The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-04-29

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hardships; she was not afraid of the vida
waste spaces and her intuition was to better
those that came after as much as herself She
too, had q perspective, a maternal perspec-
tive, if you please.
The models produced by the scuptors are
varied and should give pleasure among them
to great number. Hardly needful to state,
they are works of art beyond question from
the salon and artistic points of view because
the artists chosen are already famous One
model is delightful to look at in the photo
graph, but it is not a model Of the Pioneer
American Woman most Americans will have in
their minds eyes. Puritan? An idealized
one maybe. One or two of the figures may not
appeal because of their classicsm for the
model to be chosen must be of itself Amer
ican not Greek or Italian. A nobe-looking
mother is to be found among the dozen. Sew
eral are armed.
The pioneer man has been sang of in plen-
ty, too often the woman pioneer is forgotten:
the heroics belong to the male, but his mate
gave in pride and faith so that her sons and
his might know what is the meaning of a mans
life and a womans spirit adventure
I'VE take UP the task eternal
And the burden and the lesson,
Pioneers, o pioneersi'
o
In the light of this writer's words: "She had
Spirit Sense Always she was buoyed in
her heart by the thought that she was in the
service of Higher Power, working in the Lords
vineyard-a bleak enough one as it turned out
to be-" 1t is interesting to note that the final
selection for the Marland memorial was not
that of woman holding a rife, an axe or a
scythe. Instead it was woman carrying under
her arm Biblei
AS Mr.. Casey says, one Of the models, that of
the Puritan woman ("The Pilgrim Mother Waves
Farewell shown above), is not the pioneer wom-
an most Americans will have in their minds
eyes But even though this woman, because of
her garb, may not well represent the pioneer
woman of other sections Of the country and of
other periods. the fact remains that the Pill
grim woman and the Puritan woman Of Massa
chusetts were the first pioneer mothers and to
them special need of honor is due
fitting tribute to them was paid at the dedi-
cation of the Pilgrim Memorial Fountain in
Plymouth, Mass, in 1925 by Mrs. George May
nard Minor, honorary president general Of the
d. A. r. when she said:
On their monument we say: They brought
up their families in sturdy virtue and living
faith in God without which nations perish"
After daring the perils of the unknown
ocean and the still more unknown land after
sharing with the men all the hardships and
privatiens and sufferings Of voyage of weeks
In a cockle-shell of boat, and landing on
de. olate and savage coast in the dead of
winter, inhabited only by wild men and wild
beasts, after experiences that might well over
come the hardest and most gallant nature
they settled down to the making of homes
with faith In the daily presence and guild
ance of God which sustained them in every
hour Of need.
Through hunger and starvation, through
sickness and death which exacted the toll Of
half their number, they toiled on and endured
looking only toward the goal of their high
calling in Christ Jesus.
We hear far more about the Pilgrim Fa-
Tiers than we do about the Pilgrim Mothers
While in no way wishing to detract from the
rightful glory of the Fathers, nevertheless,
it is time that the world realized the part
that these women played in civilization. 1t
Is time that history took note of them Rarely,
II ever. are they mentioned by name, except
In the genealogies, or by specialists in Pill
grim history. Their names with few excep-
tons, are not household words in our tongues
like those Of Miles Standish, or William
Bradford and the rest. They figure only in
the passenger list Of the Mayfower and only
as Mary" or Katherine" ETC., wife of So
and So. The family names of but few are
given. The names of some are literally un-
known, not even the baptismal name being
recorded. These latter figure solely as the
wives of the Fathers, without further identi
feation.
We may read the tragic list for ourselves
The wife Of John Tflly-who was she? By
what name was she called in those terrific |
years Of sorrow and suffering? The maidserv
ant OF the Carvers-who was she? What faith
fitness and courage must have been hers n |
follow her master and mistress into such an |
adventure. Yet her name is lost and her /
identity sunk in Oblivion.
We have inscribed on our fountain all the
names that are known; we have cut them into
deathless stone, that all coming generations
may read and remember. And we have 81
Indicated the nameless that they may sharg
In the Immortality Of the rest Unknown sol
diers Of a future nation we salute youi
&c by Western Newspaper Union-)