The morning call., 1893-09-20
MADGE MORRIS WAGNER.
The Bright Little Woman Who Wrote
50 The Liberty Bell"

a little slender. dark-eyed woman, with
a clear, pale complexion. delicate features,
softly waving dark hair and one of the
sunniest and most winning smiles 10 the
world.
Such is Mrs. Madge Morris Wagner, who
is visiting our city as the guest of the Pa
cific Coast Women's Press Association at
their third annual convention. The pict-
ures which have appeared Of her since Mr..
Mcdowell put into execution the idea ex-
pressed in her poem of "The Liberty Bell"
have been simply caricatures, and one
almost wonders how she can laugh over
them as she does. Evidently vanity is not
a weakness OF hers. and she simply makes
merry over the fact that the generality of
her newspaper portraits represent her 5
being at least twenty years older than she
really is.
''It really doesn't matter" she says,
brightly; IF | live long enough l shall
look as old as they do some time"
To CALL reporter who met the charm
ing little lady last evening she said that
she really couldn't talk about herself"
IF my daughter were only with me-"
she said, "she would talk for me. She is
my Aaron, you see, and am lost without
heI."
OF the poem which has brought her of
late so prominently before the public Mrs
Wagner would say but little.
1T is such an old story now," she said
NEARLY every one who cares anything
about it knows that the first thought of il
came into my mind when | was listening
to a sermon delivered to the Grand Army
in San Jose. After that | kept thinking
and thinking and thinking, and finally
when | was asked to write poem for the
literary exercises of Fourth of July cele-
bration l wrote my thoughts out Oddly
enough It was left off the programme on
the occasion for which it was written, but
was published and copied into several
books of selections for elOcution, where it
lay buried until Mr.. Mcdowell resurrected
it. 1t has all been great surprise to me
the notice that has been taken of it and
me, and / am quite bewildered by it.
81 am glad that the American people in
dorsed my idea so warmly, though 1 rather
shrink from the notoriety which it has
given me. Still everybody has been so kind
to me and made so much of me that I
should be very ungrateful ii l did not ap-
preciate it, In Chicago | was almost over
whemed with attention, and when l came
back 10 San Diego l was received with
open arms. a grand reception was ten
dered me, and the Mayor presented me
with this, OF which l am inordinately
proud
This is beautiful silver and gold key
onswhich are etched the words city of
San Diego to Madge Morris Wagner"
You cannot know how il pleased me. Z"
she continued. turning the key about i'm
her slender fingers. ''the idea was so
quaint. and it was carried out so delight
fully. l shall always prize this KEY to
San Diego among my dearest treasures"
When asked about her plans for future
literary work Mrs. Wagner said that she
was not making any at present. Her
health had been very poor of late, and she
was going to rest and be taken care of. Il
have a husband and daughter who value
me enough to shield me from every care
and anxiety. and they want me to grow
well and strong again. l am improving,
for / weigh quite 100 pounds now, and ]
hope even to be able to take my old place
in the workaday world"
An influx of callers brought the inter-
view TO a close rather suddenly, and the
reporter departed with a cordial wish that
the little lady's hopes might be realized.
for certainly the world needs just such
bright, sweet, Iowa BILE women as is Mrs.
Wagner to bring sunshine into its dark
nlaPaS