The Washington herald., 1912-10-14
STORY OF WOMAN'S
WONDERFUL NERVE
How Lucy Stone Worked Her Way
Through College.
By FRANCES sHAFFER.

By FRANCES sHAFFER.
The many young men and women who
think they must let their dreams OF
college go by because they have not the
funds to carry them through. might gain
inspiration and courage II they would
read . few pages from the life story OF
Lucy Stone. Opportunities. for her. did
not drop from the clouds. but the will
came first. 30 she found the way.
And 7 makes an interesting story, Al
told by her daughter. Alice Stone Black
well
She was the daughter of prosperous
farmer folk. Her father was . man
the idea Of tho period that 1t was a
husbands right to rule. while her moth
er was one OF the quietly submissive
women. bred by the times.
She was only a little girl when she
resented the treatment Of her mother.
the attitude Of some other husbands to-
ward their wives and the laws she heard
about: and she made up her young mind
that something was wrong somewhere.
Theirs was q home in which tho Bible
was quite In evidence. and one day.
while reading. she ran across the text.
THY desire shall be to thy husband, and
he shall rule over thee
The girl pondered q long time. It did
not seem right. but as the Bible said
30. she determined to 20 to college. to
study Greek and Hebrew, make her own
translations and find out II the original
text had not meant to Be kinder to
wives than that
Thoakht Her Grassy.
But she lived in a period when that
was a preposterous ambition for girls,
and when she made known her strange
aspirations, her father Indignantly asked.
rs the child craxy7' He expected his
sons to turn their steps collegeward, but
that was quite another matter. and the
young girl was left to work out her own
dreams. with no help from him.
1t was slow work. but she picked
with the money they brought. As time
went on she taught district schools.
studying for awhile. and gaining a repu-
tation for handling difiicult schools. But
Of course. like others, sha stumbled
against the low wage barrier which all
women teachers met, and 1t was nine
years before she earned enough money
to carry her to Oberlin, the only college
in the country where women were ad-
mitted. She did not have sufficient
money to pay for a stateroom from
Buffalo to Cleveland. by way of the lake.
SO she slept on deck ION a pile OF grain
sacks, among horses and freight" with
a few other women. short Of funds like
herself.
And when she reached college she
taught in the preparatory department
and encouraging rate OF 3 cents an
hour. cooking her meals in her own
room at a cost Of less than 30 cents
week. For four years she never went
home once-but she learned Greek and
Hebrew.
And she learned them to some purpose
and must have made her translations to
some purpose. for the very year she
graduated she gave her first lecture in
behalf Of 'women's rights"
Suffered Many Dishculties.
1t needed some courage to go through
college under such difficulties, but not
more than might be expected Of any one
Of the women who addressed public audi
ences at q time when the woman lecturer
was very unpopular, whether she spoke
Of the rights Of slaves or the rights Of
women.
wintertime when her mother was lectur-
ing. a pane Of glass was removed from
q window directly back of her. a hose
was put through. and y stream Of icy
water came in a deluge upon the intrepid
speaker. But 1t did not send her away
in a panic. for she calmly put on her
shawl and continued her lecture"
And I am right glad that she and a
few others Of her kind did 90 to college.
learn Greek and Hebrew, and proceed to
lecture q bit.
Because II they had not the majority
Of fathers might still be thinking that
their daughters were crazy when
thoughts Of college entered their heads.
and they might still be thinking a great
many other things that would make life
sort Of unbearable to-day.