The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-10-25

I don't agree with me
you are dead wrong.
and that settles it, MIS- husseii sage
The lady was dressed all in black and
wore little black toque bravely tied
under her chin three years after ever
/ old women in Paris and America had
| ceased to wear bonnet strings.
| The little lady in black looked as II
| she might be seventy years old and did
! not care who knew it, Her features
were strong. though symmetrical, and
her mouth shut like a steel trap. Her
face was shrewd and kindly as we'll as
intellectual. yet had merry twinkle in
its gray eye withal.
Her personality was so marked and
so markedly in contrast to that of the
preacher of the beauty gospel who had
preceded her that asked q handsome
~ gowned woman near me who the
lady was with white hair and bonnet
strings tied under her chin.
That? oh, that's Mrs. Russell
Sage"
Instantly I said to myself. And If
any woman on this planet can man
age Uncle Russ this one can"
1t is really true that Mrs Russell
fiuence on the great financier than any,
body else ever did. Maybe it is be-
cause she was a schoolmistress in her
youth and learned TO manage not only
school children, but grown ups. She is
president of the Emma Willard associa-
ton. director of the Woman's hos
pital in New York and member of
various patriotic societies among wo-
. ic I,nN cha
tended the annual dinner eaten to the
memory of the pilgrim mothers. 1t
was dinner given by women, but
men were permitted to be present and
do honor to the occasion. Mrs. Sage
maidea name Margaret Olivia Slocum-
is direct descendant in the seventh
generation from Miles Standish. and
she looks and acts the part.
At the close of that pilgrim moth
ers' dinner the men present began to
smoke. Mrs. Sage left the banquet
hall sickened with tobacco fumes and
disheartened over women who met in
honor of the pilgrim mothers and went
home with hair and clothing STEPPED in
stale tobacco smoke. She declared she
could not endure tobacco smoke and
would never attend such another I'M
holy exploitation of the pilgrim moth
ers' memory.
The smoker inebriate is Mrs. Sage's
especial aversion. She has said: Il
believe that smoking is the main cause
of the inefficiency of many men. Smok-
ing has a soporific effect, and the men
sit and dream and are lulled into for
getfulness of what should most interest
them"
The little lady with the decided
mouth clinched her opinions with an
illustration most forceful There was
among the governors OF the Woman's
hospital at one time the now exploded
superstition that a man superintendent
was necessary in order that his author
ity should be respected; that a woman
would not be obeyed by the employees. /.
Accordingly, the flag of the superin-
tendent masculine waved over the Wo-
mans hospital. There began TO be Sc
rious complaint. The gentleman super
intendent did not get his breakfast IN
til half past s, a serious misdemeanor
in the estimation of the early stirring
Mrs. Sage with her New England hsb-
its of activity. Then. after his luxu-
rious $3.50 breakfast. the gentleman SUI
perintendent shut himself up IN his
rooms and Smoked for an indefinite
time. during which nobody could get at
him for anything"
Affairs began 20 go so badly that the |
mans resignation was at length &C
cepted. and a woman was put in his |
place. After that. Mrs. Sage SAYS. ex-
penses were reduced one-third. every |
thing was kept exquisitely neat. and the |
patients were supplied with dainties /
that mean so much TO an invalid and 1
that a woman's mind always suggests |
one more object lesson on the srnck- |
INK habit Mrs. Sage gives. relative /
Of her own wss seized with mortal IL 1
ness at a hotel. and two men nurses /
were hired. They kept the room OF 4
that dying man foul and saturated /
with tobacco smoke II a visitor open
ed the door Unexpectedly The man
nurse was usually found lying upon q
couch with a cigar and newspaper. re-
posing and smoking tfil perhaps 2
groan from the patient recalled him 20
2 sense OF what he waE there for. Mrs
Sc ge's words are clean cut and 70 the
point. and she does not use too many /
She would have made n Jolly good
newspaper woman II she could have re-
pressed somewhat that sharply critical
spirit Of hers. she concludes the &C
count Of the men nurses with this
moral.
Had those nurses been women they
would have attended 10 things coazci-
eutiouSiy. The room would have been
KEEP, neat. quiet ard uniainfs4 wlth r.
gar smoke They would scarcely have
eft TIE BEDSIDE 8 moment Their syn
pathy would have h~en enlisted foT the
sufferer. aa9 they would have strfFen .