Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-10-11
GROWING OLD GRACEFULLY.
\ Group of Notable Women That Have
Passed thu Limit of the Psalm;st.

\ Group of Notable Women That Have
Passed til" Limit of the Psalm;st.
Now York Commercials dyortisor.
There arc Il score or more women
that have Won national. and in some in
stances world .widG fame, and yet,
though far past the meridian of life
many OF them are as active as they were
from 20 to 80 years ago. One of the
best known of the group and also one
OF the oldest is Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Everybody has heard of her, but not
everybody knows that she is now 10
years old, and that she lives quietly
upon the west side of this city in u
pretty apartment surrounded with all
the implements for work. She manages
a type writing machine nicely.
Compared with Mrs. Stanton, Miss
Anthony at "a is youthful, with her old
aye quite ahead Of her.
Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher, 80, almost
complained this springof being fatigued.
FOR financial reasons, owing to an un.
fortunate investment, she was obliged
to move, giving up her old rooms,
where she could see the doors OF
Plymouth Church, and move into a
Hat Sue had TO .'store" many of her
things, and she packed several trunks
for sending away to relatives.
Mrs. Gilbert at IA, and Mrs. John
Drew at rs, are both as active as kittens,
Mrs. Drew's theatrical company, re-
Gently formed, owes much of its Sic
cess to her very clever dancing, always
many times encored; and those who
have seen Mrs. Gilbert's sold women"
OF late years and have noted the ex-
quisite minuet dancing done by them,
can hardly forbear wishing that some of
the younger dancers would grow old
that they might be as graceful and MIN
Dle.
Mrs. d. p. Bowers, near 70, and
Maggie Mitchell, over the 60 mark, are
improving us they come into the realm
of that charmed existence of perfect old
age.
lady Wilde is probably some years
over 70,but her mind goes ON untiringly,
Iler latest public move is to secure
titles for women similar to those con.
ferred upon men for deeds performed.
And she has never ceased for day to
lecture for Woman's rights.
Among the suffragists are several that
are more than hale and hearty over
three score and ten. There is Matildn
jocelyn Gage, grand in her platform
eloquence and busy writing all the time
in her home OF Fayetteville, where she
"leads the town" i'll all senses, social
and intellectual.
Isabella Beecher Hooker is another of
these. Last winter, after catching up with
her corresnondence, too long neglected
for the Worlds Fair, Mrs. Hooker
iourneyed to Southern California,
hoping to eshake of" a slight attack
of rheumatism, so that she could spend
the summer at her country home, near
Hartford, entertaining guests and work.
ing as usual. Mrs. Hooker, of course,
past 70, deeply pities her unfortunate
sister, Harriet Beechcr Stowe, who,
from oVerwork, lost her brain faculties,
though smart otherwise ut SO.
A very delightful woman is Miss
Katherine Draper, who, in 1871, had
the honor to be photographed by her
brother, Professor Draper of the Uni
versity of the City of New York. Miss
Draper was, at that time, young lady
in society, and the fact that "sun
picture" had been taken of her made
her o great object of interest. The
HibbhiCS nhlNli hho tlC hlSb Ollt GNCl
taken" of person, was sent to Eng.
land to Sir William Herschel, from
whose son it was procured for the
Worlds Fair. Miss Draper, still un.
married and very fine looking at 80,
tells of it with much enjoyment, She
remembers the process more wildly
and with more intelligence than could
many of the society bellies nowadays
tell how they are photographed.
Marion Harland has just returned
from the Orient, whittier she went to
write an Eastern novel and to get point
ors for Eastern reform. Amelia Barr, in
her 10th year, is one of the best paid OF
living novelists, and travels to Europe
every summer, taking party of young
people with her.
Then, toward the old age mark, yet so
splendid that no one dares To send them
quite over 1t into the 75s, are the leaders
Of New York society. Among them are
Mrs. William Astor and Mrs. Paran
Stevens.
These fine society women never grow
old. Occasionally they die. One reads
about their demise in the newspapers.
Their friends speaks Of it as "suddcn''
and unexpected but they never say
that she was "old' or ''fcebie."
Grace Greenwood is another of the
smart old women. She holds annual
receptions very large ones-at her
Washington home, and she does con
siderable writing and public reading
now, though so years ago she was
nm accomplished editor and owner of
magazine.