The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-23
1.-THE Women of the Revolution"
First Prize Essay by
Esther Chairman,

l
Esther Chapman,
East Side High School, Minneapolis.
The words, Colonial dame" bring
before our minds charming picture.
A tall, stately figure in a wonderful
gown of pale blue satin, sits before the
old mahogany spinnet. The mellow
light of late afternoon falls through
| the diamond panes and snowy dra-
peries, and rests caressingly upon the
white fingers as they wander over the
ivory keys. The fair, patrician head,
| with its crown of powdered hair. the
white throat, encircled with a band Of
pearl, the little, high heeled, silver
| buckled slippers speak Of a grace and
loneliness and dignity. The bowl of
yellow roses on the spinnet mingle their
| fragrance with the delicate odor of
lavender that breathes from the folds
of her gown. The last notes Of the old
ballad she is singing hnger a moment,
then die away.
Now speak the words, woman Of the
Revolution" There comes to us the
interior of colonial kitchen. Upon the
table are ranged the pewter plates,
mugs and spoons, many of them pre-
| cious heirlooms, which belong to the
family. These are to be melted and
| fashioned into bullets for the guns of
husband, brother and sons. BY the
1 window is a heap Of snowy linen, from
which soft bandages are to be made to
bind many a bloody wound. Before the
| spinning wheel sits a woman, spinning
| spinning, spinning. She wears an old
gray gown Of homespun, her smooth
brown hair, parted evenly, falls over
| her blue-vetned temples. Not ribbon
not single. ornament relieves the
plaipness of her dress. With feverish
haste she bends over her work, her eyes
burning, her head throbbing. There are
| dear ones at bleak Valley Forge, who
| are suffering for the clothing she must
make.
Let us now pass into the churchyard
and look at the names on the crum-
bling grass-grown stones. This marble
monument bears the words Gen.
| washington" Close by, on another
| stone, we read, "Gen. Warren" Next is
Israel Putnam" and not far away we
! see the martyr name of Nathan Hale"
Then are long rows of lesser heroes,
less In fame, though not in soldierly
| courage. Died in his country's service
|
| Concord" "Killed in the battle at Tren-
ton, over and over meet our sight.
These men were brave and true.
They died for their country's freedom.
But what about the women left at
| nome? Were they not heroic, too? The
| question comes to us, Gould the army
of Washington have been victorious If
the army of women at home had not
tolled day and night, preparing food,
clothing, comfort and cheer for those at
the front? Is it not, indeed, harder.
does 1t not require more courage to sit
at home with an 4 .ty for loved ones
| gnawing at the heart, than to be away
In the excitement and action of battle?
| So, when we name the heroes of the
| HeVoiutlon, let us not forget the hero
| ines.
| But, besides this army of devoted
| women, whose names we never knew.
| or soon forgot, were others whose
| deeds are written in history, side by
side with those Of Washington, Marion
4 and Greene.
| Who has not heard of Molly Pitcher,
| at Monmouth, firing the gun from
which her husbands dead hands Drop
| ped?
Who has not learned in childhood Of
brave Emily Geiger, the heroine of Car
| DINA? She 1t was who carried a mes
| sage to Sumter through miles of forest,
when no man dared to go. The British
challenged her, and, suspicious, locke
her In the jail. And while they went
| for some one to search her she hastily
learned the message, and ate the paper,
piece by piece. With profuse apollo
g1es they let her go, but long will the
British rue the day when Emily Geiger
! passed on to Sumter!
Then there was the gentle Quaker
lady, Mrs. Robert Murray. She knew
al DrTtrz
| weakened division down the road tust
as the British were coming up. Mrs.
Murray met the red coats at her gate
and invited them to rest on her lawn
and have refreshments. The day was
hot, and the officers were tempted. The
brave lady kept them and entertained
them till Putnam's division had passed
by. Once more a woman's wit had
saved the American cause.
AT Concord there was another woman
hero. Old Dame Batherik White-haired
and wr1nkled, was working in her gar
den. Suddenly she heard firing and.
shading her eyes with her hands, she
saw the smoke of battle Grasping her
musket. she started forward. A squad
or king S soldiers burst from a thicket.
Leveling her gun, she cried:
/ Halt, advance not another step If
you value your lives!" And she march
ed them before her, in ignominious de-
feat, to neighbours house.
The names of other Women of the
Revolution" come to mind. There were
Betsy Ross, who made the first "Stars
and Stripes" Lydia Darrah, who walk
ed twenty-five miles to warn Washing
ton at White Marsh; big Nancy Hart,
the Heroine of Georgia." who com
manded a fort manned with women,
and many others equally brave.
All honor to the Women of the Rev
olution!" These women who put away
their pearls and fans and lowered
gowns at the command of liberty. and
In homespun toiled increasingly for
their country's sake. Let us never for
/ get their heartaches and hardships en-
dured so nobly. But let us rather re-
pember them with pride akin to rever-
ence and holy admiration, both those
whose deeds are sung In history. and
those who, though unknown and un-
honored, were the force that kept hope
and life and ever-failing courage in
the glorious 'sWar for independence"