USA > Wisconsin > Centennial records of the women of Wisconsin > Part 8
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hand of man, aided by the forces of nature and the appliances of machinery, can execute; a nationality, feeble, and beseeching recognition a hundred years ago, now, admitted by universal consent to be the peer of the most formidable powers on earth. These are some of the results of our career as a republic that render it fitting that we should celebrate with pomp and pride the Centennial Anniver- sary of its birth. As a nation, we are prepared to exhibit . the natural resources of the country and their development, and of its progress in those arts which benefit mankind.' in comparison with those of older empires and nationalities.
" By such a friendly comparison and competition, the power of a free people and a free government to produce grand results can be tested. The United States will not suffer by such comparison. A hundred years may not be deemed long in the life of a nation. Viewed, however, in the light of events that have transpired, and the progress that has been made in national greatness in the United States, a hundred years is a long time; and, in view of these events and progress, how fitting it is that the closing of the first century of our national life should be cele- brated in a manner becoming an enlightened and grateful people! It was a happy thought that suggested the centennial commemoration by a grand International Exhibition in the city of Philadelphia, in 1876; and it will be a proud thing for the people of our country if that event proves the grandest, the most interesting and the most beneficial exhibition of the kind that the world has ever known! For a time, there were doubts and fears in regard to it on the part of those having its management in charge. These doubts and fears did not result from any want of patriotism on the part of the people of the nation, nor from a want of veneration and regard for the memories of the founders of the government. The leading canse was found in a tinge of local jealousy on the part of the people of the large rival cities as to where this exhibition should be held. This feeling has all sub- sided now; and but few, if any, even doubt the propriety of its being held in the city of Philadelphia.
" The whole feeling resulted from local pride in citizens of other cities, which is entirely natural. It was first developed in congress while the bill providing for organizing the movement was before that body. An effort was made to locate the exhibition in New York. It was my privilege to take part in that controversy, and to stand firm with the friends of Philadelphia. In that struggle the bill was stripped of many of its most useful provisions, which has proved the most serious embarrassment with which the Centennial Commission has had to contend. The section appropriating means by the general government for carrying on the enter- prise was stricken out, and the matter of finance has been the cause of the most serious apprehension in regard to the celebration. But this trouble no longer
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exists. The patriotism of the people of the country has gloriously triumphed; and they will furnish the means themselves. While this renders the labor of pre- paring for the grand event vastly greater and more perplexing, its consummation without the aid of the government will increase its grandeur, and prove the no- bility and independence of our people in a degree that will richly compensate for all the extra labor it inposes.
"So manifest are the claims of Philadelphia to the location of this National event, that it seemed strange to me that any one could be found who preferred another place. In that city still stands Carpenter's Hall, where, in 1774, as- sembled the first Continental Congress; there, also, is Independence Hall, where the Immortal Declaration, that gave freedom and equal rights to all men, was signed and promulgated; there, the Father of his Country was called to the com- mand of the Continental Army; there, for two terms, the first President of the United States resided; there, were performed many of the historic acts this exhi- bition is designed to commemorate; and there remains the old ' bell ' that pro- claimed liberty to the people on the 4th of July, 1776. In a history recently published, a full account of this old 'Liberty Bell' is given, from which we learn that it was originally east in London, and that 'one Charles Roberts, then in London, was commissioned, November 1, 1751, to procure a good bell, and to contain in well shaped letters around it, by order of the assembly of the province of Pennsylvania, for the state house in the city of Philadelphia, 1752, and under- neath, 'Proclaim Liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.' This bell soon cracked, and March 10, 1753, was recast in Philadelphia, and was hung in its place, bearing the same motto to 'Proclaim Liberty,' etc. The writer then says: 'In July, 1776, this very bell rang out to the citizens of Phil- adelphia, that a new nation had sprung into existence; proclaiming, in language understood by every ear-all men are born free and equal.' The Exhibition is to be held on Fairmount Park, a location second to none in the United States for beauty of scenery, for convenience of communication by rail, a point too, where the North, South, East and the great West, can all eenter their cars without change of grade; a free flow of water from the basin; convenience of access from the heart of the city; within sight of the steeple of Independence Hall, and surrounded almost on all sides by mansions, homesteads and places of Revolu- tionary renown. This park contains over 3000 acres of land - 450 acres of which -the chosen spot of the whole tract-are set apart for Centennial purposes. Two views from an east and west point are especially attractive. The one from the west point is described as 'presenting many features of loveliness and grandeur - embracing the marble-studded heights of Laurel Hill; Fall Village,
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with its rows of terraced dwellings and its rustic churches; the river softly wind- ing along wooded shores, and beneath graceful arches past the romantic Wissahickon; and, in the remote distance, the silver-tinted smoke wreathes from the factories of Manayunk, curling around the lofty tree-tops, or sweeping down- wards to the shining waters, thus blending emblems of human activity with the repose of nature.' The attractiveness from the eastern point is still greater. ' It abounds in natural and artistic beauties of the choicest character - wide- spreading plains; cultured lawns; rock-guarded bluffs; sequestered glens; mean- dering brooks; dense woods; plantations of rare and majestic trees; far reaching ont-looks; ancient mansions - some of them dating back a century and a half, and supplying in excellent preservation, elaborate specimens of the architecture of the period to which they belong -the whole bordered by the Schuylkill in its most picturesque part; these form but a small portion of the inticing spectacles this park offers.' The spot is, to all Americans, classic ground; for on it still stand the memories of WASHINGTON, FRANKLIN, MORRIS and others, where hospitable roofs often covered the heroes of 1776- WASHINGTON and his generals, and friends.
"The Centennial Commission, charged with making the entire arrangement for this Exhibition, is composed of two representatives from each state and territory, appointed on the recommendations of governors, by the president, under authori- ty of a law of Congress. This Commission was organized on the 4th of March, 1872. The progress in its work of preparation was at first slow, owing to the embarrassments in financial matters, for reasons heretofore indicated. But every- thing is now in a promising condition. The several buildings for the use of the Exhibition will be fine specimens of architecture, and will cover about fifty acres of ground. They are in a state of forwardness, that gives assurance that they will be ready for the reception of articles at the time appointed for that purpose.
"The time fixed for the opening of the Exhibition to the public is the 10th of May, 1876-just one year from this day. But one year is now left for prepara- tion; and it will require much labor on the part of the people, to put in readiness all the articles of industry and specimens of our natural resources, that should be represented. Each state will or should, strive to make its own show the best. In natural resources, no state can excel our own Wisconsin; and we are not willing to admit that the people of any other state excel those of our own in pat- riotism, or in capacity, enterprise and skill, required to put these resources and industries into proper condition for exhibition. Our people only need waking up to the importance of the occasion to give Wisconsin a prominent position with her sister states in the coming Centennial Exhibition; and from the demonstration
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here to-night. and from similar ones that are taking place in different parts of the state, quite frequently. the waking up process seems to have fairly commenced. The state pride of our people will do the necessary work when their attention is called to it.
"It has been a somewhat difficult matter to disabuse the public mind of the idea that this commemorative celebration was to be anything but a mammoth 4th of July demonstration, in the city of Philadelphia: and members of Congress and others have opposed it, on the ground that it would interfere with local celebrations on that day, which should be held at every point in the coun- try. It will not interfere with local celebrations on that day - but it will rather have the tendency to stimulate them. This exhibition lasts for six months. and for the purposes of witnessing the splendid show. any other day of the six months will be better than the 4th of July. Already have the Centennial celebra- tions commmenced. Lexington and Concord have been duly honored. Prepara- tion is being made for Bunker Hill on the 17th of June. We celebrate here this evening the anniversary of a little occurrence at Ticonderoga, where the bluff ETHAN ALLEN was the hero, and in answer to the question as to his authority. answered. "By the authority of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress." Thus will the people of the country celebrate different events of the revolution during the coming year in different localities; and when the culminating pont is reached in 1876, and the people of the whole country with those of foreign nations shall commence a six months' commemoration of the Centennial anniversary of the birth of this great nation. the enthusiasm and pat- riotism of the people will cause it to be such a demonstration as has never been witnessed in this country, if in the world.
"As a method of raising money with which to defray the expenses of this ex- position. under a law of congress, a 'board of finance ' has been organized with power to issue centennial stock in shares of ten dollars each. This will enable all persons who desire to do so to become stockholders in the enterprise. It is hoped this stock will prove a good investment; but. if it should not. each stockholder will receive an elaborate certificate of stock, prepared by the govern- ment, engraved on steel at great expense and labor. As a work of art it is worth three times the cost of a share of stock. Centennial medals have also been is- sued. From the sale of stock and medals it is expected a large amount of money will be realized. This subject will no doubt be presented to the people of this state at an early day by agents of the financial board. A board of State Centen- nial Managers has been organized under a law passed by our last legislature. It is perfecting a plan of operations with a view to securing a full representation of
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Wisconsin's natural resources and industries. This plan will soon be completed, and it is hoped the people- both ladies and gentlemen -will aid this state board in carrying out its designs. There is plenty of work to do; enough to occupy the spare time of all patriotic men and women in the state for the ensuing year.
"The great benefits that will accrue from this exhibition to the people of this country caimot be overestimated. Never before has this nation had so good an opportunity to judge of its own greatness, or to convince the world of the im- mense progress it has made under a free and independent government, as this oc- casion will afford. It will collect together at one time and in one place the most intelligent and enterprising men of all nations, who come either as exhibiters or visitors. There is unusual freedom from restraint in personal intercourse, and more can be imparted and secured in a few months, than could otherwise be pos- sible with years of effort. It will bring together the people from the various sec- tions of the United States; cause them to become more thoroughly acquainted with each others' manners and customs, and cement the different elements more closely by the common tie of national prosperity and greatness; the interests of the people will become more thoroughly harmonized, and their action in the fu- ture will be more completely united in preserving the integrity of this glorious Union.
"At a ladies' tea party, held in Philadelphia December 17, 1873, Hon. A. R. BOTELER, of West Virginia, a member of congress in 1859, and subsequently a member of the confederate congress, after referring to many benefits that will re- sult from this exposition, uses the following language on this subject: 'Nor will it be among the least of its blessings, that it will be the means of bringing together in friendly intercourse those of our countrymen in the north, the south, the east and the west, who have heretofore been alienated from each other by the emerg- encies of a maddened and most unhappy epoch. And the crowning grace and glory of that glad festival of peace will be the supreme triumph over the preju- dices and passions of the past, in treading out the embers of sectional animosity- even to their last, lingering sparks-and in reestablishing on the firm founda- tions of mutual interests, mutual respect, mutual confidence, mutual forbearance and mutual forgiveness, that earnest, honest, old-fashioned feeling of fraternity and good fellowship which formerly existed throughout our country between the citizens of every section and of all the states-such as our fathers felt in the old time before us, when they made the cause of each the cause of all -such as they felt when, faithful to their mutual pledge, they went forth side by side to- gether, through all the perils of the Revolution, to maintain the truths and to right the wrongs so eloquently proclaimed in their undying declaration -such, I
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say, as was felt by those whom we call fathers in the brave days of old, and such, I trust, as the God of our fathers will permit our children and their children's children to enjoy uninterruptedly through all the centuries to come! '
"Ladies of Beloit! In honoring the 'Revolutionary Fathers,' and the free government they established one hundred years ago, the 'Mothers of the Revolu- tion ' must also be remembered and honored with equal respect and veneration! The women of that day possessed as warm hearts, as determined wills, as high and holy patriotism, and exhibited as true heroism as did the men. They sacri- ficed husbands, sons, brothers, lovers, home comforts and life itself for our coun- try and for freedom. Their devotion to the right; their consecration to the true cause: their zeal in the cause of freedom and equal rights; and their hatred of oppression, fired the hearts and gave nerve to the arms of the noble men to dare and to do great things for humanity, for home, for country and for the es- tablishment of a republican government. The women did not sign the Declara- tion of Independence, but their power was felt in maintaining the principles of that immortal document. Let us honor, then, the 'Fathers and Mothers of the Revolution." No less should the mothers and daughters of the wonderful and glorious present be honored. They fully appreciate and feel the beneficial results of freedom; the full recognition of their rights; the due homage to their private, social and public virtues. With their warm hearts, their enthusiastic and sympa- thetic natures, their determined wills, and with their energetic action-their power to do good, to influence men, becomes almost irresistible. During the late war, the influence of women was apparent in all things. They were as much in- terested in preserving intact this glorious Union as were those of the sterner sex. They encouraged their male friends to do their full duty in the field; their influ- ence in alleviating suffering in the various hospitals, lightened the burdens and privations incident to war, and made comfortable and happy many a patriotic de- fender of his country. They were as anxious to protect, preserve and defend the free government established by our ancestors, as were the men. They rejoiced as sincerely and as heartily in Union victories, and in that great result of the war that loosened the shackles of slavery from 4,000,000 of human beings, and made them free men and free women! The women espouse every grand and noble cause, and, when they take hold in earnest in support of any laudable enterprise, there is no danger of failure. They have taken hold with the men, and claim to do their full share in making the centennial celebration in 1876 a perfect success. We have evidence in the demonstration here to night, and in the reports of simi- lar action in all parts of the country, that the women are with us in the great centennial work, aud with their presence and power, their aid, their energy, skill
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and firm resolve, their hearty cooperation and perseverance in promoting the grand enterprise, the success of the exhibition is assured.
"' Perseverance is a Roman virtue, That wins each God-like act, and plucks success Even from the spear-proof crest of rugged danger.'
" As to the details of the work to be done by women, but little can be said at present. The first business is to arouse enthusiasm, to raise money, and to organ- ize for work. In all grand enterprises, money is found essential, and it will be especially so in this one. Until the general plan of the exhibition is better known, I am not able to give directions, or even advise, as to what specific articles ' the ladies should prepare, but would recommend that attention be mainly given to articles possessing superior merit, as works of art or works of general interest.
" I notice that the ladies of the Beloit Club have struck the key note in this mat- ter. Their energies are to be mainly directed to an article, elegant in design, and of special local interest, and one that will prove a lasting and honorable memorial to their superior judgment and taste. It is a happy conception and I doubt not the design will be executed in a manner that will reflect high credit upon the ladies of this city, when placed in comparison with similar work, from the sister states and from all Nations. As you progress with your organization, and as your enthusiasm in the cause increases - as I am sure it will increase - your own inventive genius will suggest what it is best further to prepare for the Centennial Exhibition. Should I receive any information by virtue of the position I hold, touching this subject, or any other that will be of interest to them, it will give me much pleasure to communicate it to the ladies of the state. There is no fear but they will find enough to do; nor is there fear, but they will do their work prompt- ly and well. A great writer has said, 'woman is of so free, so kind, so apt, so blessed a disposition, she holds it a rice in her goodness not to do more than she is requested.' From the interest manifested by the ladies of Wisconsin during the past few weeks, I shall soon go to Philadelphia, to attend the annual meeting of the Centennial commission, greatly strengthened and encouraged, with the full assurance that our state will do its whole duty in the matter of having its vast resources represented in the Exhibition. With the ladies zealous and enthusiastic in the cause there is no fear of the result. I feel proud of the women of Wiscon- sin, and especially so of those of Beloit, and I most heartily congratulate you on this auspicious commencement of your centennial labors. Let the work you have so nobly begun, the blaze of enthusiasm you have so successfully kindled, be kept up, till the time for the opening of the great International Exhibition shall come
8
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round, then. I trust, you will all be able and willing to transfer yourselves and the results of your labors to Fairmount Park, within the limits of the historic city of Philadelphia, and may you there receive pleasure and profit from your visit, that will prove a source of true happiness to you during the balance of your earthly existence. Good deeds-and you are certainly engaged in performing them - will surely bring their reward! Your organization has been recognized this even- ing, by the head of the women's movement of Wisconsin; by an estimable lady whose enthusiasm in the noble cause knows no limit, whose energy is equal to the important work she has undertaken; and, as Mrs. Thorp approves of your labors, I am sure you are right. Thus far, I understand, you have acted as women alone. You have done nobly, and I think you are now in a condition that will justify you in permitting the men to become your aids. Not to rule but to obey orders, and to contribute their time, their labor and their means, to aid in execut- ing your plans. It will give the United States Centennial Commission much en- couragement to witness the deep interest the women of the country are taking in the Centennial, and for this interest I thank them. The members feel assured that the men will not remain inactive when the women are in earnest. The influ- ence of woman is felt and acknowledged in all things. There are some minister- ing angels in female guise among us all, and about our paths, who sweetly serve to adorn life. Our amusements are insipid, unless they contribute to them; our efforts of noblest ambition are feeble, unless they applaud; the rewards, valueless, unless they share them. There are, too, some rude spirits in the world, whose bolder natures female influence admirably serves to refine and temper. The poet well says of woman:
' Nature made thee To temper man; we had been brutes without thee.'
"The concurrence of both sexes is as necessary to the perfection of our being, as to the existence of it. Man may make a fine melody, but women are required to make up harmony. I fully endorse the language of one of the world's sweetest poets, when he says:
"O, woman! dear woman! whose form and whose soul Are the light and the life of each spell we pursue - Whether sunn'd in the Tropics, or chilled at the Pole, If woman is there - there is happiness too!"
Following this, Miss PEET exhibited the beginning already made upon the college seal and explained the intentions regard- ing it as follows:
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"At the request of the committee, I will endeavor to explain to you, as best I may, upon this sudden and unexpected notice, the design of the Club, and the model of the woman's work before you. The executive committee have endeav- ored, in getting up the Club, to give an accurate representation of the country, and also the city of Beloit, its growth, from the commencement, forty years ago, until the present time, so that at the Second Centennial their glorious present could be contrasted with the small beginning of to-day. The idea was to repre- sent, by the names of Club officers, the early settlers and the manufacturers at this time; the number of the vice-presidents indicates the number of states, and the honorary vice-presidents the number of territories at the close of this Centennial. The idea of a picture- the center of which represents the feminine element, the inner home life - of embroidery, surrounded by a frame made of wood grown in Beloit, carved in bas relief by a Beloit young man, illustrative of the growth, industries and manufactures of Belcit. On the top, a picture of the river, with a prairie on fire in the distance, an Indian wigwam and two or three Indians, a badger, and so on, weaving in as best could be done, the history of Beloit from its beginning, when the first white man came here forty years ago this month, until to-day, symbolizing the grand maseuline element which make it a complete whole.
" The women have accepted the model of their work, and are ready to make their contract, but educated as we have been, and are happy to be, we do not feel that the women have a right to make an attempt to do men's work, and if this frame, illustrating the business life of Beloit, is completed, the male members of this club must assume the financial responsibility, and appoint their own com- mittee, and make this affair their own to rote upon as they please. The design - the seal of Beloit College - about which our women's affections cluster, - where our sons and brothers and friends are educated, is a Dove over an open Bible, inscribed in characters of Greek and Hebrew, upon a shield, surrounded by the Latin motto (translated), 'True Science and Firm Faith,' this again encircled by the pure English of to-day, 'Beloit College in Wisconsin, U. S. A.' This shield rests upon a bed of Forget-me-nots wrought in floral designs, with lovely colors ot silks npon white satin, the Latin motto upon white velvet in flowers, and sym- bolical of its meaning. This again encircled by the pure English of to-day, . Be- loit College, Wisconsin,' in exquisite foliage wrought on white gros grain silk, surrounded by a wreath of oak and laurel leaves, with a band of gold, the whole upon a ground of black velvet with stars of silver."
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