These gifts, -together with her youth and riches, caused her to -become the object of much curiosity and attention.</p> - -<p>On a certain morning during her walk, she was -seen by James Madison, who immediately sought -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span>for an introduction. This undoubtedly flattered -Dollie, for Mr. Madison was a very prominent and -important figure in Congress, with a name celebrated -throughout Europe and America. He had worked -with Washington, Franklin, and Hamilton to establish -the United States government on a firm basis, -so that he has since been called the Father of the -Constitution.</p> - -<p>In a letter to her friend Mrs. Lee, Dollie wrote:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Friend</span>:</p> - -<p>Thou must come to me. Aaron Burr says that the -"great-little Madison" has asked to be brought to see me -this evening....</p></div> - -<p>When he came, Mrs. Tod received him in a fine -mulberry satin gown, with silk tulle about her neck -and a dainty lace cap on her head, a curl of her pretty -black hair showing from underneath. She so sparkled -with fun and wit that the scholarly Mr. Madison -concluded that there was nothing to do but to offer -himself as a husband, and before long they became -engaged.</p> - -<p>President and Mrs. Washington were much pleased -when they heard of this and sent for Dollie to come -to them. Mrs. Washington said, "Be not ashamed -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span>to confess it, if it is so," for Dollie was shy and confused. -Then she added,</p> - -<p>"He will make thee a good husband and all the -better for being so much older. We both approve -of it. The esteem and friendship existing between -Mr. Madison and my husband is very great and we -would wish thee to be happy."</p> - -<p>Dollie was just twenty-two years of age and Mr. -Madison forty-four. In September, 1794, at Harewood, -Virginia, the home of Dollie's sister who had -become the wife of a nephew of Washington, Mrs. -Tod and James Madison were married. The guests -came from far and near, and there was much merrymaking -and gaiety at the wedding; even the quiet, -reserved bridegroom became transformed and permitted -the girls to cut off bits of Mechlin lace from -his ruffled shirt as mementoes.</p> - -<p>The bride and groom went first to Montpelier, -Virginia, Mr. Madison's home, but soon returned -to Philadelphia, where, at the request of her husband, -Dollie, laying aside her Quaker dress, entered society -and began to entertain largely. Her tact and kindness -of heart won every one, and at a time when -party spirit ran high and political differences caused -bitter feeling, Mrs. Madison entertained with dignity -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>and elegance, slighting no one, hurting the feelings -of none, and sometimes making friends out of foes.</p> - -<p>When Washington died, Mr. and Mrs. Madison -were among his sincere mourners, and helped to -comfort the lonely widow for the loss of her greathearted -husband. When Thomas Jefferson became -President of the United States, James Madison was -made Secretary of State. Mr. Jefferson, being a -widower, and requiring a lady to assist at his state -banquets, often called upon Mrs. Madison to sit at the -head of his table in the White House. Her charms -especially fitted her for such a position.</p> - -<p>After Jefferson had served two terms as President, -James Madison was elected to fill his place. At the -inauguration ball Mrs. Madison wore a gown of -buff-colored velvet, a turban with a bird of paradise -plume on her head, and pearls on her beautiful neck -and arms.</p> - -<p>During the first years of Madison's administration, -while national affairs were going on smoothly, Mrs. -Madison's entertainments at the White House were -many and popular. She had the rare gift never to -forget a name and the faculty of putting people at -their ease, and thus banishing shyness and stiffness. -Her receptions were never dull. Her sparkling con<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>versation -drew the best minds to her, and the ease -with which she met strangers was remarkable.</p> - -<p>She was kind alike to rich and poor, and gave generously -of her wealth to the deserving. To her husband -she was an able adviser, her sound common sense and -good judgment often helping him in his decisions of -public matters. President Madison said that, when -he was tired and worn out from matters of state, a visit -to his wife's sitting-room never failed to rest him.</p> - -<p>But national affairs were not to remain quiet. -Trouble had long been brewing with England. The -commerce of the United States had been almost entirely -destroyed by acts of the British. The Atlantic -coast from north to south was blockaded by them -and many American seamen were impressed. Washington -and Adams had managed to avert this war, -but now matters were come to a crisis: the whole -nation was inflamed, and on June 18, 1812, Congress -formally declared war.</p> - -<p>As most of the fighting was done at sea, life at the -capital went on undisturbed until August 19th, when -it began to be rumored that the British were coming -to attack Washington. The rumor became a certainty -when a horseman dashed through the villages forty -miles below Washington, shouting:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span></p> -<p>"To arms! Cockburn is coming!"</p> - -<p>The English had landed five thousand men and -were marching toward the capital. Washington -was in a state of panic. Citizens banded together -for defence and marched to meet the enemy. On -August 22, President Madison bade farewell to his -wife and left for the front. Up to this time Mrs. -Madison had been without fear, but now, learning -that the American ships had been destroyed and -knowing that her husband was in danger, she became -very uneasy.</p> - -<p>The work of saving records was at once begun. -Important papers were piled into wheelbarrows and -carts and carried away. At three o'clock, August 24, -Mrs. Madison sat anxiously waiting for some word -from her husband. She refused to leave the White -House until a large portrait of General Washington -was saved, and time being too short to admit of its -being unscrewed from the wall, she gave the order -to have the frame broken with an axe and the canvas -taken out. It was sent in a carriage to a woman -living beyond Georgetown, who afterward returned -it to Mrs. Madison. It now hangs in the White -House again.</p> - -<p>A hurried note from the President bade her be in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span>readiness to leave in a carriage at a moment's notice, -for it was feared the British would destroy the city. -Soon her worst fears were realized, for sounds of approaching -troops were heard. Two gentlemen rushed -into the room, exclaiming:</p> - -<p>"Fly, madam! At once! The British are upon -us!"</p> - -<p>Mrs. Madison suddenly remembered that the -Declaration of Independence, which was kept in a -case separate from other documents, had been overlooked -when the other papers were sent away. She -turned, and notwithstanding the protests of her -friends, ran into the house, broke the glass in the case, -secured the Declaration, and then jumped into the -carriage, which took her to the home of a friend in -Georgetown.</p> - -<p>Washington could be rebuilt and many valuable -articles which were destroyed could be replaced, but -the Declaration of Independence once gone would -have been lost forever.</p> - -<p>That night, few people in or near the city of Washington -slept. Instead, they watched the flames -destroying the beautiful city, for the British had set -fire to the public buildings, the President's house, the -new Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Treasury -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>Buildings, the Arsenal and Barracks, besides many -private buildings, and the wind from an approaching -storm fanned the flames, thus completing the fearful -destruction.</p> - -<p>Before daybreak, Mrs. Madison left her retreat -and traveled to a small tavern, sixteen miles from -Washington, where her husband met her. Shortly, -word was brought to them that the hiding place of -the President had been discovered, and that the -British were even then in pursuit of him. Mrs. -Madison induced him to retreat at once to a small -house in the woods, while she started for Washington, -first disguising herself, for the English had said that -they were going to capture the beautiful woman and -take her to England.</p> - -<p>President Madison, however, learning that the -British had evacuated Washington, returned to the -city that night. His wife had also reached there in -safety. The burning of Washington filled the hearts -of Americans with indignation, and even in England -many condemned the act of Admiral Cockburn, -saying that it was "a return to barbaric times."</p> - -<p>After three years of fierce conflict, the peace treaty -between England and the United States was signed -at Ghent, on December 24, 1814. Every one was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span>glad, but no one more so than President Madison, -who had been drawn by his party into the war and -who was greatly criticized and blamed for it. The -President and his wife now took a large house on -Pennsylvania Avenue. The brilliancy of social life -at the White House had never been equaled before -Dollie Madison's time, and it is doubtful if it has -been since.</p> - -<p>In 1817, James Monroe became President and -Mr. Madison retired to Montpelier, Virginia, where -he and his wife entertained with true Virginian hospitality -the many friends and tourists who came to -visit them. Their home was a beautiful one, containing -many artistic treasures. Here they lived -happily until Mr. Madison's death in 1836.</p> - -<p>Soon after her husband's death, Mrs. Madison -returned to Washington to live among her old -friends, and after a time her home again became a -social center. Much consideration was shown her -by Congress and by high officials, who respected her -for her worthy and honorable life, and for her heroism -during the burning of Washington.</p> - -<p>During her latter years she was saddened by the -dissolute habits of her only son, Payne Tod, whose -debts had been frequently paid by President Madison -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>and who now appealed to his mother for money. -To save him from disgrace she even sold her beloved -Montpelier.</p> - -<p>Dollie Madison died in Washington, July 12, 1849, -at the age of eighty-two, and was buried in the cemetery -at Montpelier beside her husband.</p> - -<p>Lossing says: "Mrs. Madison adorned every -station in life in which she was placed."</p> -</div> -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_026" name="i_026"><img src="images/i_026.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="329" /></a> -<p class="caption center p80">MRS. FRY READING TO THE PRISONERS IN NEWGATE PRISON</p> -<p class="caption center"><em>From an old engraving</em></p> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span></p> - -<h2><a name="ELIZABETH_FRY" id="ELIZABETH_FRY"></a>ELIZABETH FRY</h2> - -<p class="center">(1780-1845)</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"A lamp is lit in woman's eyes<br /> </div> - <div class="verse">That souls, else lost on earth,<br /></div> -<div class="verse">Remember angels by."</div> -<div class="right">—<em>N. P. Willis</em></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>In Warwick, England, lived a family of Quakers -named Gurney. They were not "plain Quakers" -at that time, which means that they did not wear -plain clothes and refrain from the use of ornaments, -nor did they refuse to take part in the pleasures of -the world, as strict Quakers are supposed to do. The -children, nevertheless, were brought up in accordance -with the doctrines of the Bible, very rigidly interpreted.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Gurney, a woman of fine education and sound -judgment, instructed her little daughters in English, -mathematics, literature, Latin and French, and in domestic -duties. They were taught to sew and to make -plain garments, to oversee the preparation of the -meals, and if necessary, to do the cooking. Very -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span>great care was taken with their manners, for Mrs. -Gurney believed that gentleness and polite behavior -were necessary in women.</p> - -<p>Elizabeth, the third child, born May 21, 1780, -who became the famous Elizabeth Fry, was frail in -health, and so nervous that she was afraid of the -dark. To cure her of this, her father compelled her -to go to bed without a light—a treatment that only -increased her nervousness and fear. So firmly was -the memory of this severe punishment fixed in the -child's mind that, when she married and had children -of her own, she never permitted any method of discipline -that tended to cause fear.</p> - -<p>Elizabeth had not a tractable disposition, but was -inclined to be wilful, obstinate, and opinionated. -Even as a child, she would act independently. This -pronounced trait in her character, so objectionable -in youth, enabled her in later years to do many things -worth while, in the face of unreasonable opposition.</p> - -<p>Her mother died when Elizabeth was twelve years -old. As she grew older, she gradually broke loose -from her Quaker training and began to think more -about dress and adornments; she even learned to -dance, and enjoyed going into society. But, while -enjoying these pleasures, she all the while realized -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>that she was not really happy. Then she tried to -find out the reason. She went among the poor and -helped them, but this was no more than all Quakers -did. She feared that she was becoming more and -more satisfied with the light, pleasant, easy things -of life, while the great and good things that might -be done ever haunted her, and called to her to regard -them.</p> - -<p>At this time a traveling Quaker preacher named -William Savery, a man of great force and a powerful -and compelling speaker, came over from America. -He addressed a meeting of Friends which the Gurney -sisters attended, including Elizabeth, all sitting in -a row on the women's side in the Meeting-House. -These young girls wore some ornaments and were -more elaborately dressed than the other Quaker girls. -When the speaker touched on this matter of adornment -and in a gentle, tender voice pleaded for the -customs of the plain Quakers, Elizabeth was much -affected; all her pleasures seemed to her sinful, and -she wept bitterly.</p> - -<p>Afterward she had long talks with William Savery, -in the course of which, it is said, he prophesied her -future. His words changed Elizabeth utterly; she -cared no more for the world and its pleasures.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p> -<p>Her father, to test the genuineness of her conversion, -induced her to visit friends in London who lived -in the midst of gaiety. There, she attended the -theater, but was not interested; she danced, but -found it dreary; she played cards, but was wearied. -All the enjoyments of former times failed to satisfy -her. She returned home, and after several months -spent in meditation, finally came to the conclusion -that, for her at least, those things were wrong; that, -for her, life held more important duties. She then -gave up all amusements, began to use the "thee" -and "thou" of the strict sect, adopted the close cap -and plain kerchief of the Quakeress, and preached -at meetings.</p> - -<p>Once her mind had cleared, she never wavered in -the belief that her life must be devoted to works of -charity. She began by opening a school for poor -children. She was only nineteen, very youthful-looking -and very pretty. Everybody wondered how -she could govern this school of seventy wild street-children, -who had never before known restraint.</p> - -<p>While she was occupied with this school, a young -Quaker from London, named Joseph Fry, fell in -love with her and proposed marriage. At first -Elizabeth thought she could not accept Joseph's -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span>offer; that to marry would interfere with her plans. -But the young man was deeply interested in benevolent -work, himself, and had sufficient means to assist -her in her projects.</p> - -<p>So they were married at Norwich, and later their -home at St. Mildred's Court, London, became a -meeting place for Quakers from all parts of the world. -Instead of card-games and dancing for their entertainment, -the visitors in this house heard discussions -of plans for the formation of poorhouses, schools, and -hospitals for the poor.</p> - -<p>In 1809, Elizabeth's father died; and on her knees -by his bedside, Elizabeth again vowed to devote -her life to the service of God. She now lived in -Plashet, Essex, the country seat of her husband's -family. With growing children of her own about -her and great numbers of guests, one might suppose -that she had all she could possibly do. Nevertheless, -she found time to open a girls' school for street-children, -to organize a soup kitchen, a drug-store, -and a library for them, while in her own home she -kept a collection of clothes of all sorts with which to -clothe them.</p> - -<p>When this enterprise was well established and the -poor people about her made comfortable, Mrs. Fry -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>turned her attention to the great prison at Newgate, -London, where conditions were reported to be shocking. -In company with officials and a party of friends, -she made her first visit, in 1813. They found -things much worse than they had been led to believe.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Fry at once determined to reform prison -life. Illness in the family delayed this project for -nearly three years; but the idea never left her until -at last the work was begun. The life of the prisoners -in Newgate, and in all prisons at that time, was too -harrowing to be here described.</p> - -<p>The public listened to her reports, were properly -shocked, but scoffed at the bare idea of Elizabeth -Fry as a reformer. For a <em>woman</em> to attempt such -a work was absurd! Mrs. Fry paid no attention to -what was said, but went straight ahead. She began -by establishing a school for the prisoners' children, -and gave the wretched women prisoners work for -which they were paid. Before this, being idle, they -had spent their time quarreling, fighting and gambling; -now, when they could earn a little money, -their behavior began to improve.</p> - -<p>Soon Parliament took an interest in this work, -ordering an investigation. When the wonderful reforms -she had accomplished became known, Mrs. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>Fry was the most famous woman in England. -Queen Victoria expressed a desire to become acquainted -with her, and a meeting was arranged which -has been described as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Her Majesty's small figure, her dress ablaze with diamonds, -her courtesy and kindness as she spoke to the -now celebrated Quakeress, who stood outwardly calm -in the costume of her creed and just a little flushed with -the unwonted excitement, attracted universal homage. -The two women spoke, and cheer after cheer went up -from the crowd gathered about.</p></div> - -<p>The Court learned that day that there was in -goodness and benevolence something better than -fashion and nobler than rank.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Fry's work for the poor and unfortunate -took her to the prisons of many lands, and everywhere -honors were bestowed upon her. She died at -the age of sixty, October 13, 1845.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_034" name="i_034"><img src="images/i_034.jpg" alt="" width="343" height="464" /></a> -<p class="caption center">LUCRETIA MOTT</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p> - -<h2>LUCRETIA MOTT</h2> - -<p class="center">(1793-1880)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly -fire which beams and blazes in the dark hours of adversity."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Washington Irving</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>Born on the quaint little island of Nantucket, -January 3, 1793, Lucretia Coffin grew to girlhood -among peaceful and beautiful surroundings. Her -father was Captain of a whaler and was, consequently, -often away from home for long periods of -time, so that the mother was responsible for the -early training of the children.</p> - -<p>Lucretia and her sisters were taught to be thrifty -in household matters, and trustworthy in all the -relations of life. Industry, too, was greatly encouraged -in the Coffin family. When the mother had -to go out, she would set her daughters at their knitting, -telling them that when they had accomplished -a certain amount of work, they might go down into -the cellar and pick out as many of the small potatoes -as they wanted, and roast them. This was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>considered a great treat, and we can picture the six -little children gathered about the big fireplace watching -the potatoes in the ashes.</p> - -<p>Captain Coffin gave up the sea at last and moved -his family to Boston, where he entered into business. -The children at first attended a private school, but -Captain Coffin, who was nothing if not democratic, -decided afterward that they should go to the public -school, where they might "mingle with all classes -without distinction." Lucretia said in after life -that she was glad of this action of her father. "It -gave me a feeling of sympathy for the patient and -struggling poor, whom but for this experience, I -might never have known."</p> - -<p>At thirteen years of age, Lucretia was sent to a -Friends' boarding school at Nine Partners, New York. -Both boys and girls attended this school, but were -not permitted to speak to each other unless they -were near relatives. In that case they might talk -together a little while, on certain days, over a corner -of the fence that divided the playgrounds.</p> - -<p>One of Lucretia's sisters—"the desirable little -Elizabeth," as her father called her—accompanied -her to this school. These sisters, although very -different in character, loved each other with a pecul<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>iarly -deep affection. Elizabeth, though clever, was -retiring in disposition and always kept in the background, -while Lucretia, who was high-spirited and -wide awake, was inclined to take the lead among her -companions. Throughout their lives they remained -devoted friends, and although Elizabeth could never -be persuaded to take any part in public life, she -counseled and advised her distinguished sister, who -seldom took any important action without consulting -her.</p> - -<p>At this school, on the boys' side of the house, was -an able young teacher named James Mott. It -happened one day that a little boy, a cousin of James -Mott, was punished by being confined in a dark closet, -being allowed only bread and water for his supper. -Lucretia, who thought the boy had not been at fault, -managed to get some bread and butter to him. This -act attracted the attention of James Mott to the girl, -and afterward his sister Sarah, who also attended -the school, became Lucretia's most intimate friend. -During one of the vacations, Lucretia visited Sarah -Mott and thus met the family into which she afterward -married.</p> - -<p>When fifteen years old, Lucretia became assistant -teacher in this school, at a salary of one hundred -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span>dollars a year. Her father, who thought women should -be trained to usefulness, gave his consent to have -Lucretia remain away from home for this extra -year, which proved to be an eventful one for her. -The two young teachers, James Mott and Lucretia -Coffin, found that they had many ideas in common. -Both had ability and both were desirous of gaining -knowledge. They formed a French class and it was -while studying together that their attachment began.</p> - -<p>It was at this time, also, that Lucretia became -impressed with the unequal condition of women as -compared with that of men. She said:</p> - -<p>"Learning that the charge for the tuition of girls -was the same as that for boys, and that when they became -teachers, women received only half as much as -men for their services, the injustice of this distinction -was so apparent that I early resolved to claim -for myself all that an impartial Creator had bestowed." -She little thought at the time what an -important part she would play in supporting that -claim.</p> - -<p>While the two sisters were at school, their father -gave up his business in Boston and took charge of a -factory in Philadelphia, where Lucretia and Elizabeth -joined him in 1810. Soon after, James Mott -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span>resigned his position as teacher and followed them to -Philadelphia, entering business life. In a short time, -he and Lucretia became engaged. These two young -people were just different enough to live in harmony -together.</p> - -<p>Lucretia was a bright, active and very pretty girl, -quick to understand and quick to execute,—qualities -that often made her impatient with the slowness -or stupidity of others. She was fond of a joke, too.</p> - -<p>James, on the other hand, was quiet, reserved and -shy, taking serious views of life. In 1811, they were -married according to Quaker rites. Then began one -of the happiest of wedded lives,—and in spite of -privations, for James Mott always found it difficult to -support his family.</p> - -<p>When Lucretia's father died, leaving her mother -with three children to support, the Motts did all they -could to help her. Lucretia opened a school for the -purpose, and soon afterward her husband's business -ventures prospered, so that he, too, could assist.</p> - -<p>Just as their prospects were brightening, however, -there came a severe blow in the death of their only -son. Lucretia then gave up teaching and spent a -great deal of time in the study of the Bible and of -theology. She used to read William Penn, Dean -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>Stanley, and John Stuart Mill with her baby on her -knee.</p> - -<p>Soon she took her place as a preacher in the Society -of Friends, feeling "called," as she tells us, "to a -public life of usefulness"; and during the latter part -of the year 1818, she accompanied another minister -named Sarah Zane to Virginia, for the purpose of -holding religious meetings. Here Mrs. Mott came -into contact with the question of slavery, and in all -her discourses she never failed to urge the doctrine of -emancipation. She believed in liberty of the body -and liberty of thought; indeed, her belief in liberty -may be said to have been the basis of all her sermons.</p> - -<p>The Quakers who held slaves freed them as early -as 1774. The Society of Friends, to which Mr. and -Mrs. Mott belonged, became so interested in the -slavery question as to recommend that any goods -produced by slave-labor should not be handled by -any Quaker in regular standing. Mr. Mott was at -that time engaged in a prosperous cotton business, -but consistent with his views, he gave up this -business,—for a while finding great difficulty in -making a living.</p> - -<p>In 1833, the Female Anti-Slavery Society was -formed in Philadelphia. Mrs. Mott was one of four -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>women who, braving public opinion, gave their voices -to the cause of Freedom. She was President of the -society during most of its existence; and it was due -mainly to her inspiring presence, her courage and -activity, and her unfailing dignity, that the society -accomplished its great work.</p> - -<p>She sheltered fugitive slaves, everywhere befriended -the colored people, and traveled from place to place -preaching the doctrine of liberty.</p> - -<p>Young people of the present time can hardly understand -the bitter and fierce opposition encountered by -those people who were working to free the slaves. -For many years, public feeling on the subject was so -intense that many anti-slavery meetings were broken -up by acts of violence. Sometimes mobs of men and -women stoned the windows of the houses where these -meetings were being held, breaking into the assemblage, -leaping upon the platform, and shouting so -loudly that the speaker's voice was lost in the noise.</p> - -<p>In 1838, during a riot in Philadelphia, a mob -burned Pennsylvania Hall, and then marched through -the streets threatening an attack upon the house of -James and Lucretia Mott. Mrs. Mott sent her children -out of the house to a place of safety, and she, -with her husband and a few friends, sat quietly wait<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span>ing -for the mob. Before it reached the house, however, -the leaders urged the rioters to attack a home -for colored orphans in another part of the city, and -so the raid upon the Mott house was given up for -that night.</p> - -<p>At another time, when the mob was expected, and -when Mr. and Mrs. Mott, surrounded by their friends, -sat listening to the angry cries of threatening men outside, -it happened that in the crowd was a young man -friendly to the Mott family. He cried, "On to the -Motts'!" and purposely ran up the wrong street. The -rioters followed him blindly, and the Motts were a -second time saved from violence.</p> - -<p>Women who had formerly been Mrs. Mott's -friends passed her on the street without speaking, -and scornful people laughed at her. Sometimes -rough men, carried away by the excitement of the -times, surged round her like maniacs, threatening -violence, but Mrs. Mott never lost her temper or her -composed manner. In her own story of her life she -says, "The misrepresentation, ridicule and abuse -heaped upon these reforms do not in the least deter -me from my duty."</p> - -<p>When the National Anti-Slavery Society was -formed, Mrs. Mott took a prominent part, offering -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>suggestions with "such charm and precision that -they were readily assented to." In this work she was -associated with Garrison, Whittier, and other noted -Abolitionists.</p> - -<p>In 1840, Mrs. Mott was sent to London to represent -the Abolitionists of the United States at the -World's Anti-Slavery Convention, where she met -Elizabeth Cady Stanton, also a delegate. They were -not permitted to take their places in the Convention, -for by a vote taken at their first sitting, that body -decided that only men were to be admitted. Aside -from this, however, the women were treated with the -greatest courtesy. But, though their feelings were -supposed to be salved by being given seats of honor -in the hall, they felt keenly the humiliation of their -position. It was certainly an indignity.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Mott had for years been accustomed to -speaking in public, people of all denominations coming -many miles to hear the great Quaker preacher. -Her home had been a refuge for hunted slaves, and -all her eloquence was devoted to the cause of their -freedom. Without doubt, she was one of the most -prominent persons present at this meeting. She, if -anyone, should have been allowed to speak in behalf -of humanity.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span></p> -<p>Out of the indignation aroused on this occasion in -the minds of Mrs. Mott and Mrs. Stanton, grew the -Woman Suffrage Movement. The first Woman's -Rights Convention was called in Seneca Falls, New -York, July, 1848, the rights of women to the ballot -and their equality with man under the law being -the subjects discussed.</p> - -<p>James Mott approved of his wife's course and -assisted her all that he could by presiding at the first -meeting. No end of ridicule was heaped upon the -women who thus openly claimed equal rights with -men, but Mrs. Mott argued her cause so politely and -so wittily that her opponents were disarmed. It is a -pleasure to know that Lucretia Mott lived to see the -slaves freed and to note the change of public opinion -toward herself and others who had worked for -freedom.</p> - -<p>When Mrs. Mott was seventy-five and her husband -eighty years of age, they went to Brooklyn to visit -their grandchildren. While there, Mr. Mott was -taken ill with pneumonia and passed away quietly -while his wife was sleeping on the pillow beside him. -Colored men bore him to his grave, at their own request, -to show their regard for one who had worked -so persistently to benefit their race. The Motts' -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span>married life had been one of great happiness, not the -slightest shadow having ever come between them. -One who knew them well said, "Theirs was the most -perfect wedded life to be found on earth."</p> - -<p>Mrs. Mott was greatly solaced to know that her -opponents had changed their opinions in respect to -her. During the latter part of her life, it was no -unusual thing for a stranger to stop her in the street -and ask the privilege of shaking hands. Once a -woman in mourning passed quickly by her, whispering, -"God bless you, Lucretia Mott."</p> - -<p>Each Christmas Day she visited the Colored Home -in Philadelphia, carrying turkeys and pies and personal -gifts to every inmate. She also sent a box -of candy to every conductor and brakeman on the -railroad on which she traveled, saying: "They never -let me lift out my bundles, and they all seem to -know me!" The number of children, both black -and white, named after her, was astonishing.</p> - -<p>At the Centennial Anniversary of the Old Pennsylvania -Abolition Society, Lucretia Mott was -greeted by the vast audience with cheers and waving -of handkerchiefs and hats. Another ovation occurred -at a July Fourth meeting of the National Woman -Suffrage Association. When she rose to speak some-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span>one -called to her, "Go up into the pulpit!" As she -ascended the pulpit steps, all sang, "Nearer, my God, -to Thee!"</p> - -<p>Mrs. Mott lived twelve years after her husband's -death; then she too passed away, on November 11, -1880, at the age of eighty-seven.</p> - -<p>All women have cause to remember her with -affection, for she braved public opinion to secure -recognition for them.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_048" name="i_048"><img src="images/i_048.jpg" alt="" width="331" height="461" /></a> -<p class="caption center">MARY LYON</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span></p> - -<h2>MARY LYON</h2> - -<p class="center">(1797-1849)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Human kind is but one family. The education of its -youth should be equal and universal."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Frances Wright D'Arusmont</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>To-day if a girl wishes to obtain an education equal -to that of a man, the doors of many colleges and other -institutions of learning are open to her. It is not so -many years ago that this was not the case. Most -people, then, thought that girls had no need for a -knowledge of the higher branches, and it is largely -owing to Mary Lyon that the young women of to-day -have such splendid advantages for education.</p> - -<p>Born in Buckland, in Western Massachusetts, -February 28, 1797, Mary began life, poor and obscure. -She was the fifth of a family of seven children, -and her early life was one of hard work and of -meager opportunity.</p> - -<p>Yet it was not unhappy. Her mountain home was -well kept, and her parents governed entirely by -kindness, insisting upon gentle words, pleasant looks -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>and thoughtfulness for others, on the part of all the -children. Out of doors all was beautiful. The -mountains, the rocks and streams, the fine trees -which surrounded the house,—all gave the child -much pleasure. To Mary it seemed as though the -peaches and the strawberries raised on their own -little farm were larger and more delicious than any -others. Her parents had a wonderful faculty for -making things grow, and the neighbors said that -the plants in Mrs. Lyon's dooryard always bloomed -more luxuriantly than any others in the neighborhood.</p> - -<p>When Mary was four years old her father died, but -her mother, with the help of a hired man, continued -the work of the farm and succeeded in supporting -her family. Mary, as she grew up, did much of the -housework and the spinning. In those days, nearly -every family spun the thread to weave the cloth for -their own garments, and by the time she was twelve -years old, Mary had become expert at this work.</p> - -<p>At the age of seven, Mary walked two miles to -school. She delighted in her studies and made such -rapid progress that visitors to the school were astonished. -Finally, the district school moved still farther -away, and then Mary went to Ashfield to study, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>living there during school months and doing housework -to pay for her board.</p> - -<p>Every spare moment was spent over her books -and, when she was twelve years old, Mary Lyon -determined to become a teacher. None of the other -girls in the school had any definite purpose as to the -future. The boys planned to become carpenters, -farmers, teachers, lawyers, or ministers, but girls -were supposed to become wives, mothers and housekeepers, -for which offices no special training was -thought necessary. Since that time, fortunately -for the race, public opinion has changed in this respect; -to-day, everybody knows that in order to -manage a household well, to rear children, and to -make a happy home, girls need to have a great deal -of knowledge.</p> - -<p>When Mary Lyon announced her intention of being -a teacher, the community was astonished, not to say -shocked. It was predicted that she would fail. -Men, not women, were meant for the teaching profession! -Mary's proficiency in her studies, however, -could not be denied. Early and late she pored over -her books; in four days, to the amazement of her -teacher, she learned all of Alexander's Grammar and -recited it perfectly. When she was thirteen, her -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>mother married again and went to live in Ohio, but -Mary remained on the farm and kept house for her -only brother. He paid her one dollar a week—a -large sum for a girl to earn in the year 1810.</p> - -<p>For a while it looked as though her high ambitions -would never be realized, but the brave girl did not -know the word despair. She studied all she could -and read every book she could lay her hands upon. -After five years spent in this way her brother married -and went away, leaving his sister free to do as she -pleased.</p> - -<p>Thus thrown entirely upon her own resources, -Mary began her career as a teacher in Shelburne -Falls. Seventy-five cents a week and board made -up her munificent salary. By dint of spinning and -weaving for some of the neighbors, she earned a -little more. Luckily, she did not care for fine clothes -or trinkets, so that at the age of twenty she had -saved enough money to enable her to spend a term -at Sanderson Academy at Ashfield. This was her -great opportunity and she improved it well, making -a real sensation in the school by her brilliancy. They -say that when Mary Lyon stood up to recite, her -class-mates laid aside their tasks to listen to her.</p> - -<p>The term over, Mary planned to go back to teach<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span>ing, -for she had no money to continue her studies. -It so happened that some of the trustees of the Academy, -hearing of her unusual scholarship, offered her -another term, tuition free. Mary thankfully accepted -this favor, and doubtless, had wonderful dreams -of the use she might make of all her knowledge when -she should get it. But, first, she must plan some -way to pay her board while studying. Among her -possessions were some bedding, some table linen, and -a few other household articles. These she succeeded -in exchanging at a boarding house for a room and -a seat at table. Her companions in the boarding -house told of her that she slept but four hours, -spending all the remainder of her time at her books.</p> - -<p>But though she had now reached a point in -scholarship where she could easily hold a position -as teacher, Mary Lyon by no means considered her -education completed. All her vacations were spent -in the study of some branch in which she found herself -deficient. She spent some time in the family of -the Reverend Edward Hitchcock, afterward President -of Amherst College, with whom she studied -natural science, at the same time taking lessons in -drawing and painting from his wife.</p> - -<p>In 1821, at the age of twenty-four, Mary had saved -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>enough money to enable her to enter the school of -Reverend Joseph Emerson at Byfield. Her friends -were strongly opposed to her going, telling her that -she knew enough already; that, as she would never -be a minister, it was unnecessary for her to study -more. But Mary had other ideas, and could not be -diverted from her purpose.</p> - -<p>Mr. Emerson was a broad-minded man of very -advanced notions for his day and generation. He -actually believed that women could understand philosophical -subjects as well as men and that, if their -minds demanded good solid food, they ought to have -it! His wife was a woman of much ability, and together -they discussed questions of science and religion -with their pupils.</p> - -<p>It was undoubtedly these discussions that turned -Mary Lyon's mind and thoughts to spiritual things. -Heretofore, she had been so absorbed in her passion -for general knowledge that the matter of religion had -never touched her. Suddenly the fact burst upon -her that all things in this life were useless and -unsatisfying, except as they were used in helping -humanity. From this time on, her work of teaching -seemed little short of inspired.</p> - -<p>When, later, an assistant was wanted at Sanderson -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span>Academy, notwithstanding the opposition of many -who believed that a man should fill the place, Mary -Lyon was selected for the position. Before long one -of her former teachers, Miss F. P. Grant, sent for her -to fill a higher position at Derry, New Hampshire. -Mary delayed going in order to take some lessons in -chemistry from Professor Eaton of Amherst.</p> - -<p>The school in Derry numbered ninety pupils. It -was held only during the summer months, and during -the winter Mary again taught at Ashfield and Bucklands. -She charged twenty-five cents a week for -tuition, the scholars boarding with families in the -vicinity, at the rate of $1.25 weekly. Meanwhile -Miss Grant, who had removed to Ipswich, induced -Miss Lyon to join her there. Together they conducted -the Ipswich Academy, and together they -worked out their ideas of what a school should be.</p> - -<p>During these years of teaching, Mary Lyon's heart -had been full of sympathy for girls who desired an -education but could not obtain it. There were no -scholarships offered in those days and the doors of -men's colleges were closed to women. At Ipswich, -Mary found it impossible to conduct a good school -on the income derived from the fees of the pupils. -So she tried to interest wealthy men, ministers, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span>college presidents in her plan of forming a high-grade -school or college for women, asking those who were -able, to donate a sum of money for the purpose.</p> - -<p>Most of these men refused to aid her in the project, -repeating the old story that "girls had no need for a -knowledge of science or the classics; that, in fact, -they were unfitted for studying advanced branches." -Miss Lyon held a quite different view, and stuck to -her purpose through every discouragement.</p> - -<p>Yet, sometimes even brave Mary Lyon had moments -of despondency, when she would weep bitterly -over her failure to interest others in her plans. But -the idea of giving up the work never crossed her mind. -She often said to her pupils, "If you feel depressed, -think of others, not of yourself!"</p> - -<p>About this time she refused a good offer of marriage, -saying that her life was devoted to one purpose -and that she must give herself entirely to her work. -She prayed, and begged her mother to pray, for success. -Over and over again she would say: "Commit -thy way unto the Lord. He will keep thee. -Women <em>must</em> be educated. They <em>must</em> be!"</p> - -<p>At last her faith turned to a faint hope. People -began to be interested, and she now gave all her time -to the work of soliciting funds. It was her desire to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>raise the first thousand dollars from women, and this -she succeeded in doing in two months' time. Dr. -Hitchcock, always her staunch friend, aided her with -his support and approval, and one by one broad-minded, -noble men lent their assistance, until the -Female Seminary was an assured thing.</p> - -<p>On October 3, 1836, the corner stone of Mount -Holyoke Seminary was laid at South Hadley, Massachusetts. -Mary Lyon in writing to a friend of the -occasion said: "I have indeed lived to see the time -when a body of gentlemen has ventured to lay the -corner stone of an edifice, which will cost $15,000 -and which will be an institution for the education of -females. This will be an era in female education."</p> - -<p>In about one year the Seminary was opened to -pupils. Since its advantages were intended chiefly -to benefit poor girls, the charges were placed at the -low figure of sixty dollars a year for board and tuition. -There were accommodations for eighty pupils, but -one hundred and sixteen attended the first year!</p> - -<p>In order to lessen expenses, as well as to insure -good health and to teach domestic science, all the -household work was done by the pupils. Moreover, -if it could be shown that the graduates of the Seminary -had acquired a knowledge of household matters -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>together with their classical and scientific studies, -the prejudice which existed against education for -girls might be lessened.</p> - -<p>Miss Lyon received a salary of two hundred dollars -a year, and her teachers received from one hundred -to one hundred and fifty dollars each. Catherine -Beecher once took Mary Lyon to task for the small -salaries paid her teachers. Miss Lyon replied, "In -a list of motives for teaching, I should first place the -great motive, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself'." She -aimed to employ only such teachers as would work -as she did—for the benefit of humanity. Her own -best reward was the love which her pupils manifested -for her, and the respect with which they treated her.</p> - -<p>She never had any trouble with discipline because -she never required anything of the students but compliance -with the ordinary rules of lady-like behavior, -consideration for others, and attention to their studies. -They were expected to do right, or to go away. -The fact is that none but earnest workers sought to -enter Mount Holyoke.</p> - -<p>After twelve years as Principal of Mount Holyoke -Seminary, Miss Lyon died, March 5, 1849, and was -buried in the Seminary grounds. Over her grave -is a beautiful monument of white Italian marble -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span>bearing the memorable sentence she uttered when -giving her last instruction to her scholars:</p> - -<p>"There is nothing in the world I fear, but that I -shall not know all my duty or shall fail to do it!"</p> - -<p>To her was due one of the greatest revolutions in -the history of our country. She reversed the prevailing -opinion of the men of that time regarding -female education, and was the grand pioneer in a -movement which has gone steadily forward ever -since.</p> - -<p>To-day the property of Mount Holyoke is worth -$3,000,000. Thousands of girls have been educated -there, many of whom have become missionaries and -teachers. Many others have married, their education -enabling them to be better wives and mothers, -and to do their full duty in any station in life to -which they may be called.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_060" name="i_060"><img src="images/i_060.jpg" alt="" width="304" height="466" /></a> -<p class="caption center">DOROTHEA DIX</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p> - -<h2>DOROTHEA DIX</h2> - -<p class="center">(1802-1887)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Great women belong to history and to self-sacrifice."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Leigh Hunt</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>Dorothea Dix has been called "the most useful -and distinguished woman America has yet produced." -Let us follow the events of her life and decide for -ourselves whether this statement is true.</p> - -<p>Dorothea Lynde Dix was born April 4, 1802, at -Hampden, Maine. Her father, Joseph Dix, was a -man of unstable character and of a most singular -mental make-up. In fact, he was regarded as almost -insane on religious questions. He wandered about -from place to place writing and publishing tracts, -spending in this way the little money he had, without -regard to the needs of his family. His wife and -children were required to assist in the stitching and -pasting of the tracts, a tiresome work which brought -them no return.</p> - -<p>At twelve years of age Dorothea rebelled against -this labor. She wished to attend school, but there -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>was little chance for her to study while she lived with -her father. So she ran away from Worcester, where -the family then lived, and went to Boston, the home -of her grandmother, Mrs. Dorothea Lynde Dix.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Dix received the girl as kindly as her nature -would permit. But she was a stern woman, with -very strict ideas of training children, and every piece -of work done for her had to be perfectly performed -or severe punishment followed.</p> - -<p>Once, when little Dorothea had failed to accomplish -a task as well as her grandmother thought she -should, she was compelled to spend a whole week alone -without speaking to anyone. This sounds cruel, but -Dorothea's grandmother wished to make the child -careful and painstaking.</p> - -<p>Poor little Dorothea! She said in after years that -she "never knew childhood." But she submitted -to her grandmother's sternness rather than return to -her father and the wandering, useless life he led. -She had always in mind the day when she would be -able to support herself and help her younger brothers. -So she studied diligently, and being clever, made -great progress. When she was fourteen, she returned -to Worcester, where she opened a small school -for young children. In order to look old enough for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span>a teacher, she lengthened the skirts of her dresses and -arranged her hair grown-woman fashion.</p> - -<p>The school succeeded, for Dorothea, though always -kind and gentle, was a strict disciplinarian. The -year following, she returned to Boston and studied to -fit herself for more advanced work in teaching. In -1821, when she was nineteen years of age, she opened -a day and boarding school in that city, in a house -belonging to her grandmother. Here she received -pupils from the best families in Boston and the -neighboring towns, and was able to send for her -brothers and educate them, while supporting herself. -Dorothea's sympathies, meanwhile, were drawn to -the poor children about her, who had no means of -obtaining an education because their parents could -not afford to pay the tuition. She put the matter -before her austere grandmother, and begged for the -use of a loft over the stable for a school room for these -children. The little "barn school" was the beginning -of a movement that grew, and later resulted -in the Warren Street Chapel.</p> - -<p>You may imagine how happy Dorothea Dix was -now,—to be self-supporting and to be helping others -to become so! She managed the two schools, had -the care of her two brothers, and took entire charge -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span>of her grandmother's home. For Mrs. Dix had -learned to admire and trust the granddaughter whom -she had once found so careless.</p> - -<p>This amount of work would completely fill the -lives of most people, yet Dorothea found time to -prepare a text-book upon <cite>Common Things</cite>. Sixty -editions of the book were printed and sold. It was -followed by two others: <cite>Hymns for Children</cite> and -<cite>Evening Hours</cite>.</p> - -<p>In order to do all this work, she arose early and sat -up late into the night. Naturally her health failed -under such a strain. After six years she gave up -her schools, and took a position as governess in a -family living at Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Here -she lived much in the open air, and her great desire -for universal knowledge led her to make a special -study of botany and marine life.</p> - -<p>Her health failing again, she visited Philadelphia, -and then went South as far as Alexandria, Virginia, -writing short stories the while to support herself. -The winter of 1830 she spent in the West Indies with -the family of Dr. Channing. There she at last regained -her health.</p> - -<p>The following spring, Miss Dix returned to Boston, -and reopened her school in the old Dix homestead. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>Pupils flocked to her, and for five years the work -flourished. Her influence over her pupils was wonderful. -They thought her very beautiful, as indeed -she was. Mrs. Livermore writes of her: "Miss -Dix was slight and delicate in appearance. She -must have been beautiful in her youth and was still -very sweet looking, with a soft voice, graceful figure -and winning manners."</p> - -<p>In 1836, ill health obliged her to close her school -once more. This time she went to England. Though -only thirty-four, she had saved enough money to -enable her to live in comfort without labor. Shortly -after, her grandmother died, leaving her enough to -carry out the plans for helping others, which had -become a part of her life. She then returned from -England and made her home in Washington.</p> - -<p>In 1841, however, we find her again in Boston and -at this time her real life work began. It happened -that a minister well known to Miss Dix had charge -of a Sunday school in the East Cambridge jail. He -needed a teacher to take charge of a class of twenty -women, and asked Miss Dix if she could tell him of -any suitable person.</p> - -<p>Miss Dix thought the matter over and then said, -"I will take the class myself!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span></p> -<p>Her friends objected because of her frail health, -but having once arrived at a decision, Dorothea Dix -never changed her mind. As one of her pupils said, -"Fixed as fate, we considered her!"</p> - -<p>The following Sunday, after the session was over, -she went into the jail and talked with many of the -prisoners. It seemed that they had many righteous -grievances, one being that no heat of any kind was -provided for their cells.</p> - -<p>When Miss Dix asked the keeper of the jail to heat -the rooms, he replied that the prisoners did not -need heat, and that besides, stoves would be unsafe. -Though she begged him to do something to make the -cells more comfortable, he refused. She then brought -the case before the Court in East Cambridge. The -Court granted her request and heat was furnished -the prisoners.</p> - -<p>In the East Cambridge jail she saw many things -too horrible to believe. The cells were dirty, the -inmates crowded together in poorly ventilated quarters, -the sane and insane often being placed in the -same room. These conditions, and others too sad to -mention, she made public through the newspapers and -the pulpits. But she did not stop at this. Every jail -and almshouse in Massachusetts was visited by her; -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span>she must see for herself how the unfortunate inmates -were treated. For two years she traveled about, visiting -these institutions and taking notes. Then she -prepared her famous Memorial to the Legislature.</p> - -<p>In this Memorial Miss Dix said: "I proceed, -gentlemen, briefly to call your attention to the present -state of insane persons within this Commonwealth, -in cages, closets, cellars, stalls, pens, chained and -naked, beaten with rods and lashed into obedience." -Proofs were offered for all facts stated.</p> - -<p>The Memorial was presented by Dr. S. G. Howe, -husband of Julia Ward Howe. Dr. Howe was then -a member of the Legislature. The conditions thus -made public shocked the entire community, so that, -after much discussion, a bill was passed enlarging -the asylum at Worcester. A small beginning, yet -the grand work of reform was started, and Miss Dix -was grateful.</p> - -<p>She then turned her attention to other States, -visiting the jails, almshouses, and insane asylums as -far west as Illinois and as far south as Louisiana. -In Rhode Island she found the insane shockingly -treated.</p> - -<p>At that time there lived in Providence a very rich -man named Butler. He had never been known to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span>give anything to help the unfortunate, but Miss Dix -decided to appeal to him. People smiled when they -heard that she intended to call upon Mr. Butler and -ask him for money.</p> - -<p>During the call, he talked of everything except -the subject nearest Miss Dix's heart, "talking against -time," as they say, to prevent her from putting the -vital question. At length she said in a quiet but -forceful manner:</p> - -<p>"<em>Mr. Butler, I wish you to hear what I have to say.</em> -I bring before you certain facts involving terrible -suffering to your fellow creatures, suffering you can -relieve."</p> - -<p>She then told him what she had seen.</p> - -<p>Mr. Butler heard her story to the end without -interruption. Then he said,</p> - -<p>"What do you want me to do?"</p> - -<p>"I want you to give $50,000 to enlarge the insane -hospital in this city!"</p> - -<p>"Madam, I'll do it!" was the reply.</p> - -<p>After three years of this sort of work, Miss Dix -became an expert on the question of how an insane -asylum should be built and managed. In New Jersey, -she succeeded after much hard work in securing the -passage of a bill establishing the New Jersey State -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span>Lunatic Asylum, and the money necessary to build -it. This building was a model for the times.</p> - -<p>For twelve years she went up and down through -the United States in the interests of the suffering -insane, securing the enlargement of three asylums -and the building of thirteen.</p> - -<p>In 1850, Miss Dix secured the passage of a bill giving -twelve million acres of public lands for the benefit of -the poor insane, the deaf and dumb, and the blind. -Applause went up all over the country, yet, strange -to say, after the passage of the bill by both Houses, -President Franklin Pierce vetoed it!</p> - -<p>This was a severe blow to Miss Dix and she again -went to Europe for a rest. But rest she could not. -All the large European cities had abuses of this kind -to be corrected, and she must work to help them.</p> - -<p>A most interesting story is told of her encounter -with Pope Pius <abbr title="the ninth">IX</abbr>. In vain had she tried to get -authority in Rome to enable her to do something to -improve the horrible Italian prisons. She had even -tried, but vainly, to get audience with the Pope. One -day she saw his carriage, <em>stopped it</em>, and addressed him, -willy-nilly, in <em>Latin</em>, as she knew no Italian. Her enterprise -appears to have impressed the Pope favorably, -for he gave her everything she asked for. In her -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>own country, again, she extended her labors to the -Western States. Then the breaking out of the Civil -War rendered such labors useless.</p> - -<p>But now there were the soldiers to help! Her -active interest in them came about in the following -way:</p> - -<p>Shortly after April, 1861, she happened to be passing -through Baltimore when the Sixth Regiment of -Massachusetts, on its way to Washington, was -stoned by a vast mob, several men being killed. -At once Miss Dix knew what to do. She took the -first train she could get for Washington, and reported -at the War Department for free service in the hospitals, -where through Secretary Simon Cameron, she -immediately received the appointment as "Superintendent -of Women Nurses." Here, truly, was an -enormous piece of work for her.</p> - -<p>Among her duties were the selection and assignment -of women nurses; the superintendence of the -thousands of women already serving; the seeing -that supplies were fairly distributed; and looking -after the proper care of wounded soldiers. Her remarkable -executive ability soon brought order and -system out of confusion. It is said that she accepted -no women who were under thirty years of age, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>demanded that they be plain in dress and without -beauty. Good health and good moral character were -also, of course, requirements.</p> - -<p>Many of the surgeons and nurses disliked her. -They said she was severe, that she would not listen -to any advice nor take any suggestions. The real -cause of her unpopularity, however, was that she demanded -of all about her entire unselfishness and strict -devotion to work. Very severe was she with careless -nurses or rough surgeons.</p> - -<p>Two houses were rented by her to hold the supplies -sent to her care, and still other houses were rented for -convalescent soldiers or nurses who needed rest. -She employed two secretaries, owned ambulances and -kept them busy, printed and distributed circulars, settled -disputes in matters which concerned her nurses, -took long journeys when necessary, and paid from -her own private purse many expenses incurred. -Everything she possessed—fortune, time, strength—she -gave to her country in its time of need.</p> - -<p>During the four years of the War, Miss Dix never -took a holiday. Often she had to be reminded of her -meals, so interested was she in the work. At the -close of the War, when the Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, -then Secretary of War, asked her how the nation -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span>could best thank her for her services, she answered, -"I would like a flag."</p> - -<p>Two beautiful flags were given to her with a suitable -inscription. These flags she bequeathed to Harvard -College, and they now hang over the doors of -Memorial Hall.</p> - -<p>The War over, Miss Dix again took up her work -for the insane and for fifteen years more devoted -herself to their welfare.</p> - -<p>In 1881, at the age of seventy-nine, she retired to -the hospital she had been the means of building at -Trenton, New Jersey, and here she was tenderly -cared for until her death in 1887.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_074" name="i_074"><img src="images/i_074.jpg" alt="" width="348" height="462" /></a> -<p class="caption center">MARGARET FULLER D'OSSOLI</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p> - -<h2>MARGARET FULLER D'OSSOLI</h2> - -<p class="center">(1810-1850)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"I have always said it: Nature meant to make woman its -masterpiece."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Gotthold Ephraim Lessing</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>Margaret Fuller was born in Cambridgeport, -Massachusetts, May 23, 1810. Her parents were -people of great culture and refinement, and devotedly -attached to each other. Margaret wrote years after -her father's death:</p> - -<p>"His love for my mother was the green spot on -which he stood apart from the commonplaces of a -mere bread-winning existence. She was one of those -fair, flowerlike natures, which sometimes spring up -even beside the most dusty highways of life. Of all -persons whom I have known, she had in her most of -the angelic."</p> - -<p>It was not surprising therefore that Margaret should -have inherited a beautiful nature and a fine mind. -She became the idol of her father, who was fifty years -in advance of his neighbors in his ideas of bringing up -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>girls. Mr. Fuller believed that his daughter should -have as good an education as his boys! But since there -were no girls' colleges, and the boys' colleges were closed -to them, he was obliged to teach Margaret himself.</p> - -<p>At six years of age this clever child began to read -Latin. Once, when she was eight, her father found -her so absorbed in <cite>Romeo and Juliet</cite> that she did -not hear him when he spoke to her. It is probable -that much of Margaret's later ill-health was the result -of the severe mental work demanded of her in -childhood by her father.</p> - -<p>Mr. Fuller was certainly very ambitious that -Margaret should excel in her studies. Often she -remained up until late at night reciting to him, not -knowing that she was working beyond her strength.</p> - -<p>She describes her life at the age of fifteen in the -following manner:</p> - -<p>"I rise a little before five, walk an hour, and then -practice on the piano until seven, when we breakfast. -Next, I read French till eight; then two or three -lectures in Brown's Philosophy. About half past -nine, I go to Mr. Perkins's School and study Greek -till twelve, when, the school being dismissed, I recite, -go home, and practice again till dinner at two. -Then when I can, I read two hours in Italian."</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span></p> -<p>Though frail in body and plain in looks, this young -girl grew to be a fascinating and attractive woman. -Men and women of prominence fell under the influence -of her charms. At seventeen, her unusual -intellectual qualities gained her the friendship of -Rev. James Freeman Clark; and later she became a -valued friend of the Emerson family.</p> - -<p>At the age of twenty-three, Margaret taught in the -famous school of Mr. Alcott in Boston. Through -working with this great educator, she met most of -the gifted men and women of the time. Elizabeth -Peabody, another remarkable woman, to whom we -are indebted for bringing Froebel and the Kindergarten -into notice in the United States, became -Margaret's friend, and together these two labored -to revive intellectual thought among women.</p> - -<p>When Mr. Alcott ceased teaching, Margaret became -Principal of a school in Providence, Rhode -Island. But longing to become better educated -herself, she resigned from her position to give private -lessons in the higher branches, meanwhile studying -languages. So great were her acquisitive powers -that before long she had a good teaching knowledge -of Latin, Greek, German, French, and Italian.</p> - -<p>Her greatest gift was her ability to entertain people -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>by conversing with them. Deeply interested in the -welfare of women, her talent for talking led her to -open a "School of Conversation." A large number -of intelligent, educated women met in the home of -Miss Elizabeth Peabody where, led by Margaret Fuller, -they discussed important books and philosophical -subjects. Her idea was to induce women to do something -worth while with their knowledge.</p> - -<p>These <em>Conversations</em> were ridiculed by the community -at large, yet they were continued successfully -for five years, and attracted many serious and -intellectual women who felt the need of mental -activity. At last the <em>Conversations</em> became an old -story, and Margaret looked about for other occupation. -One came to her in the form of an editorial -position on the New York Tribune offered her by -Horace Greeley, the editor-in-chief. She used her -pen, also, for the benefit of the people, writing editorials -to influence the rich to help the poor, the -unjust to become just. She also translated books -from foreign languages, and kept a journal which was -published after her death.</p> - -<p>In 1847, Miss Fuller went to Rome to live, and -while there met a handsome young Italian named -Giovanni Angelo, the Marchese d'Ossoli. This gen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>tleman -had been discarded by his family for his part -in a political movement led by Mazzini for the independence -of Italy. His troubles attracted Margaret -to him, they became attached to each other, and -finally married.</p> - -<p>It was necessary, however, to keep the marriage a -secret, Margaret being a Protestant. During the siege -of Rome by the French army in 1849, Margaret, still -known as Miss Fuller, took an active part in hospital -work, spending the greater part of her time in nursing -the sick and wounded.</p> - -<p>The Marchese d'Ossoli, had charge of the battery -on Pincian Hill, the most exposed of all positions. -Such great fear was felt for the men stationed there -that Margaret summoned Mr. Cass, the American -minister at Rome, and gave him certain letters and -papers. He was astonished to learn from these that -she was married to d'Ossoli, and that the package -contained the certificate of their marriage and that -of the birth and baptism of their child; also that -she intended to go to the Pincian Hill, remain with -her husband and die with him if necessary.</p> - -<p>Mr. Cass willingly took charge of these papers, -and watched the Marchese and Margaret walk away -together as if on a pleasant stroll. They survived -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span>the night, however, and next morning the French -army entered Rome. Soon after, the Marchese and -Marchesa with their child left Rome for Florence, to -sail for America as soon as possible.</p> - -<p>It is recorded that both dreaded the voyage, as -d'Ossoli had been told by a fortune-teller to avoid -the sea, and Margaret had a strong presentiment -of disaster.</p> - -<p>They sailed May 5, 1850, and from the first the -voyage was a bad one. The captain died of small-pox -and had to be buried at sea. Then wind-storms -delayed them; and when little Angelo was taken ill -with small-pox, the agony of the parents may be -imagined. The child recovered, but on July 19, -during a terrific gale, the vessel was wrecked off Fire -Island, and Margaret, her husband, and her child -were lost.</p> - -<p>A trunk containing papers and manuscripts belonging -to Margaret was picked up, and in this way -her relatives and friends came to know the true history -of her life abroad.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_082" name="i_082"><img src="images/i_082.jpg" alt="" width="345" height="466" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">HARRIET BEECHER STOWE</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span></p> - -<h2>HARRIET BEECHER STOWE</h2> - -<p class="center">(1811-1896)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own works -praise her at the gates."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Solomon</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>Few women's names have made so vivid a mark -upon the history of our country as that of Harriet -Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin.</p> - -<p>On June 14, 1811, in the little town of Litchfield, -Connecticut, Harriet first saw the light of day. She -was the seventh child, the eldest being but eleven years -of age. Just two years after Harriet was born came -a little brother, Henry Ward, who became the renowned -pastor of Plymouth Church, Brooklyn.</p> - -<p>Harriet's father, the Reverend Lyman Beecher, was -a man of marked ability, and her mother, Roxanna -Beecher, was a woman whose beautiful life has been -a help to many. The family was a large one to be -supported on a salary of five hundred dollars a year, -and in order to assist, Roxanna Beecher started a -select school, where she taught French, drawing, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>painting and embroidery, as well as the higher English -branches.</p> - -<p>A great grief came to little Harriet, when she was -between three and four, in the death of her mother. -Certain things in connection with this event, as the -funeral, the mourning dresses, and the walk to the -burial ground, never left her memory. Her little mind -was confused by being told that her mother had gone -to heaven, when Harriet had with her own eyes seen -her laid in the ground. Her brother Henry suffered -likewise from this confusion of thought. He was -found one day in the garden digging diligently. -When his elder sister Catherine asked him what he -was doing, he answered: "I'm going to heaven to -find mamma!"</p> - -<p>When Harriet was six, her father married again. -At first the little girl, who had loved her own mother -so dearly, felt very sad about this; but she afterward -learned to love and respect her new mother.</p> - -<p>Harriet had a remarkable memory. At seven she -had memorized twenty-seven hymns and two long -chapters in the Bible. She read fluently, and continually -searched her father's library for books which -might interest her. Very few did she find there, however. -Most of the titles filled her childish soul with -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>awe, and she longed for the time when she could understand -and enjoy such works as Bonnett's <cite>Inquiries</cite>, -Bell's <cite>Sermons</cite>, and Bogue's <cite>Essays</cite>.</p> - -<p>One day good luck befell her. In the bottom of a -barrel of old sermons she came upon a well-worn -volume of <cite>The Arabian Nights</cite>. Imagine her joy! -A world of enchantment opened to her. When <cite>Ivanhoe</cite> -fell in her way, she and her brother George -read it through, together, seven times.</p> - -<p>It was in the school of Mr. John P. Brace that -Harriet discovered her taste for writing. Her compositions -were remarkable for their cleverness; when -one of them was read at the entertainment at the -close of the year, Harriet's cup of joy was full to the -brim.</p> - -<p>About this time Harriet's elder sister, Catherine, -opened a school in Hartford. The circumstances -which led her to do so were very sad. Catherine, -who was remarkably gifted, had been engaged to -Professor Fisher of Yale, a brilliant and promising -young man. These young people expected to be -married on the return of the Professor from a European -trip. But the vessel on which he sailed was -wrecked, and he never came back.</p> - -<p>This almost prostrated Catherine, but her strong -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span>nature rose to meet the blow. She determined to -devote her life to the work of helping girls. After -hard work she raised several thousands of dollars -and built the Hartford Female Seminary, where -girls studied subjects heretofore taught only in boys' -colleges, and received an education more on an equality -with that given to boys.</p> - -<p>People of that time wondered what use girls would -make of Latin and philosophy, but Miss Beecher's -able management of the school and her womanly and -scholarly attainments so filled them with admiration -that they gladly put their daughters in her charge. -Here also entered twelve year old Harriet, not only -as a pupil, but a pupil teacher, that she might help -her father in paying the expenses of his large family. -The experience of Harriet in this school was of -much use in after life. She had to master problems -without any assistance from others, and in doing -this, she became self-reliant.</p> - -<p>About ten years after this, her father was called -to become President of Lane Theological Seminary -at Cincinnati, Ohio. Catherine and Harriet felt -bound to go with him, to help him in the new field of -work. The journey, made by stage-coach across -the mountains, was very tiresome. They settled in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>Walnut Hills, a suburb of Cincinnati, where the -sisters opened another school.</p> - -<p>In 1836, Harriet married Calvin E. Stowe, professor -of Biblical Criticism and Oriental Literature in -the Lane Seminary. Mr. Stowe, together with other -intelligent men in Ohio at that time, was much -interested in the advancement of education in the -common schools. In order to study the question -and to purchase books for the Lane Seminary, Mr. -Stowe was sent abroad. This happened shortly after -his marriage.</p> - -<p>During his absence Harriet lived in Cincinnati -with her father and brother, writing short stories and -essays for publication and assisting her brother, Henry -Ward, who was then editing a small daily paper.</p> - -<p>The question of slavery had become an exciting -topic in Cincinnati. Being near the borderland of -Kentucky, a slave state, this city naturally became -the center of heated discussions. Many slaves who -escaped sought refuge in Cincinnati, and people who -were friendly to their cause assisted them to reach -Canada, where they were safe from capture by their -so called masters.</p> - -<p>Among the students of Lane Seminary were both -Northerners and Southerners, and many fierce de<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>bates -as to the rights and wrongs of slavery were -carried on in that institution. The feeling was very -intense and excitement ran high. Dr. Bailey, an -editor who attempted to carry on in his newspaper -a fair discussion of the slavery question, had his -presses broken and thrown into the river.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Stowe took into her family, as servant, a -colored girl from Kentucky. Though by the laws of -Ohio this girl was free, having been brought into the -state by her mistress and left there, yet it was rumored -that some one had come to the city from over -the border hunting for her, with the intention of -taking her back into slavery. Mrs. Stowe and Henry -Ward Beecher drove the poor girl by night twelve -miles into the country and left her with an old friend -until such time as the search for her should be given -up. This incident served Mrs. Stowe as the basis -of her description in <cite>Uncle Tom's Cabin</cite> of Eliza's -escape from Tom Loker and Marks.</p> - -<p>Houses of free colored people were burned and even -Lane Seminary stood in danger from the mob. Mr. -Stowe and his family slept with firearms at hand ready -to defend themselves if necessary. When the trustees -of the college forbade all discussion of the question of -slavery, nearly all the students left the institution.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p> -<p>Then Mrs. Stowe opened her house to colored -children and taught them. One boy in her school -was claimed by a master in Kentucky, arrested and -put up at auction. Mrs. Stowe raised sufficient -money to buy him and gave it to his distracted -mother, who thus saved him. Heart-rending incidents -like this were continually brought to the attention -of the Stowe family, until at last they felt unable -to endure the situation. They decided to come North -where Mr. Stowe accepted a position in Bowdoin -College, Maine.</p> - -<p>Very poor was the Stowe family in those days. Mrs. -Stowe earned a little now and then, by her writings, -and from a few boarders. She had now apparently -all she could do, with a family of young children -whom she herself taught, with her writing, and with -caring for the strangers in the house; but even so, -she could never get out of her mind those wretched -creatures, her brothers and sisters, who were being -bought and sold. What could she do for them?</p> - -<p>The most frequent topic of conversation everywhere -was the proposed law called The Fugitive -Slave Act. This law would give the slave-holders of -the South the right to bring back into slavery any colored -person claimed as a slave, and also commanded -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span>the people of the North to assist in the business -of pursuit. Public feeling grew more and more -heated, but the law was passed. After its passage -many pitiable scenes occurred. The Stowe and -Beecher families received frequent letters telling -of shocking incidents. Families were broken up, -children sold and sent far from their parents, while -many slaves who ran away perished from cold and -hunger.</p> - -<p>One day Mrs. Stowe received a letter from her -sister-in-law, Mrs. Edward Beecher, which she read -to her family. When she came to this passage: <em>Now, -Hattie, if I could use a pen as you can, I would write -something that would make the whole nation feel what -an accursed thing slavery is</em>, Mrs. Stowe stood up, an -expression upon her face which those who saw it -never forgot.</p> - -<p>What she said, however, was simply, "I <em>will</em> write -something! I will, if I live!"</p> - -<p>Some months after this Mrs. Stowe was seated -at communion in the college church at Brunswick, -when the scene of the death of Uncle Tom passed -through her mind as clearly as in a vision. She hastened -home, wrote out the chapter on his death, as -it now stands, and then read it to her assembled -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>family. Her two sons aged eleven and twelve years -burst out crying, saying, "Oh, mamma! Slavery -is the most cruel thing in the world!"</p> - -<p>When two or three more chapters were ready, she -offered it for publication to Dr. Bailey, then in -Washington, and <cite>Uncle Tom's Cabin</cite> was first published -as a serial in his paper <cite>The National Era</cite>. For -it Mrs. Stowe received three hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>When completed, it was published by Jewett of -Boston, in March, 1852, meeting with instant success. -In ten days ten thousand copies were sold. Thirty -different editions appeared in London in six months, -and it was translated into twenty foreign languages. -It was dramatized, and several theaters were playing -it at one time. In less than a year over three hundred -thousand copies were sold.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Stowe "woke up to find herself famous,"—not -to say wealthy. Letters of congratulation poured -in upon her from all parts of the world. Queen -Victoria and Prince Albert sent hearty thanks. -Charles Dickens wrote, "Your book is worthy of any -head and any heart that ever inspired a book." -Charles Kingsley wrote, "It is perfect!"</p> - -<p>The poet Whittier wrote to Garrison, "What a -glorious work Harriet Beecher Stowe has wrought! -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>Thanks for the Fugitive Slave Law! Better would -it be for slavery if that law had never been enacted, -for it gave occasion for <cite>Uncle Tom's Cabin</cite>!"</p> - -<p>Longfellow also wrote in praise of the book, and -letters were received from most of the noted men -who opposed slavery.</p> - -<p>The possibility of making money by the publication -of this book was quite remote from Mrs. Stowe's disinterested -mind. As she wrote in a letter to a friend: -"Having been poor all my life, and expecting to be -poor for the rest of it, the idea of making money by a -book which I wrote just because I could not help it, -never occurred to me." But from this time forth -she was to be free from the anxieties of poverty. -As the first payment of three months' sale, Mrs. -Stowe received ten thousand dollars.</p> - -<p>The following year Professor and Mrs. Stowe went -to Great Britain, having been urgently invited to -visit in many Scotch and English houses. Even in -foreign lands, Mrs. Stowe found herself known and -loved. Crowds greeted her in Liverpool, Glasgow, -Edinburgh and London. Children ran ahead of her -carriage, throwing flowers to her, and officials of the -Anti-Slavery Societies met her and offered hospitality.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span></p> -<p>A national penny offering, turned into a thousand -golden sovereigns, was presented to her on a magnificent -silver salver for the advancement of the cause -for which she had written. This offering came from -all classes of people.</p> - -<p>A personal gift which Mrs. Stowe valued highly -was a superb gold bracelet presented by the beautiful -Duchess of Sutherland who entertained her at Stafford -House. It was made in the form of a slave's -shackle and bore the inscription, "We trust it is a -memorial of a chain that is soon to be broken." On -two of the links were already inscribed the dates of -the abolition of slave trade and of slavery in the -English territories. Years afterward, on the clasp -of the bracelet, Mrs. Stowe had engraved the date -of the Constitutional Amendment abolishing slavery -in the United States.</p> - -<p>Upon Mrs. Stowe's return from her visit to Europe -in the autumn of 1853, she became very active in -public affairs. She supported anti-slavery lectures, -established schools for the colored people, assisted -in buying ill-treated slaves and setting them free, and -arranged public meetings for the advancement of -anti-slavery opinions, using the money which had -been given to her in England to support the work. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>In addition, she kept up a correspondence with influential -men and women on the subject of the abolition -of slavery.</p> - -<p>The books she wrote after this were <cite>Sunny Memories -of Foreign Lands</cite>; <cite>Dred</cite>, a great anti-slavery story; -<cite>The Minister's Wooing</cite>; <cite>Agnes of Sorrento</cite>; <cite>The Pearl -of Orr's Island</cite>; and <cite>Old Town Folks</cite>. All have been -widely read, but <cite>Uncle Tom's Cabin</cite>, though lacking in -literary form and finish, written as it was at white -heat and with no thought of anything but its object, -remains her greatest work. It made the enforcement -of the Fugitive Slave Law impossible, by making -people see slavery in all its inhumanity.</p> - -<p>In addition to her books, Mrs. Stowe wrote an -appeal to the women of America, in which she set -forth the injustice and misery of slavery, begging all -thoughtful women to use their influence to have the -wicked system abolished. Here are a few paragraphs:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>What can the women of a country do? Oh! women -of the free states, what did your brave mothers do in -the days of the Revolution? Did not liberty in those -days feel the strong impulse of woman's heart?</p> - -<p>For the sake, then, of our dear children, for the sake -of our common country, for the sake of outraged and -struggling liberty throughout the world, let every -woman of America now do her duty!</p></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span></p> -<p>Nobly, indeed, did the women of America respond -to her call, for during the Civil War, which was begun -before the abolition of slavery was an accomplished -fact, the women, though they went not to the war -themselves, loyally sent out their fathers, husbands -and brothers. Who shall say these women were not -heroic?</p> - -<p>After the close of the Civil War, Mrs. Stowe purchased -a home in Florida overlooking the St. John's -River, where she lived during the winter, going in -summer to her old home in Hartford.</p> - -<p>On her seventieth birthday, June 14, 1882, her publishers, -Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin Company, of -Boston, gave a reception for her in the form of a -garden party at the beautiful residence of ex-Governor -Claflin of Massachusetts in Newtonville, -one of Boston's fine suburbs. Here gathered men -and women well known in the literary and artistic -world, eager to do honor to the woman whose life -had been such an inspiration to others, and whose -work of such benefit to mankind. Mr. Houghton -made an address of congratulation and welcome, to -which Henry Ward Beecher replied. Oliver Wendell -Holmes spoke, and many poems and letters from -noted persons were read.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span></p> -<p>This was the last public appearance of Mrs. Stowe. -Her husband died in August, 1886, and she herself, -passed away July 1, 1896, at Hartford, at the age -of eighty-four. She was buried in the cemetery of -the Theological Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts, -next to her husband.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_098" name="i_098"><img src="images/i_098.jpg" alt="" width="344" height="464" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">MARIA MITCHELL</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span></p> - -<h2>MARIA MITCHELL</h2> - -<p class="center">(1818-1889)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"On the cultivation of women's minds depends the wisdom -of men."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Richard Brinsley Sheridan</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>Maria Mitchell was born on the Island of Nantucket, -Massachusetts, August 1, 1818, and to-day -if you go there, you may see a monument erected to -her memory.</p> - -<p>Her ancestors were Quakers who had fled hither -from Massachusetts because of religious persecution. -Nantucket Island then belonged to New York State, -and here these good people were free to worship God -as they pleased. Almost all of the inhabitants of -the Island belonged to the Society of Friends, from -which sect have sprung many of our notable men -and women, among them John G. Whittier, "the -Quaker Poet," who all his life wore the Quaker garb -and spoke the language of that religious society.</p> - -<p>The Mitchell family were not very strict; that is, -they did not wear the plain clothes of the sect, al<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>though -they probably used the "thee" and "thou." -Maria's mother was a woman of great strength of -character. Her father was a kindly gentleman, whose -affection for his children was so great that he could -refuse them nothing. Often Mrs. Mitchell was obliged -to check him, fearing they would be spoiled by his -indulgence.</p> - -<p>The little girls were brought up to be industrious. -They learned to make their own clothes by -making those of their dolls, and frequently they made -their own dolls, too, the eldest sister painting the -faces.</p> - -<p>Maria received the first rudiments of her education -from her mother and an excellent woman teacher, -but not until she entered her father's school, at the -age of eleven, did she begin to show marked ability -as a student.</p> - -<p>Mr. Mitchell was greatly interested in the study -of astronomy, and owned a small telescope, which he -used to examine the heavens at night. Maria was -especially fond of her father's pursuit. She also had -a taste for mathematics, without which astronomy -as a science cannot be mastered, and she watched, -patient and absorbed, when her father would compute -distances by means of his scientific instruments. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>There was no school in the country where Maria -Mitchell could be taught higher mathematics, so she -continued to study with her father.</p> - -<p>Every fine night the telescope was placed in Mr. -Mitchell's back yard, and the neighbors would come -in to gaze through it at the moon and the planets. -Little Maria was always on hand listening for scraps -of information.</p> - -<p>In 1831, and while Maria was still a child, there occurred -a total eclipse of the sun at Nantucket. With -her father, Maria observed this eclipse through a new -Dolland telescope which had been recently purchased -and, for the first time in her life, counted the -seconds of the eclipse. At that time she was studying -with Mr. Cyrus Pierce, who took a great interest -in her, and who helped her in her mathematics.</p> - -<p>At the age of sixteen she left school, becoming for -a while an assistant teacher, but she soon gave up -teaching to accept the new position of librarian in the -Nantucket Atheneum. This post she continued to -fill for twenty years. She had much time while acting -as a librarian to study her favorite subject, and -she used the opportunity to advantage.</p> - -<p>Every evening Miss Mitchell spent on the housetop -"sweeping" the heavens. One memorable even<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span>ing, -October 1, 1847, she had put on her old clothes -and taken her lantern to the roof as usual. After -gazing through her telescope for a few minutes, she -observed an object which she concluded must be a -comet. Hurriedly she called her father, who also -examined the unusual body in the heavens and agreed -with her that it was a comet.</p> - -<p>He immediately announced the discovery to Professor -Bond of Cambridge. It was learned afterward -that the same comet had been seen in Rome by an -astronomer on October 3, and in England by another -on October 7, and still later in Germany. To Maria -Mitchell was given the credit of the first discovery, and -she received the gold medal which had been promised -by the King of Denmark to the first discoverer -of a telescopic comet. This brought her letters of -congratulation from astronomers in all parts of the -world.</p> - -<p>Miss Mitchell had always had a desire to travel -abroad, and as her tastes were simple she soon saved -enough from her small salary to enable her to do so. -During her visits in foreign countries, she met many -eminent scientists, among them Herschel, Airy, Mrs. -Somerville, and Humboldt. The plain Nantucket -lady was perfectly at home in the society of these -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>distinguished people, whose tastes and occupations -were similar to her own. They all opened their -observatories for her inspection and their homes for -social intercourse.</p> - -<p>The Greenwich Observatory especially interested -Miss Mitchell. It stands in Greenwich Park, which -comprises a group of hills with many beautiful oak -trees which are said to date back to the time of -Queen Elizabeth. The observatory was then in -charge of Sir George Airy, who showed Miss Mitchell -all the treasures of the place, among them the instruments -used by the great astronomers Halley, Bradley, -and Pond. The meridian of Greenwich is the zero -point of longitude for the globe, and you can perhaps -imagine the pleasure which Miss Mitchell experienced -in being on the spot where time is set for the whole -world.</p> - -<p>Miss Mitchell became Professor of Astronomy and -Director of the Observatory at Vassar College, where -her work gave the subject a prominence which it has -never had in any other woman's college. She was -not only a famous astronomer, but a noble, inspiring -woman, much interested in the higher education of -women and devoting much of her time to advancing -this work. Many a young girl can trace the success -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>of her life work to the impulse she received from -Maria Mitchell.</p> - -<p>At the age of sixty-nine Miss Mitchell's health -began to fail and she resigned her position in the -College, going to live at her home in Lynn, Massachusetts, -where she died June 28, 1889.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_106" name="i_106"><img src="images/i_106.jpg" alt="" width="339" height="464" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">LUCY STONE</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span></p> - -<h2>LUCY STONE</h2> - -<p class="center">(1818-1893)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Woman is a creation between men and the angels."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Honoré de Balzac</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>In the town of West Brookfield, Massachusetts, in -1818, lived a farmer, named Francis Stone, and his -wife, a gentle and beautiful woman, whose life was -spent in devotion to her husband and in aiding him -in his work on the farm. Mrs. Stone worked continuously -from early morning until late at night, -often milking eight cows after the necessary housework -was done. The family consisted of seven children. -When, on August 18th, the eighth was born, and -Mrs. Stone was told that the new baby was a girl, she -said, "Oh, dear! I am sorry it is a girl. A woman's -life is so hard!"</p> - -<p>It seems as if this little girl, who was called Lucy, -must have understood her mother's words, for, as she -grew up, she showed very clearly that she intended -to try to make life easier for all women. Her childhood -was spent in doing useful work about the house -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span>and on the farm. She cooked, swept, dusted, made -butter and soap. She drove the cows, planted seeds, -weeded the garden,—in short, was never idle. But -all the time she worked in this way, Lucy was thinking -deeply and comparing her life with that of her brother -at college. She pondered deeply over questions like -the following:</p> - -<p>Why are not girls permitted to earn their living -like their brothers?</p> - -<p>Why is it that mother works so hard, and father -has all the money?</p> - -<p>Why are boys given the great benefits of a college -education and girls refused it?</p> - -<p>She could think of no satisfactory answers. At -last, gathering up her courage, she asked her father -to assist her to go to college like her brothers. Mr. -Stone was both astonished and angry. He told -Lucy that it was enough for her to learn how to read -and cipher and write, as her mother did. But Lucy -persisted in her determination to gain an education. -She earned a little money by picking berries and -gathering chestnuts, and with it she bought some -books. Her mother could not help her, for, though -she worked very hard, she had not a penny to bless -herself with. Her husband took all that came in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>through their joint labors, and spent it as he thought -best.</p> - -<p>When Lucy had learned enough to fit her for -teaching, she got a position in a district school at a -salary of one dollar per week. A little later she was -earning sixteen dollars a month, and when her brother, -who received thirty dollars a month for teaching, -became ill, Lucy took his place, receiving sixteen -dollars for exactly the same work. The committee -said that sixteen dollars was enough for a woman.</p> - -<p>Lucy Stone studied for a while at Mt. Holyoke -Seminary under Mary Lyon, and also at Wilbraham -Academy, and later at Oberlin College, Ohio, which -was then the only college in the country willing to -admit women,—all the while paying her own tuition -fees by means of teaching and doing housework in -boarding houses.</p> - -<p>When the question of slavery came into prominence, -Lucy Stone quickly took her position as a friend of the -slave. She taught in a school for colored people, -which was established at Oberlin, and her first public -speech was made in their behalf. Though severely -criticized for her public speaking and obliged to bear -unpleasant comment because of it, she never swerved -from her idea of what she believed to be right.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span></p> -<p>Soon she was engaged by the Anti-Slavery Society, -in which William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell -Phillips were officers, to lecture for their cause, and -while doing so, traveled over the greater part of the -United States, speaking both for woman suffrage and -for the abolition of slavery.</p> - -<p>But the rights of woman stood first in the heart of -Lucy Stone. As a child, she had seen her mother -overruled by a stern husband, who never allowed her -an opinion contrary to his will, nor a penny to use -without his sanction.</p> - -<p>It may have been because of this early object -lesson that Lucy Stone made up her mind never to -marry; or because she thought that she could carry -on her work for the advancement of women better by -being entirely free. Nevertheless, she did consent -to marry Mr. Henry B. Blackwell, a merchant of -Cincinnati, Ohio, who overcame her objections by -sharing all her views on suffrage and slavery, and -they were married by Rev. Thomas Wentworth -Higginson, May 1, 1855.</p> - -<p>Before their marriage Mr. Blackwell and Lucy -signed a protest which read:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>We believe that personal independence and equal -human rights can never be forfeited except for crime; -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span>that marriage should be an equal and permanent partnership -and so recognized by law.</p></div> - -<p>This protest was the beginning of much serious -thought about the rights of man and woman as individuals, -and led the way to improved laws. In -most states, to-day, a married woman may own -her own property and may will a part of it away from -her husband, if she wishes to; she may live an individual -life, also, and control equally with her husband -the education of their children.</p> - -<p>Lucy Stone retained her maiden name, never adopting -that of her husband. Their married life proved -to be remarkably happy, one child, a daughter, being -born to them.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Stone helped to organize the American Equal -Rights Association, which grew into the American -Woman Suffrage Association. William Lloyd Garrison, -George William Curtis, Colonel Higginson, Julia -Ward Howe, and other prominent people joined in -the work with her. She served as President of the -New England Woman Suffrage Association, and -even studied law that she might learn how to correct -legal injustice to women. In 1877, Mrs. Stone and -Mr. Blackwell went to Colorado to assist in the -Woman Suffrage movement in that state. Sixteen -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>years later the constitutional amendment granting the -suffrage to woman was carried by popular vote, and -women were given "exactly the same rights as men -in exercising the elective franchise."</p> - -<p>Lucy Stone did not live to see success in Colorado, -but she did see school suffrage gained in twenty-two -states, and full suffrage in Wyoming. She lived, also, -to see many great colleges admit women.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1893, Mrs. Stone was obliged to -rest from her labors. A little later she wrote Mrs. -Livermore, her devoted friend and co-worker: "I -have dropped out, and you will go on without me! -Good-by. If we don't meet again, never mind. We -shall meet sometime, somewhere; be sure of that."</p> - -<p>She passed away in the presence of her husband -and her daughter, Alice, on October 18. Her gentleness -and sweetness of character had made her beloved -by all, and her great work for the advancement of -woman in intellectual, social, and political life will -never be forgotten.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_114" name="i_114"><img src="images/i_115.jpg" alt="" width="309" height="445" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">JULIA WARD HOWE</p> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p> - -<h2>JULIA WARD HOWE</h2> - -<p class="center">(1819-1910)</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"We all are architects of fate,<br /></div> - <div class="indent4">Working in these walls of time,<br /></div> -<div class="verse">Some with massive deeds and great,<br /></div> -<div class="indent4">Some with ornaments of rhyme."</div> -<div class="right">—<em>Henry W. Longfellow</em></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Julia Ward Howe was born May 27, 1819, in -New York City. Her father, Samuel Ward, was a -wealthy banker, and her mother a descendant of the -Marions of South Carolina, being a grand-niece of -General Marion.</p> - -<p>Both parents came from families of refined and -scholarly tastes, and little Julia directly inherited -her love of good books. Her mother died at an -early age, leaving six little children, Julia, the fourth, -being then only five years old.</p> - -<p>Julia, who from babyhood had given promise of -superior intellectual attainments, received special -attention from her father. Mr. Ward was anxious -that she should know the joy which only true knowl<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>edge -and right living can give. He did not wish -her to become merely a fashionable girl with no -thought of doing anything in life but amuse herself. -Every advantage was given her, therefore, for reading, -and the best teachers in music, German, and -Italian were selected for her.</p> - -<p>Julia well repaid this care. She showed great -fondness for books, and at nine years of age was -studying Paley's <cite>Moral Philosophy</cite> in a class with -girls twice her age. At fourteen, she was an accomplished -musician. Her friends thought she should -devote her life to music, but she was equally fond -of literature. At sixteen she wrote her first poem. -Her brother, Samuel Ward, Jr., shared in all her -tastes, and together the brother and sister enjoyed -the society of the most noted musicians and literary -men and women of the day, the poet Longfellow being -one of their closest friends.</p> - -<p>The death of their beloved father brought a change -in the home, and the family went to live with an -uncle, Mr. John Ward. Julia continued to spend -her time in the cultivation of her mind and in the enjoyment -of the fine arts. She excelled in the study -of the German language, reading Goethe, Schiller, -Swedenborg, Kant, and other great German poets -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>and philosophers, and translating much of their work. -She wrote many verses and began to dream of publishing -a play.</p> - -<p>In Boston, Julia Ward was a welcome addition to -the circle of distinguished literary people then living -there. She met Margaret Fuller, Horace Mann, -Charles Sumner, Ralph Waldo Emerson. All were -charmed with the brilliant and intellectual young -woman from New York. Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, -a philanthropist and reformer, was one of this delightful -group.</p> - -<p>Dr. Howe, a graduate of Brown University, was -deeply interested in the Greek War for Independence. -He went to Greece to offer his services as a surgeon -and for the purpose of organizing hospitals, but later -took such an active part in the war that he endeared -himself to the Greeks for his assistance and sympathy. -Contracting a fever, however, he was obliged to -leave Greece for a better climate. For some time -he traveled abroad, studying and attending lectures.</p> - -<p>But to help others was his sole object in life. At -that time there were no schools for the blind in the -United States. Through Dr. Howe's influence, men -of wealth became interested in this matter and helped -him to establish such a school. Going again to Europe, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>to investigate such schools in foreign lands, he was -temporarily turned aside from his project by the -condition of Poland, oppressed as it then was by -Prussia. In consequence of the assistance he gave -this unhappy country, he was arrested, and imprisoned -for some time.</p> - -<p>All the world knows now of Dr. Howe through his -kindness to Laura Bridgman, a child, who at the age -of two years, and before she had learned to speak, -became blind and deaf through a severe illness. -When she was about eight, Dr. Howe took her into -his home and taught her to read, write, do needlework, -and play the piano. His success with Laura -was so great that he, later, gave almost his entire -energy to work for feeble-minded children and in -this accomplished many wonderful results.</p> - -<p>Dr. Howe fell in love with Julia Ward. Two such -souls could hardly meet and not love each other. -Though he was eighteen years older than she, similar -tastes and aims naturally united them.</p> - -<p>Their marriage took place when Julia was twenty-four -years of age. Soon after the wedding, Dr. and -Mrs. Howe made an extensive tour of Europe. For -five months they lived in Rome, where their first -child was born.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span></p> -<p>On their return to Boston, Dr. Howe bought a -large estate near the Institute for the Blind, of which -he was a Director, and in this happy home were born -five more children. While a devoted mother, Mrs. -Howe still found time to continue her studies, reading -the Latin poets and the German philosophers, and -all the while writing essays and poems for the magazines.</p> - -<p>At the age of thirty-five she published her first -volume of poems entitled <cite>Passion Flowers</cite>, and -two years later, another called <cite>Words for the Hour</cite>. -She also assisted her husband in editing the <cite>Boston -Commonwealth</cite>, an anti-slavery newspaper, for in this -cause both became leaders, being associated with -Garrison, Sumner, Phillips, Higginson, and Theodore -Parker.</p> - -<p>In 1862, Mrs. Howe published in the <cite>Atlantic -Monthly</cite> her best known poem, <cite>Battle Hymn of -the Republic</cite>. This inspiring hymn reached the prisoners -in Libby Prison through Chaplain McCabe, -who sang it to celebrate a victory of the Union troops. -After Chaplain McCabe was released from prison, -and while he was lecturing in Washington, he narrated -this incident. This attracted the attention of -the public, so that the beautiful hymn soon became -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>popular throughout the country. Later, it became -the battle cry of the Union army, being sung by the -men as they marched into action.</p> - -<p>When Colonel T. W. Higginson urged Mrs. Howe to -sign a call for a Woman Suffrage Convention to be held -in Boston, she not only signed, but attended the Convention, -and later became intimately associated with -the movement, often making speeches on the subject.</p> - -<p>She was a delegate to the Congress for Prison -Reform in England, where, besides speaking earnestly -against the flogging of prisoners, she also urged arbitration -as the means of settling international disputes. -In her own country, she organized the Women's Peace -Festival, with the object of turning the attention of -women to the horrors and needlessness of war. Thus -we find this remarkable woman always in the van of -progress and generally much ahead of her time.</p> - -<p>In 1876, after a brief illness, Dr. Howe died. Mrs. Howe then took -her daughter Maud to Europe, where she remained for two years, trying -by travel to dull the sharp edge of her affliction. It was at this -time that Mrs. Howe took up the study of Greek, in which she became -very proficient, and the study of which she kept up until her last -illness.</p> - -<p>For a long period of years Mrs. Howe lectured and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>wrote on subjects which concerned the social improvement -of mankind.</p> - -<p>Almost her last appearance in public was at the -reception given to the representatives of twenty-seven -nations by the Hudson-Fulton Celebration Commission -at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York -City. Mrs. Howe read an original poem written for -the occasion. While she read, the entire audience -stood respectfully, and as she sat down, all joined in -singing the <cite>Battle Hymn of the Republic</cite>. Her -really last appearance in public was but two weeks -before her death, at the inauguration of the second -president of Smith College, at which function she -was given the degree of LL. D.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Howe died October 18, 1910, at her country -place in Portsmouth. She will long be remembered -for her work in the anti-slavery cause and for the advancement -of woman, for her literary merits, and -for her beautiful domestic life.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_122" name="i_122"><img src="images/i_122.jpg" alt="" width="302" height="446" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">QUEEN VICTORIA</p> -<p class="caption center"><em>From an old engraving</em></p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p> - -<h2>QUEEN VICTORIA</h2> - -<p class="center">(1819-1901)</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"Her court was pure; her life serene;<br /></div> - <div class="verse">God gave her peace; her land reposed;<br /></div> -<div class="verse">A thousand claims to reverence closed<br /></div> -<div class="verse">In her as Mother, Wife and Queen."</div> -<div class="right">—<em>Alfred Tennyson</em></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>On May 24, 1819, a little girl was born in Kensington -Palace, London, who received the name of -Victoria. Her father, Edward, the Duke of Kent, -was the fourth son of King George <abbr title="the third">III</abbr>.</p> - -<p>At the time of Victoria's birth it seemed unlikely -that she would ever become queen. Between her -and the crown stood three uncles and her father. -But when, in January, 1820, within a few days of -each other her father and the King died, it began to -be seen that Victoria would in all probability become -the future ruler of England. In consequence, her -education was conducted with the greatest care. Her -mother, the Duchess of Kent, devoted herself to the -child and made every effort to develop in her all that -was good and noble.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p> -<p>Victoria lived a quiet and natural life in the open -air, having for instructor a tutor who was a clergyman -of the Church of England. When lessons were over, -the little Princess used to go out into Kensington -Gardens, where she rode a donkey gaily decked with -blue ribbons. Here she also walked, and would -kiss her hand to the children who sometimes gathered -about and looked through the railing to see -a real Princess.</p> - -<p>Victoria was very fond of dolls. She had one hundred -and thirty-two, which she kept in a house of -their own. She herself made their clothes, and the -neatness of her needlework surprised all who saw it. -The Princess grew up a merry, affectionate, simple-hearted -child, thoughtful for the comfort of others, -and extremely truthful.</p> - -<p>Victoria's baptismal name was Alexandra Victoria. -She preferred to be called by the latter name, but to -the English people "Victoria" had a foreign sound and -was not very popular. It remained for the Queen to -make it illustrious and beloved.</p> - -<p>By the death of George <abbr title="the fourth">IV</abbr> in 1830, William, Duke -of Clarence, came to the throne. As he had no children -who might succeed to the throne, Victoria -became the direct heir. King William was a good-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span>natured, -undignified sort of man, often ridiculous in -his public actions. He encouraged Victoria to take -part in public ceremonies, and if there was a hall to -be dedicated, or a bridge to be opened, or a statue -unveiled, the little Princess was called upon quite -often to act for the King at the ceremony.</p> - -<p>William reigned only nine years, expiring one morning -in June, 1837, at Saint James's Palace in -London.</p> - -<p>When a king or queen dies, it is the custom for -persons of high rank to go immediately and salute -the new king or queen.</p> - -<p>As soon as William, therefore, had drawn his last -breath, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord -Chamberlain went straight to Kensington Palace -to notify Victoria that she had succeeded to the -throne. It was five o'clock in the morning, and as -she had just arisen from bed, she received them in -her dressing-robe. Her first words to the Archbishop -were, "I beg your Grace to pray for me." There is -a pretty picture of this scene in the Tate Gallery in -London, representing the two old men on their knees -before a young girl of eighteen years, kissing her -hands.</p> - -<p>And so, at the age of eighteen, Victoria became -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>Queen of Great Britain and Ireland and the Empire -beyond the seas. Though not beautiful, the young -Queen was self-possessed, modest and dignified. -Every one bore testimony to the dignity and grace of -her actions at this time.</p> - -<p>Victoria selected as her Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, -to whom she was much attached, and who -was her trusted adviser for many years. Just eight -days after the first anniversary of her accession to the -throne, Victoria was crowned in Westminster Abbey, -sitting in the chair where so many English monarchs -have received their crowns. The coronation was of -great splendor. The sun shone brightly as the procession -left Buckingham Palace and her Majesty was -greeted all along the route with enthusiastic cheers.</p> - -<p>When the Queen entered the Abbey, "with eight -ladies all in white floating about her like a silvery -cloud, she paused as if for breath and clasped her -hands." When she knelt to receive the crown, with -the sun shining on her fair young head, the beauty -and solemnity of the scene impressed every one. The -Duchess of Kent, Victoria's mother, was affected -to tears. The ceremonies in the Abbey lasted five -hours and the Queen looked pale and weary as she -drove to the Palace wearing her crown.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span></p> -<p>Carlyle, who was among the spectators, said: -"Poor little Queen! She is at an age when a girl -can hardly be trusted to choose a bonnet for herself. -Yet a task is laid upon her from which an archangel -might shrink."</p> - -<p>Many important matters had to be decided by the -young Queen, and sometimes serious troubles grew -out of her inexperience. However, being sensible -and wise beyond her years, her decisions were for the -most part just, and with time she became more and -more tactful and better able to cope with the difficulties -of governing so great a nation.</p> - -<p>A matter of great interest to the public was Victoria's -marriage. There were many princes willing -and anxious to marry the young Queen of England, -but Victoria had a mind and will of her own. She -remembered with interest her handsome cousin, -Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who had visited -England two years before, while she was still a -Princess.</p> - -<p>The Duchess of Kent had been fond of this nephew, -whose tastes were refined and whose habits were good. -Victoria herself remembered him with affection.</p> - -<p>Another visit was arranged by King Leopold, and -this time Victoria's interest grew into love. One day -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>she summoned the Prince to her room and offered -him her hand in marriage. It must have been a trying -thing for her to do, but of course a mere Prince -could not propose to the Queen of England. Prince -Albert was overjoyed, for he loved Victoria.</p> - -<p>The Queen announced her engagement to Parliament, -and on February 10, 1840, she was married -in the Chapel Royal of Saint James's Palace. She -wore a white satin gown trimmed with orange blossoms -and a veil of Honiton lace costing one thousand -pounds, which had been ordered to encourage the lace-makers -of Devonshire. Guns were fired, bells rung, -and flags waved, when the ceremony was completed.</p> - -<p>After the wedding breakfast at Buckingham Palace, -Victoria and Albert drove to Windsor Castle, -past twenty-two miles of spectators, who shouted -and cheered the youthful pair. There was great -rejoicing, and dinners were given to thousands of -poor people throughout the Kingdom. After three -days spent at Windsor, the Queen and the Prince -Consort, as Albert was called, returned to London -and began their busy life for the state.</p> - -<p>Victoria found a wise adviser in her young husband. -He was about her own age, and like her, had a sincere -desire always to do the right thing. For a while he -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>was not liked in England, owing to his foreign birth, -but before long he gained the affections of that exacting -people. The married life of Victoria and Albert -was one of unusual happiness and beauty, lasting -for twenty years,—until 1861. The Prince, in dying, -left a family of nine children. The eldest became -the Empress of Germany, and the second was the -late King Edward.</p> - -<p>The death of the Prince Consort made a great -change in the life of the Queen. She became very -reserved in her widowhood, and her withdrawal from -public life lasted a long time, to the displeasure of -the English people. She wore mourning for many -years, and was averse to presiding over ceremonious -Court functions.</p> - -<p>Although impetuous and wilful, Victoria was yet -quite willing to be advised by older and wiser persons, -and the great men of England very soon learned to -respect her character and give heed to her wishes. -As a Queen, she really reigned; which means that -she was the true head and controller of public affairs. -Naturally, she could not do it all herself, but she had -the fortunate gift of knowing how to choose her -helpers. No reign of any English monarch can be -reckoned so great as that of Victoria. It was full of -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>great events, which would require several volumes -to recite.</p> - -<p>In 1849 she paid a visit to Ireland. In 1851 the -first great World's Exposition was held in London. -In 1853 there was a war with Russia, and in 1857 -the Indian Mutiny occurred. Years later, in 1876, -Victoria was formally proclaimed Empress of India. -This was accomplished by means of the clever management -of Lord Beaconsfield, her Prime Minister, who -was a Jew named Disraeli, and a very great statesman.</p> - -<p>She encouraged artists and literary men. She made -Alfred Tennyson the Poet Laureate of England. -Some of his most beautiful lines were addressed to her -and the Prince Consort.</p> - -<p>The Duke of Wellington, victor at Waterloo, where -Napoleon was defeated, was her trusted friend and -adviser.</p> - -<p>England, in Victoria's reign, made great strides in -wealth, art, science, and population. Great men -clustered around this wonderful little woman and -helped make her rule a glorious one. In 1887, when -she had been queen for fifty years, England gave herself -a great jubilee which was attended by all the great -princes and representatives of kings in the world.</p> - -<p>Queen Victoria was fond of music, was an excellent -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>singer, and spoke many languages. When in London -she lived at Buckingham Palace, going at times to -Windsor Castle, and occasionally to Balmoral Castle -in Scotland, where she would throw off the cares of -state and live simply as an English gentlewoman. -She had another pleasant home on the Isle of Wight, -called Osborne House, where she had her last illness.</p> - -<p>Victoria died on January 22, 1901, in her eighty-second -year. Her reign was the longest in English -history, being nearly sixty-four years. It was exceeded -in Europe only by Louis <abbr title="the fourteenth">XIV</abbr> of France, who -reigned seventy-one years.</p> - -<p>The English people mourned Victoria sincerely -and deeply. She had added greatly to the extent -and glory of her country. She had been a great and -wise ruler. She had commanded the respect of -every one at home and abroad, and while she did not -talk much, her life proved that a woman can rule as -well and wisely as a man. Her private life, as mother, -wife, and sovereign, has been a noble example.</p> - -<p>At her own request, Queen Victoria's funeral was a -military one, her body being placed in the mausoleum -built for Prince Albert at Frogmore.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_132" name="i_132"><img src="images/i_132.jpg" alt="" width="348" height="459" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span></p> - -<h2>FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE</h2> - -<p class="center">(1820-1910)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"Theirs is a heroism and patriotism no less grand than that -of the bravest soldier they ever nursed back to life and health."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Charles R. Skinner</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>Florence Nightingale, one of the most illustrious -personages of Queen Victoria's reign, was born in -Florence, Italy, of English parents. Since they were -visiting that city at the time, they named their little -daughter after the city of her birth. A sister, also -born in Italy, was named Parthenope after her birthplace.</p> - -<p>The Nightingales were well-to-do people. They -owned a beautiful country seat in Derbyshire, which -was for many years the residence of Florence and her -parents. Florence's love for animals and flowers was -second only to her love of humanity. Very early -she formed the idea of a vocation which should be -lofty and altruistic.</p> - -<p>Her acquaintance with Elizabeth Fry did much -to develop this idea. Mrs. Fry, already famous as -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span>the first woman who made the welfare of women -in prison her care, was a preacher of the Quaker -sect.</p> - -<p>Having decided upon her course, Miss Nightingale -began to learn in the hospitals the medical nurse's -duties; and, hearing of a German training school -for nurses at Kaiserswerth on the Rhine, she went -thither and enrolled herself as a "deaconess."</p> - -<p>Kaiserswerth had been started in a very small way -by Pastor Fleidner. It was a Protestant school, -which combined religious teaching with charitable -work among the poor and outcast. The Pastor himself -was poor, but his devotion to his work attracted -many helpers who gave him money to carry it on.</p> - -<p>Florence here became interested also in prison -reform, which led her to open a small home for women -after they should come out of prison. The few -years she spent here brought her face to face with -much suffering and want, and taught her how to -find and help unfortunate people.</p> - -<p>From Kaiserswerth she went to Paris and entered -a Catholic Convent to study the methods of the Sisters. -While there she learned to respect and admire -so greatly the love and devotion of the nuns, that -afterwards, in the Crimean War, she called upon them -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span>to assist her. In England once more, Miss Nightingale -settled down to a quiet life, devoting herself to -the care of the sick and the poor about her.</p> - -<p>Living near the Nightingales, were Sidney Herbert -and his wife. Herbert, who afterwards became Lord -Herbert of Lea, was made Secretary of War in the -English Government. The post was no sinecure, for -almost immediately after his appointment, war broke -out between Russia on one side and England, France, -and Turkey on the other.</p> - -<p>The scene of the fighting was on the border where -Turkey and Russia join. Near this border is the -Crimea, a peninsula, whose principal city is Sebastopol. -To capture this city was the object of the -fighting in that part of the country, from which fact -the whole war is known as the Crimean War.</p> - -<p>England had lived in peace since 1815, a period of -forty years, and had to some degree lost the practical -knowledge of how to conduct a military campaign. -The result was a great waste of time, men and stores, -through the inexperience of both officers and soldiers. -Disaster followed disaster, each treading upon the -other's heels.</p> - -<p>Finally William Howard Russell, the War Correspondent -of the London Times, wrote a strong letter -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span>home to England in which he spoke of the suffering -of the wounded, saying: "For all I can see, the men -die without the least effort to save them."</p> - -<p>Food and clothing were lost, or delayed in transport; -the surgeons were without lint or bandages or -other of the commonest supplies for hospital work. -Russell finally asked a question that made a great -stir in England:</p> - -<p>"Are there no devoted women among us, able and -willing to go forth to minister to the sick and suffering -soldiers of the East? Are none of the daughters of -England at this extreme hour of need ready for such -a work of mercy?"</p> - -<p>Florence Nightingale heard this clarion cry and -immediately wrote to Secretary Herbert offering her -services. Her letter crossed one from him offering -her the place of Chief Nurse.</p> - -<p>It is doubtful if any choice of a person to do a great -work has ever been so fortunate and successful as -this one. Florence Nightingale, by her studies and -her work in Germany and at home, was already well -prepared for nursing. Now it was seen that she -was an able organizer as well.</p> - -<p>All this came as a great surprise to the world, for -Miss Nightingale had never been written or talked -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>about very much. Now, however, every one asked -who she was.</p> - -<p>She gathered together thirty-eight nurses, ten of -whom were Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy, and -they all left England on October 21, 1854.</p> - -<p>On landing in France, the fish-women of Boulogne -cared for their trunks and luggage with their own -hands and saw the Englishwomen safely on the train -for Paris, where they made a short stay at the Convent -which Florence had visited years before. Then -they set forth for Marseilles, where they took steamer -for Scutari, in Turkey. Every one helped them and -no one would take pay for their service.</p> - -<p>There was no little fun made in Europe over the -nurses, but ridicule changed to admiration when the -first news of their work began to reach home. Miss -Nightingale paid no attention either to the shallow -fault-finding, or to praise, but went straight ahead -to do the work she found in Scutari. And great -need there was of her help!</p> - -<p>It might be well here to quote a description of -Florence Nightingale:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>You cannot hear her say a few sentences, no, not -even look at her without feeling that she is an extraordinary -being. Simple, intellectual, sweet, full of love -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>and benevolence, she is a fascinating and perfect woman. -She is tall and pale. Her face is exceedingly lovely, but -better than all is the soul's glory that shines through -every feature. Nothing can be sweeter than her smile. -It is like a sunny day in summer.</p></div> - -<p>It would be difficult and painful to describe the conditions -she found existing in the hospital at Scutari. -The doctors were so few and so overworked, and the -wounded men were so numerous, that many died who -might have been saved. Hospital supplies were there, -but could not be found. Perhaps never in civilized -times was there so much unnecessary suffering.</p> - -<p>Miss Nightingale and her staff of nurses could do -very little compared to the great need, but they -took up the work bravely. Here Miss Nightingale's -ability as a manager and director was shown. She -soon came to be ranked with the Generals in ability -and power. All opposition to her as a woman began -to fade away as her blessed work among the sick -and dying soldiers began to be appreciated.</p> - -<p>Soon all England was alive to the great work, and -more nurses, and large gifts of supplies and money -began to be hurried to the Crimea.</p> - -<p>Florence Nightingale spent nearly two years in the -Crimea. Once she fell dangerously ill with a fever, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>but the care she had given to others was returned -in the form of all manner of attentions to her. -She never quite recovered from the effects of that -terrible Crimean fever.</p> - -<p>When the war was over, she went back to England -so quietly that hardly anyone outside her home knew -of her return. When it became known, she was -overwhelmed by all sorts of people trying to do her -honor. Most of them she refused to see. Queen -Victoria invited her to come to Balmoral Castle and -this honor she could not refuse, for the request of a -Queen is a command. The Queen decorated her -with a beautiful jewel, treating her simply in the -spirit of one woman recognizing another who deserved -recognition.</p> - -<p>Florence Nightingale lived to be ninety years old, -thus spending fifty years in England after the Crimean -war.</p> - -<p>She devoted all her life to benevolent works: -building new hospitals, writing books on the care of -the sick, and inspiring many young women to give -their lives to the service of humanity. She never -married.</p> - -<p>At her death it was proposed to bury her in Westminster -Abbey, that great final home of England's -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span>illustrious sons and daughters, but the honor was -declined by her friends, and she sleeps sweetly in -the village church-yard near her old country home -in Hampshire.</p> - -<p>Our own Longfellow wrote these fine lines about -Florence Nightingale, referring to her habit of going -about the hospitals at night with a lamp in her hand:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"On England's annals through the long<br /></div> - <div class="verse">Hereafter of her speech and song,<br /></div> -<div class="verse">A light its ray shall cast<br /></div> -<div class="verse">From the portals of the past.</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"A lady with a lamp shall stand<br /></div> - <div class="verse">In the great history of the land;<br /></div> -<div class="verse">A noble type of good<br /></div> -<div class="verse">Heroic womanhood."</div> -</div></div></div> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_142" name="i_142"><img src="images/i_142.jpg" alt="" width="344" height="458" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">SUSAN B. ANTHONY</p> -</div></div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p> - -<h2>SUSAN B. ANTHONY</h2> - -<p class="center">(1820-1906)</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">"That one who breaks the way with tears,<br /></div> - <div class="verse">Many shall follow with a song."</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Among those who believed that in certain lines -woman can do as valuable work as man, was Susan -B. Anthony. During her long, busy life of eighty-six -years, she protested against the injustice done to -woman on the part of Society.</p> - -<p>It has been truly said that woman's place is in the -home, and true it is that most women prefer home -life; yet does not every one know that, in numerous -instances, women are compelled to earn their own -living, and often in addition to support their brothers -and sisters, fathers and mothers?</p> - -<p>"Why, then," thought Miss Anthony, "should laws -be such as to prevent women from having the same -opportunities as men in the business world?" This -line of thought was early forced upon her.</p> - -<p>Born on the fifteenth of February, 1820, in South -Adams, Massachusetts, of Quaker ancestry, she re<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>ceived -a liberal education from her father. Mr. -Anthony being a well-to-do merchant, it was not -supposed that his daughters would ever be obliged -to support themselves, but he believed that girls as -well as boys should be fitted to do so, if the necessity -arose.</p> - -<p>The wisdom of Mr. Anthony's course early became -apparent, for when Susan was seventeen years of age, -he failed in business, and his daughters were able -to assist him to retrieve his fortunes.</p> - -<p>Susan began to teach in a Quaker family, receiving -the sum of one dollar a week and board. Later she -taught in the Public Schools of Rochester, to which -place the family had removed. Here she received -a salary of eight dollars a month for the same work -for which men were paid twenty-five and thirty -dollars.</p> - -<p>It was this injustice which first led her to speak -in public. At a meeting of the New York State -Teachers' Association, she petitioned the Superintendent -for equal pay with men, but notwithstanding -the fact that her work was admitted to be entirely -satisfactory, her petition was refused on the ground -that she was a woman.</p> - -<p>Miss Anthony worked for years trying to bring the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span>wages of women workers up to those of men, and -although she did not succeed in accomplishing her -desire, still by her efforts the general standing of -women was greatly improved.</p> - -<p>She continued to teach until 1852, but all the while -she was taking a keen interest in every reform movement. -The more she studied and pondered over the -condition of women, the stronger grew her conviction -that they would never receive proper pay or -recognition, never be able to do the work God intended -them to do in the world, unless they should -be given equal political rights with man.</p> - -<p>Miss Anthony did not at first advocate full suffrage -for women; at that period it appeared a thing quite -impossible for them to obtain. Wisely she worked -for what she believed was within the range of possibility -to secure. She was much interested in the -temperance movement, and spoke frequently in -public for that cause. It happened one day that -the Sons of Temperance invited the Daughters of -Temperance to their Convention at Albany. The -Daughters accepted the invitation and attended, but -the Sons would not allow them to speak,—which so -angered Miss Anthony and some other women that -they left the hall and held a meeting of their own -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span>outside. Out of this episode grew the Women's -New York State Temperance Society, founded in -1852, and afterward developing into the Women's -Christian Temperance Union.</p> - -<p>By this time Miss Anthony was well known as a -lecturer. But when she actually called a Convention -of Women at Albany to urge the public to recognize -the wrongs, and demand the rights of her sex, considerable -comment followed. In the sixth decade of -the Nineteenth Century women had not become so -active in public affairs that one of them could call a -Convention and the general public take no notice.</p> - -<p>The right to vote on educational questions was at -length granted women in New York State, and the -credit for this is due to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth -Cady Stanton.</p> - -<p>Miss Anthony's friendship with Mrs. Stanton -started her in new fields of action. Mrs. Stanton's -husband was a lawyer and journalist, who had been -a student in Lane Theological Seminary. A noted -abolitionist, he went as delegate to the World's Anti-Slavery -Convention in London. Mrs. Stanton accompanied -him, meeting there Lucretia Mott, who -was the sole woman delegate. These two women -called the first Woman's Rights Convention at -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>Seneca Falls in 1848. Though Miss Anthony did -not attend this meeting, she later became a complete -convert, being already headed in the direction of -woman's political and social emancipation.</p> - -<p>As soon as Miss Anthony became convinced that -only through the use of the ballot could woman succeed -in obtaining the same rights in the business -world as men, she entered heart and soul into the -work of securing it, going to many cities of the North -and the South to lecture, often speaking five or six -times a week. Her platform manner was direct, -straight-forward, and convincing; her good humor, -unfailing; her quickness to see and grasp an opportunity -for retort, noteworthy.</p> - -<p>In 1860 the New York Legislature passed a bill -giving to married women the possession of their earnings -and the guardianship of their children. This -was largely due to Miss Anthony's exertions. For -many years she had kept up a constant agitation -on the injustice of depriving women of these fundamental -rights.</p> - -<p>Belonging to the Abolition Party, she had worked -during the war with the Women's Loyal Legion for -the abolition of slavery. In 1867 Mrs. Stanton, -Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony went to Kansas -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>in the interests of woman suffrage; there the three -women secured nine thousand votes in favor of the -cause. Their work, however, had no immediately visible -effect, but to-day, forty-five years later, women -in that State enjoy the privilege of the ballot.</p> - -<p>As a citizen of Rochester wishing to test her right -to the suffrage, she voted at the National election of -1872. For so doing she was arrested, tried, and -fined one hundred dollars and costs. With her -characteristic defiance of injustice, Miss Anthony -refused to pay the fine, which to this day remains -unpaid.</p> - -<p>Beloved by her co-workers, to strangers Miss -Anthony appeared stern and uncompromising. Yet -all her friends testify to her lovable qualities and -generous nature. Mrs. Stanton, her intimate friend -for eighteen years, said of her:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>She is earnest, unselfish, and as true to principle as -the needle to the pole. I have never known her to do -or say a mean or narrow thing; she is entirely above -that petty envy and jealousy that mar the character of -so many otherwise good women.</p></div> - -<p>Miss Anthony herself said, "My work is like subsoil -ploughing—preparing the way for others to perfect."</p> - -<p>But the last eight years of her long life, in which -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>she worked constantly and achieved much, must have -given her the satisfaction of knowing that all the -"subsoil ploughing" had not been in vain. Her -constancy in keeping the idea of votes for women -before the public won many over to the cause, and -paved the way for the partial victory of to-day. At -present, women have the privilege of the ballot in -ten States of the Union: California, Colorado, Idaho, -Utah, Wyoming, Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Kansas, -and Michigan. It is clear that the question -of woman suffrage has ceased to be a mere matter -of academic discussion and that it is a very practical -and even vital issue to-day.</p> - -<p>For years Miss Anthony endured cruel misrepresentation -and ridicule; now she is acknowledged to -have been a woman of splendid intellect and wonderful -courage, who devoted her life to the betterment -of humanity.</p> - -<p>To her co-workers she was always "Aunt Susan," -and when her last illness came, there were many -loving friends to care for her. The Reverend Anna -Howard Shaw was with her when she died at Rochester, -March 16, 1906. She says, "Miss Anthony died -with calmness and courage. She spent her life in -making other women freer and happier."</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_150" name="i_150"><img src="images/i_150.jpg" alt="" width="342" height="458" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">MARY A. LIVERMORE</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span></p> - -<h2>MARY A. LIVERMORE</h2> - -<p class="center">(1821-1905)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"I am not accustomed to the language of eulogy. I have -never studied the art of paying compliments to women. But I -must say that if all that has been said by orators and poets -since the Creation of the World, in praise of women, was -applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice -for their conduct during this war. I will close by saying, God -bless the women of America."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Abraham Lincoln</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>The life of Mary A. Livermore shows how a poor, -unknown girl became famous, the world over, as -an orator and reformer.</p> - -<p>Mary Rice was born in Boston, Massachusetts, December -19, 1821. Her parents were stern Calvinists, -her grandfathers for six generations having been Welsh -preachers. Hence, Mary was brought up "after the -strictest sect a Pharisee." She was a restless, active -child, fond of play, yet interested in work. At an early -age she was sent to a Public School in Boston, where -she made rapid progress in her studies, being quick to -learn and persistent and enthusiastic over her tasks.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span></p> -<p>Her class-mates were fond of her, and by reason of -an unusually strong character, she became a leader -among them. The poor or unfortunate always appealed -to her. If ever a girl appeared in the school -wearing shabby clothes or eating a scanty luncheon, -Mary would manage to prevent her from feeling -uncomfortable. It is not surprising that she was a -favorite.</p> - -<p>In out-of-door sports she excelled most of the girls, -being famous for running, jumping and sliding. One -day, after she had spent a happy hour at her favorite -sport of sliding on the ice, she ran into the house exclaiming, -"Splendid, splendid sliding!"</p> - -<p>Her father replied, "Yes, Mary, it is good fun, but -hard on the shoes!"</p> - -<p>This led the child to believe that her father's -burden was increased by her amusement, so she decided -that she would never slide again. When ten -years of age she grew so deeply anxious for the -spiritual welfare of her five little brothers and sisters -that she could not sleep. She would crawl out of bed -at night and beg her father and mother to arise and -pray for their conversion, once saying: "It is no -matter about me; if they can be saved, I can bear -anything."</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span></p> -<p>Even in her play she would devise means of instructing -as well as entertaining the children. There -being no money to buy toys for them, Mary introduced -the game of playing school. It is said that she -imitated her own teacher to perfection. Sometimes -in the old woodshed she arranged the logs to represent -the pews of a church, and desiring a larger audience -than that of the children, she stood up sticks of wood -to represent people. Then, when the assemblage was -sufficiently large to warrant a service, she would conduct -one herself, praying and preaching with the -utmost seriousness.</p> - -<p>Her mother, surprised at her ability in this line, -once said to her, "Mary, I wish you had been a boy; -you could have been trained for the ministry!"</p> - -<p>In those days no one even thought of educating -a girl to speak from the pulpit, though to-day it is -not uncommon; nor could Mrs. Rice dream that her -daughter would one day become a powerful public -speaker in an important cause, and deliver speeches -in lecture halls and churches.</p> - -<p>When Mary was twelve, she resolved to assist her -father in supporting the large family, for she had -observed with sorrow how hard he worked. Dressmaking -seemed to offer good opportunities, so she -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>entered a shop as apprentice. In three months she -had learned her trade, and was then hired at thirty-seven -cents a day to work three months more, but -being desirous of earning more money, she engaged -to make a dozen flannel shirts at home for a clothier. -After sewing all day in the shop and sitting up at -home until early morning hours, she could not finish -the shirts in the time agreed upon.</p> - -<p>One evening the man called for them, greatly to -Mrs. Rice's surprise, for she had known nothing about -Mary's plan. Mary explained the delay, promising -to have the shirts finished the next day. When the -clothier had left, Mrs. Rice burst into tears. "We -are not so poor as that, my dear child! What will -become of you if you take all the cares of the world -upon you?" she said.</p> - -<p>Mary completed the shirts, took them to the clothier -and received the sum of seventy-five cents. This -ended her experience as a seamstress, for her mother -would not permit the child to continue such work.</p> - -<p>At fourteen, Mary was graduated from the Public -School, receiving a gold medal for good scholarship. -She then entered the Charlestown Female Seminary, -where she became one of the best scholars in the -institution. Her ability was so pronounced, that -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span>when one of the teachers died, she was at once asked -to take the vacant position. She conducted her class -with much tact and wisdom, earning enough to pay -for the four year course, which she completed in -two, by studying and reciting out of school hours.</p> - -<p>At the age of eighteen, she took a position as -governess in the family of a wealthy Virginia planter. -Her object was not altogether teaching; she wished -to investigate for herself the slavery question, which -was then much discussed by Abolitionists. She had -heard the lectures of Lucretia Mott and John G. -Whittier and determined to find out if the facts were -as bad as stated. Her two years' experience in Virginia -made her an uncompromising Abolitionist.</p> - -<p>The faculty of the Duxbury High School was in -need of a Principal. It was customary to place men -in such positions, but Mary Rice's fame had made its -way to Duxbury. They had heard of her as an unusual -young woman and one of the most learned of -the day. So Mary was placed over the High School, -and there she remained until she was twenty-three -years old, when she resigned to become the wife of the -Reverend D. P. Livermore, a young minister, two -years her senior, whose church was near her school.</p> - -<p>Mary immediately began to coöperate with Dr. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span>Livermore in his work. For thirteen years she assisted -him in the affairs of his parish, during which -time three children were born to them. She started -literary and benevolent societies among the church -members and was active in the cause of temperance, -organizing a club of fifteen hundred boys and girls -which she called the "Cold Water Army."</p> - -<p>In 1857 the Livermores removed to Chicago. Mrs. -Livermore while there aided in editing the <cite>New Covenant</cite>, -a religious paper, at the same time writing -stories and sketches for many Eastern publications. -In 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was nominated for -the Presidency, Mrs. Livermore was the only woman -present,—probably the first woman representative of -the press who ever reported a political convention.</p> - -<p>The breaking out of the Civil War changed her -life of domestic quietness to public activity. Being -in Boston at the time that the President called -for volunteer troops, she witnessed their departure -for the seat of war. The sad scenes at the station, -where mothers parted from sons, and wives from their -husbands, affected her strongly. As the train carrying -the soldiers started off, some of the women -fainted. Mrs. Livermore helped to revive them, -telling them not to grieve, but rather to be thankful -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span>that they had sons to fight for their country. For her -part, she told them, she grieved to have no son to send.</p> - -<p>Then a question arose in her mind: What <em>could</em> -women do to help? The general feeling seemed to -be that women could do nothing, since they were not -allowed to enlist and fight as soldiers. They were -told they were not wanted in the hospitals, but notwithstanding -this a large number of women banded -together and formed "The United States Sanitary -Commission," whose object was to provide bedding, -clothing, food, and comforts for the soldiers in camp, -and supplies for the wounded in the hospitals.</p> - -<p>Branch associations were formed in ten large cities. -Mrs. Livermore and Mrs. Jane C. Hoge were put in -charge of the Northwestern branch. Together with -others Mrs. Livermore went to Washington to talk -with President Lincoln. They asked him the question, -"May women go to the front?"</p> - -<p>Lincoln replied, "The <em>law</em> does not <em>grant</em> to any -civilian, either man or woman, the privilege of going -to the front."</p> - -<p>The emphasis he placed upon the words <em>law</em> and -<em>grant</em> convinced these women that he would not disapprove -of their plans. So Mrs. Livermore entered -hand, heart and soul into the work of relief.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p> -<p>The North was entirely unprepared for war. The -hospitals were few and poorly equipped; nurses were -scarce and not well trained; there were no diet kitchens; -nor was there any way of supplying proper -medicines to the sick or of caring for the wounded. -To all of these matters Mrs. Livermore gave her -attention; the confusion came to an end, and soon -the machinery of the new department was running -smoothly.</p> - -<p>She formed soldiers' aid societies; enlisted nurses -for the hospitals and took them to their posts; she -went to the front with supplies, and saw that they -were properly distributed; she nursed and cheered -the wounded soldiers, and often brought back invalids -with her to their homes. With all this work, she -kept cheerful and well, and found time to write letters -of comfort and cheer to the families of the sick. In -one year she wrote seventeen hundred letters, many -being from dying soldiers, and containing their last -farewell to loved ones at home.</p> - -<p>The Sanitary Commission was permitted in time -of battle to keep its wagons in the rear of the army. -Hot soup and hot coffee were kept in readiness, cool -water and medicines were given when necessary, -while the mere fact that brave women were ready to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span>assist the wounded, put confidence into the hearts -of the men.</p> - -<p>It is impossible to describe the great work done by -this untiring woman. Mrs. Livermore tells about -it in her book called <cite>My Story of the War</cite>, which is -said to be the best account of the hospital and sanitary -work of the Civil War that has ever been written.</p> - -<p>This work took a great deal of money. Donations -must be constantly solicited and Sanitary Fairs -arranged. From all parts of the country, people -were writing and begging Mrs. Livermore to come -to them and tell them about her plans. She frequently -did describe them in an informal way to -small audiences.</p> - -<p>Her first public speech was made in Dubuque, -Iowa, where she had consented to address some ladies. -Leaving Chicago by the night train she reached the -Mississippi River at a point where there was no -bridge, travelers being obliged to cross by ferry. It -was very cold and the ice in the river had stopped -the ferryboats. Mrs. Livermore, after waiting nearly -all day, began to think she would not be able to -keep her engagement. At last she saw two men -starting out in a small boat, whom she asked to row -her across.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span></p> -<p>One man said, "No, we can't think of it! You'll -be drowned!"</p> - -<p>Mrs. Livermore replied, "I can't see that I shall be -drowned any more than you!"</p> - -<p>Her offer to pay them well settled the matter. -This determination to accomplish whatever she undertook -to do was the chief reason for Mrs. Livermore's -success in all her undertakings. The fact is, she -liked to do hard things.</p> - -<p>Upon her arrival at Dubuque she found that the -ladies had made great preparations to receive her. -They had invited the Governor of the State and -many noted men, and the largest church in town was -crowded with eager people. This rather alarmed -her. At first she refused to speak, saying that she -had come to talk to a few ladies only; that she had -never made a speech in her life. But when they said -that by speaking she might be the means of inducing -the great State of Iowa to enter upon the work of -Sanitary Relief, her shyness departed and she held -her audience spellbound for an hour and a quarter. -A new power had suddenly developed in her.</p> - -<p>At the close of her address the Governor of the -State arose and said,</p> - -<p>"Mrs. Livermore has told us of the soldiers' needs -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>and of our duties! It is now our turn to speak, and -we must speak in dollars and gifts!"</p> - -<p>The enthusiasm was great; eight thousand dollars -was soon pledged and other donations were made. -It was decided to hold a Sanitary Fair in Dubuque, -and Mrs. Livermore was engaged to speak in different -towns throughout the State to interest the people -in it. When the fair was held, sixty thousand dollars -was cleared. After that, Mary Livermore was never -again afraid to speak before a large audience. By -her lectures she raised hundreds of thousands of -dollars for the hospital work.</p> - -<p>At the close of the war, people were so anxious to -hear Mrs. Livermore that she became a regular public -lecturer, traveling from place to place and lecturing -always before crowded houses. Her eloquence has -been equaled by few modern speakers, and undoubtedly -she was the foremost of women orators.</p> - -<p>Before the war, Mrs. Livermore had been opposed -to woman suffrage, but life in the army caused her -to change her views on that question. She saw that, -under existing political and social conditions, women -could never hope to complete reforms until they -possessed the right to vote. She was also devoted -to the cause of temperance, serving for ten years -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>as President of the Women's Christian Temperance -Union of Massachusetts. All this while she was -writing articles for magazines, and at the age of -seventy-five Mrs. Livermore produced a book of seven -hundred pages, entitled <cite>The Story of My Life</cite>.</p> - -<p>A bust of Mrs. Livermore, made by the sculptor, -Annie Whitney, was presented to the Shurtleff School -in Boston by the Alumnae Association of that institution. -It stands opposite that of Lucy Stone, which -was the first bust of a woman ever accepted by the -city of Boston for its schools.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Livermore continued in public work, while -living at her beautiful home in Melrose, Massachusetts, -until May 23, 1905, when she passed away at -the age of eighty-four.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_164" name="i_164"><img src="images/i_164.jpg" alt="" width="330" height="464" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">CLARA BARTON</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p> - -<h2>CLARA BARTON</h2> - -<p class="center">(1821-1912)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"She was on the firing line for humanity all her life."</p></div> - - -<p>The Red Cross Society, whose object is to relieve -the sufferings caused by war, is well known the world -over, and the name of Clara Barton must ever be -associated with it.</p> - -<p>This Society was founded in Europe in 1864, but -did not make its way to America until 1881, when -Clara Barton succeeded in establishing it.</p> - -<p>Born in the town of North Oxford, Massachusetts, -on Christmas Day, 1821, Clara Barton began life -under most favorable circumstances.</p> - -<p>The family was well-to-do and Clara, being the -youngest, received much attention from all. Her -father, who had fought under Mad Anthony Wayne -against the Indians of the West, used to tell her -stories of army life—knowledge which she afterward -turned to good account.</p> - -<p>Her elder brother was fond of mathematics, and -insisted upon teaching Clara the mysteries of num<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span>ber. -These she mastered rapidly and soon no toy -equaled her little slate in her esteem.</p> - -<p>Her younger brother, David, was a fearless and -daring rider. On the farm were several fine -horses, for Mr. Barton was fond of the animals and -raised his own colts. It was David's delight to take -little Clara, throw her upon the back of a colt and -spring upon another himself. Then, shouting to her -to "cling fast to the mane," he would catch hold of -her by one foot and together they would gallop -away. What mad rides they took, and how well -Clara learned to stick on a horse's back! These -lessons, too, she had cause to be thankful for later in -life, when she was obliged to mount a strange horse on -the battle-field and ride fearlessly to a place of safety.</p> - -<p>Her two sisters, who were teachers, took care that -she should have a knowledge of books. Miss Barton -said that she did not remember the time when she -could not read; she always did her own story reading.</p> - -<p>When old enough she was sent to an academy at -Clinton, New York, where she graduated. She then -became a teacher and opened the first free school in -the State of New Jersey, at Bordentown. Here her -work was very successful, her school numbering at -the close of the first year six hundred pupils. But, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>her health failing, she gave up the school work in 1854 -and obtained a position as Head Clerk in the Patent -Office at Washington.</p> - -<p>When the Civil War broke out, she offered her -services as a volunteer nurse, and from the beginning -of the war until its close she worked in the hospital, -in the camp, and on the battle-field.</p> - -<p>During the Peninsula campaign in 1862, Miss -Barton faced horrible scenes on the field. She also -served eight months in the hospitals on Morris Island -during the siege of Charleston, and was at the front -during the Wilderness campaign. In 1864 she was -put in charge of the hospitals at the front of the Army -of the James, and continued that work until the close -of the war.</p> - -<p>All this time Miss Barton persisted in aiding the -wounded soldiers of <em>both</em> armies—a practice which -shocked many people and caused them to protest. -But she paid no attention to the protests, nor are -any such heard to-day, for Clara Barton's way of -helping the suffering, regardless of the uniform they -wore, is now followed over the civilized world; it is the -very heart of the plan of the Red Cross Society itself.</p> - -<p>War over, and peace assured to our land, President -Lincoln requested Miss Barton to search for the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span>eighty thousand men whose names were on the -army records, but of whom no trace could be found. -In the course of this work, Miss Barton visited the -prison at Andersonville and helped the released prisoners -to regain their health and their homes. She -laid out the ground of the National Cemetery at that -place, identified the dead, and caused marked gravestones -to be placed over the bodies of twelve thousand -nine hundred men. Four hundred tablets, -marked "Unknown," were placed over the bodies of -other dead soldiers.</p> - -<p>This Work took four years to accomplish, and when -it was over Miss Barton went to Switzerland for rest. -Here she first heard of the Red Cross Society. The -idea had originated with a Swiss, M. Henri Dunant. -Each European country had signed a treaty permitting -the members of this association to help all -the wounded on the battle-field without interference, -and without regard to religion or race, or whether -they were friends or foes.</p> - -<p>Miss Barton devoted herself to this work during -the Franco-Prussian War. After the siege of Strasburg, -when the people of that city were in a terrible -condition, she organized a relief fund for the starving, -and saw to it that the homeless were given places to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>sleep. Materials for garments were obtained, and -the poor women were set to work at a fair price to -make articles of wearing apparel for the needy.</p> - -<p>When no longer needed in Strasburg, Miss Barton -went to Paris, where the breaking out of the French -Revolution after the war with Prussia had caused -great distress. She entered the city on foot, for it -was impossible to procure a horse, thousands having -been slain to use as food for the starving inhabitants. -Miss Barton immediately began relief work there, -with such success that she came to be looked upon -as an angel.</p> - -<p>In 1873, on her return to America, she asked Congress -to join in a treaty with the European powers to -establish the Red Cross Society here. It took a long -time to secure this legislation, and it was not until -1881, as stated before, that the Red Cross was established -with us. Clara Barton was chosen as the -first President and soon afterward she had an amendment -passed widening the scope of the Society so -as to include cases of suffering from floods, fires, -famine, earthquake, and other forms of disaster. -The amendment also gave protection to all Red Cross -workers. This was agreed to at a conference of the -Society held at Berne in 1882, but was not adopted -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>by any of the European nations. At that time there -was little possibility of a war in the United States, -and Miss Barton thought she would have little to -do unless she extended the plan of work. As it was, -she found quite enough to do.</p> - -<p>The forest fires in Michigan, the Mississippi Valley -floods, 1882-1883, the Charleston earthquake, the -Johnstown flood—all afforded much work for the -Red Cross. During the famine in Russia, 1891-1892, -Miss Barton and her Society took an active -part in distributing food and clothing. When the -frightful massacres in Armenia brought horror to the -civilized world, again Miss Barton made an appeal to -a European country to be allowed to help the sufferers. -The Sultan at first objected, but public opinion was -too strong for him, and he finally consented on condition -that the workers should place the crescent above -the cross on the badges worn by them. Miss Barton -and her assistants were then pleasantly received and -succeeded in giving valuable aid.</p> - -<p>In 1898 President McKinley sent Miss Barton to -Cuba to help the poor people of that country, many -of whom were starving. During the Cuban War -which followed, she went to the battle-fields and did -heroic work there.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span></p> -<p>When the Galveston flood occurred, Miss Barton -was eighty years old. Yet to Galveston she hastened. -The strain, however, was more than she could -endure. From that time she gave up active work -and made her home in Glen Echo, a small village in -Maryland. Here, enjoying the companionship of a -few faithful friends, she spent the remainder of her -life, passing away on April 12, 1912.</p> - -<p>Miss Barton possessed one of the most remarkable -collections of medals and other decorations in existence. -They were presented to her by nearly every -country on the globe. Many are set with rare jewels -and bear inscriptions. Among them is the Iron Cross -of Germany, the highest honor Germany can bestow, -and one conferred only for deeds of great personal -bravery. A rare jewel, which Miss Barton always -wore, was a pansy cut from a single amethyst, presented -to her by the Grand Duchess of Baden in -memory of their lifelong friendship.</p> - -<p>Clara Barton ranks as one of the greatest heroines -the world has known. Her name is known and -loved throughout Europe and America for unselfish -devotion to a great cause. Her services in foreign -lands were offered as freely as in her own country, for -her creed was the brotherhood of man.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_172" name="i_172"><img src="images/i_172.jpg" alt="" width="310" height="468" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">HARRIET HOSMER</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span></p> - -<h2>HARRIET HOSMER</h2> - -<p class="center">(1830-1908)</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> - <div class="right">... "A sculptor wields<br /></div> - <div class="verse">The chisel, and the stricken marble grows</div> -<div class="verse">To beauty." ...</div> -<div class="right">—<em>Bryan</em></div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Harriet Goodhue Hosmer was born in Watertown, -Massachusetts, October 9, 1830. She was the youngest -child of Hiram and Sarah Grant Hosmer. From -her father came her marked independence of character; -from her mother, her imagination and artistic -tastes.</p> - -<p>The latter died when Harriet was four years of age. -Dr. Hosmer determined to save his daughters from -the insidious disease which had carried away his two -sons as well as his wife, and so instituted for them a -system of physical training, insisting upon out-of-door -sports and amusements. Notwithstanding all -his efforts, however, the elder daughter died, leaving -Harriet as the sole surviving child.</p> - -<p>Dr. Hosmer, grieved, but undismayed, renewed his -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>endeavors to strengthen Harriet's vigor and increase -her powers of endurance. Harriet took to this treatment -very kindly, spending many joyous days tramping -through the woods with her dogs. All the while, -she observed keenly, acquiring a knowledge of plant -and animal life, and storing up impressions of the -beautiful and harmonious in Nature.</p> - -<p>Her home was situated on the Charles River. She -had her own boathouse and bathhouse. In summer -she rowed and swam; in winter she skated. No nook -or corner of the country round was unknown to her; -the steepest hills, the wildest and most rugged regions, -were her familiar haunts. A madcap was Harriet, -and the sober neighbors were often astonished and -even scandalized, by the undignified speed she made -on her beautiful horse.</p> - -<p>This kind of life would always have satisfied her, -and Harriet thought it nothing short of an affliction -when her father said she must go to school. Was -she not getting her education in riding about the -country? However, to school she went, in Boston, -for several years.</p> - -<p>But when she reached the age of fifteen, Dr. Hosmer -became convinced that Harriet would never -thrive, mentally or physically, unless she were left -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>free to follow her own bent. And perhaps he never -in his life made a wiser decision.</p> - -<p>So he sent the wild girl to the home school of Mrs. -Charles Sedgwick of Lenox. Here she had the benefits -of cultured and elevating surroundings, together -with motherly care, and also of the out-of-door life so -dear to her heart and so necessary to her well-being.</p> - -<p>Lenox, in the beautiful Berkshire Hills, was at that -time a primitive village, though it has since grown into -a fashionable summer resort. There, in Mrs. Sedgwick's -refined and peaceful home, Harriet acquired her -real education from listening to the conversations of -such men and women as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph -Waldo Emerson, Frederika Bremer and Fanny Kemble.</p> - -<p>This stimulus was all Harriet needed to develop -in her the idea of doing some serious work in life. -She began to give a great deal of time to drawing, -her study of nature and her splendid powers of observation -being of great assistance to her here.</p> - -<p>Those were happy days for Harriet. She was the -life of the household, being always ready to deliver -comic lectures, to dress up in odd costumes, to -give impromptu theatricals, or to say or do original -things. Mrs. Kemble, who occupied a villa -near the Sedgwicks, often entertained the school-<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>girls -by reading and reciting Shakespeare to them. -Harriet became devotedly attached to her, their -friendship lasting throughout their lives.</p> - -<p>In 1849, Harriet left Lenox and returned to Watertown -for the purpose of beginning her life work, -which she had decided should be that of a sculptor. -To work intelligently, it was necessary for her to -know anatomy thoroughly, but there was no college -where she could prepare herself in that study, for the -subject was at that time reserved strictly for men.</p> - -<p>It happened that Harriet went to St. Louis to visit -friends, and that while she was there some lectures on -anatomy were delivered by Dr. J. N. McDowell, the -head of the medical department of the State University. -The lectures were not open to women, but so -great was Harriet's desire to profit by them that -Professor McDowell allowed her to see his notes and -examine the specimens by herself—a very radical -act on his part, since it was thought indelicate for a -woman to study this noble subject, even though the -knowledge was to be used to create the beautiful in -art and, so, to elevate public thought.</p> - -<p>Harriet studied hard, and was rewarded at the -close of the term by receiving her diploma with the -class. This great concession had been gained through -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span>the influence of Mr. Wayman Crow, the father of -a classmate of Harriet. Mr. Crow became her intimate -friend and close adviser, watching over her -and guiding her affairs as long as he lived.</p> - -<p>The coveted diploma secured, Miss Hosmer decided -to travel before returning home. She visited -New Orleans and traversed almost the entire length -of the Mississippi River. While on a Mississippi -steamboat, some young men began to talk of their -chances for reaching the top of a certain bluff which -they were then approaching. Miss Hosmer made a -wager that she could reach it before any of them. -The race was made, Miss Hosmer winning easily. -The bluff, about five hundred feet in height, was -straightway named Mount Hosmer.</p> - -<p>In 1852 appeared her first finished product. This -was the bust of a beautiful maiden just falling asleep, -and was entitled <cite>Hesper, the Evening Star</cite>.</p> - -<p>About this time Miss Hosmer met the renowned -actress, Charlotte Cushman. Miss Cushman, seeing -promise in the girl's work, urged her to go to Rome -and study. Dr. Hosmer approved of this suggestion, -and soon father and daughter sailed for Europe.</p> - -<p>Upon their arrival in Rome, they called upon John -Gibson, the most noted English sculptor of the day, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>to whom they had letters of introduction. After -examining the photographs of <cite>Hesper</cite>, and talking -with Harriet, who always impressed strangers with a -sense of her ability and earnestness, Gibson consented -to take her into his studio as a pupil.</p> - -<p>Overjoyed was she to be assigned to a small room -formerly occupied by Canova, of whom Gibson had -been a pupil. Here she began the study of ancient -classical art, making copies of many masterpieces and -selling them without any trouble. When her first -large order for a statue came from her friend, Mr. -Wayman Crow, Harriet felt that she was beginning -the world in earnest. When this order was soon afterward -followed by another for a statue to be placed -in the Library at St. Louis, she knew that her career -as a sculptor was assured.</p> - -<p>International fame came to her with a figure of -<cite>Puck</cite>, copies of which found their way into important -public galleries and into private collections on -both continents.</p> - -<p>When the State of Missouri decided to erect its -first public monument, she was requested to design -a statue of Thomas H. Benton, to be cast in bronze -and placed in St. Louis.</p> - -<p>A work attracting unusual attention was <em>Zenobia</em>, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span><em>Queen of Palmyra, in Chains</em>. A replica of this now -stands in the Metropolitan Museum, of New York -City. Miss Hosmer's whole soul was enlisted in her -work on this particular piece of sculpture. She spent -days searching the libraries for information upon -the subject, information that should stimulate her -hand to express powerfully her conception of the -great queen—dignified, imposing, and courageous, -despite her fallen fortunes. This statue was exhibited -in Rome, England and America.</p> - -<p>Harriet Hosmer possessed a great faculty for inspiring -warm and lasting friendships. Among her -intimate friends during her long residence in Italy -were the Brownings, Mrs. Jameson, Sir Frederick -Leighton, and W. W. Story. The charming group -of artistic people living at that time in Rome, most -of them engaged in earnest work, occasionally took a -holiday in the form of a picnic or an excursion to -the Campagna. In one of her letters Mrs. Browning -speaks of these excursions, which had been instituted -by Fanny Kemble and her sister, Adelaide Sartoris:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Certainly they gave us some exquisite hours on the -Campagna with certain of their friends. Their talk was -almost too brilliant. I should mention, too, Miss Hosmer -(but she is better than a talker), the young American -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>sculptress who is a great pet of mine and Robert's. She -lives here all alone (at twenty-two), works from six -o'clock in the morning till night as a great artist must, -and this with an absence of pretension and simplicity of -manners, which accord rather with the childish dimples -in her rosy cheeks, than with her broad forehead and -lofty aims.</p></div> - -<p>Frances Power Cobbe wrote of her:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>She was in those days the most bewitching sprite the -world ever saw. Never have I laughed so helplessly as -at the infinite fun of that bright Yankee girl. Even in -later years when we perforce grew a little graver, she -needed only to begin one of her descriptive stories to -make us all young again.</p></div> - -<p>During five happy years, Charlotte Cushman, -Miss Hosmer and another friend made their home -together. In a letter to America, Harriet wrote: -"Miss Cushman is like a mother to me, and spoils -me utterly."</p> - -<p>In 1862, Miss Hosmer received the news of her -father's death. Though grieving sincerely, she worked -but the more assiduously, to keep herself free of -selfish sorrow. By means of the moderate fortune -left her, she was able to take an apartment of her -own, and establish a studio which was considered -the most beautiful in Rome.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p> -<p>Here she entertained noted people of the day, who -came to visit her. Usually, after a hard day's work, -she would mount her horse and gallop over the Campagna, -returning refreshed at night and ready to dine -with her friends. Her animation and wit in discussion, -her musical laughter, her gaiety and lightness of spirits, -astonished and charmed all who met her.</p> - -<p>Like most thinking women of the time, Harriet -Hosmer abhorred slavery, and did her part in the -Abolition movement by making an inspiring statue -called <em>The African Sibyl</em>—the figure of a negro -girl prophesying the freedom of her race. Of this -work, Tennyson said, "It is the most poetic rendering -in art of a great historical truth I have ever seen."</p> - -<p>One of her notable orders came from the beautiful -Queen of Naples, whose portrait she executed in -marble. The Queen became a close friend of Miss -Hosmer, and her brother, King Ludwig <abbr title="the second">II</abbr> of Bavaria, -frequently visited the studio.</p> - -<p>Miss Hosmer's last years were spent in England and -America, with only occasional visits to Rome. Death -came to her in 1908, at the age of seventy-eight, but -to the end she remained an entertaining talker, recalling -with joy the many episodes of her busy, happy -life and the great people she had known.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_182" name="i_182"><img src="images/i_182.jpg" alt="" width="314" height="464" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">LOUISA MAY ALCOTT</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span></p> - -<h2>LOUISA MAY ALCOTT</h2> - -<p class="center">(1832-1888)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"God bless all good women! To their soft hands and pitying -hearts we must all come at last."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Oliver Wendell Holmes</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>The following is said to be a description of Louisa -May Alcott at the age of fifteen, written by herself -and published in her book called <cite>Little Women</cite>. -She is supposed to be <em>Jo</em>, and her three sisters were -the other <em>little women</em>.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Jo was very tall, thin and brown, and reminded one -of a colt, for she never seemed to know what to do with -her long limbs, which were very much in the way. She -had a decided mouth, a comical nose, and sharp grey -eyes which appeared to see everything, and were by turns -fierce or funny or thoughtful. Her long, thick hair was -her one beauty, but it was usually bundled into a net -to be out of her way. Round shoulders had Jo, and big -hands and feet, a fly-away look to her clothes, and the -uncomfortable appearance of a girl who was rapidly -shooting up into a woman and didn't like it.</p></div> - -<p>Louisa May Alcott was born November 29th, 1832, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>in Germantown, Pennsylvania. Her father was Amos -Bronson Alcott, a remarkable man, known as a -philosopher and educator. His views of education -differed from those of most people of his time, -though many of his ideas are highly thought of -to-day.</p> - -<p>He became an important member of that circle of -great men of Concord known as Transcendentalists, -and he counted Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry -D. Thoreau among his closest friends.</p> - -<p>Miss Alcott's mother was the daughter of Col. -Joseph May of Boston and the sister of the Rev. -Samuel J. May, a noted anti-slavery leader. Mrs. -Alcott was a quiet, unassuming woman, intellectual -in her tastes, and accustomed from her childhood to -the companionship of cultured people. Although -an excellent writer, both in prose and verse, her home -and her children were always her first thought. She -herself never became publicly known, but her influence -may be traced in the lives and works of her -brilliant daughter and gifted husband. It is doubtful -whether either could have achieved success without -her guidance and sympathy.</p> - -<p>Thus Louisa came into the world blessed with a -heritage of culture and intellect. Her disposition -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span>was sunny and cheerful. Upon one occasion, when -scarcely able to speak so as to be understood, she -suddenly exclaimed at the breakfast table, "I lub -everybody in dis whole world!"—an utterance that -gives the keynote to her character and nature.</p> - -<p>When she was about two years of age, her parents -removed to Boston, where Mr. Alcott opened a school. -The journey was made by sea. Louisa liked steam-travel -so well that she undertook to investigate it -thoroughly. To the alarm of her parents, she disappeared, -being found after a search in the engine -room, sublimely unconscious of soiled clothes, and -deeply interested in the machinery.</p> - -<p>Her father believed in play as an important means -of education, so Louisa and her sister were encouraged -in their games. Her doll was to her a real, live -baby, to be dressed and undressed regularly, punished -when naughty, praised and rewarded when -good. She made hats and gowns for it, pretended -it was ill, put it to bed, and sent for the doctor, just -as any other normal little girl does.</p> - -<p>The family cat also came in for its share of attention -at the hands of Louisa. No one was allowed to -abuse or torment pussy, but the children might -"play baby" with her, and rock her to sleep; or they -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span>might play that she was sick and that she died, and -then attend her funeral.</p> - -<p>All this sort of thing Mr. Alcott called "imitation," -and at a time when many good parents looked disapprovingly -on children's sports, Mr. Alcott placed -them in his system of education. These plays were -so real to Louisa that she never forgot her joy in -them, and years afterward she gave them out delightfully -to other children in her stories.</p> - -<p>At seven years of age she began, under her father's -direction, a daily journal. She would write down -the little happenings of her life, her opinions on current -events, on books she read, and the conversations -she heard. This was good training for the future -writer, developing the power of accurate thought and -of clear and charming expression.</p> - -<p>In 1840, it became evident to Mr. Alcott that he -could not remain in Boston. His views on religion -and education were so much in advance of the people -about him that his school suffered. Concord had -long attracted the Alcott family, not only because it -was the home of Emerson and others of high intellectual -attainments, but because it offered a simple -life and rural surroundings. And so it came that -the family removed there, occupying a small house -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span>known as the Hosmer Cottage, about a mile from -Mr. Emerson's home.</p> - -<p>At that time there were three Alcott children: -Anna, nine years of age, Louisa, eight, and Elizabeth, -five years. A boy, born in Boston, died early. A -fourth girl, named Abby May, was born in Hosmer -Cottage. These four sisters lived a happy life at -Concord, although the family had a hard struggle -with poverty; for Mr. Alcott, always a poor business -man, had lost the little he had in trying to form a -model colony, called Fruitlands.</p> - -<p>But all were devoted to one another. The children -made merry over misfortune, and wooed good luck -by refusing to be discouraged. They were always -ready to help others, notwithstanding their own poverty. -Once, at their mother's suggestion, they carried -their breakfast to a starving family, and at -another time they contributed their entire dinner to -a neighbor who had been caught unprepared when -distinguished guests arrived unexpectedly.</p> - -<p>Mr. Alcott first attempted to earn his living by -working in the fields for his neighbors, and by cultivating -his own acre of ground; but this work being -uncongenial, he soon drifted into his true sphere—that -of writing and lecturing. He supervised the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span>instruction of all his children, but becoming convinced -of Louisa's exceptional ability, he took sole -charge of her education, and except for two brief -periods she was never permitted to attend school.</p> - -<p>He was a peculiar man, this Mr. Alcott. One of -his methods of guiding his children was to write -letters to them instead of talking. The talks they -might forget, he said, but the letters they could -keep and read over frequently. Louisa had one -letter from him on <em>Conscience</em>, which helped to -mold her whole life.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Alcott, too, would sometimes write to Louisa, -giving her some advice or calling her attention to a -fault or undesirable habit. On Louisa's tenth birthday -her mother wrote her as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dear Daughter</span>:</p> - -<p>Your tenth birthday has arrived. May it be a happy -one, and on each returning birthday may you feel new -strength and resolution to be gentle with sisters, obedient -to parents, loving to every one, and happy in yourself.</p> - -<p>I give you the pencil case I promised, for I have observed -that you are fond of writing, and wish to encourage -the habit. Go on trying, dear, and each day it will be -easier to be and do good. You must help yourself, for the -cause of your little troubles is in yourself; and patience -and courage only will make you what mother prays to -see you, a good and happy girl.</p></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span></p> -<p>To another letter, received on her eleventh birthday, -Louisa replied by writing these verses:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"><div class="poetry"> <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">I hope that soon, dear mother.<br /></div> - <div class="indent4">You and I may be<br /></div> -<div class="verse">In the quiet room my fancy<br /></div> -<div class="indent4">Has so often made for thee—</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">The pleasant sunny chamber,<br /></div> - <div class="indent4">The cushioned easy-chair,<br /></div> -<div class="verse">The book laid for your reading,<br /></div> -<div class="indent4">The vase of flowers fair;</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">The desk beside the window<br /></div> - <div class="indent4">When the sun shines warm and bright,<br /></div> -<div class="verse">And there in ease and quiet<br /></div> -<div class="indent4">The promised book you write</div> -</div><div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse">While I sit close behind you,<br /></div> - <div class="indent4">Content at last to see<br /></div> -<div class="verse">That you can rest, dear mother,<br /></div> -<div class="indent4">And I can cherish thee.</div> -</div></div></div> - -<p>Louisa very early took upon herself the task of -building up the family fortunes. When only fifteen, -she began teaching school in a barn. Among her pupils -were the children of Mr. Emerson. At this same -period we find her writing fairy stories which she sent -out to various editors. The editors promptly published -these stories, but they sent her no money for -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>them. But money she must have, so, besides her -teaching, this enterprising girl took in sewing, which -brought her little, but was better than writing stories -for nothing! Louisa's intellect and ability did not -make her vain; she was not ashamed to do any kind -of honorable work.</p> - -<p>Since the father proved a failure in supporting the -family, Mrs. Alcott tried to earn something by keeping -an intelligence office as an agent for the Overseers -of the Poor. One day a gentleman called who -wanted "an agreeable companion" for his father and -sister. The companion would be expected to do light -housework, he said, but she would be kindly treated.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Alcott could think of no one to fill the position. -Then Louisa said, "Mother, why couldn't I -go?"</p> - -<p>She did go, remained two months, and was treated -very unkindly, being obliged to do the drudgery of -the entire household. After returning home, she -wrote a story that had a large sale, entitled <cite>How I -Went out to Service</cite>. Surely Louisa Alcott had the -ability to make the best of things, and to turn trials -into blessings.</p> - -<p>At nineteen she developed great interest in the -theatre and straightway decided to become an ac<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>tress. -During her childhood she had written plays -which her sister Anna and a few other children -acted, to the amusement of the elder members of -the family. Now she dramatized her book, <cite>Rival -Prima Donnas</cite>, and prevailed upon a theatrical -manager to produce it. The man who had her play -in charge, however, neglected to fulfil his part of the -bargain, and meanwhile, Louisa's ardor for the theatre -cooled off.</p> - -<p>By the time she was twenty-one, Miss Alcott -was fairly launched as an author. Two years later -she published a book, entitled <cite>Flower Fables</cite>, receiving -from its sale the astonishing sum of thirty-two -dollars. Then her work began to be accepted -by the <cite>Atlantic Monthly</cite> and by other magazines of -good standing.</p> - -<p>It was very difficult for her to write in Concord, -where she continually saw so much to be done at -home. When a book was in process of writing she -would go to Boston, hire a quiet room, and shut herself -in until the work was completed. Then she -would return to Concord to rest, "tired, hungry and -cross," as she expressed it. While in Boston she -worked cruelly hard, often writing fourteen hours out -of the twenty-four. Worn out in body, she would -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>grow discouraged and lose hope, wondering if she -would ever be able to earn enough money to support -her parents.</p> - -<p>A dear and good friend of hers was the Reverend -Theodore Parker. At his home the tired, anxious -girl was certain to receive encouragement and cheer. -There she met Emerson, Sumner, Garrison, Julia -Ward Howe, and other eminent men and women of -the time. A few years before her death she wrote -to a friend:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Theodore Parker and Ralph Emerson have done much -to help me see that one can shape life best by trying to -build up a strong and noble character through good books, -wise people's society, and by taking an interest in all the -reforms that help the world.</p></div> - -<p>While in Boston Miss Alcott found time to go to -teach in an evening Charity School. In her diary -we find these jottings:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>I'll help, as I am helped, if I can.</p> - -<p>Mother says no one is so poor that he can't do a little -for some one poorer yet.</p></div> - -<p>At twenty-five years of age, Louisa Alcott was -receiving not over five, six, or ten dollars for her -stories. This would hardly support herself, to say -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span>nothing of the family. Writing might be continued, -but sewing and teaching could not be dropped.</p> - -<p>In 1861, when the Civil War broke out, her natural -love of action as well as her patriotism caused her to -offer her services as nurse. In December, 1862, she -went to Washington where she was given a post in the -Union Hospital at Georgetown. The Alcott family -had been full of courage until it was time for her to -depart. Then all broke down. Louisa herself felt -she was taking her life in her hands and that she -might never come back.</p> - -<p>She said, "Shall I stay, Mother?"</p> - -<p>"No, no, go! and the Lord be with you," replied her -mother, bravely smiling, and waving good-bye with a -wet handkerchief. So Louisa departed, depressed -in spirits and with forebodings of trouble.</p> - -<p>She found the hospital small, poorly ventilated, -and crowded with patients. Her heart was equal -to the task, but her strength was not.</p> - -<p>In her diary, she tells us the events of a day:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>Up at six, dress by gas light, run through my ward and -throw up the windows, though the men grumble and -shiver; but the air is bad enough to breed a pestilence. -Poke up the fire, add blankets, joke, coax, command; but -continue to open doors and windows as if life depended -upon it.</p> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -<p>Till noon I trot, trot, giving out rations, cutting up food -for helpless boys, washing faces, teaching my attendants -how beds are made, or floors are swept, dressing wounds, -dusting tables, sewing bandages, keeping my tray tidy, -rushing up and down after pillows, bed-linen, sponges, -books, and directions till it seems I would joyfully pay -all I possess for fifteen minutes' rest.</p> - -<p>When dinner is over, some sleep, many read, and others -want letters written. This I like to do, for they put in -such odd things. The answering of letters from friends -after some one has died is the saddest and hardest duty a -nurse has to do.</p></div> - -<p>After six weeks of nursing Miss Alcott fell seriously -ill with typhoid-pneumonia.</p> - -<p>As she refused to leave her duties, a friend sent -word of her condition to her father, who came to the -hospital and took her back with him to Concord. -It was months before she recovered sufficiently even -to continue her literary work, and never again was -she robust in health. She writes: "I was never ill -before I went to the hospital, and I have never been -well since."</p> - -<p>Her letters written home while she was nursing in -Georgetown contained very graphic and accurate descriptions -of hospital life. At the suggestion of her -mother and sisters, Miss Alcott revised and added -to these letters, making a book which she called -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span><cite>Hospital Sketches</cite>. This book met with instant -success, and a part of the success was money.</p> - -<p>After that, all was easy. There came requests -from magazine editors offering from two to three hundred -dollars for serials. Her place in the literary field -being now an assured thing, her natural fondness -for children led her to writing for them.</p> - -<p>The series comprising <cite>Little Women</cite>, <cite>Jo's Boys</cite>, and -<cite>Little Men</cite>; together with <cite>An Old Fashioned Girl</cite>, -<cite>Eight Cousins</cite>, <cite>Rose in Bloom</cite>, <cite>Under the Lilacs</cite>, <cite>Jack -and Jill</cite>, and many others, are books dear to the -hearts of all children. Editions of all these books -were published in England, and in several other -European countries where translations had been -made of them,—all of which brought in large royalties -for the author.</p> - -<p>What happiness it must have given her to make -her family independent, and to be able to travel! -Twice she visited Europe, the first time as companion -to an invalid woman, and a second time, after she -had earned enough to pay her own expenses.</p> - -<p>Miss Alcott never married. When about twenty-five -years of age, an offer of marriage came to her -which most young women would have considered -very flattering. But she did not love her suitor, and -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span>on her mother's advice, refused him, thus being saved -from that worst of conditions—a loveless union.</p> - -<p>This first offer was not the last Miss Alcott received -and declined. Matrimony, she said, had no -charms for her! She loved her family, and her literary -work. Above all, she loved her freedom. Her -health was not benefited by her second trip to -Europe; excessive work had been too great a strain -upon her, and her father's failing health demanded -her constant care.</p> - -<p>In 1877 Mrs. Alcott died, and in the autumn of -1882 Mr. Alcott had a stroke of paralysis. From -this he never fully recovered. Louisa was his constant -nurse, and it gave her great happiness to be able -to gratify his every wish. About this time Orchard -House, which had been the family home for twenty-five -years, was sold, and the family went to live with -Mrs. Pratt, the eldest daughter.</p> - -<p>Hoping that an entire change of air and scene -might help her father, Miss Alcott rented a fine house -in Louisburg Square, Boston, to which she had him -removed. Here she showed him every attention, -until her own health became so impaired that she was -obliged to go to the home of Dr. Lawrence, at Roxbury, -for medical care.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p> -<p>A few days before her death, she was taken to see -her dying father. Shortly after her visit he passed -away, and three days later she followed him. Born -on her father's birthday, she died on the day he was -buried, March 6, 1888.</p> - -<p>All her life Louisa Alcott labored to make others -happy, and she is still reaping her harvest of love the -world over.</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_198" name="i_198"><img src="images/i_198.jpg" alt="" width="354" height="467" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">FRANCES WILLARD</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span></p> - -<h2>FRANCES E. WILLARD</h2> - -<p class="center">(1839-1898)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"There is a woman at the beginning of all great things."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Alphonse de Lamartine</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>It was not until 1873 that the vast amount of -drunkenness in our country attracted the attention -of the women of America.</p> - -<p>A crusade was formed against it in the West, and -this led in 1874 to the foundation of the Women's -Christian Temperance Union. Frances Elizabeth -Willard was offered the position of president, an -honor she then declined, preferring to work in the -ranks; but four years later she yielded to the universal -demand, and accepted the chairmanship of this -great movement.</p> - -<p>This able woman was born at Churchville, very -near Rochester, N. Y., on September 28, 1839. Her -father, of English descent, was a man of intellectual -force, brave, God-fearing; her mother, a woman of -strong religious feeling, great courage, and of fine -mental equipment. Frances inherited the best quali<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>ties -of both parents. When she was two years of age, -the family removed to Oberlin, Ohio, and about five -years later to Janesville, Wisconsin, then almost a -wilderness. Here they lived the simple, hard life of -pioneers. Frances was at first taught by her mother -and a governess; afterward, she and her younger -sister entered the Northwestern College at Evanston, -from which Frances was graduated.</p> - -<p>Mr. Willard removed to Evanston in order to be -near his daughters while they were in college, and in -1858 built a house there. Here the younger daughter -died, and later Mr. Willard, but Frances and her -mother continued to make it their home, even after -the death of the only son. Frances named it Rest -Cottage, and here she returned each year of her busy -life to spend two months with the mother whom she -had christened St. Courageous.</p> - -<p>Idleness was an impossibility for Frances Willard. -After her graduation she taught in a little district -school, and from 1858 until 1868 continued the work -of teaching in various schools and colleges. In 1868 -she went to Europe and spent two years in travel -and study. Upon her return she was elected President -of the Evanston College for Women, being the -first woman in the world to hold such a position. -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>Two years later, when the college became a part of -the Northwestern University, Miss Willard became -Dean of the Women's College, but as some of her -views conflicted with those of the President, she soon -resigned the position.</p> - -<p>It was about this time that the women of Ohio -began fighting the liquor traffic. To use Mrs. Livermore's -words, "Frances Willard caught the spirit of the -Woman's Crusade and believed herself called of God -to take up the temperance cause as her life work."</p> - -<p>Every one, even her mother, opposed her, but feeling -herself called to the work she gave to it all her -energies of heart and soul.</p> - -<p>When Miss Willard became President of the -Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1879, the -yearly income of the Union was only twelve hundred -dollars. The movement was too new and too strange -to command much understanding or sympathy from -the public; the work, so far, had been done without -system. Frances Willard at once began to put the -machinery in order: she organized bodies of workers -and lecturers; she instituted relief work and educative -centers; and the numbers of these she constantly -increased.</p> - -<p>Perhaps Miss Willard's greatest moral asset was -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>the power of winning followers. Many, many -women rallied enthusiastically to her support and -helped her to carry out her plans. To zeal and intelligence -she added charming manners and eloquence. -As a leader her ability was marvelous. Love came -to her from all sides because love went out from her -to everybody.</p> - -<p>Her own love of the work was so great that for -years she labored without a salary, for the Union had -hard struggles to live even after Miss Willard undertook -the leadership of it. But with or without salary, -never did she spare herself.</p> - -<p>It is said that during the first two years of her work -she delivered on an average one speech a day on temperance -and other reforms. She visited every town -in the United States of over ten thousand inhabitants -and most of those above five thousand.</p> - -<p>The next step in Miss Willard's progress was a very -great one; no less a thing than the organization of -a World's Women's Christian Temperance Union! -Yes, this courageous and enterprising woman actually -planned to carry her crusade against strong drink -into every corner of the globe. At the Columbian -Exposition in Chicago in 1893 she was chosen Chairman -of the World's Temperance Convention.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span></p> -<p>Meanwhile, Lady Henry Somerset, a charming -and brilliant Englishwoman who had been working -in her own country to secure the same reforms Miss -Willard was pushing forward in America, came to -this country. It was her first visit—made, she -said, less to see America than to see Miss Willard, -and learn from her the principle upon which she had -founded the marvelous organization.</p> - -<p>These two noble women became devoted friends, -and when, in the autumn of 1892, Lady Henry again -came to America to attend a National Convention -at Denver, she persuaded Miss Willard to return with -her to England. Our great temperance leader had a -fine reception from the English people, and won all -hearts by her gentleness and earnestness, as well as -by her remarkable gift of oratory.</p> - -<p>Four years after this, the World's Women's Christian -Temperance Union held a Convention in London. -Every country in the civilized world sent delegates -to this meeting, over which Miss Willard and -Lady Somerset presided. These indefatigable world-workers -had secured a petition of seven million -names. It encircled the entire hall of the Convention, -and besides lay in large rolls on the platform. -This petition asked of all governments to have the -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>sale of intoxicating liquors and of opium restricted. -But, in spite of the seven million signatures and an -enormous enthusiasm, the sale of liquors and drugs -went on as before. Yet something was accomplished: -a great increase of sympathy in public opinion.</p> - -<p>In addition to all these activities Miss Willard was -much engaged in literary work. She acted as editor -on various papers and magazines; also she wrote -several books, <cite>Nineteen Beautiful Years</cite>, <cite>Glimpses of -Fifty Years</cite>, <cite>Woman and Temperance</cite>, being the best -known.</p> - -<p>When the White Cross and White Shield movements -for the promotion of social purity were formed, -Miss Willard, as leader, did a glorious work. Under -the white flag of the Women's Christian Temperance -Union with its famous motto, <em>For God, for Home and -Native Land</em>, she brought together, to work as sisters, -the women of the South and the North.</p> - -<p>Miss Willard was always dignified, earnest, and -inspiring, but when talking on the subject so dear to -her heart she grew eloquent. As a presiding officer, -justice, tact, grace, and quick repartee made her the -ideal platform speaker, though, perhaps, courage -may be called her chief characteristic.</p> - -<p>In later years, although suffering from ill health, -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span>she yet kept cheerfully at work and actually presided -over the Convention of 1897. This, however, proved -too great a strain, and on February 18, 1898, at the -Empire Hotel, New York City, she died. Her body -died, but her soul "goes marching on."</p> -</div> - -<p class="space-above4"></p> - -<div class="chapter"> -<div class="box"> -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_206" name="i_206"><img src="images/i_206.jpg" alt="" width="346" height="464" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90"> MARTHA WASHINGTON</p> -</div></div> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span></p> - -<h2>WOMEN IN PIONEER LIFE AND -ON THE BATTLE-FIELD</h2> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p>"If we wish to know the political and moral condition of a -State, we must ask what rank women hold in it. Their influence -embraces the whole of life."</p> - -<p class="right">—<em>Aimé Martin</em></p> -</div> - - -<p>The first foot that pressed Plymouth Rock was -that of Mary Chilton, a fair and delicate maiden, -and there followed her eighteen women who had -accompanied their husbands on the Mayflower to -the bleak, unknown shore of Massachusetts. Truly -the "spindle side" of the Puritan stock deserves -great admiration and respect.</p> - -<p>These women came from a civilized land to a savage -one; from homes of plenty, where they had been -carefully guarded and tended, to a place where their -lives could be only danger, toil and privation. Often -they were obliged to pound corn for their bread, and -many were the times, their husbands being away -fighting the Indians, when they gathered their children -together, panic-stricken by the war whoops that -rang out from the wilderness near by. Little wonder -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>that four of these eighteen women died during the first -winter, killed by cold, hunger, and mental anguish!</p> - -<p>The early European settlers of America, both men -and women, were of a truly heroic breed. It was -spiritual as well as bodily courage they displayed—suffering -as they did for a religious principle. The -women often performed the duties of men, even -planting the crops in their husbands' absence, and -frequently using firearms to guard their children and -their homes. Shoulder to shoulder with the men -these women worked, and from the struggle was -evolved a new type—the woman of 1776, without -whose assistance the Revolutionary War could -scarcely have succeeded.</p> - -<p>One of these women, who might have lived in luxury, -aloof from scenes of suffering, had she so wished, -stands out prominently. This was Martha Washington, -the wife of the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental -Army, who gathered the wives of the officers -around her at Valley Forge, during the severe winter -of 1777-78, and with them undertook the work of relieving -the needs of the soldiers. Under her leadership -the women gave up their embroidery, spinnet playing, -and other light accomplishments, and knitted stockings -and mittens, of which hundreds of pairs were -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>distributed. We may regard her as the pioneer in a -form of work which later developed into Sanitary Commissions -and the great organization of the Red Cross.</p> - -<p>A different type of woman was Moll Pitcher. She -showed her courage in quite another way. She was -the wife of John Hayes, a gunner. At that time, a -few married women, who found it easier to stand the -fearful strain of battle than to remain at home in -suspense, waiting for news of it, were allowed to -accompany their husbands to the battle-field,—not -to fight—oh, no, but to wash, and mend, and cook -for the men. Moll was one of these.</p> - -<p>During the Battle of Monmouth, <em>Moll o' the -Pitcher</em>, as she was called, because of the stone pitcher -she used in carrying water to the soldiers, was engaged -in her usual work when she saw her husband -fall by the side of his gun. Running to him, she helped -him to a place of safety; then, at his request, she -returned to his gun. The commander was just -about to have it taken from the field, but as Moll -offered her services, he allowed it to remain. She -managed it so well that the report of her prowess -spread, even to the ears of General Washington. -The General called upon her to thank her, and the -Continental Congress gave her a sergeant's commis<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>sion -and half-pay for life. "Captain Mollie," done -with military service, took her wounded husband -home and nursed him, but he died of his wounds -before the war closed.</p> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<a id="i_210" name="i_210"><img src="images/i_210.jpg" alt="" width="375" height="466" /></a> -<p class="caption center p90">MOLLY PITCHER</p> -</div> - -<p>Lydia Darrah, a Quakeress of Philadelphia, by her -quick wit and courage saved General Washington's -army from capture at Whitemarsh after the defeat -at Germantown. During the winter of 1777 the -British commander, General Howe, had his headquarters -in Second Street. Directly opposite dwelt -William and Lydia Darrah, strict Quakers whose -religion debarred them from taking sides in the war. -Because of this, perhaps, the British officers considered -their home a safe place for private meetings, -a large, rear room in the house being frequently used -for conferences with the staff-officers.</p> - -<p>One evening, the Adjutant General told Lydia that -they would be there until late, but that he wished -the family to retire early, adding that, when the conference -was over he would call her to let them out -and put out the lights. Lydia obeyed, but could not -sleep. Her intuition told her that something of importance -to Washington was being discussed. Try -as she might to be neutral, as a Quaker should, her -sympathies were with the great General.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span></p> -<p>At last she slipped from her bed, crept to the door -of the meeting-room, and listened at the keyhole. -She heard an order read for all British troops to -march out on the evening of December fourth to -capture Washington's army, which was then encamped -at Whitemarsh. Frightened and excited, -she returned to her room.</p> - -<p>Not long after, the officer knocked at her door, but -she pretended to be asleep and did not answer. As -the knocking continued, she finally opened the door -and sleepily returned the officer's good night. Then -she locked up the house and put out the lights, but -spent the remainder of the night in thinking over -what she should do. Early next morning she told her -husband that their flour was all gone and she would -have to go to the mill at Franklin, five miles away, -to get more.</p> - -<p>She presented herself at the British headquarters -bright and early, asking permission to pass through -the lines on a domestic errand. Permission was -granted, and she started for Franklin. She did not -stop there, however, but leaving her bag to be filled -ready for her upon her return, she continued walking -until she reached the American outposts. Asking -that she might speak to an officer, she told what she -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span>had heard, begging that she might not be betrayed. -Then she hastened back to the mill, secured her bag -of flour and returned home as if nothing had happened.</p> - -<p>And so it came about that, when the British -reached Whitemarsh, they found the American Army, -which they had planned to surprise, drawn up in -line awaiting battle. No battle took place; but the -British returned to Philadelphia, and there tried to -find out who had betrayed their plans. Lydia Darrah -was called up and questioned. She said that -the members of her family were all in bed at eight -o'clock on the night of the conference.</p> - -<p>"It is strange," said the officer; "I know that you -were sound asleep, for I had to knock several times -to awaken you."</p> - -<p>So the matter was dropped, and nobody knows to -this day whether the British ever learned the truth -or not.</p> - -<p>The story of Emily Geiger's bravery has been told -in prose and poetry many times. It became necessary -for General Green to get reinforcements from -General Sumter. The latter was about fifty miles -away, and the country between them was overrun -with British soldiers. When Emily heard that General -Green needed a messenger for the dangerous -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>journey, she immediately offered her services. Well -she knew that discovery would mean being hanged for -a spy, but the risk did not appal her. Rather unwillingly -the General consented to her entreaties, -and entrusted the letter to her, telling her its contents -in case it should by any chance get lost. A -woman, he said, <em>might</em> run a chance of getting past -the British soldiers when a man would surely fail.</p> - -<p>"I have a fleet horse," said Emily, "which I broke -and trained myself; I know the country and I am -sure I can get through." She dashed away, but -was captured on the second day and imprisoned in a -room of an old farm-house.</p> - -<p>As soon as she was alone, she tore the letter up, -and chewed and swallowed the pieces. This was -done none too soon, for immediately afterward, a -woman entered and Emily had to submit to being -searched. Nothing of a suspicious nature being -found upon her, the British allowed her to go on. -Before sundown Emily reached General Sumter's -camp and delivered the message. As a result, after a -hard fought battle at Eutaw Springs, the British were -defeated by General Green. Emily Geiger married -happily and lived to a good old age. Long should -she be remembered for her courage and patriotism.</p> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span></p> -<p>It is certain that at least one woman enlisted in the -Continental Army and fought as a soldier in the Revolutionary -War. This woman was Deborah Samson, -the daughter of poor parents of Plymouth County, -Massachusetts. She was but twenty-two years of age -when she left home, adopted male attire, and enlisted -under the name of Robert Shirtliffe.</p> - -<p>A flaxen-haired girl was Deborah, with blue eyes -and rosy cheeks; she was not pretty, although as a -man she might have passed for handsome. Accustomed -from childhood to do farm work, she had -acquired the vigor and strength that enabled her to -perform the trying duties of military life. Deborah -saw something of real war. At White Plains she -received two bullet holes in her coat and one in her -cap; at Yorktown she went through a severe fight -but came out unhurt. Once she was shot in the -thigh, but fear of discovery exceeded the pain of the -wound, and she refused to go to the hospital. Later -she fell ill of brain fever, and in the hospital her sex -was discovered by the doctor. He did not betray her, -but as soon as her health permitted he had her removed -to his own house, where he gave her every care.</p> - -<p>When her health was restored, the physician had a -conference with the Commander of the Regiment to -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span>which "Robert" belonged. Soon there followed an -order to the young man to carry a letter to Washington. -Our young soldier felt very uneasy, but a -soldier must obey. In due time, she appeared before -General Washington. With great delicacy the -General said not a word to her regarding the letter -she had brought, but handed one, Robert Shirtliffe, -a discharge from the army, and a note containing -a few words of advice, with sufficient money to pay -her expenses until she could find a home.</p> - -<p>Deborah then resumed woman's attire and returned -to her family. At the close of the war she -married Benjamin Gannet of Sharon. While Washington -was President, he invited Deborah to visit -the capital. She accepted, and during her stay there -Congress passed a bill granting her a pension for the -services she had rendered the country.</p> - -<p>It has been stated, and is doubtless true, that -many women, disguised as men, enlisted during the -Civil War and served as soldiers. Others followed -the army as nurses, fighting when it became necessary. -Many of these women went because they -could not bear the separation from their husbands. -A notable example of this class was Madame Turchin, -wife of the Colonel of the Nineteenth Illinois. She -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>was the daughter of a Russian officer and had always -lived in foreign camps with her father. During the -War of the Rebellion, she accompanied her husband -to the battle-field and became a great favorite with -the soldiers under his command. To her the men -went when they were ill or in any trouble, knowing -they would always meet with sympathy, and when -necessary would be given careful nursing.</p> - -<p>Upon one occasion, when the regiment was actively -engaged in Tennessee, Col. Turchin fell ill, -having to be carried for several days in an ambulance. -His wife took the most tender care of him, -and also assumed his place at the head of the regiment, -even leading the troops into action. Officers -and men in the ranks alike obeyed her, for her -courage and skill equaled those of her husband. Without -faltering she faced the hottest fire. When her -husband recovered and again took command, she -retired to the rear and resumed the work of nursing -the sick and wounded.</p> - -<p>Like Madame Turchin, Mrs. Kady Brownell had -been accustomed to camp life, her father having been -a soldier in the British Army. She married an officer -of the Fifth Rhode Island Infantry and accompanied -him to the front. She bore the regimental -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>colors and marched with the men, asking no favors -and standing the brunt of battle fearlessly. A -fine shot was Mrs. Kady Brownell, also an expert -in the use of the sword. She was in General Burnside's -expedition to Roanoke Island and Newburn. -There her husband was so seriously wounded that -he was judged unfit for further service and given his -discharge. Mrs. Brownell asked for a discharge likewise, -and together they retired to private life.</p> - -<p>Annie Etheridge of Michigan is said to have been -with the Third Michigan in every battle in which it -was engaged. When the three years of its service -was over, she followed the re-enlisted veterans to the -Fifth Michigan. Through the entire four years of -war, this fearless woman never left the field, though -often under the hottest fire. She made herself beloved -and respected by both officers and men.</p> - -<p>Bridget Devins, known as "Michigan Bridget," -because she went to the front with the First Michigan -Cavalry, in which her husband served as private, -was noted for her daring deeds and her good service. -When the troops were about to retreat, it was Michigan -Bridget who rallied them. When a soldier fell, -she took his place, fighting bravely in his stead. -Often she carried the wounded from the field, risking -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span>her own life in the performance of her duty. Michigan -Bridget liked military life so well that at the -close of the war she and her husband joined the -regular army and were sent to a station on the -western plains.</p> - -<p>These women soldiers who served so bravely on the -field of battle, we must honor, yet we cannot regret -that their numbers were small. The nobler service -of those countless women, who, with white faces -and breaking hearts, sent to the front their husbands, -fathers and sons, can never be properly estimated -nor sufficiently honored.</p> - -<p>These women toiled day and night, determined -that the soldiers should be well cared for and well fed; -they organized relief work so that the fighters might -have comforts and good hospitals. These women -as truly enlisted for battle as did the others who went -to the front.</p> -</div> -<pre style='margin-top:6em'> -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A GROUP OF FAMOUS WOMEN *** - -This file should be named 63781-h.htm or 63781-h.zip - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/7/8/63781/ - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. 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