New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-28
WINS PRIZE AFTER DEATH.
Suffrage Party Adopts Miss M.
T. TayIor's ballot Song."
CONVENTION WILL SING II
Author, Who Knows As Ian.
guages, Was Teacher and
Writer of Textbooks.

Writer of Textbooks.
The woman whose verses won the 500
prize offered by the Woman Suffrage
party for the best ballot song" for
American women. Miss Minnetta Theo-
| dora Taylor. of Greencastle, Ind, never
knew of her success for five days after
submitting the verses she died.
| Four members of the committee who
| Judged the manuscripts sent In compe-
tition for the prize-Mrs. Jean Nelson
Penfeld. chairman Of the party; Mrs.
Ruth Lit, Mrs. Charles Beard and Miss
| Mary Hay-are Indiana women and
knew Miss Taylor well, so her sudden
death was great shock TO them. Ana
at the time that they were mourning her
loss as a friend and good suffragist
they were deciding on her song for the
prize without knowing ii was hers. for
! the names Of the competitors were in
closed in envelopes separate from the
manuscripts and these envelopes were
not opened till the decision was made
Miss Taylor. who was ffty-two years
old on July 20 was we'll known in the
Middle West as a very learned woman
and especially as a linguist. The Ian
guages she could speak and speak well,
reached the astounding number of forty
! five
Her friends relate that al some inter-
national meeting in Chicago a univer-
| sity professor from oxford, thinking to
confuse the woman, of whose prowess In
tongues he had heard. addressed her in
ancient Greek. She TRANQUILITY answered
him in the same language, and kept up
her side of the conversation huently I'M
til the professor. somewhat breathed. re-
tired.
! Miss Taylor had been n suffragist ever
since she graduated from Depauw Uni
versity, and that was at the early age
Of twenty years. Her experiences in
getting an education were what con-
verted her TO votes for women" She
was wont TO tell her friends in later
years that when she started out to earn
her degree it was considered as scan
dalous for a woman 10 want an cduca-
/ ton, as some people now consider it for
woman to want vote
! Ministers preached against it, moral
! lists philosophical against it, everywhere
! it was said that this new notion OF
women wanting to go to college would
be fatal TO the home. She persevered,
however, and did the four years course
| in three years
Depauw University must have thought
well Of her, for at the time Of her death
she was associate professor of French
and German there.
Varied interests filled up Miss Taylor's
life. She was always ready to head a
reform movement and was active in any
number Of societies. She founded the
first suffrage club Greencastle ever had,
and as president of the Indiana State
Federation Of Women's Club she for
warded many excellent movements. But
perhaps she was best known, certainly
she was best beloved, as the friend and
adviser and consoler-where a CONSIDER
was needed-of young writer's.
She il was who founded the Western
Association Of Writers. To which be-
longed General Lew Wallace, James
Whitcomb Riley. Opie Read. George AIDE,
Madison Cawein and many other Of the
writer's To whom that locality has given
birth She was the friend of all of
them.
Opie Read used to call her the little
sister Of the poets" for they all brought
their rejected manuscripts to her, and
her office was to read them and admin
lister encouragement or a gentle squelch-
ing. Us the case required.
Among her other labors Miss Taylor
wrote several textbooks for schools IN
Spanish. which are considered standard
works Soon after the United states ac-
qured the Philippines she was employed
by the government to translate the Con
stitution, the Declaration Of lndepen-
dence and various laws into different
Filipino dialects To do this she had
to visit those islands. but aside from this
Journey. and despite her wide knowledge
o. tongues. she travelled very little.
spending most of her life in her Green
castle home.
Miss Taylor's ballot song, adjudged the
best Of the ninety eight submitted, IS to
be set to music and sung at the conven-
ton of the Woman suffrage party at
Carnegie Hall on October 20. 1t is "A
stirring poem Of five verses, with the
following chorue:
We tho people, All tho people How It rings,
Justice broad and free the living heart Of
things,
Sisters working for the light.
Brothers striving for the right,
We the people, All the people, How IL rings'