The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-22
WOMAN'S
WORLD.

sustained is made the occasion by the
Chicago Record Herald of an article on
the wives of Presidents of the United
States.
From Martha Washington to Mrs.
Mckinley some very high types OF the
best womanhood of America have SUI
fered. and lived down suffering, TO the
glory of the people who have honored
them.
Martha Washington was a widow
when she married George washington
and therefore was not unacqualnteo
with the complex nature of man. she
enioyed wealth of her own and So
cial position.
Literature relating to Martha wash
ineton is scarce. Her husband entered
the presidential office at time when
the country was almost rent with pow
ertv and diverse political opinions, and
social entertainment was not calieo
for. The wife spent her time at Mount
Vernon, caring for the joint estate OF
herself and husband, and to her he
came as often as the cares Of his OF
hce would permit. 1t is said OF her
that she thought much more OF MS ele-
waited position than he did, but that
when he was accused by his enemies
of overdrawing his salary and OF nav
ing offered to betray the colonies TO the
British early in the revolution, she for
ao+ his erninence. remembered only the
suffering man, and gave him the best
of herself
MIR. Washington" she said after his
death, "was to me always the most
kind and indulgent of husbands"
A woman cut no conspicuous figure
in Washington life until the arrival OF
pretty, jolly "Dollie" Madison, the wife
of the fourth President. She was cieV-
err she was witty she was as spirited
as her husband was amiable. The
White House was not much of a White
House in those days; Madison was not
the most popular President we have
had, but out of all the troubles of the
time shines the face of "Dollie" Madi-
son. a distinguished wife in extremely
dark hours.
"Dollie's" great hour was when the
British entered Washington and drove
the outward form of the government
helter-skelter ahead of it. This was on
Aug. 49, 1914.
Few men there were in Washington
that day but "Dollie" Madison was in
charge of the public documents and
"Dollie" was not retreating until the
last moment. Late the night of Aug. %
a note came to her from her husband,
which briefly said that the British
were stronger than supposed, that
they probably would enter the city,
and that she must be ready to fee on
a moments notice.
To her personal property the brave
woman gave no thought. She gathered
up instead all of the cabinet papers
possible packed them in trunks, filled
a carriage with them and waited for
the coming of Mr.. Madison. The next
morning she assembled to the roof of
the house and with spy-glass search
ed the country side for sign of the
approach of her husband. She said af-
terward that what she saw was:
Groups of military wandering in all
directions, as If there was a lack of
arms or of spirit to fight for their own
firesides."
At noon the sound of cannon was
heard, and just before o'clock came
two messengers bidding her to hasten
her departure. Taking a wagon loaded
with plate and government papers she
ordered all valuables deposited with the
Bank of Maryland. She broke out of
the frame Gilbert Stuart's picture of
Washington, and gave ii to one Jacob
Barker to convey to a place of safety.
Then she drove to Georgetown, but be
coming anxious as to the safety of her
husband returned to Washington to
sc arch for him. Finding him safe she
returned to Georgetown and spent the
night there while the British rioted in
the national capital.
Long after "Dollie" Madison had
passed from existence Mrs. Abraham
Lincoln came to Washington as the
first lady of the land" In the year
1870. as the old chronicles run. MIR.
Lincoln became engaged to Mary Todd
OF Lexington, KY, daughter of Rob
ert S. Todd. They were married Nov.
4, 1912, and Mrs. Lincoln survived her
husband after his untimely death in
1855. So far as the history of this coun-
try has progressed no woman ever
came to the White House in more try
ing times. She lived through such a
period of national existence as IL is to
be hoped no other American woman
will ever be called upon to face. For
her II may be said that she was ten
derby loved and cherished by the great
commoner who thought an injury to a
woman was a sin too heinous to be ex-
plated"
While Mrs. Lincoln was facing the
fearful trials placed upon the Presi-
dents wife during the war another
woman in more modest circumstances
was living the life of a soldiers wife.
She was Mrs. Ulysses Grant. who as
Julia Dent had married plain U. S.
Grant, Aug. %. 1s4S. He was in the reg
ular army then and stationed at De-
troit. Later he was sent to Panama,
then to San Francisco. on to Vancou-
Yer and to other points on the Pacific
coast. Mrs. Grant and the two children
born remained in the East. OF this
Grant says in his memoirs:
In the late summer of 1854 l re-
Joined my family. to find in 1t a son
whom / had never seen, born while |
was on the Isthmus of Panama. I was
now to commence, at the age of 80. a
new struggle for our support. My wife
had farm near st. Louis. to which
we went but / had no means to stock
II. A house had to be built also"
Mrs. Grant was by her husbands
side through all the hardships which
followed. Few of the aristocracy of St
Louis in 1858 could have been made to
believe that the Grant who hauled
wood for them and the wife who wait
ed for him at the farm would be or
their way TO the White House ten years
later II was in May, 1861. that Grant
entered the service of the state OF
Illinois and began that career which
was to make him twice a President.
Mrs. Grant was essentially an orna-
nnent to the White House. as distin.
guished in the social life Of the capital
as was her husband in national affairs
When his fatal illness came and the