A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut, Part 60

Author: Avery, Elroy McKendree, 1844-1935; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, New York The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 904

USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut > Part 60

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There came also during his administration many opportunities that proved his value and dignity as the official spokesman of his city. He delivered a number of addresses of welcome at gatherings of various organizations more or less national in character. That he was a force forty years ago for the sturdy Ameri- canism which the present situation of a world war requires is indicated by a sentence taken from his address of welcome to the Catholic German Central Association of the United States: "I have not the honor to be a mem- ber of your association, neither am I fully ac- quainted with its objects and purposes, but there is one association to which, I am proud to say, we all belong, and to which we all owe our highest allegiance, and that is the organ- ization known as the government of the United States. We are all American citizens ; and as such I am here in behalf of the citizens of Cleveland to tender you fraternal greet-

ings." A thought that is now expressed as a hope if not a determination on the part of the peoples of the world was expressed by him when he greeted the Knights Templar as- sembled at Cleveland in conclave: "May the influence of the mystic tie which binds you to- gether so obliterate sectional prejudices, so educate man into the belief and practice of universal brotherhood, that the time will come when all nationalities, now divided by imag- inary lines, will be cemented into one har- monious government."

Forty years ago Mayor Rose indicated his sympathy for the fundamental rights of women as co-equal partners with men in the vital affairs of social organization. Twice he was called to preside over Cleveland meetings of Irishmen, once to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Robert Emmet and the second time to welcome the Irish patriot Michael Davitt. A few of his striking sen- tences at the Emmet anniversary deserve quotation : "The history of the world dem- onstrates beyond the power of refutation the fact that every footfall in the march of civil- ization and in the interest of equal rights, has been indelibly stained with human blood. Despotism never yields without a struggle. It disputes every inch of ground, and retreats only at the point of the bayonet. These op- posing forces, freedom and despotism, have stood face to face in deadly conflict for six thousand years. This life and death struggle will continue until every form of oppression over the minds and bodies of men shall be banished from the earth. It may take ages to accomplish this result; but the final tri- umph of self government will surely come; it may cost millions of lives and billions of treasure; but come it will as surely as the God of truth is omnipotent over the powers of darkness."

Following his retirement from the mayor's office in 1879 Mr. Rose by no means lost his interest in municipal affairs, and in fact his experience gave him a heightened appreciation of the usefulness of a thorough-going study of municipal government. Thus more than twelve years later, in 1891, he was again put in the mayor's chair and he brought to his new administration the fruits of his mature study and of his close observation of the municipal politics and methods gained by extensive travel through the cities of Europe. One of the outstanding results of his second term was in securing a material reduction in the cost of gas to consumers. He also settled a street

Mas 20 0 L. Rose

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railroad strike, reduced the debt and provided for increasing sinking funds in the city, and at the same time carried forward a generous program of street paving and other practical improvements.

The efforts on the part of his friends and admirers to get him into the wider field of state politics was successful only once. In the republican state convention of 1883 as a result of a spontaneous movement among the dele- gates he was unanimously nominated as can- didate for lieutenant-governor. His own friends among the Cleveland delegation knew Mr. Rose's wishes with respect to any nomina- tion in the gift of the convention. He had steadfastly and emphatically refused to allow his name to be considered. But in response to the earnest wishes of the convention he allowed his name to stand as a candidate. In a year when the republican organization went before the people heavily handicapped and with hardly a prospect of success, the name of Mr. Rose on the ticket meant more probably than any other. He led the ticket all over the state, even in the City of Cin- cinnati, the home of Mr. Foraker, candidate for governor.

It was with full knowledge of his many substantial qualities as a business man and citizen that the people of Cleveland continned to honor him both during his lifetime and since. He was easily one of the outstanding figures in the life of Cleveland during the last period of the nineteenth century.

William G. Rose passed away September 15, 1899, a few days before his seventieth birthday. He married in 1858 Miss Martha E. Parmelee, daughter of Theodore Hudson and Harriet (Holcomb) Parmelee of Summit County, Ohio. They had four children, Evelyn, Hudson, Frederick and William Kent.

MRS. WILLIAM G. ROSE was born March 5, 1834, in Norton, Summit County, Ohio, youngest of the children of Theodore Hudson Parmelee and Harriet Holcomb Parmelee, for- merly of Litchfield County, Connecticut. When Martha Emily was three years old the family removed to Tallmadge, ten miles dis- tant, for greater educational privileges, there being an academy taught by Rev. E. T. Sturde- vant, a graduate of Yale, and two graded pub- lie schools.

In 1843, when eight years old, Mrs. Rose's father died and in 1847 her mother went to Oberlin with four of the younger children.

IIere Mrs. Rose heard President Charles G. Finney, who came for the college year, and his thrilling sermons made her very thoughtful. She thought she could not fulfill the vows re- quired of church members, and if she resisted, the Holy Spirit would be taken from her. When eighteen years of age she was told fifty would join the church at the next communion and among so many they would not criticise her, so she went to the meeting where they were to be examined. President Finney said to them: "Do you think Christ was sent by God to live and shed his blood for you to save you from eternal death ? All who believe this raise the hand." Every hand went up. Then he said : "Go home and live the life you know you ought to live."

She asked an officer of the church what she ought to do. He said, "Ask God, I do not know, nor anybody else." She offered to watch with the sick. There were no hospitals or nurses in small towns, and she was called for often, once in particular, when a family was made sick by eating rotten fish. That night Martha Parmelee watched, no one being with her except the mother. The father and one of the daughters died that night and she felt the spirits hovering around, waiting to take them to another world, she was chilled through when she stood in the door for fresh air and at daylight was so glad to see the doctor. She then went home to tell her mother how awful was the house where every room had a sick person and two had died that night. The mother said, "You are too young," and told Miss Winters, who lived with Professor Morgan, but she said there are so few watchers, let her go where the sick are not so dangerously ill. There was no pro- vision for a lunch and Martha had to take one with her or go without.

Abont this time Mrs. Dascomb, the prin- cipal of the Ladies' Department, sent a letter to Eliza Parmelee, who was home on a vaca- tion, that there was a vacancy in a ladies' seminary in Mercer, Pennsylvania, asking her if she would accept the place of principal. Eliza Parmelee went and took Martha with her. This seminary was started by a legacy of $1,000 left by Robert Hanna for a girls' school. He had recently come from Cadiz, Ohio. The school was held in the basement of the Free Presbyterian Church and had been in operation for a year. Wednesday afternoon was given to composition and at 4 o'clock a prayer meeting. Only a few stayed for the prayer meeting, but of those

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there were three who went to Hampton, West Virginia, to teach the colored people. They wrote home that all the pupils seemed glad to learn to read and sew but not one would attend the prayer meeting. Finally the old crippled janitor told the teachers "black folks have no use for the white man's God for he let them separate families and sell father and mother to different persons. We worship the black man's God."

When the Civil war came the three girls returned to Mercer. Sarah Pugh to take charge of a soldiers' home, Callie Forest to teach in public schools of Cleveland, and Susan Clarke to remain at home, for she had an accident that made her an invalid for life. The school at Mercer continued for several years until it was merged into a graded public school.

In 1855 Martha Parmelee graduated from Oberlin and returned to teach in Mercer. She then met and married Attorney Wm. G. Rose in 1858, an editor of a weekly paper, and the following year a member of the Pennsyl- vania Legislature.

Oil was discovered in Western Pennsylvania and Mr. Rose founded a company and put down several wells in Tidioute. One was a "gusher" and he was sent by the company to Philadelphia to sell it on the stock board. Here he made about $30,000 and had enough to go to a larger town. They selected Cleve- land, and in 1865 he located at 65 Cedar Street. He opened an office for real estate, for in looking at different cities he found Cleveland sold land at $1,000 per acre, a third less than St. Lonis or Chicago.

In 1878 Mr. Rose was elected mayor and again in 1901. Meanwhile he had been in Columbus to tell the members of the Legis- lature "a Mayor was helpless in making city improvements unless he could choose his own 'Board of Improvements.' "'

The ordinance was passed, and he was the first mayor to put in practice "The Federal Plan" as it was called. He began paving streets and as those adjacent to the main only brought mud on to them by the delivery wagons, he had a city law passed that the residents could choose brick or stone and the city would pay half the cost of paving. He also finished the viaduct, the bridge over the gully that separated East Side from West Side.

The contractor, Elisha Ensign, from Buf- falo, brought laborers from his own city. He was slow in building the arches required,

sending stone to other bridges he had con- tracted for. Mayor Rose put the contract be- fore him, it saying, "for every day after the time for the delivery of the bridge he would forfeit fifteen dollars." No attention was paid to it, so Mayor Rose put Cleveland men on to finish it with structural iron which has lasted as well as the arches of stone. The city was sued by Ensign for $1,500 but he lost the case.

Mrs. Rose interested herself in work for women and joined the Women's Employment Society that gave sewing to those who applied for work at the Bethel. She joined the Health Protective Association that provided playgrounds in three places and also a lot to be cultivated as a garden, prizes being offered for the best vegetables. These were exhibited at the High School on Euclid Avenue near Ninth Street. H. Q. Sargent, the superintend- ent, said he would be glad to teach agricul- ture. Unfortunately he was not re-elected. The Health Protective Association spoke to Mayor McKisson about waste-paper boxes. Five hundred were contracted for he said to be paid by the advertisements written on them. The first lot read : "You Need a Biscuit." The next contractor paid $800, the city not asking what he would put on the boxes. The adver- tisement being "Wilson Whiskey, That's All."

The Health Protective Association wished to have a law against expectoration in street cars and signs regarding the law were posted in street cars announcing a $5.00 fine. This led to clean cars and no protests. The anniversary meeting of the Health Protective Association was held at the Pan-American Fair in Buf- falo in 1900 and Mrs. Rose was there elected national president.

In November, 1895, Mr. and Mrs. Rose visited France, Italy and Egypt. From Cairo, Egypt, they went to Cheops, and as a Ger- man woman was with a party inside the Pyra- mid Mrs. Rose went in it unattended except by three sheiks. The queen's chamber was at the foot of an inclined plane of marble of 167 feet. The sides of the queen's chamber were of blocks of dark polished marble so closely joined as to be scarcely discernible-on them with red chalk was written the names of Wilkinson and Rawlinson. The king's cham- ber was at the top of this inclined plane with no names on the walls and no place for a casket. The queen's casket had been taken to the British Museum, and now a law is enforced that all curios from Egypt should be placed in the Boolak Museum, which was visited soon

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afterward. A line of sphynx were at the entrance. In the first room were the mum- mies of Rameses and his predecessors. The former had Jewish features and a pronounced Roman nose. It did seem marvelous to Mr. and Mrs. Rose that they were looking at the very man who had threatened the Israelites with perpetual slavery, and that they had to ride over Goshen where the bricks were made by them for the pyramids. They went to the Mesa Hotel where English ladies and gentle- men were going from parlor to dining room dressed in most extravagant style. The porch and parlor were decorated with carved wood. Because of great sand storms the furniture was kept covered except on such an occasion as this.

In Italy they visited Rome where they saw in the Vatican the painting by Michael Angelo of the Judgment Day, and the rooms dec- orated by Raphael, and rows of statues of eminent men; also the interior of St. Peter's where stood the catafalque of St. Peter and the statues of many well known men. In St. Paul's Church near which St. Peter was ex- ecuted they saw a painting of St. Paul's con- version as he neared Damascus, and in the adjacent hall a statue of St. Peter and one of St. Paul on either side a stairway where could be seen that of St. Mark. What was the thorn in the flesh of St. Paul ? Maybe one leg was shorter than the other ? It looked so, and St. Peter had nose and chin close together as we have seen old ladies who did not wear any teeth.

They visited Naples, looked into the crater of Vesuvius, and walked through its deep sand-pulled along by a boy who gave them a rope to hold on to. Here were Germans also who were looking into places that had steam coming out. So Mrs. Rose tried it and the effect was as when you breathe the smoke from a match. Mr. and Mrs. Rose then saw the Coliseum of Rome, rode out on the Appian Way until they came to the burial place of the bones of Christians torn to pieces by the bulls in the Coliseum. The return voyage from Naples was in the worst storm on the Atlantic for many years, the Elba being wrecked off the coast of France at that time. Their own boat was covered with ice as it entered New York Harbor on January 27th. They intended visiting the Holy Land but the rainy season had commenced. They thought they could go again, but in four years Mr. Rose had passed to the beyond, leaving a wife and four children : Mrs. Charles R. Miller, an

alumnus of Cornell; Hudson Parmlee, also of Cornell; William Kent, of classical course of Harvard College, and Fred H. Rose, a graduate of Institute of Technology of Bos- ton, Massachusetts.

Hudson, the eldest son, went to New York iu 1895 and for twelve years dealt in real estate in the Bronx until it became what it is now, one of the best divisions of New York City. He then went to Hastings-on-Hudson Heights, near Tarrytown, and with his brother, William K. Rose, now they have more than 700 honses built there. It is a station of the New York Central that gives out more commutation tickets than any other on its lines.

Fred H. Rose is with the American Box Company of Cleveland. He settled the estate of A. S. Upson of the Nut and Bolt Company that gave to each of the children more than $1,000,000. Maj. Charles R. Miller, who mar- ried Evelyn Rose, was in the Spanish war and was appointed colonel. He was the first presi- dent of Ohio Spanish War Veterans.

In 1900 Mrs. Rose went again to Europe with the Literary Digest Company of eighty- five. Her grandson, Will Rose Miller, fifteen years of age, accompanied her. They took in Ireland, England, Scotland, Germany and France. In Ireland they went to the top of Blarney Castle, and at the entrance bought large red strawberries on vine leaves from the peasants. They saw a school house on second story with nice white curtains at the windows. They rode through Ireland to Dublin and saw the thatched roofs of the peasants and the sleek cattle in the fields. In Scotland they spent a day in Edinburgh, saw the High- landers march with their bare legs and tunics, also St. Margaret's Chapel and at the foot of the hill was the Church of Knox, his name in gold on the plank where he lies buried. They saw in Holyrood the home of the unhappy Mary Queen of Scots, went out to Stirling Castle and bought strawberries at a store.

They went to Germany, visited Potsdam and the art galleries and saw Emperor Wil- liam II on horseback on the streets of Berlin.

In 1901 Cleveland Sorosis was formed. She sent to New York for its Constitution and sixty-five joined at the first meeting. They invited Mrs. M. C. Croly and she came to inform them of its management. She said, "Business women have everything but social life, therefore we began by having a banquet every month at Delmonico's, and would invite any noted woman to address us. We had

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eight divisions, such as House and Home, Physical Culture, Drama, Music, Art and Literature. Each division met separately and only appeared on the Sorosis program once a year. That made about ten officers to each division and eighty altogether. Most of these would come and bring their friends and then we had an audience of 125."

Sorosis means many in one, and it is there- fore a club made out of many clubs. Cleve- land Sorosis invited Mrs. Potter Palmer and she sent Mrs. Charles Henrotin, acting presi- dent of Columbia Auxiliary, World's Fair.

To meet the expenses of repairing the rooms on the fifth floor of the City Hall they had six banquets, four given at the Hollenden Hotel and two at Sorosis rooms. Mayor Rose told them all rooms in City Hall had to be rented and he gave them all for one dollar a year and fifty cents a session to the janitor for running the elevator one more story than was required. At these banquets they invited Dean A. A. J. Johnson of Oberlin Literary Department, Miss Mary Evans of Erie Col- lege, and Miss Kiefer, one of its teachers. In 1892 the General Federation of Women's Clubs met in Chicago. Ten of Sorosis mem- bers went to it. The meetings were in Cen- tral Music Hall. Charlotte Emerson Brown of East Orange, New Jersey, was president. She said, "Shall we admit reporters ?" It was seconded by Mrs. S. M. Perkins, who said, "Business men are glad for all advertise- ments, we should also favor such an opportu- nity." They voted to admit reporters. The next meeting, Mrs. Perkins received a bouquet from the reporters, and the papers spoke of it and our Sorosis got a boom.

The next meeting of General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1894 was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and we could have a private car if twenty-five would go; Sorosis had thirty- one. They went via Washington, D. C., and Mt. Vernon. A conductor of the B. & O. led them to a restaurant when they arrived in Washington, also took them to the Mt. Vernon cars. This place is kept np as it was when Washington resided there. In the garden were old fashioned beds of flowers surrounded by a border of box. In the parlor were sev- eral portraits of Washington, the one by Gil- bert Stewart being the one generally known. In the chambers were beds covered with white cotton cloth tufted with candle wick. On the front porch the Potomac was visible and at the side were the graves and monuments of Washington and his wife.

They returned by boat on the Potomac called the "John Marshall," had an excellent dinner, and had time to go to White House, where General Grant then resided, and to call for a few minutes at Senate and House of Rep- resentatives. At 5 o'clock they took the special car for Philadelphia. They had telegraphed to the Metropole, "Save rooms for thirty guests during convention of General Federa- tion Women's Clubs." On arrival the clerk said, "More than 300 women have arrived, we expected seventy-five, but we will send you to the Rittenhouse. The carriages are at the door." They found the Rittenhouse a neat hotel with sunny connecting rooms and the Cincinnati delegation already there. It was only two blocks from the 12th Ave. Women's Club House, the headquarters of the conven- tion. Only three cities had a special car. Bos- ton, 178 delegates; Chicago, 75; and Cleve- land, 29. Some had stopped off with friends in Washington, D. C. The Ohio delegates ap- pointed five to draw up a constitution for Ohio. They were Mrs. M. A. Harter and Mrs. Huggins of Mansfield, Mrs. Buckwalter of Dayton, Mrs. Roberts of New London, and Mrs. Rose of Cleveland. They met in Mans- field in a room in the library which is set apart, by the state, for women's clubs. Mrs. Buckwalter, chairman, said, "Ladies, what do von propose?" Mrs. Rose said, "Why not study Ohio by counties as is done in the Ohio Geological Survey, know' its flora and its strata."

Mrs. Buckwalter said, my club of Dayton would not join, they are for literature only. But this is literature; however, it was not con- sidered. Why not meet when the Columbus Legislature meets and have our subjects pub- lished so as to affect legislation ? Also have every meeting opened with scripture and prayer, ask God to direct us in our work. The latter was accepted unanimously.

The first Ohio Federation was in Dayton. Mrs. Buckwalter in the chair. She came to Mrs. Rose and said, "Will you offer prayer, the woman we expected is not here." Mrs. Rose at once went to the front of the platform and God gave her the words and also the voice to be heard as he has promised in scripture. Since then Cleveland Sorosis has had a chap- lain to offer prayer at its meetings and it is the largest and most efficient club in the state. In this way God sets his approval on any act of ours.

The next meeting was in Cleveland and the next in Toledo, where Mrs. Jones, wife of the

Chas E. Joke

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mayor had a choir of sixty female voices to sing at beginning and close of sessions.

The General Federation has met in St. Louis where Mrs. Dennison of New York was made president, also at Los Angeles, Cali- fornia, where David Starr Jordan gave them greeting.

The subject of whether colored woman's clubs should be admitted was discussed and although Miss Jane Addams of the Hull House spoke in its favor, it was lost by a small majority. Reciprocity in the shape of an exchange of papers was endorsed. Clubs of Indian women were admitted by a small majority.

In 1876, Cleveland held its Western Re- serve Centennial. Twelve Counties constituted the Western Reserve. It is one hundred and twenty miles north and south and sixty miles east and west. A banquet was to be given in Grey's Armory July 5, 1876, President Mc- Kinley accepted the invitation at a late hour. The caterer refused to add more tables, but Miss Zerbe and others provided their own and those not able to be seated at the forty tables had seats in the gallery for one-third the price. There they could hear all the addresses and could give their approval by cheers. Mrs. M. B. Ingham, leader of the late temperance crusade, was made president, and Mrs. Rose chairman of the committee on tables. In the welcome Mrs. Rose gave she said, "The twelve counties represented here today with a delegate from each one and another from the city who is a native of that county, we claim they are the suburbs of Cleveland and in the future will visit us and partake of our festivities. Suburban cars will be put on for their accommodation and for our mutual benefit." This in a few years came true-we have now suburban cars in every direction out of Cleveland and if they haul freight "less than a carload" as is pro- posed, will meet all expenses. Governor Bushnell gave an interesting address, also Berea professors and Oberlin alumni and Mrs. Taylor of Warren and others. As a souvenir of the Centennial the committee on tables had a book similar to New York Sorosis with portraits of men, women and parks. Four hundred and ten photos it con- tained and sold for 50 cents each, paper cover. and one dollar if stiff covers. Six hundred dollars were taken in at the banquet sufficient to pay all of the expenses of the Woman's Auxiliary of the Cleveland Centennial. In a few years Mrs. Rose published by the firm

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A history of Cleveland and its environs; the heart of new Connecticut, Part 60

Author: Avery, Elroy McKendree, 1844-1935; Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago, New York The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 904

Author: Avery, Elroy McKendree, 1844-1935; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago, New York The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 904