The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-08-28
A WOman's Energy.

In Elizabeth street, not far from
Broome, New York, stands dingy, old
fashioned house, managed by an Eug
lish woman upon the stereotyped Eng
lish lodging-house principle. This house
is owned by, and has for years been the
residence of, a woman whose career pos
sesses some extraordinary features, who
commenced with nothing and amassed a
fortune OF $1,000, 900 by real estate op-
erations, and at seventy years of age is
intending to finish her career in the
world by writing a treatise ON religion
and science. More than fifty years ago
o young girl in an interior county in
that State walked thirty miles to engage
the vacant principalship of village
academy. Although not competent to
pass an examination for the vacancy,
the trustees were struck by the indom-
table pluck of the young rustic, and
kindly promised her the situation if she
would prepare herself to pass an exam
ination within the two months vacation
between the spring and fall terms. The
girl went home, shut herself up in a
little garret room, lived on bread and
water, quarreled with her mother about
the housework, and applied herself
night and day to arithmetic, geography
and grammar. But when sturdy little
Louisiana st. John reported for exam.
ination, at the expiration of the two
months. she answered every question
triumphantly. and entered upon her du-
ties as the principal of village acad
emy. For more than twenty years Miss
st. John pursued the career of peda.
gogue, amassing money dollar by dol
lar, and investing her savings with Cir
cumspection, until she thought herself
financially strong enough to abandon
the schoolma'a desk aud remove to
New York. At first her operations in
real estate were small and tentative, the
Englishwoman, then young and active,
acting as her agent. But successful ac-
cumulation engenders confidence, and
the year 1873, memorable for its fnan-
cial crisis, found the adventurous school
ma'am operating on a large scale in
Western land, st. Louis city lots, etc.,
and exercising from her little parlor in
Elizabeth street a potent influence on
the market. Her habits are peculiar and
methodical. Rising with the sun, she
lays out the business of the day with
mathematical precision before break
fast, and issues her instructions to her
trusted lieutenants, giving minute di-
rections as to the conduct of each enter
prise, and holding each subordinate to a
military accountability. Although..sev-
enty years old and suffering from dropsy.
not six months ago this indomitable old
lady journeyed unattended to st. Louis,
and there, week after week, while the
bridge across the river was in progress,
looked after the interests of large
property likely to be affected by that en-
terprise. Beset with sharpers and in
terested parties of all sorts, her woman's
insight rapidly sifts out the false from
the true. and protects her million alike
from the speculative enterprises of the
visionary and from the bubble compa-
nies of the professional financier. She
will tell you. nevertheless, with a sigh,
in moment of confidence, that her
whole life has been failure, and her
splendid fortune only a trouble to her
for these many years; that she would
give her million for toddling little
granddaughter, but, in the absence of
the granddaughter, means to leave it to
found any institution that shall in some
way benefit humanity.