The Chilhowee echo. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1899-19??, 1899-11-25


gs0I ways, a monument to woman
"a woman of humble birth,
never widely known, but saint in the
eyes of the people of the city in which
she long lived and labored. Why that
monument was built and why she is
worthy of it, is worth repeating.
Margaret Gaffney, poor Irish girl,
was born in Baltimore, where her
parents died of yellow fever while she
was a small child. A family named
Richards gave her home until she
grew to womanhood, when she married
man named Houghery. They moved
to New Orleans, where the husband S
health failed. He made voyage to
Ireland with the hope of being benefit
ted, but he died. Their only child soon
followed the father, and the young wife
-Dlsi las-f--
vice as domestic in an orphan asylum
founded by that worthy man, Julian
Paydreas. For time this institution
was conducted by some Protestant
women in conjunction with the Sisters
of Charity, but later the Sisters opened
a separate institution and Margaret
took charge of their dairy. But she
also helped them in other branches, and
from the beginning proved true and
valued friend to the orphans. There
are men living in New Orleans who will
tell you that they have seen her wheel
ing a barrow, loaded with provisions,
through the streets to the asylum, the
supplies being gift to the orphans,
provided she would thus transport them.
She remained with the asylum until it
had paid the last dollar of debt: then
she engaged in the dairy business on
her own account. She prospered from
the first, giving the business the closest
attention and laboring patiently, inces-
sanity. She often drove one of her own
milk carts or bread carts, for in 1860
she opened bakery in the heart of the
city, and this, like the dairy, grew and
prospered. "Margaret's Bakery" was
one of the best known establishments in
the city. 1t seemed that the more she
gave the more she prospered-and her
charity was as boundless as it was mod
est and unpretentious. She gave to the
white and the black, Protestant, Cath
olic, Hebrew-she had sympathy and
charity for all, and all she gave was
blessed with her love.
Everybody called her Margaret
leading citizens, the men of finance and
business, delighted to honor her, and
the greatest and the humblest were
proud to be numbered among her ac-
quaintances. What made the people
honor and love this woman-this plain
Irish woman, stout and unshapely, with
large, red, impassive face, big feet and
hands, always homely dress and Shaker
bonnet-this simple woman almost
wholly without education, without any
of the tricks or arts or graces of fashion,
society or impaired refinement? Was
it because of her loving and constant
kindness, her practical sympathy for
the weak and the oppressed, for the
poor little waits of the street and the
was it because of her patient
industry, unselfish devotion, simple,
humble modesty and that charity which
envieth not, which vaunteth not itself,
which is not puffed up? Whatever the
reason, there was in New Orleans no
woman of intellect or beauty, or wealth,
no grand dame of boasted birth or lin
cage, whom the city, the people, great
and small, honored as they did "Mar-
garet, the Orphans Friend" Her
labor of love ended with her life in 1882.
The tribute, one tribute, which the city
has paid to her memory is a monument
which stands in front of an orphan asy-
lum which she almost built. 1t is al