USA > Ohio > The Western Reserve of Ohio and some of its pioneers, places and women's clubs, Vol. II > Part 18
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heaven in impotent rage forevermore." As we looked at the huge, distorted masses of lava that were thrown in every direc- tion, and that so terribly suggested everything horrible and deathly, some one asked the question, "What do they look like?" One proposed the reply of the Dutchman, "Hell is not far from here"; another said, "Hades seasick"; another, "Hell on earth."
At other times when ascending mountains, you have felt a keen delight, an elevated repose. Standing where the great hills are far below and where harvestfield and meadow, village and town, wood and water, are merged into one grand mosaic, where clouds hover lovingly near and sometimes are far below us, we have a peculiar feeling of separation from the busy
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world, a nearness to the heavenly home. Today all is changed. Instead of repose all is tumult, or tumult solidified; instead of happiness, distress; instead of Heaven, Perdition.
At length we reached the Atrio del Cavallo at the foot of the cone, to which point riding is generally practicable. Then we get into a car that is pulled near to the summit by an en- gine, by means of iron ropes, in the same manner that cars are pulled up and down at Niagara Falls. The railroad is 2,500 feet in length and slants at an angle of 29-30°. As the long iron ropes skip over the pulleys, it makes anyone shiver to think of going in a car drawn up such a long, steep ascent, only by a rope. After we get out of the car, a guide throws a leather strap over his shoulder, which you take hold of and in this way you climb up the cone of volcanic sand and ashes. At last you gain the summit, and are surprised to find spread out before you a marvelous display of beauty. No monarch's court was ever dressed in richer tints or more brilliant colors than the gor- geous sulphuric rocks wore in their carnival of that day. You think at every step-surely the guide will go no farther. Still on he goes! Instinctively you hold up your dress, it seems as though the smoking rocks must catch on fire. Still you go on. But stop, we cannot breathe! The sulphuric fumes that issue from a thousand little cracks and fissures smother us. It seems like death to go a step farther. You are told to press a hand- kerchief tightly over your nostrils. You do so and you can breathe. At the first crater the guide leaves you and another wants to know if you wish to go to the second crater. "One franc more." Francs are nothing. Yes, go on. Go nearer that terrible sight. You take the guide's hand and with bandaged mouth and nose, you scramble over the rocks that are smoking densely, and think: Well, I am going to the crater-shall I ever
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come back again? That crater! Try to imagine the sound of ten thousand active blast-furnaces suddenly plunged into the depths of an ocean! That might seem something like the roar of Vesuvius! Then that immense column of ashes and smoke, full of fiery tongues of burning rocks whose temperatures ex- ceed 2,000º Fahrenheit-a column extending sometimes to a height of 10,000 feet. A feeling of terrible solemnity comes over you. You think what an awful thing it is to "fall into the hands of the living God!" The words of Holy Writ: "Eternity," "Lake of Fire," "Torment," what do they mean? You turn from the scene a wiser being, with deeper thoughts of life than ever you had before, and leave the spot saying, "I have had a revelation !"
At the crater your guide watches you intently. You won- der at it and are told strange things. A number of persons have been fascinated while near the brink of the crater, and have plunged headlong into the fiery gulf below. So now the government has stationed numerous guides at the crater to pre- vent suicide. And now you descend through the scoriae more than ankle deep, but the descent was only a labor of a few min- utes, as we ploughed our way deeper and deeper in the loose ashes till we reached the station. But our boots! Scarcely a particle of the outside remained-they were actually peeled. The view from the station is a scene of unparalleled loveliness- "a fragment of heaven to earth vouchsafed."
"Here Ischia smiles o'er liquid miles, And yonder bluest of the isles, Calm Capri waits-its sapphire gates Beguiling to its bright estates."
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We here took our carriage and went on our journey to- wards Naples. But the words would come to us over and over again: "Where every prospect pleases and only man is vile." It is said there are fifty thousand beggars in the city of Naples. Almost all the poor, neglected children wear nothing but their "birthday silk," as one of our party pleasantly termed it. Our hearts ached to see them, and so
"Thy voice is a complaint, O crowded city ! The blue sky covering thee like God's great pity." Then: "Lay thy up-hill shoulders to the wheel, And climb the Mount of Blessing, whence, if thou Look higher, then perchance thou mayst, beyond A hundred ever-rising mountain lines, And past the range of Night and Shadow, see The High Heaven dawn of more than mortal day Strike on the Mount of Vision !"
THE OVER-ZEALOUS WOMAN
Response by Mrs. W. E. Brooks, of Elyria, at Myrtle Luncheon, April 27, 1893
Just at this season of the year the over-zealous woman fills the horizon, for she is cleaning house! The fascination of forgotten closets and long neglected drawers claim her atten- tion; dust and cobwebs fly before her, while chaos marks her path. The family are reduced to oddly arranged meals, hastily served in out-of-the-way corners; the head of the house finds
"His breakfasts are spoiled, His dinners half boiled,"
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and his efforts to get a square supper are foiled or else he is asked to dine down town. Pails of water, step-ladders and pots of paint stand about to entrap the unwary. The windows stare out at the world curtainless, as if wondering at the com- motion, and the general air of discomfort that pervades every- thing warns the passer-by to avoid the spot. But if any un- expected guest braves the dangers, he is received with a half- hearted welcome and cold fare.
Why all this zeal for cleanliness? Is the house that could be lived in last week and the week before suddenly become so dirty that a cyclone of soap-suds, brooms and dust-cloths is needed to purify it sufficiently for living?
Tradition says that while in the Garden of Eden, Eve put her house in order every day, and Adam was never made un- comfortable by the process; but on leaving Paradise she began on raising Cain, and her daughters (in the matter of house- cleaning) have done so ever since.
Unfortunately the over-zealous woman does not confine her energies to her own home. F. Marion Crawford says that a novel written with a purpose is outside the pale of true art, and such a breach of the unwritten contract between publisher and buyer that it should be bound in black and labelled "Purpose" in large letters. Now, might it not be well for our "Purpose" to adopt some badge or uniform, that her friends and acquaint- ances might quickly recognize the class to which she belongs and thus save valuable time and nervous strain? To be care- fully avoided is the one who is over-zealous for your health, who, if she does not tell you how badly you are looking, does recom- mend her pet pill, potion, or doctor. She visits the sick, and not having been able to come as early in the illness as she thinks she ought, she makes up the lack by staying a long time, until
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finally the tired look of the patient's face attracts even her at- tention, and as she hastily rises, says with tardy contrition, "I fear I have tired you!" "Oh, no," our invalid replies, "not at all." It takes her last bit of strength to say it, but we must be polite if we die for it!
The over-zealous one is found in our clubs; she is in the main a good worker, is anxious for reform and progress, but lacks judgment in carrying out her ideas. She is a terror to the presiding officer, who knows that the routine of business may at any time be stopped by her zeal for some unimportant matter. Such a member, failing at one time to secure votes enough for even a nomination for her candidate to club membership, black- balled every candidate who was nominated, and the society was obliged to adjourn without filling the vacancy. But a lucky day arrived when this member, over-zealous in her friendship, was called out of town, and the club was able to accomplish its busi- ness. Such instances are rare, but I believe they have been known to occur even in men's clubs !
But more to be dreaded, because more frequently met with, is the woman who is an enthusiastic promoter of concerts, lec- tures and other forms of entertainment, and who by numerical strength in the club decrees that each of its members shall dis- pose of a certain number of tickets. You are then in the same case as the man who said that he was not able to get even the most minor measures through Congress !
I assure you, ladies, that one afternoon of ticket selling will make you tolerant of, nay, even polite to agents for a week at least !
Many clubs in our large cities are become widely known by their earnest efforts to benefit humanity, so that the term over- zealous depends somewhat on the point of view.
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Doubtless many municipal authorities, school boards and manufacturers who have been compelled to reform abuses through the earnest advocacy of some club woman, have char- acterized some as over-zealous.
The difference in the point of view is illustrated by visitors of Fortress Monroe from Old Point. The guards at the Fort say that the Northerners ask them, "Is this where Jeff Davis was shut up?" while the Southerners say, "Is this where Pres- ident Davis was confined?"
Why is it that the duty of the over-zealous woman so often lies far from home? You remember Mrs. Jellaby of Borrioboula fame, whose handsome eyes had a curious habit of seeming to look a long way off, "as if they could see nothing nearer than Africa !" And perhaps you remember, too, the condition of the little Jellabys while their mother was engaged in colonizing and Christianizing Africa.
Many a woman is today following that will-o'-the-wisp duty on the shores of a distant ocean, while her own children are in the street fast becoming little savages for lack of the spiritual motherhood that is every child's right and need.
This tendency to see a distant duty is emphasized in a re- cent article in one of our leading journals.
About forty years ago an old French woman in Louisiana developed leprosy. She was deserted by husband and children, but a young girl of the village, leaving a comfortable home, took care of the leper for five years until her death, because she was sorry for her old neighbor and "because God wanted her to go." Contrast with that the story of an enthusiast of England, who has consecrated her life to the care of a community of lepers in Siberia, of whose existence she had vaguely heard! She has traveled through Europe, Constantinople and the Holy Land,
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studying leprosy wherever found. She was presented to the Queen and descanted on the needs of these people at the Antipo- des. She took a letter to the Empress of Russia. Finally she undertook a terrible journey of 7,000 miles, from Moscow to the leper settlement. Then back again to England to write a book on her adventures, and plan to sell it with her photographs. With the proceeds of this book, she assures the world that she will found many leper colonies in Siberia! And all this zeal is in face of the facts that she does not know one word of Russian, that she is in frail health (all her family but one having died of consumption), and that there is a community of English- speaking lepers much nearer, in need of help.
Most common, however, is the class of women zealous in all good works, whose bodily strength will not keep pace with their earnest desire to do their duty. A critic, writing of this class, says: "Generally when people talk about the ravages of intem- perance, they're thinking of drunken men who waste their sub- stance and make their homes wretched. But often when I've seen a woman come to dinner so tired, either with making pre- serves or making calls, or leading missionary meetings, that she is ready to weep at a word or to fly out at the children for screwing about in their chairs, so that a cloud comes over every face and ill-temper creeps in along with the gloom, then I say behold the ravages of intemperance !"
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THE SOROSIS GATHERINGS
The Entertainers
At the several special gatherings of Sorosis held this year, the following ladies and gentlemen aided in the various forms of entertainment:
With Papers and Responses :
Mrs. W. G. Rose.
Mrs. Ozeliah Phelps Huggins,
Mrs. Cady Staley.
Mrs. T. D. Crocker.
Mrs. A. G. Upham.
Mrs. N. A. Gilbert.
Mrs. M. C. Hickman.
Mrs. N. Coe Stewart.
Mrs. J. W. Gibbons.
Mrs. Mary B. Ingham. Mrs. J. B. Cory.
Mrs. Eugene Clark, ex-Record- Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton. ing Secretary of New York Mrs. Luella Varney Serraro. Sorosis.
Mrs. S. M. Perkins.
Mrs. Myron G. Browne. Mrs. W. E. Brooks, President of
Mrs. E. B. Ransom, ex-Presi- Fortnightly Club, of Elyria. dent of Wyoming Monday Mrs. Lydia Hoyt Farmer. Club, of Cincinnati.
Lectures and Other Literary Productions :
Madame Alice D. LePlongeon. Mrs. Mary A. Allen, M. D.
President of the Travelers' Club, of Mansfield.
Mrs. Sarah E. Bierce.
Mrs. Elroy M. Avery.
Mrs. Leo Dautel.
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With Readings and Recitations:
Miss Virginia F. Townsend. Mrs. E. W. Campbell. Miss Morris, Lecturer on Phys- Mrs. Goodhart. ical Culture.
Miss Meyers.
Miss Dorothy Paine.
Miss Herrick.
Miss Marie Walker.
Mrs. H. L. Tobien.
Mrs. Anna P. Tucker.
Mrs. O. C. Lawrence.
Mrs. Rose Evylene Knestrick. Mrs. Olga Sturm.
Mrs. C. W. Phipps.
With Music:
Miss Sybil Perkins.
Miss Anna Estabrooke.
Mrs. N. Richardson.
Mrs. H. W. Richmond.
Mrs. Henry Smith.
Prof. A. Spengler.
Miss Marguerite Wuertz.
Mrs. D. R. Hawley.
Ladies' Sylvian Banjo Club.
Mr. Fred. P. Sprague. Miss Clara Louise Doeltz.
Mr. J. F. Isham.
Miss A. M. Kelley.
Mrs. Levi T. Scofield.
In the Comedietta :
Miss Dorothy Paine.
Miss Mabelle Kimberley.
Mr. W. R. Rose.
Mr. J. F. Walsh.
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THE TOWNSEND RECEPTION
Extract from Local Journal, June 15, 1892
The reception given by the Sorosis to Miss Virginia F. Townsend, at Mrs. E. W. Doan's, No. 1791 Euclid Ave., on Tuesday evening, was pronounced a success by the one hundred and fifty guests assembled. After introduction and pleasant words to each, Miss Townsend recited an original poem in her charming manner. Then followed Miss Morris, the lecturer on Physical Culture, with a delightful dramatic selection. Mrs. Eugene Clark of New York, and for many years recording sec- retary of the Sorosis there, gave a lucid account of the society and promised to give it more in detail at the Sorosis meeting on June 30th.
This was followed by a bright little speech by the pres- ident, Mrs. W. G. Rose. A song was beautifully rendered by Miss Sybil Perkins, with piano accompaniment by Mr. White, of New York. Flowers and trailing vines were in profusion over the beautiful house, conspicuous among which was an ex- quisite bouquet presented to the ladies by Mr. Charles Erhardt, the florist.
Beautiful costumes, smiling faces and intellectuality marked the miscellaneous feminine gathering, to each individual of which belongs a portion of the honor of making this reception one of unprecedented success.
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SEPTEMBER LUNCHEON
(From the Report of the Cleveland Leader, September 30, 1892)
Two hundred and fifty ladies, members and friends of the Sorosis, lunched together at the Hollenden yesterday afternoon. The tables were tastefully decorated to denote the four seasons of the year, Spring being indicated by buttercups and daisies. The ladies of the Decorating Committee for Spring were Mes- dames C. H. Seymour, S. P. Churchill, C. S. Selover, F. W. Rob- erts and Anna P. Tucker. The tables denoting Summer were decorated with roses and were under the charge of Mesdames J. M. Wilcox, Arthur Hatch, J. K. Hord and Avery, Miss Clara Loomis and Miss M. Kerruish. Autumn was indicated by grain and fall flowers, the Committee on Decoration comprising Mes- dames X. X. Crum, J. M. P. Phelps, and Arthur Foster, and Miss Clara Taplin. Geraniums and other winter flowers deco- rated the fourth set of tables, under the direction of Mesdames J. A. Barrett, J. H. Paine, N. Coe Stewart, M. S. Brown, and Miss Clara Blandin. The Reception Committee comprised Mesdames Mary B. Ingham, J. K. Hord, E. J. Blandin, Leopold Dautel, W. S. Kerruish, E. W. Doan, J. H. Davis, William Bow- ler, J. J. Shipherd, C. C. Burnett, N. A. Gilbert, and J. Nanson. The music, which was excellent, was provided under the charge of Mesdames S. P. Churchill, J. H. Needham and N. Coe Stew- art. The Custodians of the society were Mesdames C. H. Sey- mour, J. M. Wilcox, S. P. Churchill, J. H. Paine, C. S. Selover. J. K. Hord, Arthur Hatch and N. Coe Stewart. The whole was under the direction of the president, Mrs. W. G. Rose.
After the tables had been cleared, the literary programme was commenced. First the entire assemblage arose and stood silent during the space of about a minute in memory of three
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departed members. An invocation was uttered by Mrs. Mary Ingham, after which the literary exercises were commenced. The subject of the day was "Women" and a number of remark- ably interesting addresses were made. A beautiful solo was sung by Mrs. Henry Smith, accompanied on the piano by Mrs. Levi T. Scofield. "The Women of Germany" was the subject of the toast given to Mrs. J. B. Cory, which was traced in a com- prehensive manner. The various classes of the different modes of life were ably discussed and a hearty round of applause fol- lowed the close of the effort. "The Women of the National Cap- itol" was the subject of an address of Mrs. Harriet Taylor Upton, of Washington, the daughter of Congressman Taylor. This address was given the closest attention, it being of great interest. Four classes were treated, the ultra-fashionable, the official, the department, and the colored washerwoman, and the speaker gave a graphic description of the different sorts. Mrs. Luella Varney Serraro, the sculptress, spoke on the women of Italy, and Mrs. Anna P. Tucker gave a rendition of Miss Holle's "Political Aspirations of Josiah Allen," in costume. These were both well received A beautiful piano solo, Gottschalk's "Etude de Concert," was given by Professor A. Stengler, after which Mrs. Myron G. Browne gave a response to the toast "Woman." Mrs. Lydia Hoyt Farmer gave "Mrs. Malaprop's Response to a Toast Before the New York Sorosis." This was very laughable and evoked hearty applause. Miss Rose Evylene Knestrick gave a pleasing rendition of "Hearts Ease" and Mr. Smith sang a solo, "Man's Way is Best." After another piano solo by Professor Spengler, the guests began to disperse.
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THE HISTORICAL BANQUET
(From the Report of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 13, 1893)
Seldom has the dining hall of The Hollenden presented a more attractive appearance than it did yesterday afternoon, on the occasion of the luncheon given by the ladies of Sorosis. Anything of the kind undertaken by them is always an assured success, but the "Luncheon of the Nations" yesterday surpassed all their previous efforts.
They occupied the main dining room, which was still fes- tooned with the Christmas evergreens, adding appreciably to the decorations of the tables. The tables were six in number and were symbolic representations of America and the five na- tions whose history is most bound up in hers.
America was the most elaborate. A large flag was in the middle of the table, and caught here and there with bunches of smaller flags rising from it. In the center was an eagle with wings outspread, with the stars and stripes in its talons. At one end was a miniature tent, with campfire and kettle, to typify the war of the Rebellion. Each guest was given a tiny flag. The table was presided over by Mrs. Charles H. Seymour. Miss Jessie McMath occupied a prominent position at the table as the goddess of liberty. Mrs. Arthur Foster was Lady Washington. In addition to these there were Mrs. John Hancock, represented by Mrs. C. S. Selover; Mrs. Madison, by Mrs. H. L. Ambler; Mrs. John Quincy Adams, by Mrs. C. E. Wyman; Mrs. Monroe, by Mrs. J. H. Thomas; Lady Lafayette, by Mrs. Arthur Adams; Priscilla, by Miss Grace Felton, and the women of the period by Miss Wheelock.
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The Spanish table was brilliant with the glowing red and yellow of the nation. In the center was a ship on which might be seen Columbus, with Isabella and Ferdinand wishing him bon voyage. A pyramid of the native fruits and flowers of Spain graced one end of the table. The fans were small sti- lettos. At this table Mrs. J. H. Paine presided. Isabella was represented by Miss Clara Taplin; Queen Mercedes, by Mrs. H. B. Roosa; Princess Natalie, by Miss Dorothy Paine; Donna Pepita, by Mrs. A. J. Cook; Pagnita, by Mrs. V. Halliday; Maria Clina, by Mrs. John C. Miller; Carmencita, by Mrs. J. H. Moses.
England was appropriately typified with banks of moss strewn on either side, with red and white roses divided by Prince of Wales plumes, typical of the War of the Roses and the reconciliation by the houses of York and Lancaster. The favors were Union Jacks tied with red roses. This table was in charge of Mrs. Arthur Hatch. Mrs. Leo Dautel represented Mary Queen of Scots; Mrs. C. E. Tillinghast, Queen Elizabeth; Mrs. O. C. Lawrence, Queen Katherine, and Miss May Conger, Anna Boleyn.
The French table was made beautiful with flowers having their home in that country. The souvenirs were hand-painted cards, bearing the design of fleur de lis. At this table Mrs. J. O. Leslie represented the Empress Josephine. Different court ladies were impersonated by Mrs. Charles Gill, Mrs. E. G. Wil- son, Miss Maud Kerruish and Miss Mervin. Miss Nettie Quale was Hortense.
The Greenland table was presided over by Mrs. N. Coe Stewart, representing Thorwalda, wife of Eric the Red. The center of the table was occupied by a huge iceberg. Through the whole length of the table was spread silver tissue represent-
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ing fields of snow. Over this were scattered sprigs of evergreen, crystal bowls of ice and mirrors. The favors for each guest were cut glass icicles decorated with green and white ribbons. Mrs. N. Coe Stewart, as Thorwalda, wore a magnificent cos- tume of white satin brocade en train, with large puffed sleeves. The front was draped with a berthe of crystal and pearls. Mrs. Frank Reiley, Frieda, daughter of Eric, wore a unique costume of eider cloth, trimmed in swan's down. Miss Gabrielle Stew- art, Godiva, wore a cream white satin brocade made empire style, with cream chiffon.
The Italian table was presided over by Mrs. X. X. Crum, representing a Venetian lady; Mrs. S. P. Churchill as Queen Marguerita; Miss Miriam Kerruish, representing Marie, a peasant girl; Miss Katherine Wilcox, representing a peasant girl, and Mrs. Harshaw, Louise, a peasant girl. The decorations consisted of a center piece representing a canal in Venice, with gondola draped with Roman scarfs and the flag of Italy. Roman scarfs in brilliant colors decorated other parts of the table. A stiletto and bon bon box were at each plate as a souvenir.
On entering the room, the ladies ranged themselves around the tables and remained standing, while Mrs. D. W. Gage offered prayer. The bountiful luncheon was followed by toasts, spark- ling with bits of wit and wisdom. It was opened by a beautiful vocal duet by Miss Anna Estabrook and Mrs. Dr. Richmond, who were accompanied by Mrs. Fry. Mrs. W. G. Rose, presi- dent of Sorosis, addressed the ladies on the object of the organi- zation, and introduced Mrs. T. D. Crocker as toastmistress of the afternoon, who, after a few introductory remarks, presented Mrs. Cady Staley, who responded to a toast on "The Women of Tangier." Mrs. Staley has recently spent several months in Tangier, making a study of the customs, and was therefore well
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fitted for the task. She was followed by Miss Dorothy Paine in a pleasing recitation of John Hay's, "The Happiest Man."
Mrs. A. G. Upham responded to a toast on "The Women of Canada." Mrs. Upham spoke from experience, having spent many years among them.
That ever-interesting woman, "Mary, Queen of Scots," was the subject of a toast by Mrs. N. A. Gilbert. Speaking of her eventful life as queen, wife and woman, she said: "Even after three centuries of debate her character is still a mystery. From cradle to the grave she was a victim of circumstances over which she had no control."
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