The Emmett index., 1912-07-11
SOPHIE WRIGHT
WAS BELOVED
New Orleans Foremost Citi-
zen" Died Of a Broken Heart.
NOTED FOR HER CHARITIES.
Known All Over the Country as a
Leader In Education and as One of
the Deepest Thinkers Among the
Women of the South.

Leader In Education and as One of
the Deepest Thinkers Among the
Women of the South.
The recent death of Miss Sophie B.
Wright. often referred to as New Or
leans foremost citizen" and one of the
most beloved women in the south, is
said by her friends TO have been the
result of Il broken heart
Recently there started a somewhat
spirited agitation against naming new
girls high school after her on the
ground that the schools be named only
after persons who were dead So bitter
did the agitation become that there
was introduced into the legislature a
bill prohibiting naming public schools
after living persons.
Miss Wright was known all over the !
country as leader in education and !
as one of the deepest thinkers among |
the women of the south. She was not |
only admired for her high attachments |
as teacher and as a leader bur she |
was beloved by thousands of people in
New Orleans and throughout the south
As worker in the Kings Daughters
and in church charitable affairs she
was prominent in most of the things
that concerned the welfare of the city
and state
She was one of the promoters of
"Rest Awhile" the home of the Kings
Daughters. where many mothers and
children are entertained through the
long summers
Her school. the Home institute has
become one of the most successful
among the girls schools of the south
Was Cripple.
Sophie Wright was cripple and
went around in steel harness and on
crutches. She was so poor that she
taught all day in a private school TO
earn money to maintain her free
school at night Yet she came TO he
known as the first citizen of New Or {
leans" and to be described as "leadinS s
the most effective and the most bean- :
tifu life New Orleans has known in ,
this generation"
She was born in 1856. When she
was three years old she fell and hurt
her back and hips so badly that for
six years she was strapped to Il chair
aAt nine she hobbled to n day school.
At fourteen she opened Il school her
self and hung out a sign. DAY School
For Girls" In the afternoon she taught n
in normal school to pay for her own Z
lessons in languages.
When she was eighteen there came
to her Day School For Girls young
man ashamed of his ignorance and un.
able to get into the crowded public
schools of the city. Sophie Wright |,
taught him. He opened her eyes to
the mass of ignorance that was max
ing the city sluggish She determined
TO teach other young men out of work "
ing hours
The Day School For Girls became
the Home institute and the care of the
poor boys of New Orleans the peculiar
task of Sophie Wright. She borrowe
$4,000 at per cent interest. hired a A
bigger building. started a night school. be
got more teachers. with faith and good be
will as her sole capital tn
Success of Her School.
Yellow fever closed her school In ~,
1897. She reopened it as a depot of ~
upplies for the sick. and. with her -:
eachers. she went up and down the "
own giving succor. Meanwhile the Nv Nv
per cent interest piled up At the ="
md of the epidemic she faced bank W oe
uptcy. A banker took her mortgage o'.
rom the money lender and lent her io'
10000 more at easy interest ,,.<
Before another year there were 1000 VI
upils in her night school The school Dy
ecame the talk of the factories When nc
be whistles blew at night workers ae
treamed toward Sophie Wright's. Bad In
oys from the streets went too The Hslt
pasm band. incurable by police meth hii
ds, were converted into sober stu gre
ents by Sophie Wright. the
Presently the city knew all about pre-
Iiss Wright. 1t took years for men VIII
18th money to reach the giving point.
ut they did reach it, Miss Wright @
ranched out Her name was in every pro
ork of charity. She built hospital wb
mex for crippled children Aol
The national lumbermen's conven- ton
on meeting IN New orleans ana near ert!
g about her work. raised S4.175 at the
ngle meeting The Picayune gave bui
n a silver loving cup because she had nse
the preceding year done more than scu
" other citizen for New Orleans no
'omens societies raised $1,000 and sch,
ted her mortgage. and thousands and Ia ro
ousandS of persons were in Audu- r
IN park when the cancelled mortgage nro,
rs handed to her along with the cup 900
Sophle rlgh' Ior Years was 50 rach- Gar
by asthma that Sne scarcely sLen, 81
o hours IiiSnt III otu' out sue Nep' ed {
working ior her own keep .! uaS anct
d Tor the boys Oh tue CITY at uiSa@ ture
thre
Why We Lcse Foreign Trade. Th
7onsul Maxwell X Moorhead OF