USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > The Congress of Women : held in the Woman's building, World's Columbian exposition, Chicago, U.S.A., 1893 : with portraits, biographies and addresses > Part 80
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Last year in our sin-sick city of Chicago alone, there came under the care of our police matron, women and children numbering over thirty-one thousand. This is startling; but visit our hospitals and reformatories, and examine for yourselves the formidable facts. Let them from their beds of pain in the hospital, or the few remain- ing days of their lives at the poor-house, pour into your ears their tale of woe. Then, mother, fall upon your knees and plead for mercy in that you never knew before what you might do for other mothers' daughters. Shall we not be more faithful in this matter, faithful to the community, faithful to our sons and daughters, faithful to our God in the solemn vows in which we are pledged to His service? I wish I might tell you of some most heart-rending cases that have come under my observation, but if we had great cathedral-like souls that would soar up and up until we were in touch with God in this pressing matter, you would know it all. I leave the matter in your hands. Do with it as you will. Know only that the answer will come back to you if you will but honestly ask, " Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?"
ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA. 1347-1380. By the HON. MRS. ARTHUR PELHAM.
To grasp the true significance of history we should endeavor to look beneath the surface of the current accounts of remarkable events, which are found in ordinary his- tory books, and in the effort to do this, nothing is of more assistance than the careful, sympathetic consideration of the thoughts and habits of individual men and women as recorded by themselves in their writings, buildings, paintings, and other handiwork.
We have chosen today a woman of the fourteenth century, St. Catherine of Siena, as our center of interest, with the idea that dwelling upon the personal records which we possess of her life may assist us in freshening and vivifying our conceptions of his- tory, and may possibly be found to have some bearing on the problems of the present day.
We think that there will be found much of real living interest in the life of Cath- erine, the " Beata Popolana " of the Republic of Siena-the city peacemaker. She was the correspondent and counselor of popes and queens, of proud churchmen and nobles, of independent plebeian magistrates and lawless captains of mercenary troops, The true value and significance of the life of Catherine of Siena has lately been rescued from the atmosphere of legend, which had too long obscured it, by Mrs. Josephine Butler's admirable biography, and a delightful essay by the late Mr. Symonds on Siena and St. Catherine.
Catherine, one of the twenty-five children of Giacome Benincasa, a dyer of Siena, was born in 1347 and died in 1380. She was, therefore, a contemporary of Chaucer, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Froissart, Wycliffe, Edward HII. of England and Philippa of Hainault. One hundred years before Columbus started for Portugal she died.
She successfully resisted the desire of her parents that she should marry at the age of twelve, and after a short period of domestic persecution was allowed to follow her own inclinations in the adoption of a life of retirement and prayer. At the age of sixteen she became a member of the third order of St. Dominic, wearing the Domini- can habit, but living at home and not bound by monastic vows.
At seventeen years of age she represented herself as having received a Divine inspiration to mix more with the world, and though this at first seemed contrary to her idea of a religious life, she obeyed the impulse, and henceforth joined in family life, and devoted much of her time to labors among the sick and poor. Her desire and power to preach became so strong as to overcome the prejudices of religious ideas and mediaval customs. We find interesting traces in her writings of the mental struggles she went through on this subject, and allusions in her biographies show that she began to make evangelizing journeys in the neighborhood during this period.
In 1368 there was a great revolution in Siena, and we now first hear of Catherine, aged twenty-one, as employed as peacemaker between various factions and persons, and of her addressing two thousand people in the streets, cohorting them to peace.
It must have been at this time (1370) that she taught herself to read and write, for she received no instruction of this sort in her youth. It is hardly surprising that her biographers regarded her literary attainments as miraculous, when we find that in spite of this drawback she is included by some writers as among those who formed the Italian language. She wrote some poems of merit, but her letters, her " dialogue," or spiritual auto-biography and her written prayers are the chief evidences of her literary merit.
Catherine's active life in her native city continued, and we have interesting details in her own words and those of her contemporary biographers, of her power and
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influence with persons of all classes, with accounts of several notable persons whose lives were totally changed by her exhortations to peace and virtue, and descriptions of her consolations to prisoners and criminals on the scaffold, and of her visits to the wives and families of exiled nobles. A letter from her to the magistrates of Siena, in answer to one from them complaining of the length of her visit to the noble family of Salimbene, is extremely interesting, as showing the jealousy that existed between classes.
In the year 1374 Italy was devastated by the great plague, described by Boccaccio and other contemporary writers. Eighty thousand people are said to have died in Siena, and the town has never since recovered its former prosperity. Catherine became specially distinguished at this time, both by her unwearied exertions among the stricken population, and by the power of her faith and prayers in restoring health and courage to many of those attacked.
It is after the subsidence of this epidemic, in the year 1375, that we first hear of her work in the wider sphere of national politics.
The spirit of war and discord was at this time greatly stimulated by the presence in Italy of large troops of foreign mercenary soldiers. The old wars, though terribly frequent, and bitter enough while they lasted, had the advantage of being, as a rule, limited in duration, as the soldiers were citizens engaged in trades and occupations of their own, and after a few days' campaign were anxious to return to their own busi- ness. One decisive battle, therefore, often settled the point in dispute, and tribute having been exacted, or other humiliations imposed upon the vanquished, the adher- ents of the defeated party being exiled and their goods confiscated, everything went on very much as before. But such was not now the case. In 1370, wars in Italy increased in frequency and duration until they became almost incessant, and the pres- ence of these large troops of mercenary soldiers made peace almost more terrible than war. Catherine's first object seems to have been to free Italy from this heavy burden, and by turning this restless fighting spirit into a legitimate channel by the old mediaval idea of a crusade. She visited Pisa at this time and there met the ambas- sador of the Queen of Cyprus on his way to entreat the assistance of the Pope against the Turks, who had invaded the territory of that queen.
Catherine seems to have at once thrown herself warmly into this project and to have devoted herself for many hours each day to writing letters to the principal peo- ple throughout Italy, endeavoring to inspire them with her own enthusiasm. What- ever may be our own feelings as to the merits of this idea, these letters are full of interest and throw much light upon the ideas and feelings of the men and women of that day, and on the motives underlying the so-called " Holy Wars." We must now pass rapidly over the most important and best known events of Catherine's life, her employment by the Republic of Florence, in the year 1376, as ambassador on their behalf to the Pope, Gregory XI., at Avignon. It is a matter of history that the influ- ence of Catherine had great part in the Pope's final decision to return to Rome, and records of her conversations with. Gregory, which were made at the time, show us the practical qualities gained in her experience as an artisan's daughter, and a citizen of a free republican city.
The continued appreciation of her services is shown by her being again employed as ambassador between the Pope and Florence, and by her success in this capacity, first under Gregory and finally under his successor, Urban VI. And we need not think that Catherine's influence can be accounted for by the weakness and ultra refine- ment of Gregory's character, for Urban VI., a man of a very different disposition, who had first made her acquaintance at Avignon, equally valued and appreciated her ser- vices. We feel that Catherine, among whose favorite words were "virile " and " viril- ment," and who constantly exhorted women as well as men to act in a courageous, strong, manly spirit, must have had much more real sympathy with the stern and uncompromising Urban than with the gentle and irresolute Gregory. We can not dwell upon the close of Catherine's life, the last eighteen months of which were spent
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in Rome by command of Pope Urban, in unwearied labors for the unity and reform of the Church and the peace of Italy. We hear of her addressing the assembled Cardi- nals in the Consistory, on the Schism and other Church questions, the Pope himself summing up her remarks, and giving frank expression to the encouragement and help which he himself derived from her advice. Catherine is said to have ruled in Rome at this time; she had daily interviews with the magistrates and chiefs of the army and other prominent citizens, and also, assisted by her faithful band of followers, visited daily the prisons and hospitals. Her pen seems to have been never idle, and her last letters are of great interest both from a political and a human point of view.
The chronicler of her last moments gives us no account of miraculous ecstasics or visions, but tells us of her humble estimation of herself and of her continual prayers for others. She died on April 29, 1380, and was buried in the Church of the Minerva, at Rome, her head being later removed to Siena and deposited in her own dearly- loved Church of St. Dominic. She was canonized as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church in the year 1461, eighty-one years after her death.
The memory of Catherine has never ceased to be cherished in her native city. The mothers still teach their children one of her prayers, and many other traces of her real existence may still be found and separated from the legends and supersti- tions which so easily grow up around the memories of those who rise above the com- mon level of humanity. What conclusions may be drawn from this outline of a woman's life? Leaving aside many points of great interest, suggested by a closer study of Catherine's life and writings, may we select as a close to this brief sketch, and as appropriate to our present purpose, the three following:
First. Mediaval saints will usually be found upon closer inspection to have really been saints, but not widely differing from what men and women have been, and still may be, in the present day; and we need a new Acta Sanctorum for the use of the pres- ent day, with the lives of the saints as they really were, free from legend and mira- cle, and including all whose influence has made for righteousness.
Second. Catherine was eminently a political woman, and owed her influence and power to the honorable and direct qualities of her individual character and strength of principle, and not to the indirect ones of rank or beauty. Such women prove better than arguments that there may be a place for women in politics, and suggest that they may be even necessary for the government of the perfect state.
Third. Studies of this description make us feel the unity of the ages, as we perceive men and women in all times working together for the advancement of the world; liv- ing for the improvement of their own age, and giving expression to its best thoughts; and dying in the faith that their work will be carried on by future generations. "Their works do follow them."
We feel that we who enter into their labors should enjoy and appreciate them, be grateful for them, and be encouraged by them to labor to do our own part in working for our own generation, and in increasing and handing on the heritage which we have received from the men and women of bygone days.
FOUR MONTHS IN OLD MEXICO. By MRS. CAROLINE WESTCOTT ROMNEY.
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The exigencies of life in the development of a new country by a comparatively poor people have been such as to necessitate frequent changes of abode among the citizens of the United States. The young men, as a rule, have been obliged to leave their Eastern homes on coming of age, or before, to carve out their own individual fortunes farther and farther West, with each succeeding generation. The result is that, as a peo- ple, we have imbibed a love for change and adven- turous undertaking far beyond anything known among European nations. Like the Greeks of old we are constantly seeking "some new thing." Let anything be but novel, and we immediately lose our heads until we are able to see it or experience it.
Where everything is so exceedingly new as in our ยท own country, especially here in the West, it is getting to be a difficult matter to find anything newer, a really fresh experience. In fact, paradoxical as it may sound, " the old " alone can now be " the novel" to us. A magnificent store of unmined wealth in this direc- tion lies at our very doors, almost unexplored by Americans, in the neighboring republic of Mexico, where everything is as unique and different from what we are accustomed to in our own land as though it were on a different planet.
MRS. CAROLINE WESTCOTT ROMNEY.
It is a land of extremes, of deserts and paradises, of rugged mountains and of beautiful tropical valleys. The tablelands of the interior, averaging several thousand feet in altitude above the level of the sea, produce the grains and fruits of the temper- ate zones, while the Tierra Caliente, or Hot Land, teems with the most luscious fruits and other precious products of the tropics.
When it comes to scenic attractions, some portions of Mexico surpass the world. Not only is nature so prodigal in her gifts, so beautiful and inviting, but the people and their manners and customs offer a most interesting field of observation.
I have made two visits to Mexico, which occupied upward of four months of time, during which I visited in detail no less than twenty-seven different cities and towns. I will say right here, that of all the twenty-seven places visited, there was not one whose streets were not paved, not one ( with one exception) which was not supplied with water-works, generally consisting of stone aqueducts built hundreds of years ago, con- ducting the water from sources in the neighboring mountains, not one that did not have its public baths, not one whose streets were not paved and lighted, some with elec- tricity, some with gas and some with oil lamps; not one that did not have its native
Mrs. Caroline Westcott Romney was born at Clyde, Wayne County, N. Y. Her parents were Hon. J. N. West- cott and Sophronia Willard Westcott. She was educated in the public schools of Ohio, and at home by her father, who was a very fine scholar. She studied Latin and Greek under his tuition, and has traveled in Europe, Old Mexico and nearly all over the United States. She married Mr. John Romney in 1876, and was left a widow the same year. As a journalist she is a voluminous writer. She has invented and exhibited at the Columbian Exposition filters, conservers of heat and cold, and other inventions of value and importance to economic and comfortable housekeeping. In religious faith she is an Episcopalian. Her postoffice address is Chicago, III.
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band; not one that did not have from one to four plazas or public squares, ornamented with trees, flowers and fountains; and many of them also paseos of greater or less length, corresponding with our boulevards, consisting of double drives, bridle-paths and walks, separated by narrow patches of ground planted like a park with trees, grass and flowers, and frequently ornamented with fountains.
In the city of Pueblo the old paseo has no less than nine passage-ways for car- riages, horsemen and pedestrians, alternating, with the little parks between.
The shortness of the paseo in general has given rise to the fashion of riding and driving slowly, or on a walk, backward and forward many times in order to see and be seen, as in Hyde Park, London. The Grand Pasco in the City of Mexico, however, is an exception to this rule, owing to its greater length. A more brilliant or pictur- esque scene could scarcely be imagined thian it presents at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, especially on Sundays and holidays, with its glittering array of fine car- riages freighted with beauty and fashion, and gaily caparisoned horses whose riders are frequently arrayed in the national garb with embroidered jackets and trousers, or at least leggings decorated with silver or gilt braid and buttons, or rows of small silver bells, and broad sombreros heavy with gold or silver cord.
Mexico, for the most part, it will be remembered, consists of a great mountain plateau ranging from about 4,000 to 8,000 or 9,000 feet above the level of the sea.
The climate, except in the Tierra Caliente, is charming, and even the Hot Land affords great variety of climate, owing to local causes. That portion bordering on the Gulf of Mexico is generally heavily timbered, humid and unhealthful, whereas that part on the Pacific Ocean and the coast of the Gulf of California has a dry and healthful climate, yellow fever, the pest of the castern coast, and kindred diseases being practically unknown. Owing to the trend of the mountain ranges, and the direc- tion of the prevailing winds in summer, the climate is not nearly so hot there as on the eastern coast.
The temperature on the table-land varies according to the altitude, from the semi- tropic to the temperate, but in the main is most delightful, neither too hot nor too cold; in neither respect being subject to the extremes of our western states and terri- tories. The greater altitude, the frequent showers and the narrowing of the continent, which permits of effects from the ocean breezes on both coasts reaching far into the interior, render the climate on the central plateau much more moderate than in the adjoining portions of the United States, and on the whole one of the most delightful on earth.
The rainy season is really the most charming portion of the year, a season resem- bling, somewhat, our April weather. As irrigation is necessary during all other por- tions of the year, and that can be applied only to limited sections on account of an insufficient water supply for the whole country, it will readily be seen that Mexico is never so attractive as during the rainy season. The dust is effectually laid, rendering travel more pleasant Most travelers go to Mexico in March-a disagreeable month everywhere in the world, and one of the hottest in Mexico.
My greatest surprise in Mexico was in the people themselves. We are too apt to condemn what is strange or unaccustomed, and I must confess to having had more or less prejudice against the Mexican people, derived, probably, from casual contact on the borders with so-called " Greasers." They are not idle and lazy per se, as they are generally represented to be, but only idle and lazy as compared with Americans. Cradled in the lap of a luxurious and generous nature, they take life pretty much as they find it, while we Americans are an epitome of the age of steam, doing the work of centuries in a decade, but lacking all the sweet repose of calm content which charac- terizes our brethren across the border. Who shall say which life is the more divinc; or is the charm of the one a mere matter of contrast, a grateful change from what we know and are weary of? They are industrious and faithful when they do work, but their activity is one of ebb and flow. They don't work when it isn't necessary. They Jove holidays and sitting in the sun. They act on the principle that they have all
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eternity before them, and there is no use in being in such a tremendous hurry. The world was not made in a day. Why crowd the centuries? The result is they do not wear themselves out, as we do, who call ourselves Americans-a title which belongs equally to them, however-but in many instances live to an age unknown on this side of the line. Centenarians are not at all uncommon, and many exceed that age by ten, twenty and even forty years. It may be a case, however, of "a century of Europe" being worth " a cycle of Cathay."
If one member of a Mexican family of the lower class is earning money the rest can idle and be sure of their share of it. Sometimes it is one and sometimes another who does the wage earning. Even a stranger, if in need, is taken in and cared for in the same fashion, and if ill, treated with a kindness and consideration that knows no bounds.
The hospitality of the better classes is well known. The visitor is told that the house is his own-in fact, everything is his. If he admires anything he is immediately presented with it; not that he is really expected to accept it. It is all equivalent to our fashion, I suppose, of telling people to make themselves at home, only given with more gusto. The men kiss each other when they meet upon special occasions, and the women embrace and kiss on the cheek.
Through an English lady who had lived in Mexico for twenty-seven years, and knew all of the first families, and to whom I had a letter of introduction, I met a number of Mexico's aristocracy, whom I found very agreeable, very refined, and possessed of the finest manners. We Americans are inclined to look down upon the Mexicans as inferior to ourselves. They return the compliment by looking down upon us. They admire our smartness, our inventive genius, and business enterprise and push; but regard us as uncultured barbarians when it comes to literary attainments and the amenities of life, in which respect they consider themselves vastly our superiors. In manners we may well give them the palm.
The women of the better classes are refined, and many of them accomplished in many ways, especially in music and the languages, although not thoroughly educated like American women of the same classes. My English lady friend, just referred to, pronounces them the sweetest women she ever knew, the best wives and mothers, and says she prefers them to her own countrywomen. That is probably an exaggerated view, arising from the fact that she has been so long absent from her own people.
The mothers and daughters are closely attached and always together; whereas the sons break away early from maternal restraints, and are made much of and taken about by the fathers, who take great pride in dressing them finely and showing them off.
The Indians and lower classes of Mexicans I found everywhere to be as amiable and kind, gentle and courteous, as their betters in social standing. They are good to their own. No family permits any of its poor relations, or poorer relations (for all are poor) to suffer. All such have a welcome, not to the family hearth or the family chimney corner, but to shelter under the family roof tree, no matter how contracted it may be, and a share of the tortillas and frijolis, no matter how limited the store.
It is a great mistake to think that the Mexicans are not cultured. Many of the wealthy classes have been educated abroad, and their higher schools and colleges are of a superior order, and education is held in the greatest possible esteem.
The City of Mexico has not only its literary colleges, but colleges of law, medi- cine, technology, commercial colleges, a conservatory of music, etc., and among others I saw one, with a sign over the door, reading " Collegio de Polemica "-College of Polemics. It also has art schools (one for women as well as men, for co-education is not yet introduced in Mexico, not even in the public primary schools), which have been in existence for about the same length of time.
The public schools, however, are the hope of the country, which are free in all the grades, including the highest, and the curriculum of studies pursued would astonish the opponents of " the fads " in our Chicago public schools, who think Mexico so much
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behind the times. The writer was much astonished in visiting a secondary school for girls at Aguas Calientes, with pupils ranging from eight to fourteen years of age, to find taught, in addition to the ordinary branches of a common-school education, English and French, drawing (with a room full of models), music (both vocal and instrumental, with instruments for practice), fine needlework and embroidery, and decorative penmanship, each with a special teacher, and telegraphy and photography (with full apparatus), the schoolhouse being a new one, but one-story in height, and built around an open court. Where in the United States could such a curriculum be found in a free public school?
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