Wichita daily eagle., 1886-08-03
WOMAN AND HOME.
SOME OF THE SELf-MADE WOMEN OF
OUR COUNTRY.

French 'as She Is Spoke" in Cookery
Death on Flies-House CIeaning-To
the Married-The Parisienne-A Singer
No Page-Notes.
The sweet poetess, Lucy Larcom, was q
mill hand.
Adelaide Phillips, the singer, now dead,
was a treasury girl, and so for time was
Sara Jewett, the actress
Pretty Maude Granger, with the gold
brown eyes and shapely form, first earned
her livelihood by running a sewing ma
chine.
Minnie Hauk's father was a German and
a shoemaker, in the most straitened circum-
stances Her voice early attracted the at
teEtion of one of New York's richest men,
who had it cultivated, and thus opened the
way to fame for her.
Charlotte Cushman was the daughter Of
poor people, who, however, gave her an ex-
cellent education in the public schools. In
order to maintain herself she aspired to be-
come an opera singer, but, accidentally los
ing her voice, became an actress instead.
The mother of Clara Louise Kellogg
strained every nerve to give Clara a musical
education, and at one time was profes-
failed three times Each time she retired,
not discouraged, but to devote herself to
the still further development of her voice.
Finally she took the public by storm Her
first failures were her last
The lady doctors and lawyers have had
the hardest time to enter professional ranks
Nevertheless, they have made great head
way since Elizabeth Blackwell vainly
applied for admission to the medical col
leges in New York, Boston, and Philadel
phia- She was finally admitted as a
student in the medical college of Geneva,
n. Y. Her youth was one of struggle,
hardship encouragement and restricted
means
Edmonia Lewis, the sculptor, is colored
Overcoming the prejudice against her sex
and color, and self-educated, Miss Lewis is
now successfully pursuing her profession in
Italy. Only one other colored woman ever
gained distinction in the fine arts that
was the singer who called herself The Black
Sman," and who fiourished about fifteen
years ago There has never been an au-
thoress or actress Of color beyo yond the mer
est tyro, but no one can predict what the
future may hold for colored people
We have had two great female astrono-
mers, Miss Herschell and Miss Mitchell
Both were single women, and both took up
the study of astronomy in order to assist
their brothers. Miss Herschells pathway
to fame was over a smooth road, but Miss
Maria Mitchell had everything to battle
with She was the daughter Of q small |
farmer in Nantucket, who was obliged to
exc out his income by teaching school at 81 a
week. Maria was constantly occupied with |
household duties, and she describes her !
childhood as ''being an endless washing OF
dishes"
1t is a curious fact that so many of our |
celebrated literary women were the |
daughters of farmers and began their life |
work by teaching school-gradually |
acquiring fame and affluence by writing. |
Take the Cary sisters to begin with, and |
Mrs Lydia Sigourney, the poetess, before
them, then Grace Greenwood, and lastly |
Ella Wheeler Ella Wheeler never taught |
school, but her parents were poor farm peo-
pie in the west The first poem she ever
wrote she sent TO Mrs Frank Leslie, who
saw enough merit in it to accept it Ella
has hought her parents a home out Of her
own earnings, and is in every respect most
excellent daughter.
Clara Morris mother was a cook in a
restaurant in Cleveland when Clara was a
lanky girl OF % years Oh age -haIhSeT JONI |
Ellsler advertised for some extra girls for
the ballet in pantomime he was getting DIP
Clara applied for a place in the extra bal
let She wore an old, faded calico dress,
much too short for her long legs, a thin
shawl, and a ragged woolen scarf wrapped
around her head When the extra girls
we're no longer required Clara was retained
Tor small parts That was the beginning Of
the career of the great emotional actress
Clara Morris, who, by-the way, is OF En-
ylish, not American, birth
Anna Dickinson began life as a schoo,
.eacher. Wearying Of this, she one day
went to Mrs John Drew. manageress of the
Arch street theatre, Philadelphia, and en-
treated her to give her an opportunity to
90 upon the stage Mrs Drew heard her
,ecite, told her that she had very bad ac-
,eut, that she did not think she would ever
make an actress, and advised her to so
pack to her school teaching. The war
broke out soon afterward, giving Miss
Dickinson an opportunity to emerge from
,bscurity. Sne still secretiycherished kistri-
,nic aspirations, but years were destined to
'lapse before she was enabled to test whether
Mrs Drew had been a true prophet or not
Celia Logan in Chicago News