The Washington herald., 1909-01-31

wife Of a baekwoods pioneer. Her early
circumstances by no means encouraged
mental development When FIVE years old
she made her home amid the forests Of
Michigan. A little log caofn sheltered
the family from the elements. and from
its walls, which were covered with old
copies OF a New York " s6ly. the future
suffragist obtained the only reading OF
her early childhood Later she got hold
OF books from which she learned 50 fast
that when she was fifteen she became &
teacher in the district school. But she
wanted a broader education than the
backwoods could afford. and accordingly
she saved her wages until she had enough
70 enter the theological department OF
Boston University
Refuse TO Ordain Her.
Her perseverance. a trait which she has
developed since IN fighting the battles CT
struggle for ordination in the Methodist
Episcopal Church. On leaving the theo-
logical school she asked the New England
council TO permit her to be ordained. Her
request was rejected The general con-
ference in 1850 upheld the New England
branch. despite her appeal. Accordingly
she went 10 the Methodist Protestant
Church. which received her with open
arms. and in which she has remained
IN 1SSS she took the degree OF n D az
the Boston University She was elected
president Of the y A W S A in 1904
OF her Frances r. Willard once said:
America does not contain a more loyal
and devoted adherent TO the cause OF
wGman's rights
OF a wholly different type OF sudragist
is Agnes Reppiier- She has preferred the
pen to the lecture platform OF late Miss
Repplier has been writing articles for a
Philadelphia newspaper. but her real
forte is the essay.
II was the essay entitled "Agripplna'
which has filed her home with cats
AgTippina was favOTite feline pet OF the
authoress, and 50 also was Nero. Agrip-
pisa's son From all parts OF the world
the readers Of the cat essay began send
ing IN cat memorials. until they crowded
every spare nook Of Miss Repplier's s
apartments. She received real cats
bronze cats. china cats. wood cats. and
pictures OF cats from Cairo. Budapest
Munich. Dresden. Japan. and China
Rameses. a genuine mummy cat from
the Nile Valley, is her mascot and she
takes him with her almost everywhere.
Eager to Read Books.
Miss Repplier's early education was not
developed under q forced draft She SAYS
that she did not know her letters until
after she was zine. and then she learned
them by laboTing over q brown book. with
two pink cupids on the cover. entitled
Reading Without Tears" So soon as
she could read she did little else. one of
her girlhOOd duties was TO dust the old
fashioned dingy parlOr OF her Philadel-
phi. home. but she never got further
than a certain table in one corner. where
were piled books by Wordsworth. Tom
Moore, Frances Sargent OsgO0d. Byron,
and Scott. -'Childe Harold particularly
fascinated her. and many times her moth
er, who had tried hard TO teach her TO
be a housewife. would find the little girl
curled up on the floor absorbed in the ad-
ventures Of the melancholy wanderer.
Her essay, Children, Past and Pres
ent." waich she sent 70 the Atlantic
Monthly. won the notice Of Thomas
Bailey AldTich, then its editor. EncOur-
Z aged By this success. Miss RepDIier de-
voted herself 10 the pen still more as
siduOusiy. and in a few years got her
( present enTiable position in the modern
( literary world as one OF its most finished
essayists- Yet Miss Repplier says she
I finds it a tremendous labor 10 write. often
taking three weeks 10 write a short essay.