The San Francisco call., 1897-05-16
EVELYN LOUISE LEASE Gifted Daughter Mrs Mary

to crowd into three minutes of time
evoked. She is slender in build and will
be tall like her mother. Her voice is
nothing short of marvellous. 1t is clear.
resonant and strong, and falls with a
strange insistence on the ear, for back of
it is woman's earnest soul seeking free
expression.
She has heavy head of blue black hair
and the fair skin and blue eyes of the
Irish race. She never cared for dolls, but
has always been a great lover of books,
and has made free use of the splendid
library of Mrs. Lease. She made her
debut as public speaker rather early in
life and in very unexpected manner. 1t
was at the first Peoples Party National
conference in st. Louis, over eight years
ago, in which her mother took an active
part. There was an immense audience,
and while the conference was waiting for
committee 10 report, the chairman
asked little Louise to "speak a piece"
The child gave a recitation from Gerald
Massey, beginning:
Coming up the sleeps Of time
This old world is growing brighter.
She did it full justice, and the long
continued applause forced her to return.
1t happened that almost the entire day
had been taken up with discussions over
the adoption of the suffrage plank, and
Louise had become greatly wrought up
over the question. Instead OF reciting
again, she launched forth into woman's
suffrage speech. She spoke in ringing
tones and with dramatic gestures and
said:
"You men must keep your promises
and give us suffrage plank. You have
been telling US that the hand that rocks
the cradle rules the world but 1 want to
say to you, gentlemen, that unless you
make your promises good at this conven-
ton there will be no cradles to rock and
no ba bies to put in them"
Mrs. Lease, who was on the platform,
caught the last sentence and in horrified
whisper said to the chairman, ''For
heavens sake, call that child downW
but the chairman only laughed and re-
piled, LET her alone; she's all right"
The applause when she had finished
was deafening. AT recess they took the
little suffragist up on their shoulders and
carried her around the hall. She was the
idol of the convention.
d.
Lease was visiting the Boys Reform
School at Topeka, and Louise accompa-
MED her. There were 200 boys out on the
playground, and Louise was soon the CEN
ter of an interested group. She conceived
the idea that here was an opportune time
to look after her political fences. and she
made speech to the boys, concluding as
follows:
Now, boys, a great many years from
now / may be candidate for Congress or
the United States Senate. By that time
you boys will be men and want you to
promise to vote for me-"
Two hundred lusty-lunged youngsters
applauded with all their might and
shouted, "We will"
Miss Lease is strict vegetarian, eschew-
ing meat, eggs and milk. She thinks life
sacred and to destroy it crime. During
the Worlds Fair her mother introduced
her to Perusha Tan Rao Telang, high
caste Brahmin priest. who was there as a
delegate to the Worlds Congress of Re.
ligions. The priest became greatly in
terested in Louise and her views regard
ing the sacredness of animal life and told
Mrs. Lease that without doubt the child
was q reincarnation. That he was deeply
impressed is proved by the fact that he
came clear from Chicago 10 Wichita after
the Worlds Fair for no other reason than
to see the child. His appearance here in
his rich oriental garb nearly scared the
people in the Lease neighborhood out of
their wits. He made a long visit at the
Lease home and whom he left he predicted