The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-11-29

on herself. y clean blue calico, stout
shoes, black straw bonnet, knitted
jacket or shoulder shawl, an iron bed
stead in n room without even a rocking
chair and overlooking the bakeshop, suf-
feed for her. She had no time to enjoy
real luxuries. AS long as there was a
weeping child or friendless woman
in the city what time had she to fold
heFarms in a rocking chair? While there
were unburied, cofiinless forms could she
adorn her home of the living? And so it
happened that to the end OF life Mar
garet spent neither time, care nor money
on herself. She forget there was such a
mortal rs Margaret.
"And when one day the news went
around that Margaret was dead the great
city arose and put on mourning; the bust
ness houses were closed; all the employ
ments of the city stood still. The day of
the burial thousands of her little orphans
followed her bier as mourners: every
church sent delegations of honor bearers:
the public school children joined in the
throng; the houses were draped along the
line of march; all the bells in the city
tolled; civic and military joined in the
procession with eccesastics: there never
was here funeral like Margaret's.
"Afterwlrd it was found that her pos
sessions had been so disposed that had
death come at any moment the affairs of
this life were well and intelligently
wound up. There were no personal eff
fects of value, but even her few gar
ments she left to the poor, and with the
proceeds of her wise investments her
charities are royalty endowed.
This statue is the gift of the city, to
show in this public way the esteem in
which she is held. 1t is very like Mar
garet. The motherly figure, seated with
one arm encircling standing child at
her side; the untrimmed dress, coarse
shoes, the little crocheted shawl about
her shoulders are homcly, but who would
change them for finer clothing? The
smooth hair. with its old fashioned French
parting; the strong chin, the pleasant
mouth. the serious eyes-is there not
something fascinating in the contradic-
tons of the face?
Did you ever see such head on n
woman's shoulders? Massive. wonder
full. That is the head of statesman and
fnancer. while its mouth, with its pleas
ant smile, telling of the tact and natural
suavity of Margaret's character. pro-
cldllllS the eleiuenlS OF BORN ulplOlllaI.
Yet. look again at the broad. massive
brow, and see the earnest, loving eye that
speaks of a true womanhood: look once
more at the coarse garments and you will
see that poverty added her load to the or
binary burden Of womanhood, while igno-
rance, bereavement, atlliction, loneliness
join hands with poverty against this soul.
But the massive brow conquered. the I'M
taught brain triumphed, and under the
leadership of the sad, gentle eyes gave to
the suffering what might, had she been Il
man born in other circumstances, have
been the gain of nations and the glitter
of the trapping of a diplomat.
"When | consider what Margaret did
for one city under such desperate disad-
vantages. ! wonder what she could have
done for the world if all the environ
ments had been right. | was thinking of
that as looked. in passing for the hum
dredth time, at the strong, fascinating
face this morning, when your question
met my ear.
eyes. it looks like her. and there will
never be another in marble like it to the
end of time She was a grand character
tender, strong, original, pitiful, helpful,
wise"