The sun., 1916-12-17
lnez Milholland BoissevainF From Child
hood Worked for the Downtrodden
of Either Sex, Age or Color
n ELEANOR BOOTH UNIONS.

n ELEANOR BOOTH SIMMONS.
nee upon n time, in the heart
OF a golden summer a quarter
OF a century ngo, two little
oAgters played on the sands Of Bryan
Shore In Port Chester. n. Y. Visitors
- the place. admirng the healthy,
happy. beautiful youngsters. would ask
them their And II was always
che elder OF the two who answered for
both.
"Inczabida." she would lisp.
At this early age that was all that
1nez Milholland's tongue, later to be
eAmous for it's eloquence, could make of
her name and that Of her sister Vida.
And a. "~Inezabida" they came to be
Known all through the summer colony.
sThere comes Tnezabida." the family
Asxt door would say when the little
Girls. ba~refooted. in their plain play
1rocks and shaggy tam o. shanters.
would come running-inez always
aAead. Vida always trotting after
6som the big. rambling house where
john Z. Milholland Of New York and
~ family spent the warm months
Men.
"And We were always glad to see
0sm." the big sister Of the group Of
DDunssters mex door told me only the
QAer day. "They were such nice little
GiFls. with never a cross word between
tAsm or to other children. The chief
things I remember about Inez In those
~ are her beautiful eyes-everybody
nodced those eyes-and what a natural
g1Ader she was. and yet SO lovable!
IT was quite an innovation In those
nVo for children to go barefoot. but
be little Milhollands always did at
~ beach. For their mothers great
thought then was to make them strong
md healthy women. Bare feet and the
simplest Of dresses, that was the rule,
and after that childhood and the ra-
6iant health they showed I cannot
make myself realize that Inez Milhol-
land Boissevain is dead at but little
more than 80"
The next glimpse We have Of the fu-
eure Jeanne dare shows her incor-
Sigible democracy cropping out be-
times. 1t Is a brave child that defies
the public opinion OF its small world
y world OF its playmates. but Inez did
% without hesitation. The Milhollands
yfved then at Thirty -third street and
Madison avenue. in a region where
many old New York families had their
homes. and Madison Square was the
playground Of the small scions oil
Xnickerbocker ar~istocracy.
AT that time the park was not the
eavorite resort OF hoboes. but little
East Siders did sometimes stray thai
way. and they came in Just right e
satisfy 1nez Milholland's growing pas.
SION for humanity. She was about ter
eAen. She gathered the ragged LITTLE
Jews and Italians and Lithuanians ant
Irsh and Bohemians around her a.
naturally and simply and inevitably a.
later she was to espouse the cause o.
d garment strikers. or OF men anC
women In want Of jobs, or of down,
eFodden negroes, or Of anybody les!
fortunate in life than herself. TIT
mail scions Of Knickerbocker arts
oocracy turned up their small noses.
III you bring all those dirty littl,
eonement children into our games
4nez, We Just won't play with you, 81
ehere," they told her.
All right for you" Mis-. Inez would
reply. "You don't have to play with
NE II YOU don't want to-"
Probably at that time no one though
{ any destiny for Inez but a brillian'
social career. 1t was the career des,
Stned for the girls In her set, and II
spite Of the ou%tcroppings OF a daunt,
oss virile spirit and the thoughtful
east her beauty was taking she wa,
expected to &c that way too. Mis-.
Helen Narick Boswell. head OF the Ma
eional Republican Women's Associa
eion. whose friendship with the Milhol
bands dates from the time Inez wa
esn. describes her as singularly beau
t1ful.
But her features were much NOR,
strongly marked than the features O
most girls OF ten." Miss Boswell toll,
me lately. -She was with her fathe
mat day ] frst saw her. and I remem
Dor how s~trikingly she resembled him
md how proud, too, ne was of her"
II 1nez Milholland turned out
tighter h got II straight from he
eAther. Those who remember John z
0ilholland leading the Republican re
volt against the Plat machine smile
when they saw his daughter settinl
out last autumn to incite the WesterI
women to vote against Wilson becaus
he hadn't pushed the Susan b. An
ebony amendment through Congress
smiled. and thought that history re
peats itself,
Those who remembered Mr.. Milhol
lands work in behalf Of the negroe
0idnt wonder at 1nez's passion for tn
oppressed. Gallant and fearless, buoy
ant. generous. keen of intellect, mad
Of the fibre that cannot give uy
Nan" as he called her, was "he
hther's son." ever after a boy, youn
Oohn f., appeared on the Gene.
lnes and Vida were to have the bes
q educations. They were to go
school abroad. where the family spen
. part OF each year. and then the
wore to finish in America. at Vassal
This programme was carried out, q
khe cost of some torture Of spirit O
the part OF various instructors, VIII
found In tho brilliant Ines a probler
such as they had never encountere
before.
How could they be prepared for her
There never was but one Inez MllhoI
49,.