The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-06-01
HOW KATE FIELD DIED,
She Laid Her Burden Down
Under the Palm Groves of
Hawaii the BleSt.
A Woman Who Did Much for the Cause
of the Political Rights
of Women.

The cause Of woman suffrage lost one of
its most powerful advocates and one of its
most shining exemplars when Kate Field
died in Hawaii the Blest, within sight OF
the silvery simmer of the sunlit sea.
She was a brainy woman, with that ar
tistic instinct, that perception of the ideal,
that sistership with nature which make
up the atmosphere of the true Bohemian.
Stricken with the fatal disease of pent-up
cities, wearied with a brain burden that
seemed never ending, she sought the
ripping blue of the placid seas, with their
foam. and on the bosom of the isle of
eternal summer she lay Ter head and
passed into the drea mless sleep.
MISS Field did much for women. Her
life was continual struggle for the rights
of her sex. Early in the eighties she in
terested number of wealthy ladies in
New York city and with the capital fur
nished by them started woman'S CO.
operative store on. Twenty-third street, be-
tween Fifth and Sixth avenues. 1t was
in one of the finest blocks in the city and
was fitted and furnished in superior man.
ner. 1t was, IN fact an inciplent idea that
has been thoroughly elaborated in many
cities since then, and of which the En-
porium in this City is an e1emplar. Off
GERS were chosen; board of directors
elected, and the entire establishment ar
ranged in departments, each under spe
cial management. Everything that a lady
could desire was to be procured there, and
in order to accommodate uptown or out
of-town patrons an elegant restaurant.
presided over by highpriced chef, was
opened on the top floor. The merchants
took kindly to the scheme and were lib
eral with their credit, knowing full well
the responsibility of the stockholders.
The entire business was carried on by
women, and Miss Field was the general
manager. But, somehow or other, the
patronage was not sufficient to meet the
obligations as they fell due. The mer-
chants began to clamor for their money,
and it was not forthcoming. 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 10 enable them to meet all de.
mands, but, somehow or other, the cash
did not materiallze. 1t was the old story
of incompetency.
The ladies were out of their element.
They did not have the experience neces-
sary to carry out the original design, and
the consequence was failure. The cred
itors were satisfied with Miss Fields hon.
esty, and most of them were in favor of
allowing an extension of time and placing
competent 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 assess
ment 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 Ia
malpais; and wrote some of her best arti-
cles under the influence of that poetic
environment. She gave successful lee
ture entertainments at Union-square hall
in San Francisco during October and No
vember, 1887, under the business agency
OF Marcus M. Henry. 1t was the literary
lady's initial visit here. Her subjects
were Charles Dickens Eyes and Ears in
London" 1.-THE Mormons,' and other
topics. When she departed for Honolulu,
December, 1895, it was understood that
Mr. Henry was to expect her return in
about three months and was to arrange
series of talks on Alaska, Hawaiian Is
lands, Mormonland and America for
Americans
But she grew weaker and weaker. While
she felt ar ease in the land of sunshine the
dread disease had made inroads too great
upon her system, and she was unable to
risk the harsher airs that blew farther
north. So she remained among the banana
groves and closed her eyes where Mother
Nature was kindest in all her moods, and
died at peace with all the world.
The most conspicuous literary venture
OF the deceased was a weekly paper en-
titled Kate Fields Washington, which
ran from 1890 10 1895. In this journal Miss
Field made a gallant fight for the rights
of her sex in particular and of humanity
in general