The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1892-04-29
IN W0MAN'S BEHALF.
ABLE AND ENERGETIC.

I
ment for the benefit of women that has
originated in London, and Nine. Louisa
Canziani, who has had number of her
pictures well placed on the walls of the
royal academy.
Mrs. Crawshay is probably best known
by her lady-help project-an effort to
enable women of birth in impoverished
circumstances to gain livelihood. The
word "lady-help" is her own. Such un-
fortunate ladies at one time flooded En-
gland. Not sufficiently educated to be-
come governesses, and not clever enough
TO push their way without capital in
any business requiring skill or expert
ence, crowds of women reduced by the
loss of father or husband We're still eager
to maintain themselves honestly, and
plucky enough not to shrink before even
mental duties, if by such means they
might help their siclllier sisters, moth
ers or children. 1t was Mrs. Craw-
shay who first recognized the ne
cessity of doing something for this
large and somewhat uninteresting.
but greatly to be pitied, class of
women. She observed with terror the
enormous preponderance of women over
men in England, the growing disincli-
nation to allow women to compete with
men in commerce, and the few choked
avenues of industry possible to respect
able women: and knowing how many
land how naturally women occupy
their hands in their own homes in do
nestle work without any loss of self
respect. Mrs. Crawshay formed plan
to place competent women as lady
help in the houses of persons kindly
enough not to render the position I'M
bearable. She opened an office in Lon
don in which ladies could be engaged as
upper and under helps in cooking.
/ homework, and nursing, and described
her views very temporarily in her book,
domestic Service for GentlewOmen".
Considerable discussion in the chief
London journal, much cheap derision
and foolish opposition, followed the lady
| help movement, as it follows all good
/ work on novel lines. The precedent of
/ Pepys and his sister was quoted; the
country rang with the lady-help cry.
There was not paper in the United
! Kingdom that had not something to say
about Mrs. Crawshay, her book. and her
scheme. It's success may be described
! in her own words, showing that it pos
sessed a solid business basis. THE first
two years my Office was open it cost me
| 81 900 per annun; the next two year af-
ter it cost me $500 per annum; the two
years after $3.50 per annum; and at the
end of eight years it was on the brink
of paying its expenses when l gave it
up"
Other admirable schemes she set on
foot. She started a cutting-out class
for girls, to teach them to make their
own clothes.
She instituted free readings, with
song and recitations.
She opened seven free libraries with
in radius of two miles of Cyfarthfa
Castle, her home, eight years before the
Birmingham free library created so
much attention. These were always
open Sundays as well as week days,
and books were allowed to be taken
home.
Beyond all of these and similar local
interests, among which must not be
forgotten the constant training of
young Welsh girls for domestic service
at Cyfarthfa, Mrs Crawshay's active
mind was ever in advance of her sur
roundings. There is hardly any sub
ject of national Importance bearing on
the interests of women, the suffrage,
the population question, sanitation.
marriage reform, etc, which Mrs. Craw-
shay was not one of the first to study
and to discuss.
Mrs. Crawshay's unremitting labors
have at last somewhat injured her once
robust health and indomitable spirit.
But she is still the ready friend of all
who are trying to do good Her bent is
now chiefly scientific, and her purse is
open to all who desire to help her in
her endless projects to ameliorate the
position Of the poor, and to draw them
out of the slough of superstition and
improbable toll.
Nine Canziani was born in London, |
and is the only child of Henry Starr, of |
Philadelphia, the descendant of an OLE.
Puritan stock that emigrated from Eng |
land to the United States in 1858. Sew |
eral members of the family distinguish
ed themselves in music and literature. |
but it was reserved for Mime. Canziani |
to become an artist, and thus complete |
the family record of honorable success.
She says that she loved drawing |
from tiny child" and that her parents |
still show some very bad little sketches
of fairies which she executed when at |
the age of six. Her first lessons were |
from country drawing master, under
whom she copied quaint landscapes,
which he touched up with Chinese
white and fixed on fancy mounts. The
next step in this initiatory course was
kind of promotion, as she was permit
ted to copy certain sentimental crayon
heads which to her childish conception
appeared to be the ideal of all that was
truly beautiful.
Persisting in. her entreaty that she
might be allowed to continue her draw
ing lessons. when she was about thir-
teen her mother by some happy chance
visited well-known London art school
where the young girl was permitted to
attend at such intervals as were regard
ed as being consistent with the scheme
of her general education. Here she
made so much progress that her first
finished drawing from the antique was
the means of securing her admission to
the Royal Academy schools as proba-
toner, which was followed by her be-
coming student. The important period
of her art study at the Academy was
not without substantial recognition, as
Miss STAIRS intelligent and earnest work
was rewarded in the first instance by
silrcr rnndnl for the hest cnnv among