The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-06-24

WINE we give tnem readily certain
place of honor in our minds, yet we
usually imagine them as safely located
with the angels, having good time
with some blissful occupation when
they are entitled to by living an un.
earthly life while on the earth. But
once in while we make an eXcep-
ton even in this commercial age and
recognize a real genuine saint who is
still actually living here and now.
New Orleans has such woman.
Her name is Sophie Wright. She was
born in poverty. She is cripple and
has never been able to walk without
crutches. Yet this woman is recog-
nized as New Orleans best citizen,
because she has demonstrated that
the most blessed thing to do in all the
world is to help the unfortunate and
make more hopeful the lives of those
who are lowly.
Like others who suffer some pecul-
lar misfortune because of her lame
ness, Miss Wright matured much earl
Ter than her associates. When only
ID years old she started a school for
girls. This was a bold innovation
against the conventional ideas which
prevailed in the south at that time
as II was accepted among the canons
of good taste that well-bred women in
New Orleans did not work-especially
along lines that savored of a public
career
But from the start the school grew
and prospered so well that the little,
slight cripple girl rounded out her own
education by attending a normal
school and teaching little children in
payment of her own tuition. So earn
est was she in her desire to help and
teach that she was finally besought by
hard working boy to instruct him
at night This was the turning point
in her career. She accepted him.
Soon others came and it was not long
before her home was filled with boys
and men to whom she gave free tut
ton at night.
AS her number of students grow the
problem of how to meet the demands
upon time, space and money became
more serious. She rented another
building and this she used for the
girls in the daytime and doing so earn
ed the money to carry on a free night
school for the boys. But the demand
for more room continued incessant
and never fiinching under her grow
ing burden she finally managed to buy
a larger building on credit. 1t was
at this juncture when she had so
bravely done her best and dared to
take chances that she might be still
more helpful to the young people, that
the yellow fever scourge swept over
the city and compelled her to close
her school. This took away her in
come and although penniless and de-
feated, she Immediately ignored her
own troubles and gave the most I'M
firing devotion to the sick and dying
about her.
When the dread fever scourge
abated the leading men of New Or
leans arranged a mass meeting and in
the presence of thousands of people,
presented Miss Wright with a loving
cup. Inside the cup was a check and
the amount it stood for in money was
sufficient to pay off all the indebted.
ness on Miss Wright's school building.
She still lives there, using a part of
it for her home and her school con-
tinues to be a source of blessing to
thousands of the poor and more neg
lected children of New Orleans. She
is known as Saint Sophie-the best
citizen of her native city" There is
nothing SO kinply as kindness nothing