St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-12
LADIES OF ST. PAUL.
influence Exerted by the Fair
Sex in Creating What We
Call Society.
Prominent Women Who Have
Contributed to the His
tory Of St. Paul.
Ladies Who Shine as Social
Queens or in the World
Of Letters.
Some Who Are Famous for
Beauty and Others for
Their Intellect.


marquis, duke and a that" but neither
lie nor any other man can make society.
All the legislative assemblies in the ma
ton might pass upon the desirabilitY
and excellence of man, and all the
other men in the country make bosom
friend of him, but he would be a social
nobody till the women chose to receive
him. 1t is the women who give charac-
ter to society, and to know the kind of
women is to know at once the kind of
society they make. Every woman has
more or less influence on the society in
which she moves, and the unbearable
monotony of life in a small town is due
mainly to the fact that all the women
are interested in the same things. The
tone of st. Paul society is distinctly
Northern, and has more Eastern than
Western characteristics. 1t is much
more conservative and established than
is usual in a Western town, and from
the diversity of the tastes and interests
of the women who compose it. is more
cosmopolitan than one would expect.
In considering the interests of women
of st. Paul, one naturally thinks first of
the wife of the governor. Minnesota
provides no gubernatOrial mansion, and
the official social demands on Mrs. Mer-
riam are not heavy, in consequence.
She is almost as well known in Wash
ingtOn as in st. Paul society. The
WOman'S Educational and Industrial
union owes much of its success to the
efforts Of Mrs. Merriam. She threw
herself heart and soul into the Home
festival of last year. and worked hard
to make it succeed. Various movements
similar to the union are always aided
and favored by the officially first Ia
III the state.
Whether senator or governor be in
reality first. Mrs. c. K. Davis certainly
holds no second place to Mrs. Merriam.
Mrs. Davis boasts absolute health and
perfect complexion, due to the rigid
system of physical culture she pursues
genuine training it is. Mrs. Davis is
cOntagiouSly healthy. and one feels
stronger and more full of life merely
from seeing her. She designs her own
gowns, and understands the colors that
are possible for her very well indeed.
Mrs. f. B. Clark is one of the busiest
women imaginable. She is MinneSota's
representative on the executive COM
mlttee of the board of lady managers of
the worlds fair, of which Mrs. Potter
Palmer is president. She is interested
in all the literary movements among
outside her home has gathered together
one of the finest collections of curios IN
the West. Some of her Bohemian glass
is fit to contain only the ambrosia and
nectar of Olympus.
Mrs. Van Slyke, in point of feeling
and technique, is a musician. The piano
has been her study for years. and she
will soon go to Europe to further per-
feet herself.
Among the women who were promi-
nent in the harvest home festival of
last autumn is Mrs. Hasenwinkle
She is an old settler, and from the day
when all st. Paul gathered on the
bluffs to see the famous First regiment
start down the river she has been de-
voted to the interests of the Grand Army
of the Republic. She is the most active
member of the Women's Relief Corps,
and is interested in every charitable
movement, or anything that has as its
object in any way the advancement of
women.
Another woman who is identified with
st. Paul is Mrs. Frederick Wright, the
chief in the new baby's home, who was
of the very first women in st. Paul.
Mrs. Wright is very fond of music. es-
pecially in operate form. Her own
voice is well trained soprano of con-
siderable timbre, and her rendering of
ballads is particularly happy. Like
Mrs Davis, Mrs. Wright has noticeably
delicate complexion, which endures
MlnneSOta'S ruinOuS climate marvellous
ly well.
Another singer. who is one of the
cleverest entertainers in town, is Mrs.
TarboX. Mrs. Clarence johnson is
very enthusiastic musician, and has a
very we'll placed voice.
Mrs. Paul Gotzian has been studying
painting during the past winter. She
has painted number of pieces of china.
with mat gold, ROYAL Worcester de
signs. Some of them are unusually we'll
executed. One particularly lovely piece
is salad bowl, painted with an original
design of water lilies. The flowers
seem to be atloat in the bowl, and the
effect is charming.
Mrs. a. Y. Travis has deVeloped con-
siderable artistic ability of late, and has
adopted painting as distinct fad Mrs.
William DOrr. nee Thurston, may be
often found at her easel, taking ad-
vantage of every bright day, to execute
some bright bit of decorative painting.
Mrs. Flandrau is at present exerting
herself in behalf Of the Martha Wash
ington society, and has written num-
Der of articles in its favor very recently.
Mrs. Flandrau is accounted one of the
cleYerest cOnverSationalists in the state,
and the compliment paid her by Col.
D0nan, OF North Dakota. years ago, Is
fairly matter of St, Paul history.
Mrs. w. j. Freaney has been busily
building for herself a literary reputa-
ton, and IS well known in the cOterie of
"Dooky' people. Her verses have been
much criticised, which argues them
worthy OF the notice given them.
one literary woman who has many
friends here, although her home is in
the East, is Mary A. DenSon, the nov
eliSt, who is a sister of Rev. Charles
is due to Miss DeniSon's influence that
several st. Paul women have tried their
hands at literature, with VARYING sue
cess.
Mrs. NJ. D. Flower is thoroughly
artistic. She comes of an artistic fam
lily and possesses two daughters of more
than usual dramatic ability. Mrs.
Flower is very good critic, and is fond
of dramatic classics.
Mrs. Lane K. Stone is q lover of
horses. Mrs. Stone was the first woman
in st. Paul to adopt the fashion of flank
blankets for her coach horses. She
often drives behind horses whose leather
flank blankets bear the Lane Stone
monogram in silver.
1t would be quite impossible TO men
ton all the st. Paul women who are in
terested in especial subjects. There has
been great literary movement of late,
and less close adherence to Mrs.
Grundy's conventional occupations.
One subject that the wives of number
OF the ''solid' business men have de-
voted some TING and attention to is the
indecent bill board. 1t is due wholly to
their efforts that the theatrical sign
boards are no longer eye sores. Reform
and advance are feminine war cries lust
now, and the woman is hardly to be
found in st. Paul society who is not in
terested in some cult or some organiza-
ton for the aid of her sex. Never was
there such tondness for lectures and
weightv discussions. Each woman has
her particular fad, but there are still