Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-11-12
OUR FIRST LADY.
Mrs. e. F. Altgeid, Wife of the
Governor-EIect.
A WOMAN OF GRACE AND CULTURE
She Does Not Rejoice Over Her Husbands
Victory-Fond OF Home and Club Life.

She Does Not Rejoice Over Her Husbands
yictory-Fond of Home and Club Life.
Chicago Post.
A slender woman, graceful and tall, of
quiet, unassuming presence. although
when approached most kindly and corr
dial in her manner. is Mrs Altgeld, wife
of the newly elected governor of Illinois.
1t is in her coy and retty home that
she is seen to advantage. While she is a
club woman, she is also essentially a
home woman. Not that she is domestic
in the sense of finding the ultima thule of
existence in her household cares, for she
is an artist of no mean ability, an un>
firing student and u writer FOR the press.
Still. all that she is aud accom- plishes is
not for ambitions sake, but for ner hon
and her husband. All that interests
Judge Alleged is vital to her in that she
is his intelligent companion in all that
he undertsses Especially is she inter
ested in his views in regard to the Grim
inal and laboring classes, ard, although
she has never identified herself with any
organization, she is unwesrying in good
Offices to the unfortunate,
While quite natural Mrs. Altgeld did
not want TO see her husband defeated,
she certainly is the reverse of jubilsnt al
his election. She said in speaking of it:
Loses q Trip Around the World
lille, OF course. | could not truth
fully say that regret that my husband
is elected. still neither can say that
am glad. You see. he promised me that
if he was defeated he would take me
around the world However, fer the
present at least fate seems to have de.
creed that small part OF the world shall
evolve around Mrs. Aligeld. That it
should be so. while she does not exactly
resent it. is evidently not in the line OF
her tss or her ambition. While fond
of her friends and in quiet way Of dis
pensing hospitality, she is not in the
usual acceptstion OF the term ''socie,y
woman" She takes her husbands cleo
ton as simply an incident in their lives
of by no means vital moment. Her
c,usin, MIS-. E. G.. Frazer, of Rock
Island, who is spending d few weeks
with her, declares that neither Judge
Altgeld nor his wife was as interested
Tuesday evening in the election returns
as in game of euchre that they were
play ing with few friends who hal =
pened in to discuss the situation"
Busy Woman of Advanced Ideas
hrs. Alrgeld is native of Mansfield
Ohio, and was educated at Oberlin. In
conversation she betrsys thst her convic
tiOns are along the line of what is known
as advanced ideas. although she is no
propaganda and entertsins her beliefs
ae logical conclusions aud therefore as a
matter of course. She said. in speaking
of the technicality By which women are
not permitted to vote on all question :
pertsining TO school matters. that to her
it seemed absurd to bring forward such a
trivial matter as the mere mistaken form
of words when the spirit and intent of
the law are perfectly evident.
Mrs. Altgeld is busy woman, send
ing out each moment freigbted with eff
fort In addition TO looking we'll after
tie ways Of her household according to
the definition in the book of Proverbs of
model wife, she devotes much attention
TO the earnest study OF art. The chief
attractions of her pretty drawing room
are irious studies from nature from her
| brush. She uses oil, water colors or
| crayon with equal fscility and also paints
on china. 1t Is plain that in this line OF
fort she takes the keenest interest, as
when the subject of art is introduced her
dark eyes light up and she evinces an en-
thusiasm which renders her gu lite
self unconscious.
Close Student of Lit erature
Her liking for literature is scarcely
less than that which she feels for art
For several years she has devoted herself
to the study OF the Leading literature of
different countries, both in connection
with small club of North Side women
called the Alpha, and by herself She
declares that the pursuit of this course of
study has afforded her the livliest sstis-
faction. She has for s. me years been q
member of the Chicago Womeu's Club
and belongs to the art and literature de.
psrtment. She is 10 deliver an ESSAY
before the department Feb. on The
Munich School OF Art
While evidently well posted on matters
political, Mrs. altgeld says that she feels
less interest in This subject than in almost
any other. Indeed. it is quite evident
that to be 1.-THE first lady in the state" is.
from every point of view, a sacrifice to
Mrs. Alrgeld as far as her own personal
dIC !CtTutu she
and her husband attend Prof. David
Swings church, although they are not
members They were at one time mem.
bers Of The Methods: church.
Mrs Altgeld is so es entially modest
woman that one might know her as
casual acquaintance for years and still
know very little of her. One who has
been an intimate of hers for many years
says of her that she is not only one O. the
most faithful of friends, but that she is
one who is ever surprising those who
know her best by constant revelations of
admirable traits of character Certain il
is that among those who have the pleas
ure of her intimate acquaintance there ia
perfect unanimity of opinion as to her
genuine worth as we'll "a winsomeness
A Valuable Remedy.
Hon. Edmund L. Pitts, the late pree;.
dent of the New York State senate
writes:
State of New York. Senate Cbamhar