The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-10-18
OF Interest to Women
BY Winona Evans Reeves.

When 1t was announced through the
papers that Miss Flora Dunlap Of Des
Moines, would be the guest of honor
at the Civic league luncheon at Hotel
Iowa on October %, some asked:
who is this Miss Dunlap" She is
one of the most prominent women of
this state along several lines. She
has for the past eleven years been
head resident of the Roadside settle
ment house in Des Moines, which is
the largest social settlement in this
state. 1t is a social and civic center
open seven days in the week The
building contains an equipment for
public baths. a public wash house, a
gymnasium. assembly hall, library,
day nursery, cooking and manual train
ing rooms, club rooms and rooms for
resident workers. In addition there
Is model cottage, which Is furnished
simply but in a way designed to sug-
gest to young people, the sensible
and useful and at the same time beau
tiful way they can furnish their own
homes. Most of those who come to
I! the settlement are small wage earn
ers. who are striving to raise their
families decently and honestly: they
come here for books. for amusements.
for employment and above all for
fellowship and sympathy without
which life were drearv place indeed.
THE central spirit in this settlement
is Miss Dunlap. She was year or
so ago, vice president of the school
board in Des Moines being elected to
the board by the largest majority ever
igiven candidate in that city She IS
president of the Iowa Equal Suffrage
Loo a
on the board Of the National Suffrage
association. She is member Of the
national child labor committee. of the
National Trade Woman's league, and
above all she Is woman Of a great
heart and a keen mind, a combination
which always accomplishes great
things. To meet her and to hear her
speak will be a privilege and all Keo-
kuk women ought to avail themselves
Of the opportunity.
Would You suppose that there Is In
Keokuk an old Spanish treasure chest.
which is known to be. six hundred
years old and Is In all probability
much older It came from France
through many generations to Mrs.
George f. Rix. 1t is a quaint little
chest, perhaps two feet long, made Of
solid Spanish mahogany, which is
brown wood and not red as Is the ma
hogany usually seen. The chest rs
very heavy for it's size and is bound
with brass bands. Bearing in mind
the modern methods OF securing valu-
ables this seems a very insecure re-
ceptable. In travelling it was the Gus.
tom six hundred years ago for the
owner to carry this box for the safety
Of his jewels and money and valuable
papers. When the traveller came to
an inn. the box was carried to his
apartment and the lid Of the chest
opened this closing at either end a
hole running down through the chest.
in which long screws were placed and
by which the chest was screwed to
the floor: then the lid was put down
and locked and its contents was pre-
sl1mably safe from all dishonest folk.
The inside Of the chest has a series
of false bottoms. and hidden spaces
for valuables When the chest came
to Mrs. Rix through the Gourgas fam
fly on her mothers side of the house
it had in 1t many quaint and interest
ing things. Among them was por-
trait painted on silver in a tortoise
shell case an exquisite thing. 1t Is
the picture of man in the costume
of the days Of Louis XIII, but who it
is no one in this generation knows.
There were in the chest beautiful
book plates. and two commissions
written. in French on parchment. made
In the DAYS Of Louis XVI: one was a
lieutenant's commission made to Mrs.
Rix's great-great- grandfather
| Mrs. Rtx has also a set OF china
which has several times been written
ND in magazines and publications on
| the ceramic art. An uncle several
generations back, was chemist and
discovered in Pennsylvania a certain
clay which he felt sure would make
china. He accordingly established kiln
and worked out the process and had this
set of china decorated In gold with a
peculiar garland design and bearing
the initials IN. E. T." It was the first
! china made in this country and he
had to employ English and Welsh
workmen, as none Of the Americans
lin those days knew anything about
moulding and firing china. These
dishes including a full dinner set and
n tea set were finished. One night
the kiln was mvsteriously destroyed,
presumably at the instigation Of Eng.
fish china importers who hoped to put
a stop to the industry in this country.
Mrs Rix has a beautiful collection
Of old furniture in rose wood and ma
hogany, a number Of pieces being over
one hundred years old, without q mar
or scrach on them-bearing testimony
to a long succession Of good house
keepers. She has three lamps, one 4
beautiful brass and cut glass, the
other two OF china and gold leaf.
which were made TO burn whale oil,
years and years before coal oil was
known. She has an East India mug,
four hundred and fifty years old, be
side no end of beautiful laces. bead
bags and lovely old dresses in silk
,plaids and brocades. One piece of bro
coda which halon reCi TO her grand.