The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-06-09
FRANCES WILLARD BREAKS DOWN.
Her Great Efforts For Temperance Have
Shattered Her Health.

FRANCES WILLARD BREAKS DOWN.
Her Great Efforts For Temperance Have
Shattered Her Health.
Letters received from London by the
Woman's Christian Temperance union
state that Frances Willard has entirely
broken down as the result of her three
years hard work and the loss Of her
mother last year. Her physicians have
ordered her to Switzerland for the sum-
mer and refuse to allow her to carry out
her plan of taking part in the worlds
congresses at the exposition. Some
doubts are expressed as to her recovery.
Miss Willard is born leader of wom-
en-, and her inspiration and influence
will be much missed in the great tenn
R rance movement of which she was the
organizer and leading spirit. For the
past year she has been with Lady Henry
Somerset in England, where she was re-
eeived with great enthusiasm ON all pub
lie occasions and spoke almost constant
Iy before crowded audiences. Her home
in America on Lake Michigan near
Evanston was called Rest Cottage,
though there in her eden" she worked
from 0 in the morning until evening
planning her campaigns, watching and
directing each new movement in the
temperance world with the precision of
a military commander. With her work
ed, too, small army of secretaries,
typewriters and stenographers, each one
of them a devoted enthusiast in the
work.
AS president of the Worlds w. G. T.
y. she kept up direct communication
with temperance workers all over the
world from China to Natal, from Lon
don to San Francisco, from Ottawa to
Sidney. Besides this, accompanied by
her faithful private secretary, she made
prolonged tours among the American
unions, of which she is also president.
While organizing these unions Miss
Willard personally visited not only ev-
ery state and territory in the United
States, but also every town Of 10000 in
habitants, and as a result the associa-
tion of temperance women is organized
with completeness found in no other
philanthropic body.
At the conventions held in Boston last
autumn delegates were present from ev-
cry part of America, and representatives
of all the countries in the world took
part.
Miss Willard was born in New York
state in 1889 and taken to Wisconsin
while still in infancy to be brought up
with her brother in happy "appren-
ticeship to nature" and amid the refine
ment of an exceptionally cultured and
happy home. To this early life may be
traced most of her independence and
originality of thought, her quaint and
forcible analogies and metaphors il
speaking and writing. 1t is interesting
to read of her bitterness and rebellion
when they braided up her long hair,
heightened her gowns and taught her
the restrictions which conventionality
demands of women. Prophetic of her
present independence of theory, her be-
lief in the equality of the sexes, was the
little girls wretchedness at being re-
strained from the freedom enjoyed by
her brothers, whose companion she had
been from childhood. At Is she entered
college and graduated with unusual dis
tinction, and after travelling for time
IN Europe she was appointed dean of the
Woman's college at Evanston.
In the early days of the temperance
movement she quixotically gave up all
advantageous work and allied herself
with the little band of temperance wom-
en- devoid CT means or Of experience.
For some time she worked necessarily
with no salary, supporting herself as
best she could. 1t was her mother, prac-
tical as well as Jealous in good works,
who wrote to the enthusiast, calling at
tentfon to the fact that her clothing was
nearly worn out, her health well nigh
exhausted, and that the laborer was Ger.
tainly worthy of her hire. Since then
The society to whose service she has de-
voted her life, her magnificent energy
and her exceptional talent have recog-
nized her services in the regular way
New York Sun.