Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-22
WANE OF PREJUDICE.
Progress in, Century in the Esti-
mate Put on W0man's Work.
THE ABUSE OF FRANCES WILLARD
Is Not So Effective as That Which Was
Heaped on Hannah More.
THE TWO WOMEN WERE MUCH ALIKE
WRITTEN FOR THK pIsPATcH.i

THE JWV WUMEN WE'VE NUN AuihE
WRITTEN FOR THK pIsPATcH.i
The abuse heaped upon Miss Willard
since the meeting of the Woman's Council
in Washington by some of the brethern Of
the press and others would seem surprising
in these days, were it not remembered that
nothing in the world is more stubborn and
unreasonable than bigotry, prejudice, and
superstition. Over 200 years ago Giordano
Bruno, who was the torerunner of the
philosophy of to-day, who upheld Copernl-
Gus and defended Luther, was burned at the
stake for his opinions, and yet the old feel
ing against him is still so strong In some
quarters that a manifesto against a statue to
his memory was promulgated throughout
the world. Still that his name should be
honored at all shows that iron-clad opinions
do yield in the course of hundreds of years.
No people perhaps were ever more "sot'
in their prejudices than the Puritans
| Plymouth Rock itself was not more firmly
founded than was their Calvinistic creed as
| to election unto salvation for the few, and
| predestination into eternal fire for the
many. How far men will go in their obsti-
nate perversenesB and illiberalitv with re-
| gard to freedom of thought is shown by the
| horrible fact that, by and with the consent
| of those who professed the religion of love,
900 600 women were burned at the stake as
witches. These are said to have been chiefly
| women who dared to think for themselves
who were in advance of their age, who were
| perhaps not SO submissive and humble as
they ought TO have been, or who mayhap
stood in the way of those younger and
| handsomer.
| Still Room for Improvement.
| But, though the prejudices which would
| go to such extremes are modified to-day,
and the age is growing more liberal. there
are still men to be found to abuse women as
unreasonably as did the austere and sour
minded pietists and stubborn bigots of GEN.
turies ago.
The attacks upon Miss Willard to-day
recall that famous old maid Of DR.. john
sons time-Hannah More, 'whose name
is resplendent in English literature for
exalted genius and devoted piety." Most
men have the idea that women become old
| maids because they cannot get q husband.
| They are called "misfits" and are repre-
sented as bitter and ill-natured, and not at
tractive enough to capture the fancy of a
man. But not so with Hannah More. She
became engaged to lover named William
!
| and made all the preparations for her mar
riage, the wedding was delayed by the
tickle Turner. A second delay followed at
| his request, and then Hannah treated him
| to cold and final refusal. No regrets fol-
| lowed this broken match for "had she be-
| come Mrs. Turner, the world would have
been deprived of the valuable services OF
Hannah More" Two other offers of mar
riage she received. but they were declined.
So the reproach cannot be flung at this
famous old maid that she could not get a
husband.
Hannah More in Literature.
For her first published poem she received
! 40 guineas, with the assurance from the pub
Usher that if Goldsmith received more for
his deserted Village" he would increase
her paw to an equal amount. Her poem was
"fad' for time, but that it was not equal
| to Goldsmith's is shown by the fact that
Hannah's s work has sunk into total obscurity,
| while the other is still a masterpiece Her
| literary success, however, was so decided
that she gave up her school to her sisters and
devoted herself to teaching the people
through the press. Her political tracts,
which were against the Jacobins and revolu-
tionists, were published in a cheap maga-
zine, which attained the great circulation of
], ,000 900 copies. Among her stories was
''The Shepherd of Salisbury Plain" which
is still to be found in almost every Sunday
school library in the land. "Calebs in Search
of Wife," practical Piety." Religion
and Morals" and others OF her works had
immense sales. They seemed to be adapted
to the demands of the day and to touch a
popular chord.
Those were stirring times in England.
The French Revolution had sent wave of
democracy through the hearts OF English
foo
and workshop, from every field and farm
and village club came mutterings against
monarchy and tokens of impending trouble.
1.-The Government" says writer, "was at
its wits end" Into the midst of this COM
motion of State and Church and people,
little tract upon "Village Politics, by Will
Chip" made its way.
She Quieted a Tempest.
1t was neither learned, nor perhaps logi-
cal, but it put things in such way as to
attract attention at once. The publisher
could not supply the demand for this modest,
vet powerful little work. at took the pub
lie mind by storm. The mutterings of dis
content sood died away. What king and
lords and Parliament; what the profound
est statesmen, philosophers and divines of
the age were unable to effect was accomp-
lished by the pen-the pen of Hannah
More"
But with all her literary gifts Hannah
was practical reformer. She engaged in
missionary work around her home. She
established schools for the poor for secular
instruction, and organized Sunday schools
for religious teaching. This innovation
brought upon her the most fragrant abuse
and opposition from the clergy. The re-
ligious bigots accused her OF methodism and
disloyalty The autagonism she and her
sisters encountered in their labors from the
Established Church seems almost incredible.
Her Schools Had to Go.
One Of their schools was broken up be-
cause of the shocking depravity of "extem-
poraneous praying" However, after
long and hard struggle, the good work had
to be given up, and the clergy had the sat
isfaction of shutting up the Sunday schools
and stamping out what they deemed the
germs OF heresy and revolution. But Hannah
still had her pen and she used it we'll until
she was SO years old. She made a comfort
able fortune, and she and four sisters kept
old maids ball together until they had all
attained q good old age. ''What! five
women live happily together in one house?"
said Dr. johnson. 81 will 60 to see you.
love you all five. I will go to Bristol on
purpose to see you.
Some of the dear brethren will tell US that
this famous old maid missed her highest
calling-that she would have been better
EN- mployed in quietly darning stockings in
the chimney corner than in writing political
tracts-that she missed the highest felicity
in life by not having buttons to sew on, or
slippers to embrOider for husband. They
will tell Won as did that brilliant Senator