The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-26
LIVELY OLD LADIES.
aged Women Who Continue 20 Take an
Active Part In Hvonnan-s work.


Active Part In 4VOnnan's Work.
One Of our old young people is Eliza
beth Cady Stanton. Everybody has
heard of her. but not everybody knows
that she is now 79 years old and that
she lives quietly upon the west side of
New York IN a pretty apartment, sur
rounded with all the Implements for
work She manages a typewriting ma
chine nicely. Compared with Mrs Stan
ton, Miss Anthony, at "A, is really youth
full, with her old age quite ahead of her.
Mrs Henry Ward Beecher, aged 81,
almost complained this spring of being
fatigued- For financial reasons, owing
to an unfortunate Investment she was
obliged to move, giving up her old
rooms, where she could see the doors Of
Plymouth church, and move into a fat
She had to store many of her things,
and she packed several trunks for send
ing away to relatives.
Mrs. Gilbert, at "a, and Mrs. John
Drew. 76, are both as active as kittens.
Mrs. Drew's theatrical com any, recent
" formed, owes much Of its success to
her very clever dancing, always many
times encored. and those who have seen
Mrs. Csilbert's .foId women of late
years and have noted the exquisite
minuet dancing done by them can hard
~ forbear wishing that some Of the
younger dancers would grow old, that
they might be as graceful and nimble-
Mrs d. p. Bowers, nearly 20, and
Maggie Mitchell, over the go mark, are
improving as they come into the realm
of the charmed. existence OF perfect old
age.
Lady Wilde is probably some years
over 20, but her mind goes on untiring-
ly. Her 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 a day to
lecture for woman s rights.
Among the sufragists are several
that are more than hale and hearty over
threescore and ten. There is Matilda
Jocelyn Gage, grand in her platform
e1oquence and busy writing all the time
in her home at Fayetteville, where she
s'leads the town in all senses, social
and intellectual Isabella Beecher
Hooker is another Of these
Last winter, after catching up with
her correspondence, too long neglected
for the World fair, Mrs Hooker jour
neyed to southern California, hoping to
''shaH1e off, o slight attack Of rheuma-
tism, so that she could spend the sum-
mer at her country home near Hartford
entertaining guests and working as usu-
al Mrs. Hooker, past 70, Of course
deeply pities Ger unfortunate sister,
Harriet Beecher Stowe, who from over
work lost her brain faculties, though !
smart otherwise, at 49,
A very delightful woman is Miss /
Katherine Draper, who in 1871 had the /
honor to be photographed by her broth
er, Professor Draper of the University /
of the City Of New York. Miss Draper +
was at that time yoEng lady IN socie- /
ty, and the fact that q ''sun picture
had been taken of her made her a great (
object Of interest The picture, which I
was the first one ever taken Of a per-
son, was sent to England to Sir William T
Herschel, from whose son it was prOcur-
ed for the Worlds fair.
Miss Draper, still unmarried and very
fine looking at so. tells of it with much
enjoyment. She remembers the process
more vividly and with more intelligence
than could many of the society bellies
tell how they are photograph
ed.
Among writers there are q few who
must have passed into what ordinary
women would consider old age, yet who
are hvelier than ever and doing better
work. Some are even assisted by their
grandchildren.
Think Of It'll Marion Harland has Just
returned from the orient. whittier she
went to write an eastern novel and to
get pointers for eastern reform. Amelia
Barr, in her seventeen 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 it into the seventy -fves, are
The leaders of New Y ork society. Among
them are Mrs William Astor and Mrs.
Paran Stevens
These fine society women never grow
I'D Occasionally they die One reads
about their demise in the newspapers.
Their friends speak Of it as sudden
and unexpected, . but they never say
hat she was @'old'' or feeble. -
Grace Greenwood is another of the
smart old women. She holds annual re-
very large ones, at her Wash
ngton home, and she does considerable
writing and public reading now, though
so years ago she was an accomplished
sditor and owner of a magazine -Bos-
on Globe.
Women Physicians.
According to recent statistics, there
re about 2, 600 women practicing medi-