Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-06-18
now KATE FIEr.D DIED.
A woman Who Did Much for the
Cause Of the Political Rights OF
woman.

The cause of woman suffrage
lost one of its most powerful adj
vocates and one of its most shin |
ing exemplars when Kate Field
died in Hawaii the Blest, within
sight of the silvery simmer Of
the sunlit sea.
She was brainy woman, with
that artistic instinct, that nsrcep. |
ton of the ideal, that sistership
with nature which make up the
atmosphere of the true Bohemian. |
Stricken with the fatel disease of |
pent.up citie9, wearied with a
brain burd.e that seemed never |
ending, she sought the ripping
blue ri the placid seas, with their
gr.ms Of pink coral and teeth of
white foam, and on the bosom of
the isle of eternal summer she lay
her head and passed into the
dreamless sleep.
Miss Field did much for women.
Her life was continual struggle
for the rights of her sex. Early in
the eighties she interested num-
Der of wealthy ladies in New York
city and with the capital furnish
ed by them started a woman's CO.
operative store on Twenty third
street, between Fifth and Sixth
avenues. 1t was in one of the
finest blocks in the city, and was
fitted and furnished in superior
manner. 1t was, in fact, an incip-
lent idea that has been thorough
ly elaborated in many cities since
then, and of which the Emporium
of this city is an exemplar. Off
GERS were chosen; a board Of di-
rectors elected, and the entire es-
Enlistment arranged in depart
ments, each under special man
agement. Everything that lady
could desire was to be procured
there, and in order to accommo-
date uptown or out of-town pat
rons an elegant restaurant, pre-.
sided over by a high-priced chef,
was opened on the top floor. The
merchants took kindly to the
scheme and were liberal with their
credit, knowing full we'll the res
possibility of the stockholders.
The entire business was carried
on by women, and Miss Field was
the general manager. But, some
how or other, the patronage was
not sufficient to meet the obliga-
tons as they fell due. The mer-
chants began to clamor for their
money, and it was not forthcom-
ing. A meeting of the creditors
was called and Miss Field was
asked for an explanation. She
could not satisfy them. She knew
the store was crowded daily, and
thought that the daily sales ought
to enable them to meet all de-
mands, but, somehow or other, the
cash did not materialize. 1t was
the old story of incompetency.
The ladies were. out of their ele-
ment. They did not have the ex-
perience necessary to carry out
the original design, and the con-
sequence was failure. The cred
itors were satisfied with Miss
Fields honesty, and most of them
were in favor of allowing an ex-
tension of time and placing COM
petent man at the head of affairs
in order to straighten out the
business, but Miss Field was tired
of the whole thing and declined
all overtures. An assessment was
levied on the stockholders, the
debts were settled and Miss Field
dropped out of mercantile life.
For several months she resided
in San Rafael, under the shadow
of SCARED Tamalpais, and wrote
some of her best articles under
the influence of that poetic envi-
ronment She gave successful
lecture entertainments IT Union
square hall in San Francisco dur
ing October and November, 1887
under the business agency Of Mar,
Gus NJ. Henry. Itwas the literary
lady's initial visit here. Her sub
jects were Charles Dickens, eyes
and Ears in London" THE Nor
mons" and other topics. When
she departed for Honolulu, De
cember, 1895, it was understood
that Mr.. Henry was to expect hen
return in about three months anG
was to arrange n series of talks or
Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, Nor
monland and America for Amer.
leans