The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-28

(Taken by permission from the Octo.
| her Housed hold of Los Angeles, at request
| of the Los Angeles Free kindergarten as
, sociation.- Oopyrigbted.)
Mrs. Caroline Maria Seymour Severa-
nee was born in 1920 in the beautiful
lake town of Canandaigua, N. Y. Her
father, Orson Seymour, was of fine Con-
nectIcut family, and one OF the leading
| bankers Of the town; her mother was of
Scotch. English anu Knickerbocker de-
| scent.
| The town was noted for the wealth ana
| culture of its early settlers. who we're
mainly retired capitalists Of New York
city and state-tho Spencers, Changers,
Sibleys, Howells, etc., and Scotchman,
Mr.. Gregg, who had set up the first deer
park in western New York. These had
made their chosen home thing of
beauty; its ample Square" it's broad To-
cust-snaded streets and the elegant houses
and grounds which opened upon them.
The father dying when Caroline, the
eldest Of tho children, was in her fifth
| year, the mother returned with her little
brood to the hospitable home of her faith
er,Mr. Peter Clarke Of Cayuga county,
n. Y. The broad acres and commanding
outlook from the immense piazza of this
"baronial hail." as visitors were wont to
call the house, made it the marked estate
Of that immediate region. The family of
| thirteen uncles and aunts. besides the
beloved grandparents and delightful
| great grandmama, (the five youngest OF
| the thirteen being playmates I or the new
comers) made merry household, COM
! prising four generations.
| But our Caroline was shy and self
contained child, happier over book or
in her own musings than in the ordinary
| and numerous games of chat time. in
| which she Joined, however from the con-
| tagiOn of their mirth, or from the urgent
entreaty of the elders. OF all this period.
the holidays, the spontaneous and hearty
| service of the revered and sunny great
| grandmother. who was the center and
| heart of the home-life, she has the most
vivid memories.
There were IN the town only primitive
| opportunities for education. and the
mother returned to her Canandaigua
friends, at their urgent request, and
passed y3ar or more there, as the guest
of Mr.. and Mrs. John G. Spencer. Caro-
| lina made her beginning with school
books ct Upbam Female seminary, which
had already bnilt itself stately home,
| and won larger patronage, from year to
year, thereafter.
Later she was pupil of fine private
school in Auburn, n. Y and later still,
of Mrs. Benefits high grade school on
Oasco lake. near Auburn. She was al
ways diligent in her studies. and very
happy in them. Sill later, she was a
boarding pupil for three years at the then
famous school for girls, founded by Mrs.
| Rcord, in Geneva, N. y, where the
teachers and the clergyman of the Dutch
and OF the Dutch Reformed church, Mr..
A beel encouraged her studious inclina-
tons. and made her valedlctorian OF her
| class in 1885,
| In 1887 she was with her mother and
sister, an inmate of the mouse of her
uncle, J. s. Seymour, IN Auburn, N. y.
! She married from there. in 1S4O Mr..
| Theodoric Severance, who had been the
| popular teller of her uncle bank and
a great favorite in the town.
They commenced housekeeping at once
| in Cleveland, Ohio, where her husband
was then O banker. her mother aud only
sister being members of the household.
Hsr only brother, J.. o. Seymour, now
granddaughter OF Moses Cleveland, the
founder of the city, had also settled
| there.
In Cleveand, her tastes, outside of her
anxiety and care for the health and hab-
| its of her four children (anxiety in
creased bv the loss of the first a more
sturdy boy than the later comers). lad
her into study rather than into society.
Her book reviewing and enthusiastic
| reports of a wOman's suffrage convention
which she attended at Akron,O., in 1851,
/ with the famous Hutchinson family, her
guests Ca nest of brothers with sister
in it," as n. 7. Willis described them !;
| and most lovely sister,, led to "a re =
quest from tho Ohio Womans Rights
association 20 prepare and present a me-
moral to the legislature of Ohio, which
she did. under the escort of DR.. Harriet
n. Hunt of Boston, and with the helpful
Endorsement of her neighbor ami friend.
Judge John A. FoUte then a mem per of
the senate, and brother of Com odore
Foots of Connecticut. At the first annual
meeting of this association, May % and
26. 90. in the absence OF the president,
Mrs. Severance was chosen to conduct
| the session.
Later in 1858 she was unanimously in
| vited to read paper before the Young
Mems Library Association of Cleveland
the first woman to speak before body
OF its order in the west, it is believed.
Her subject Humanity; Definition and
a Plea, strikes the keynote of her life.
She describes the novelty of her position
as somewhat trying and gratefully at
tributes in a large measure her success in
passing creditably through the ordeal of
this her maiden effort to the friendly as
sis,ance of George Bradburn and wife OF
Boston. So strong and logical an address
was not expected from woman in those
early days and the criticism was at once
made that it had been written by Mr..
BradDurn, wnlch charge III Is needless TO
say he Indignantly denied.
Mrs. Severance was asked to repeat
this lecture at the Gleason Water Cure in
| Elmira, N. y, while Thomas X. Bsecher
was minister there and a patient at thu
| Cure.
Mr.. Beecher rallied Mrs. Severance
upon the length of her lecture, saying it
was as ii she had been afraid she might
not live to write another and must get
it all in, and, that in this respect it re.
| sembled his first sermon. She was again
| asked to repeat the lecture in the Parker
| Fraternity lecture course in fremont
temple. Boston, where she had an i'm
| mense and enthusiastic audience. She
| was the .;rst woman lecturer in it's course
| and on it's board.
| Mrs. Severance and Aunt Fannie Gage
(see verses following this sketch) called a
woman's convention in Cleveland, dur
ing Republican rally there. and were
encouraged by the presence of John Z.
Hale, Joshua r. Giddings, S. L. Chase
! and other prominent men and able
women; and attended a convention in
| New York, which was under fire" from
| Marshal Rynders and his Tammany
| mob. Mrs. Severance had been invitsd
by Wendell Phillips and Rev. Antoinette
| Blackwell to join them in attending the
| temperance convention then In session.
Thus, by accident, she escaped the rough
est attack OF the mob upon the mem bers
of the convention. Rev. Antoinette
Brown was an accredited delegate to the
temperance convention, but was never
theless treated to q storm of abuse and
political tlikery unworthy of men and OF