The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-08-04

body had failed us but Margaret; days
when she almost literally fed the city.
During the yellow fever panic Margaret
began her noble work of taking the chill
dren from the homes of death and put
ting them into house under good care,
supporting them herself in every psrtic-
ular. Soon the one asylum grew into
many; the dozens of her little charges
were numbered by hundreds-and at the
time Of her death thousands. At the
gate of every orphan asylum in the city
Margaret's bread cart, with its smoking
rolls, was seen daily; at every charitable
institution whatsoever she took the priv
ilege of giving her bread freely, and Mar
garet's name headed the list for every
charity. Our grand Charity Hospital,
one of the most famous in the world, was
largely the gift of Margaret. You must
visit that hospital. It will make you
better all your life for having seen it.
Right through the trees, there, at the
right, do you see that magnificent build
ing, with its four galleries running around
| the four first stories of the house? Its
| gate tells in golden letters that this is
| children's home, given by Margaret,
where to the end of time orphans will be
cared for and educated by her requests.
Many of our cemeteries contain in form
| of handsome tombs Margaret's simple
yet munifcent thoughtfulness. Here,
you know, all are buried above ground
in crypts or ovens of masonry; and when
| you visit our cemeteries strangers al
ways do, for there are no burial places
like these in America-you will.see stone
tombs containing dozen, two or four
dozen bodies, may be,) inscribed: "Given
to the Little Sisters of the Poor by Mar
garrett The Strangers Tomb, given by
Margaret I suppose Margaret spent
more money for the city than the richest
man in the history of the State; and of
the sympathy and discernment of the
needs of the poor, the half could never be
told. She spent nothing on herself.
clean blue calico, stout shoes, black
straw bonnet, knitted jacket or shout
der shawl, an iron bedstead in room
without even rocking chair, and over
looking the bakeshop. She had no time
to enjoy Injuries, even had she possessed
them. As long as there was a weeping
child or friendless woman in the city,
what time had she to fold her arms in a
rocking chair? While there were unbur-
led, coffinless forms, could she adorn her
home of the living? And so it happened
that to the end of life Margaret spent
neither time, care nor money on herself.
| She forgot that there was such a mortal
as Margaret.
"And when, one day, the news went
around that Margaret was dead, the
| great city arose and put on mourning;
the business houses were closed; all the
employments of the city stood still. The
! day of burial thousands of her little or
! phans followed her bier as mourners;
every church sent delegations OF hearse
bearers; the public school children joined
in the throng; the houses we're draped
along the line of march; all the bells in
the city tolled; civil and military joined
in the procession with ecclesiastics; there
never was here funeral like Margaret's.
nAtterward it was found that her pos
sessions had been so disposed that
had death come at any moment the af-
fairs of this life were well and intelli-
gently wound up. There were no per-
sonal effects of value, but even her few
garments she left to the poor, and with
the proceeds of her wise investments her
charities are royalty endowed.
"This statue is the gift of the city, to
show in this public way the esteem in
which she is held. 1t is very like Mar
garet. The motherly figure, seated with
one arm encircling astsnding child at her
the little crocheted shawl about her
shoulders are homely, but who would
change them for finer clothing? The
smooth hair with it's old-fashioned
French parting, the strong chin, the
pleasant mouth, the serious eyes-is there
not something fascinating in the contra
dictions of the face?
"Did you ever see such head on a
woman's shoulders? Massive, wonderful.
That is the head OF a statesman and fin
ancier, while its mouth with the pleasant
smile, telling of the tact and natural
suavity of Margaret's character, pro-
claim the elements of born diplomat.
Yet look again at the broad, massive
brow and see the earnest, loving eye
that speaks of true womanhood; look
once more at the coarse garments and
you will see that poverty added her load
to the ordinary burden of womsnhood,
while ignorance, bereavement, affection.
loneliness, join hands with poverty
against this soul. But the massive brow
conquered, the untaught brain triumphed,
and under the leadership OF the sad, gen
tie eyes gave to the suffering what might,
had she been man born in other circum-
stances, have been the gain OF nations
and the glitter of the trappmgs of dip
lomat.
"When consider what Margaret did
for one city, under such despeI ate dis
advantages, wonder what she could
have done for the world if all the envi-
ronments had been right. 1 was think
ING of that as T looked in passinp for the