The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-22
WOMAN RULES.
Mrs. Mary E. Lease Visits the
Town of Lincoln, N. j.
Is Welcomed by Mayor and
Women Officials.
TREATED TO SODA.
Watched a Town Meeting and
Made a Speech.
TREATED TO SODA.
Sick Babies Keep a Portion of
the Council Away.

] may VI u 4lDCO4AAs N. J.g WI1C1S LlAC wv
| men rule, is a prophet. He prophesied
| LincOln's existence and Lincoln is there.
| He prophesied that a. number of nota-
BILE women would meet Mrs. Mary Eliz-
| abeth Lease upon her arrival there yes
| terday afternoon.And though the num-
| Der was Hmited-limited to one, Miss
Emmet EgIe, councilwoman of Lincoln,
a number really did meet her. When
she and her son, Charles H. Lease,
stepped off the train to the track with
! equal dignity, the Mayor and Miss EgeI
| escorted her to the Town hall, for she
| was their guest and had come out to
| see the greatness of Lincoln.
| Mrs. Lease, pray be seated" said
Mayor Drake with a cordial smile and
! a voice ladened with municipal hospi-
| tality. This is Lincoln"
! a sweep of his hand, taking in all the
| windows, indicated Lincoln.
Mrs. Lease, 1 owe you an apology"
! continued the mayor, his official voice
over1owing with emotion. You took
! me kind of sudden-like. 1 hoped for the
| honor of this visit from you, but did
| not know it would be today until it was
| too late to notify the good women of
| Plainheld to come here and meet YOU
! Mrs. Lease, seated on a kitchen chair
| in the Town hail. mayors Office, council
| chamber, real estate bureau and Sun
| day school, assured him that no apOI-
| Ogy was necessary.
Mayor Drake unfolded a pale blue
paper and read:
| a
! of the town, I bid you welcOmer"
| LincOlns mushroom growth, its high
| aims for WOmen'S advancement, its
| streets and sewers, Mayor brakes share
| in all these and the subjects which
| would be discussed at the common
| council meeting later in the afternoon,
| were spread out before Mrs. Lease in
! terms which made the sunset blush for
| shame of it's glow, and sink behind the
| Wacthung hills.
| When Mayor Drake sat down Mrs.
/ T
| Honorable Mayor and Ladies of the
| Council" she said, inclining towards
! Miss Egel and her associate. Miss Mat
| tie Moore, who had arrived in the mean
! time. ITO say that am astOnished.
| but poorly expresses my feelings!
| find the same spirit, the same wonder
full progressiveness here as in the
| west
! Lincoln with its Drake avenue, a
| boulevard, a soda water stand and it's
| castles in Spain,' is too big a place to
! view from its custard colored Town
! hall, with whipped cream tinted trim
| mings. So Mrs. Lease was taken on
| tour of inspection to a factory near the
| railroad track, whence she looked out
| over Lincoln and admired the breadth
| of it's acres.
Four o'clock found Mrs. Lease, Lin
| coins invited guest, once more seated in
| the kitchen chair of state.
1.-Two minutes more before shall call
| the meeting to Orderr' said the mayor.
"One minute mOrei"
1.-The meeting is called to orderH'
Ten plain citizens and citizenesses,
| some from Bound Brook, others from
| Lincoln, the mayor and two town cOun-
| cilwOmen Miss Egel and Miss Matte
! Moore made the meeting. Mrs. Oil
| via Hazard, the third councilwoman,
| sent a note of regrets that she could
not be present, on account of her sick
baby.
L move that we suspend the reading
| of the last meetings. minutes, because
| we haven't much time, and there's
gentleman here who wants to catch
the 4:3O train said the mayor.
The movement has been made and
| seconded piped Miss Egel, president
of the council. rs there any discus
siOn?'
There was no discussion, so it was
! passed. Miss Egel was the presiding
officer, but Mayor Drake did the presid-
ing for her.
His honor told of road to be opened.
It should really be opened, he said, and
moved that the sum of SIS be appro-
priated for the purpose.
Somebody wanted is know where the
road was.
There it is" exclaimed the mayor,
jumping upon a Sunday school bench
and pointing to some spot on Lincoln's
ground plan. The ten citizens and
citizenesses nodded understandingly.
''The electric light company wants to
put twenty lights on the boulevard!'
said the clerk.
THE water company will lay its pipes
tomorrow"
eve are going to organize a fire de-
partment on Saturday night" ratified
the mayor ito buy thousand feet of
hose, and when you all come here again
we shall have something to show you
streets and sidewalks as good as New
York's!" Then with an impressiveness
| that was truly touching, he added, by
way of epilOgue:
I'VE have given the outside world
evidence of what we do. There is
much business to be done, but L move
to adjourn
1.-The movement is made and second
ed. All in favor say aye, came
Miss EgePs refrain. All said ayes
Mayor Drake escorted Mrs. Lease
and the two councilwomen to the soda
water stand next door, over which
there may be a hotel some day. The
landlady knocked some small labellers
bottles with shove-in shoppers against
the counter and poured out pink soda
water for the women.
What you want to do, Mrs. Lease,
is to settle in Lincoln said Mayor
Drake. at the station. Now, I'll tell
house-see it over there in that clump
OF trees, Lincoln villa. You can have
it for s25 a month. 1t has twelve
rooms and water in it,
Il must think it over" she replied,
overwhelmed at his offer; 4 can't de-
eide now"
Nov is the time-never delay. What
do you want? Do you want me to give
you the house? Wen, you might be of
help to US" he added, but the train did
not let him tell how.
do come. again. The honor of your
visit is all on your side,' said Miss
Moore.
You have a national reputation,
Mrs. Lease, but I'll have as great a
name as you some day" shouted Mayor
Drake. as Mrs. Lease disappeared in
the car.
Il love New York; I am always glad
to get back to it" exclaimed Mrs.
Lease when she reached the city.
There was pathos in her voice.
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