The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1878-04-20
MARY LANG WALKER,

Was born at Buffalo, N Y, on the
Oath day of January, 1851 died in San
Francisco, Cal, T6xfsdsy, April 4th,
days. n
Mary L. W1kezx.s the wife of our
postmasteI/ and <6as been . resident of
WOODLAND oEabout two years. Her
life aSTbee9,0ne of constant labor in the
field finteilectual culture mingled with
heE domestic duties. Her mother died
ofcons6mption when she was child of
Hut SIX years Of age. Soon after her
Amother's death, her father moved to
Wisconsin, and Mary was educated at
lawrence University, at Neenah, Wis,
graduating in the English Course at the
lage of IL. She was always noted for
her studious habits and her great men,
DRY SO much so that when she was but
II years old her Sunday School teacher
often remarked that he believed she
could repeat the New Testament from
beginning TO end. She seemed to have
the power to simply read q book and be
80 familiar with it as to almost repeat it
word for word.
She was married to Louis Walker at Is
Aand was the mother of three children.
Bhe was always weak in body. but was
ever seeking more knowledge, seldom
being without book in her hand or by
her side where she could read or study,
and hence was familiar with nearly every
author of renown. She was noble, kind,
and generous to q fault, and would give
the last thing she possessed to relieve the
suffering and destitute. Nature could
not endow a human being with more
excellent attributes.
She commenced literary work at Chi
cago in 1866, where she received five
dollars an article writing for the Chica-
20 Evening Journal. While engaged in
this work she conceived the idea of start
ing a woman's weekly newspaper, which
she commenced publishing in the fall of
1867. She edited the paper one year,
when her health failed her and she sold
it to Mary A. Livermore, Julia Ward
Howe and others. 1t was afterwards
removed to Boston, where it is still pub
lished and known as the Womdn's Jour-
nal.
A change of climate being necessary,
Mr.. Walker then removed to Kansas.
which was then said to be the Italy of
America, hoping that she might there
regain her health. He located there and
purchased the Neasho Valley Register.
Here Mrs. Walkers health seemed bet
ter. Sic pursued her constant studies,
writing great deal, always editing the
paper in her husbands absence. Her
greatest ambition later in life, was that
her children should excel, and in order
to give them better educational advan-
tages, took them to Lawrence, Kansas,
and placed the oldest daughter in the
State University. When the grasshop-
pers made raid on the State, Mr.. Wal
ker became disguised and sold his paper
and came to California, leaving his fam
lily in Lawrence but no sooner had he
left, than Mrs Walker took her children
to Chicago and placed Miss Gertrude in
the Musical College. She remained there |
until she came to Woodland to join her
husband two years ago. She arrived
here broken in health, and seemed to take |
little interest in any thing but the ad-
of her children. She cared |
very little for dress or the acquisition of
wealth. Her ambition was to gain knowl
edge.
A month before she died she went to
San Francisco for q change, where she
could receive the best medical treatment |
and care, but the frail body had finished
its life work, and she gradually grew
weaker and weaker without pain or suf-
fef.ng, until the active mind and frail
body separated and the soul passed to a
happier world, where there there is
neither pain or suffering Woodland
Yolo In,rnf,, (GnIl M1I