The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-02-15
FOR THE LADIES.


her monument completed, althongh she
has not had 10 wait as long for hers as
her son did for his. says "A Washington
letter correspondent. But why does not
some one propose monument TO
Martha. the wife OF Washington / am
aware that historians OF certain
school think that Lady Washington did
nothing worthy Of marble because her
achievements were chiefly domestic.
But believe that il Washington him
self could speak he would tell US that
he would not have been Washington
without her. Suppose she was not as
clever as Mrs. Adams. or as charming as
Mrs. Madison, was she not strength and
support 20 George Washington - his
comfort and consolationi s'She was
nothing but an herels and housekeep-
err" sneer these scornful historians.
But she was more than these TO Wash
ington, for it is evident in all his let
ters that he leaned upon her. Think
what woman she must have been IL
she could counsel aud control IL not
command the greatest Englishman OF
modern times.
When the life Of Martha Washington
Is written as il should be IL will be
shown that she is even better entitled
TO a monument than Is Mary Washing
ton. How rarely is IL that the great
mans wife gets any credit for her con-
tributions TO his success, even when the
man himself is not ungrateful-unless
indeed i. be TO his social success simply
that she contributes. And yet how
many public men, not 20 saw great men,
of our time have been made powerful
aud strong by their wives usually by
silent service, which went all unrecog-
nized by the world. There are excep-
tons of course. We all know what
Mrs. Hayes. Mrs. Garfield and Mrs. Lo-
gan did for their husba nds-wth sym
patty, with counsel, with knowledge,
by hard work at great personal sacrifice.
We recognize the fact that
without the help which they
gave their husbands they would
not have been the men they were. We
know that just as certainly as the men
who voted for them Mrs. Hayes and
Mrs. Garfield put their husbands in the
White House; and we know. too, that
IL General Logan had lived his wife
would have had him president by this
time.
But how many persons know what
Mrs. Arthur did for her husband, or
what Mrs. Harrison has done for her
husband, or Mrs. Randall for hersg
just praise i'm all the eulogies on her
husband for her care and counsel, with
out which he would have failed and
fallen long before, but this was so un-
usual as to excite especial remark. For
one instance like this, where even
tardy justice is done. there are hun
dred cases where no one, outside OF
little circle of familiar friends, has
ever said "a word IN recognition of the
part which women take so heroically In
the government Of the nation. Unless
a woman is in society" and in evil
dence all the time there, she is set
down as domestic" and therefore 10
be compa ratively ignored, even though
she be the propeller and the rudder of
her husband, the statesman. As rule
n il safe 10 say that every public man
of prominence owes his position largely,
perhaps chiefly. TO his wife. There are
exceptions, of course, which will occur
TO every one, but nevertheless this is
the rule. Bright, studious, we'll in
formed, they not only perform all their
own duties. but often their husbands
as welt. They can supervise correspon-
dence; they can collect authorities and
Information; they can draft, correct. or
revise speech. But even when their
ministry is OF purely domestic" char
acter - influence is simply incalcul-
able.
Here in Washington, whore IL is easy
TO go behind the scenes, and even into
the green room of the great theatre OF
government. we know more than we
can tell without violating courtesy
about the value Of wives TO husbands.
But IL is not indicate to just enumer-
ate some Of the examples most common
liz exhibited in proof OF all have said
and many have thought about the
power OF wives in public life. Judge
Jere Black immortalized his wife i'm his
letters. and Judge Thurman has made
his wife famous in his speeches and in
terviews But their debt was no greater
than that OF other men. Sherman. AL
lison, Ingalls,. Morrill,, Frye. Vance,
Morgan, Cockrell and Brown in the sem
ate. 20 take the names which come first
10 mind. are all in the same blessed in
debtedness. So are Reed aud Cannon
and Burrows, Mills and w. G. +. Breck-
enridge and Springer 10 the house, 10
take again the topmost names. Few
people would think OF the wives OF any
OF those men as indispensable in their
public life, Tor they are all noted for
their self-relinnt courage. When one
OF them Is In the full tide OF a splendid
speech or riding triumphant in stormy
debate. he seems absolutely indepen-
dent and self-sunlcient. But over there
In the reserved gallery sits quiet lit
lie woman 10 whom that success was
predicted by the painful preparations
which she had helped TO make and IL Is
TO her and for her he is speaking. men
and brethren. nattered though lac be by
your appearance in the crowded gall
Lob d.