The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-02-18
WOMENS

Excerpts from addressed by United
States senators and representatives on
the occasion Of the acceptance of the
statute Of Frances Il. Willard.
Until today no state has contri-
buted the statute of woman. No
one imagined forty-one years ago,
when this act was passed, that the
heroic figure of a woman would ever
stand beneath the dome of Statuary
Hall. But the world is growing in
more ways than one; and the world
is ready now to believe that a cour-
ageous womanly woman makes as
heroic figure as brave man.
The world has been better because
Frances Il. Willard lived. she de-
voted her life unselflshly to the cause
OF humanity. and she brought sobrie-
ty into the homes of untold thou
sands; and at her death she left an
organization that has been and will
good in the world.
The state of Illinois is presenting
the statue to the United States. to be
placed in Statuary hall among
the figures of the greatest men that
have ever lived in the United States,
has honored itself, has justly honored
a great woman, and has paid tribute
to all American womanhood.
The character of Frances Il. Will
lard is womanhood's apotheosls She
was American. She was the child of
our American prairies, daughter of an
American home. An so she had
strength and gehtleness, simplicity
and vision. Not from the complex
lives that wealth and luxury force
upon their fortunate children; not
from the sharpening and hardening
process of the city's social and busl-
ness grind; not from any of civiliza-
tion's artincialities, come those whom
God appoints 10 lead mankind
toward the light
TO make the homes Of the millions
pure, to render sweet and strong those
human relations which constitute
the fahmily-this was her mission and
her work.
Illinois presented this statue, not
only as a tribute to her whom II rep
resonts--one of the foremost women
of America--but as a tribute to a wo-
man her mighty influence upon our
national life; TO a woman in the
home; to a woman In all the occupa-
tions and professions of life; to a wo-
man in all her charity and philan-
thropy, wherever she Is toiling for
the good OF humanity to woman
everywhere, who has stood for God.
for home. for native land.
| think Mrs. Wizards largest in
H. -
work of the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union, and ! cannot speak of
that without a sincere feeling when
/ remember one near and dear whose
life was wrapped up in the benign pur
pose and plans Of that great organiza-i
ton. IA
The general assembly of Illinois
did well TO set up this monument in
memory OF Frances r. willard. The
children who have covered IL this
day with flowers have paid to her al
tribute so simple and so appropriate
that its fragrance will M these corrl-
dors long after the formal ceremonies
of this hour have been forgotten. And
IN after generations. as long as this
venerable edilce remains, the wo-
men of America, as they look upon
the chiseled beauty Of that face, stand
ing like that of goddess among our
heroes and our sages, win whisper
word of gratitude TO the people Of
Illinois when they remember the act
of her general assembly, which, eare-
less alike OF custom and of prece-
dent, has added to the title of their
citizenship this perpetual dignity in
the capitol of the United States.
What did the Woman's Christian
Union accomplish under the leader
ship of Frances Il. Willard? She liv-
cd Ia see 1t grow from q small strug-
Cling organization with which she was
connected in 1879 to a worldwide