The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-05-05
AMERICAN GENTLEWOMEN
Mrs. Mary A. Denison, Clara Barton
and Jean Davenport Lander.
Mrs. DenisOn's Literary Work and Love-Miss
Barton's Benevolent Labors, and Mrs.
Davenport and the Garfield Hospital.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal

Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, May 3.-Of the many pleas
ant ladies one meets in Washington, those
to be found at the literary reunions are by
far the most charming. In the first place, it
is good thing for ones temper to feel that
she is OF some consequence in the world;
and in the second, it is a nice thing to re-
main attractive in spite of Father Time, and
both of these advantages, possessed by the
thinking woman, make her very companion
able. She feels that she is of use because she
works for the good of others, and
she is of consequence, too, because
the work she does commands respect. Such a
woman has no need to deal in scandal and
spiteful small talk. She has too much else
to think about, and in the meantime, as age
robs her of her youthful bloom, thought
paints the glow of intellect upon her face
instead, and she is handsomer Than ever to
real artist who can appreciate a master piece,
even though it should lack the vivid color
ing of the amateur dauber. wish to tell
the readers of the Journal of some of these
representative women OF America, whom it
has been my good fortune to meet
will mention Mrs. Mary A Denison first,
because away back in my youthful days
knew her through the beautiful stories from
her pen that were my delight; and also be-
cause she has just bought a farm in
Florida of 100 acres of farming land, with
the proceeds of some of those same
stories, thus proving that a woman
can accumulate property, notwithstand-
ing all that has been said to the
contrary. 1t is situated near Palmer
Alachua county, and is a lovely place, with
comfortable buildings, fruit and flowers
You all know about Mrs. Denison's stories
so need not say how beautiful, how true to
life and how healthy they are; but it is some
thing new when one can say such writing has
been made profitable in this sensational age
The proceeds of THAT Husband of Mine"
paid for handsome residence in this city in
which she resided when her husband died;
but since his death she prefers to live in the
lovely though less imposing home which he
purchased for her. There one who is priv
LEGGED to enter may find her usually in her
study at her desk, just beside a vine-em-
powered bay-window, hard at work On
her writing-desk in front of her
stands very good photograph likeness of
her husband-her love and her inspiration.
Everything in this house speaks of him."
she said to me, because he arranged the
house and bought most of the furniture and
L have placed them just as they used to be-"
She talks of him as though he had gone
merely on a journey, and will not allow any
one to call her widow. because she SAYS he
is her husband still. In truth, he must have
been noble-hearted man. 1t was not my
good fortune to know him intimately, but
he was very general favorite with those
more favored. He was a first cousin of
George benson Prentice, and in his liber-
atty, his boundless charity, and fine
scholarly mind, resembled him greatly
Mrs. Denison says she has received letters
from Maine to Florida since his death, each
and all of them telling of some good act
which he never had thought worth while to
mention. To him she declares she owes all
she is, because although a gentle one, he
was very just critic, her comforter and en-
courager as well. God gave me to you lust
to comfort you," he would say when almost
heartbroken over rejected manuscript. In
her early struggles in authorship she would
take her troubles to him. Mrs. Denison is a
handsome woman, with sweet, placid face
framed in soft, fluffy curls but little touched
with gray. and in spite of her busy
life, care has left no wrinkles there
She has novel just finished of a somewhat
new order-a story from life given her by a
theatrical manager, dealing largely with
actor folk.
OLAhA bAhlON
Miss Clara Barton, of whom I have writ
ten you before, has just been appointed by
Governor Butler-to the important position of
Superintendent of the State Reformatorv
Prison for Women, in Massachusetts. The
appointment was not only voluntary, but
Miss Barton tried to decline it, on account of
her Red Cross work, and only took it finally
H.. Il. L. Il
people, as well as the Governor 81 did not
tell of the Governors offer" she said,
because l wanted to avoid embar-
RAISING him when he offered it to some one
else? But the Governor was not so discreet;
and when it leaked out from the state-house
the letters began pouring in till l felt guilty
in trying to refuse. The institution is stu
ated at Sherbourne, occupying over forty
acres with house accommodations for about
800 inmates. 1t is differed entirely by wo-
men, except the steward. Physician, Miss
Lucy NJ. Hall; chaplain, Miss Susan P. Har-
rold, and all the turnkeys and other officials
are women, also. The people of Massa-
chusetts are very good people" said Miss Bar
ton, Notwithstanding Tewksbury, and they
concluded that it was not exactly the thing
to condemn a woman, even for crime
to be locked up in room to which a man
carried the key, and she with no means to
lock herself in, as it used to be; so about six
years ago they built this for States prison
for that sex instead of sending them to the
common penftentiary." Miss Barton visited
the place since her appointment, and gives a
glowing description of its good effects She
says everything is clean and neat and the
women all wear hopeful expression, rather
new to prisoners, because they feel that they
are not considered lost by those who take SO
much pains to protect them. Her own work
flAW, Nf 81, Dn1 =. L
enough for one womau's shoulders, but with
a capable clerk she means it shall not suffer,
and when a woman will she will, and you
may depend ont" Her correspondence on
the Ohio food alone would make a good
sized volume, to say nothing of telegraph
dispatches including all parts of our own
country and foreign lands also She re-
-. n