, 1879-03-21
ELIZABETH THOMPSON.
a Woman with y NItssi0n+

u Woman With y MtsHiOn+
Warrington tnrrtsnunfsnce Intfsnapofls Jnsrna,.
YOU have published considerable lately nbont
Mira. Elizabeth Thompson, the pht'amthsopiat.
sho Is now In Washington, directing The mcdt.
cai machinery which is to c!,cckmato yellow
fever next summer, let its hope, sio bc!ng pro.
Jcctor Of tho cnturprIsc, md lis chief promoter
1t must already have cost hor s5,0O0 or $4,000.
lave met Mrs. Thompson several times, an1
can tell you something of ter.
Sic was poor Erl somo years ago Uust how
mauy or few VIC need not venture OIL gucssng),
and got her living by dressnaknE. She WIS
bcwltchlngly handsome mud unGo1nnonly bright
Md pIquant, when Mr. Thompson, II rich young
Boston merchant offered iler Lis llaul ansl for
tune. After short married life, he died, aid
left her his cnttre property, soMutitg moro tfRu
q million.
"Or, rathcr," said she, in confidential mo-
mcnt, ''he loft inc the interest OH Il; a,d
have never ceased to be grateful tat he pl,t the
principal out OF my rcaels. Every cent would
got l.old Of tt.''
Finding herself young and attractive widow,
md inclInattons manifested themselves In novel
directions. She declined to l,Rve ANYTHING moro
to do With 1iymen; size excluded hcrsclf froltl
gencral society; she thought md passed through
ia Rationallsn, a1nl hcrcsy OF the most advanced
type, where Sic slill fingers; she was llorritet
nj the wretcilclncss around her, nrd inyentett
nlctl,oAs Of giving away her money to tho bCst
ahv"tltaga,--'sat Is, where + would 40 elle most
snlfl dollars year In miscellaneous charity.
II should think snfl to her once. +" that
This miscellaneous giving would give yOu from
tImq to time some doubts a. to ~ wtstlom.n
hersclf; "why, Sir, havc DONG more harm than
my other woman In Sew York;"
| know bY her expression tint She foit Wllnt
she Rnih most kecnly, though SHE smiled, for 1t
sounded 30 whlmBicaIly extrnvngant.
u You have seen harm come Of 1t somctfmcsl"
Iaskcd.
"Oh. often and much" sl,o saiu :. and ] Ito
not doubt TINT much harm tas come Of 1t whlcl.
"'Fhcscfore,n she aided, aftcr q minutc's
thonrhtfu!mess, II l.ayc mostly stopped mis-
ccl1aneous giving to strnngcrs. II you could
scu tl,e nttc OF begging letters threw into tho
crate this tnorntng-g,id some uf them without
rcnfliug through, though rot the alst Of ali.
You co,,ll grt IN inferior view of human nature
Iy looking oycr inv mail, ana It looks riark.N
"Do tleY ask tEr mllth7 n aal,l.
rc,nastr ] Tie !ioan 1T Ia ce,.ts,u knowin.r ' I
wonl.l nlako It rnors Or nolhing, md q wo'i1al,
tu Knnsas askcd ma boldly to Eiyelg SEQ OuO-
II wollti1l't hurt me abit, she sailin
!, should think nil this would make yo,
turcu,
4 II docs mako mo feed rather strcakcd to-
ward I'm, world somctfmus,n sbo ndnttrd. e.
specially Where have given NV conluepcc to
eoinc nerson or CAUSE u,ltl hare been prossly do
crlycti a,,tl roubed, which has happencl plicper
than would like to cunfcss, Aud then Il
makes Ms fairly Sick wllen nv Judgment COM
ncts ms to rufu6e money to poor men n,,d
women, Isttll Give occasionally to pro,uIscu.
u,Is bcgtars in cascs Ut peculiar suffering, hut
kl,pw Tint ml1cl, freq charity breeds bcrrnry
rather thar diulinlshes It, u1id tlern aro wiser