Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1891-03-05
Women in the War,

mention will be made of the women of this
country. and they will be given very
prominent place in the annals of that ter
rible conflict. 1t is impossible to oveT-es-
innate the worth of the consecrated work
accomplished by the women of the North
for the Union cause. Hundreds of thous-
ands of women contributed their spare
money and their leisure time for the beDe-
tit of the Union soldier, during the entire
period of the war. Amid delays and dis
couragements incident to the protracted
conflict, it might often have been said
Of men, Faith weary with watching
ceased to expect; Hope worn by its vigils
no longer looked" but women never fall
tered but increased in zeal and devotion
to the end
It is said that there were many women
soldiers in the War of the Rebellion who
actually bore arms; but we do not now re-
fer to those who Gonned the male attire
and concealed their sex, nor TO such
women as Madame Turchin who when
her husband, Gen Turchin. was i'll, took
command of his troops and led them to
battle and to victory; we refer now more
especially TO those angels of mercy who
lid 50 much to ameliorste the sufferings
of the men who battled for the MON
cause
10 the war to which we refer the rebels
were not the only foe which the Union sol
dier had to fight. on every field, in every
camp and fort and hospital, there was an
enemy more deadly and formidable than
all the rebel host, and that dread foe was
disease. Against the one were arrayed all
the powers OF the Union arms; contend
ny against the other, in most unequal
eight, were handful of army surgeons
and nurses. OF our loyal heroines it has
most truly been said; Women there
we're in this war, who, without single
relative in the army, denied themselves for
the whole four years the comforts to which
they had always been accustomed, went
thinly clad, took the extra blanket from
their bed, never tasted tea or sugar or
ieSa that they might wind another band
or give some parched lips in the hospital
another sip of wine Others never let one
leisure moment, saved from lives Of
pledged labor which barely earned them
bread, 20 unemployed in the service of the
soldiers. God himself keeps this record,
IL is too sacred TO be trusted TO men"
Central figures among such angel. OF
mercy were the Catholic Sisters of Chair
tY-God bless them-who never favored
themselves, but rode or walked in storm,
deep mud and almost impenetrable dark
Le>S to reach some new battle ground that
they might give aid and comfort to MANNED
aud perhaps dying soldiers. To mention
the heroines who took part in the war
would require columns of space; but We
cannot refrain from inditing few Of these
names such a. Clara Barton, Mother Bick-
erdyke, Margare. Elizabeth Breckenridge,
Mrs. Mary Morris Husband, granddaugh-
ter Of Robert Morris of Revolutionary
fame, Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer, Miss abb
GAIL ;. Emery, now deceased, and her Sis
ter Mrs. Annie S Cummings, the two last
named OF our own county, but, perhaps
The noblest Roman of them all, the one
the world most delights to honor for her
distinguished and self-sacrifclng services.
ME. Mary A. Liyerml2EEes.. e.. When When. # the
sion and a fund to provide, through that
commission, for the wants of sick and
wounded soldiers Mrs. Livermore went
into the lecture field and by her stirring
eloquenCe raised in an almost incredibly
short space of time more than three mill
ipns Of dollars, We have read, for the use
If that Commission. Ii was Mrs. Liver
more who suggested and planned the first
sanitary falr-tht great Northwestern san
itary Fair, in the autumn of 1868. which
Melted almost one hundred thousand dol
lars u the Sanitary Commission 1t was
Mrs. Livermore who welded, through the
paper OF which she ard her noble husband
were editors, an influence which extended
from ocean to ocean in behalf of LOYALTY
and devotion to the Union cause; and ii
was Mrs. Llvermore who went to the front
a. the head Of the Sanitary Commission
there devoting her time and energies to
l-sseu suffering. watching out the stars
hy the bed of pain performing acts of
tenderest devotion to the boys in blue"
doing deeds of love and self denial for the
sick. and speaking words of assurance and
helpfulness to the dying. 1t is Mrs Liv-
eTmore who, since the war, has spoken so
eloquently and labored so persstentv for
human progress, for temperance. for
better civilization and all the virtues which
adorn and give worth to human life. 1t is
Mrs. Llvermore who to-day stands in the
very foremost ranks of eloquent orators
and noble philanthropists
Mrs Livermore will, We hear, under the
auspices of the Ellsworth High School.
address the people of this city on the third
Of April next We most sincerely hope
that She will receive such an audience as
no lecturer in Ellsworth ever received be-
fore, and that our citizens will thus ex-
press their appreciation and Endorsement
Of what she has done for the American
people and the world.
Mrs. Lvermore spoke in Ellsworth sew
eral years ago, and occupied one of our
pulpts on Sunday, to the great delight of
those who beard her on the platform and
in the pulpit. We are informed that she
was heard to say, not long ago, in lect-
ure in New York city: In my experience
of twenty-five years on the lecture plat
form, the largest audience | ever adj
dressed was one of ten thousand in Chi
cago, and the smallest one was In Els
worth, Name" Our citizens are about to
be offered an opportunity to redeem them
selves. May they use it wisely!
Municipal elections were held Monday
in Portland, Lewiston, Auburn, Bath.
Rockland, Saco, Gardiner and Ellsworth.
In these cities there has been no particu-
lar change in the results from last wear.
except in Portland which, though safely
Republican in the City Council, failed to
make any choice of Mayor. In Lewiston
the Democrats elect their Mayor nv an in