The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-08-15


No state in the union has produced
more bright women who have done their
duty in all lines of work than has Indi-
ana. Strangers are amazed at the num-
Der of duties which Indiana women
carry along without neglecting their
homes. More than one woman has at
tanned a national reputation, and sew
eral are known throughout the world
No woman has a wider reputation
through her work in temperance than
Mrs. Zerelda G. Wallace, whose seventy
seventh birthday was celebrated Tues
day throughout the state by all organi-
cations of the w. c. T. L. Mrs. Wal
lace, who has retired from active plat
form work, now resides at Cataract
farm, a delightful place of 1000 acres,
and employs her time in reading and
studying the social questions. At pres
ent the farm is being improved, and she
is the guest of her grandson, Mr.. James
NJ. feathers, in Morton-place. 1t was
here that the writer enjoyed morning
in company with Mrs. Wallace recently
and realized that if conversation is be
coming a lost art among most women,
Mrs. Wallace has the power to interest
young and old, who love TO listen to her
regardless Of the fight of time.
On this particular occasion the talk,
which was wholly informal, drifted on
to great improvements, and Mrs. wal
lace INDUCED in some delightful rem
iniscences.
As an example of the improvements
that have been made in the past 1tty
years. Mrs. Wallace related her journey
from Washington to indianapolis In 1871
when Mr.. Wallace was a representative
in congress. Mr. Wallace and the Ken
lucky delegation chartered a stage
coach which contained three seats and
was swung on broad straps in manner
that made a person addicted to sea
sickness, i'll. The party consisted of Mr.
and Mrs. Wallace, Col. Cravens, repre-
sentative from the Madison district
and a Kentucky representative with his
wife, grown daughter and younger
one 1t was I'm September, and the
scenery of the mountains ctd valleys
was at its best. and the air crisp and
bracing. The party would start early IN
the morning, ride for miles, then stop
for breakfast. If the scenery was worth
a stop the party explored the neighbor-
hood for several hours or If there We're
nothing of particular interest they went
on. They had the same privilege that
the mail coaches had of changing horses
at each relay station along the national
journey. The trip lasted a week. and
Mrs. Wallace declares that she felt the
beneficial effects of it in her general
health for years.
A Firm Believer.
Mrs. Wallace is a firm believer in the
Importance and responsibility Of the acts
of the individual. and thinks that each
individual should carefully weigh Eis
acts and words. She is a great believer
in working for reformation, but does
not think it possible TO reform the
masses-the work must be with individ-
uals. The greatest events in history,
according to Mrs. Wallace, have come
as a result of the act of one individual
To illustrate this Mrs. Wallace related
an incident, already familiar to the
public, but coming from her it had an
added interest Mr.. Wallace was i'm
$50. 900 appropriation to lay experimental
telegraph wires from Washington to
Baltimore The matter was referred g
the committee on ways and means of
which Mr. Wallace was a member. The
vote was taken alphabetically. and Mr..
Wallace gave the vote which granted
Mr. Morse the appropriations The scene
was a very affecting one, for Mr.. Morse
wept over Mr.. Wallace's shoulder with
delight. This vote, however, cost Mr..
w dlldcE Ills seat III NbAiSlt0Ss lbA OF tllS
next election Mr. Brown, his demo-
cratic opponent, declared the appropria-
ton was waste Of the peoples money,
and made speeches relating TO Wallace s
'"Tell-I-Graph" vote. His speeches had
great weight with the farmers, and Alr.
Wallace was defeated. Mrs Wallace
was present on the memorable occasion
when the first Geographic messag e-'Lo,
see what God has wrought"-was sent.
The people We're not particularly en-
thusiastic on that occasion, according
10 Mrs Wallace, for everyone believed
could not succeed. Mr.. Morse always
declared that the missing link in his
invention was an inspiration. He was
leaning over the guards of vessel going
from Albany to New York when a
sunbeam flashed through the water un
der the bow of the boat and gave him
the key 10 his invention. This, he felt.
was a message direct from God, and he
always spoke of it as such.
Unlike most inventors, who die be
fore they see the result Of their work.
Mr.. Morse lived to see the success of
his" said Mrs. Wallace. ION his
eighty-ffth birthday they erected him
throne in Washington, and he sat
there and received kilograms of con-
graduation from all over the world.
THE social life at Washington was
much the same as it is now. President
Tyler was in power but owing to a split
in the whig party, the Indiana delega-
ton did not visit the white house. Col.
Thompson was in congress at the same
time with Mr.. Wallace, and Mrs. ThOmp-
son was there also. l was deeply inter
ested i'm public affairs and was too fond
of my husband to care much for society.
An Episcopal Missionary.
ITO return to the great Importance of
every individual act" continued Mrs.
! Wallace, when Mr.. Villars drove the
golden spike that finished the Great
Northern and Pacific railway. which my
father always said was the strongest
band to cement the nation, there came
! to my mind the story of how he owed
the great railroad to the foresight and
self-sacrifice of one man, an episcopal
missionary. When Fillmore was presi-
! dent and Daniel Webster secretary of
state, there was a treaty pending be-
tween Great. Britain and the United
| States, by which Great Britain was t.
| have all the northwestern territory
| This missionary was stationed at the
| Columbia river. He saw the advantage
| to the United States in owning this ter
ritory, and though it was winter he took
| his pony and rode through the vast
| forests to Washington. He arrived al
! that city covered with icicles, and begged
! Mr.. Webster to withhold the treaty
which was ready for the presidents
| signature, from the latter until the mis-
! siOnary had seen him. Mr.. Webster
/ L h.