The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-20
MRS. MERRICK,S
EIGHTrErH BIRTHDAY.

MRS. MERRIcK's
 EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY. Tn speaking to some friends who were gathered about her yesterday, MISS
 Frances Griffin had the following to say of the recent celebration Of the Sotn
 birthday of Mrs. Caroline Elizaoetn Merrick, the noted Southern woman, l who lives in New Orleans.
 Mrs. Merrick of New Orleans re-
 ceived some of the honor she deserves, l a few days ago, when A public recep-
 ton was given to her, by the various clubs of men and women of the city or New Orleans on tho celebration of her S0th birthday. They spoke Of her as philanthropist. social teacher. pioneer of woman's rights. author Of DOCKS. witty and logical sketch writer and dozen more things besides. All of this was true and faithful rehearsal of
 her powers, and yet there were some
 more things to be said for which the time and circumstance did not give opportunity. There were many more
 outside of New Orleans who would have testified that she has ever been the model for disinterested and faithful and abiding friendship; that because she could do these things which caught the ear and eye of the world. because she had cultivated brain and mental poise. because she has learned
 something besides vocal music and good manners" she has been the most delightful homekeeper, faithful and af-
 fectionate mother. amiable neighbor
 and generous mistress that the world
 hungers for today.
 It was really worth q life time Of
 preparation, just to get at the last, the
 hearty approval of men and women
 who tread in the front ranks and know a perfect character, serene and noble,
 when 1t walks beside them, and who
 hasten to say so on this side of the
 grave, and not wait to exhaust them
 selves with praise when the ear 1t
 might have pleased has caught the
 seraphic melodies and passed to the
 joys of eternity.
 That the Era Club and the rest of them did a fine thing on this memora-
 ble occasion goes without saying. Eighty years come not always to wo- men, and few deserve such unstinted praise, so that Mrs. Merrick's S0th birthday Is a commemoration of which
 every American woman may feel proud"
 An account of the celebration of Mrs.
 Merrick's S0th birthday is given as fol- lows in a Boston paper:
 Mrs. Caroline E. Merrick of New or leans must have rejoiced not only in | the representative character of the re- | cent remarkable celebration of her S0th birthday, and in the warmth of the af- | lection and esteem expressed by her townspeople, but also in the fact that the whole great gathering was in sub stance a women suffrage meeting. As already mentioned in The Journal, the
 reception was given by the Era Club. in the Palm Garden of the St. Charles Ho- I tel. There was a great assemblage.
 Miss Jean Gordon, acting President of I the Era Club, paid tribute to Mrs. Mer- rick as the first advocate in Louisi- ana of woman's rights, the founder of the Era Club, and the guiding star of all the several associations of women that have been formed In this city within the past half century" Mrs. David Fable spoke for the W. c. T. U..
 Miss Helen Pitkin for the women of the press, Rev. Richard Wilkinson, Mrs. ! Merrick's pastor, for the clergy, Mrs. Evelyn Ordway for the college women, Dr. Sarah T. Mayo for the women phy- sicians, Miss Florence Leeber of the
 New Orleans bar for the women law
 yers. Mrs. James M. Ferguson, Presi- dent of the Arena Club, for the indus trial women. Miss Marion Brown for the Woman's Club, of which she Is
 President, Mrs. Armand Romain for
 the home. and Miss Kate Gordon for the General Federation of Wonen's
 Clubs. Mr. E. T. Merrick returned
 thanks for his mother. Mir. M. J. San
 ders spoke on The Need of Women's
 Presence and Influence in the Muni-
 cipality," making a strong plea for
 equal suffrage. Mrs. Merrick then
 gave the. toast, ITO the men, God bless
 them!" About a thousand persons
 were present. among them whole
 phalahx of Mrs. Merricks descendants, of three generations There were tele-
 grams of congratulation from the of ficers of the National Suffrage Associa-
 tion and the editors of The Woman's Journal and other friends. and beauti- full floral tributes from the Council of
 Jewish Women and all the other wo-
 mems organizations of New Orleans. Miss Kate Gordon presented Mrs. Mer-
 rick, on behalf of the Era Club, with
 gold breastpin and a birthday cake ornamented with eighty tiny candles,
 that were lit just before the speeches
 began. The whole affair was a note- worthy and deserved tribute to a noble woman.