The Goodland republic., 1907-02-15
". G. T. Q. CODU1N



February II VIII be the ninth an
niversary OF the death of Frances E
Willard. All over this nation, and in
many other nations also, memorial
meetings wiz be held, her life and
work reviewed and an oherzng taken
for the willard memorial fund, which
is the living memorial Of the Woman's
Christian Temperance union, to this
greatest of their leaders This fund,
which last year amounted to 24,6sLs5,
is used as a missionary fund to spread
temperance sentiment and organize
the temperance forces IN localities
where these things are most needed,
especially In the newer portions Of the
west and southwest
The birthday anniversaries Of great
men and women" says a writer in the
Union Signal, ''are ike wayside
shrines OF memory to which the soul
| lover and worshipper turn for hallOW-
ed hours OF communion with the i'm
mortal Of the past" But it is to the
moral reformer that these occasions
| come with keener inspiration than to
any other member Of the community.
The achievements and convictions Of
every noble historic character are a
prophecy Of the certain triumph Of ev-
cry just but unpopular cause Of in
tellectual spur and a spiritual admo-
milton to the mind and heart OF every
man or woman who defies IOng-estab-
/ lished wrong and at any cost dares
| support the right in church or trade
| or society, or in the polling-booth Of
/ his city or his state.
| The staunch and simple elements Of
/ moral grandeur which have ever char
| acterized the true heroes and woven
/ the fiber OF immirtality into the woOf
/ Of our institutions.
In the very midst Of the shining
/ group Of birthdays, like a beautiful
/ pearl in an exquisite setting lies Feb
ruary, seventeenth, the Heavenly
/ birthday" OF our peerless Frances z.
| Willard.
To her great heart early in life came
/ the vision fair and clear, and beau
/ tiful, the vision which save for our
4 dullness Of spiritual apprehension, and
| slowness OF perception, should come to
/ US all This is her description Of it
She was dean OF women in North
/ western university at the time. She
says: ''It occurred to me, strange to
| say for the first time, that I ought to
/ work for the good cause just where I
| was-that everybody ought Thus
| first received the arrest Of thought
| concerning which, in a thousand diff
| ferent towns, have since then tried
1 to speak, and believe that in this
! simple change Of personal attitude,
from passive to aggressive lies the
/ only force that can free this la1d
| from the driak habit and the liquor
| traffic.
/ She had no hesitation in regard to
| individual responsibility in this con-
/ feet with the liquor foe. She said:
| I'VE light say the saloon is here, and
| here IT Will remain; let US do all we
| can to make it less degraded. But
this is not the point; our attitude tow
/ ard the saloon first, last and all the
time. is an attitude Of utter hostility,
and it makes all the difference be-
! tween right and wrong whether its
/ presence among US, is in spite Of our
| protest and work or whether we have
| taken measures that under its con-
tinuance is probable
That a prophet is without honor in
his own country is certainly not true
/ Of Miss Willard. Some Of her old
| time neighbOrs have recently been in
| terviewed concerning their recollec-
i tiOns Of her. DR.. Merritt Q. Bragdon,
/ her physician, said: 81 think the
thing 7 most admired in Miss willard
| was here intense loyalty to her friends,
rich or poor, worthy or unworthy, un-
| der all circumstance"
| Mrs. BragdOn said: Miss Willard
always had something pleasant to say
/ to everyone and about every one. I
| think never heard her say an un-
kind thing about anyone. She always
saw the best in her trends"
Perhaps one Of the most beautiful
| tributes Of all came from Miss Glow,
! who was Miss Williard's milliner. 'I
am sure I am a much better woman
for having known Miss willard" she
| said zone could not meet her with
out receiving an inspiration to be
better.
''She would come in to see my sis
ter and me, when she happened to be
passing, even though she had no or
| ders to give We were just girls start
ing out to make our living then, and
think she wanted to encourage and
help US. Miss Willard meant so much
to a working woman. She certainly
was not vain; she would sit with
a writing pad on her knee and write
while Miss Gordon and I were fitting
her with a hat"
Mr- Fred D. Raymond, who was one
Of her pupils when a boy, says. ''She
was one Of the most attractive women
| 1 have ever known I mean just what
that word implies. She drew people
to her. At the Grove school she was
the personal friend Of every child
in school, and any boy would as soon
| have spoken disrespectfuIly Of his own
mother as OF Miss Frank
cit was always the unanimous op-
inion Of her neighbors that, while
she was human like the rest Of US, she
was a great and good woman. And
she was"
Educational Notes.
Miss Emma Helton has taken Miss