River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1916-02-24
A TRIBUTE.


bread of idleness," Prov. XXXI-27.
And now still another of our pion-
GERS has been called to pass over the
Great Divide into the larger lie.
Mrs. Mary J. Wales passed quietly
away at her home in the city on
Monday, Feb. IA. Just a day of
acute illness and then the heart sud-
denly ceased to beat and the machin-
cry stopped, worn out by the work
it had done for almost four score
years and ten, nearly twenty years
beyond the Bible limit. And
her body was literally worn out by
it's ceaseless activity. The quotation
above was more fitting to Mrs. Wales
than to many whose names are her
aided among the worlds tireless
workers, for her work was done
against limitations that would have
seemed insurmountable to the aver
age person.
During more than one half her life
she has been a semi-invalid and has
passed through several severe i'll
nesses when her life was despaired of
by doctor and friends. The writer
remembers hera long as forty years
ago, when the young people Of the
neighborhood gathered at that home
for social evenings. The mother al
ways sat in a reclining chair that her
husband had made for her, for such
things could not be bought in those
days. She always gave US a cordial
welcome and CHEEKY good night.
Her cordial interest in our affairs
gave no hint of the under current of
pain that she doubtless often felt.
From that in Aids chair Mrs. Wales
gave directions for the daily work of
the household, keeping closely in
touch with all the problems and
needs of her growing family and, in
deed, almost up to these last days
her judgment has been largely de-
ferred to. Sitting in that chair she
did large part of the sewing and
knitting for her family of seven chill
dren. When child nine years old, we
are told, she could spin as much in a
day as a grown woman. What little
nine year old girl of today can equal
her mothers achievements in any
line?
In these later years when the chair
has had to give way to the couch her
hands had still been busy and many
a friend will treasure bit of her
embroidery, done after she had pass
ed her 18th birthday anniversary
Her home has always attracted
many visitors. for her interest in the
affairs of the town was that of the
loyal citizen ever alert to it's best
interests and her keen insight into
national affairs made her converse
ton highly enjoyable to all who
went there. She had very little time
to talk about the things that she
could not do, but was always happy
and grateful that there were SO
many things that she was still per-
mitted to do.
Many of her friends will feel that
the following lines embody their idea
Of her friendship:
Il never left you but | took away
the inspiration that drew me to your
side again, through the wide door
that never could remain quite closed
between US for a little day." Mrs.
Wales had a deep religious nature
and it was her implicit belief that
whatever God willed was best, which
helped her over the hard places in
her life.
Such lives have lesson for us all
if we heed it and the fact that so
many of her friends are testifying to
the helpful influence of her patient,
limited life is the grandest monu-
ment that could be erected to her
memory. May the mantle of these
worthy pioneers who are so fast
passing aWav during the later years,
fall unon the men and women who