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EALTHY American widows
have come in Irecent years to
to play a most important part '
in several important divisions
of the world's affairs. It is
not, either, merely here in the
United States that these mon
eyed women are making their
influence felt. On the con
trary, their influence has pro
ven fully as potent in many
circles abroad so much so,
indeed, that the good people
of Europe have been compelled to sit up and
lake notice of the American widows as a class
vsell worthy to rank with any subdivision of
society abroad (not even excepting the nobil
ity), if the comparison be made on the basis
of gowns or millinery or jewelry or any of the
other standards by which the feminine world
sets such store.
Here in the United States it would be diffi
cult to name a sphere in which the wealthy
widows have not been exerting tremendous
influence of late years. Even in politics they
have not waited upon the victory of the suf
frage cause to enable them to take a hand.
For the present, to be sure, their influence is
indirect, but it is none the less tangible, as
witness the power of the salon maintained by
that brilliant woman, Mrs. Hitt, widow of the
late chairman of the foreign relations commit
tee of the house of representatives and the
backing which Senator Beveridge of Indiana
has had through the fact that his wife is the
kinswoman of Mrs. Marshall Field, widow of
the Chicago merchant
Socially there is no question as to the tre
mendous power of the American widow. To
realize it one has only to stop to reflect how
the polite world is dominated by the hospitali
ties of such well-to-do widows as Mrs. L. Z.
Leiter, widow of the Chicago
multi-millionaire and mother
of the late Lady Curzon,
late vicereine of India; Mrs.
George M.. Pullman, widow of
the car builder; Mrs. Thom
as F. Walsh, widow of the
"Mining King;" Mrs. Mary
Scott Townsend, widow of
T4 KKa
the Pennsylvania coal and oil magnate, and
Mrs. M. A. Hanna, widow of tho late United
States senator from Ohio.
Mrs. Hanna's life since the death of her
husband, we may here digress to explain, has
illustrated how great is the latitude of life
open to the modern wealthy widow in con
trast to the circumscribed existence of the av
erage widow of a prominent official of a cen
tury ago, who, upon the death of her husband,
was wont to retire to his plantation or country
seat and live in the utmost quietude if not in
actual seclusion. After the death of her hus
band Mrs. Hanna lived for a time in a fash
ionable hotel in Washington. Then she built
a large house and occupied it for a time, later
disposing of it to a prominent army officer.
Next she had a special apartment arranged to
her order in one of the largest of the new ho
tels in New York, even providing a special
kitchen for "Maggie," her "jewel" of a cook.
Then desiring a change, she hit upon the idea
of her present program of life, which calls for
an extended sojourn in Europe each spring
and summer and a winter residence in Wash
ington, where she has' two apartments of 14
rooms each in a fashionable apartment house.
Mrs. Hanna's 28-room apartment might
seem a pretty pretentious residential establish
ment for a lone woman to maintain, but it is
scarcely a circumstance to the enormous four
story mansion erected at the national capital
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by Mrs. Slater, another wealthy widow, who is
the sole occupant of fhis palace save for the
18 servants who minister to her needs.
Wealthy widows, it may be added, have notA
shirked the responsibilities of house building.
Indeed, on the contrary, it seems to be one of
their fads. Mrs. Leiter, in addition to her
town houses, has lately been building a sum
mer "cottage" costing hundreds of thousands
of dollars on the North Shore of Massachu
setts near the summer home pf President Taft:
Mrs. Hay, widow of the late secretary of
state, has built a magnificent mansion in Cleve
land; Mrs. Pullman and Mrs. Marshall Field
have ordered new homes from plans which
they had a hand in making; Mrs. Hitt has
built a splendid home since the death of her
husband and the wealthy Mrs. Wyeth of Phila
delphia had her nephew-architect carry out
her ideas of a distinctive home.
In point of achievement, however, unques
tionably the greatest of all the house build
ers in the coterie of wealthy widows is Mrs.
Albert Clifford Barney, who inherited one
fortune from her father, a Cincinnati pio
neer, and married another. Mrs. Barney Is of
a most artistic temperament and is Indeed an
artist of no mean ability in both oils and
water colors. She spends much time in Paris,
where she and two of her daughters, who de
vote themselves respectively to painting and
sculpture, are much in their element. When
she is in this country Mrs. Barney divides her
time and her boundless energy between the
staging of Greek plays and other amateur the
atricals of a most ambitious character and the
designing and building of houses for love of
it. These unique habitations that she creates
Mrs. Barney sells or rents, and bd it said to
her credit that she Is a clever enough business
woman to make her art profltables in dollars
and cents as well as in personal satisfaction.
In the field of philanthropy Ampican wid
ows have of late years accomplished so much
good as to make these bereaved jjones as a
class the most, respected and most admired
contingent of American multimillionairedom.
The generosity of Mrs. Phoebe Hearst in good
works has insured her a place for all time in
our real hall of fame and Mrs. Harriman's gift
of a splendid park to the state of New York
bids fair to be but the first of a series of no
table benefactions. Mrs. Russell Sage is an
other woman who in a comparatively brief
widowhood has helped the needy in many
ways, and the late Mrs. Gardner. Hubbard,
widow of the man who reaped the greatest
financial rewards from the invention of the
telephone, was lavish during her lifetime In
good works. 1
There is one group of widows in the Unit
ed States in the members of which for all
that they are most of them living Very qui
etiyi the public is bound to take a keen inter
est. This group is made up of the widows of
former high officials of the nation, including
the widows of our military and naval heroes.
Conspicuous among the number are the two
surviving widows of presidents, Mrs. Mary
Lord Harrison and Mrs. Grover Cleveland.
Mrs. Cleveland spends most of her time in the
family home at Princeton or at her farm in
New Hampshire, though she has of late de
voted no little time to residence in Switzer
land, where her children are being educated.
Mrs. Harrison, likewise, spends much time
abroad, though she maintains a home in Indi
anapolis and indulges in occasional lengthy
vacations in a log house In the Adirondacks.
Of the widows of the nation's warriors
probably the public hears most frequently of
Mrs. Phil Sheridan, widow of the famous cav
alry leader, although Mrs. Logan and Mrs.
Pickett, the latter the widow of the Confeder
ate chieftain who led the desperate charge at
Gettysburg, have been more or less in the
public eye owing to their literary work and
feir careers on the lecture platform. Mrs.
Sheridan, alike to both these other widows,
resides at the national capital and an anecdote
t is told of Mrs. Sheridan to the effect that she
silenced some gossip which speculated as to
her remarriage by the remark, "I would rather
be the widow of Phil Sheridan than the wife
of any man alive."
And speaking of the remarriage of widows,
it may be added that one of the circumstances
that renders these widowed women of wealth
interesting to many people is the possibility
of remarrjage an ever-present incentive to
speculation, even though the object of such
public curiosity may have not the slightest
intention of again entering the bonds of mat
rimony. And that this solicitude is by no
means restricted to disinterested observers or
confined to the United States is eloquently at
tested by the attentions which eligible mem
bers of the nobility of Europe have showered
upon Mrs. Potter Palmer, Mrs. "Jack" Gardi
ner, Mrs. Marshall Field and most courted of
all Mrs. Nonnie Worthington Stewart Leeds,
the dazzlingly wealthy as well as dazzlingly
beautiful young widow of a multimillionaire
who garnered the golden harvest of the tin
plate industry and sundry railroads. .
Almost all the wealthy American widows
seem to have a penchant for spending more or
less of their time in Europe and there are oth
ers who live there continuously, returning but
seldom to their native land, and then only
for visits. In this class are the widows of for
eign diplomats who receive pensions from the
governments served by their late husbands. A
conspicuous example is afforded by Baroness
Sternburg the former Miss Langham, a Ken
tucky beauty, who as the result of a genuine
romance that began as a case of love at first
sight on a transatlantic liner, married Baron
Speck von Sternburg, a very capable German
diplomat, who lost his life as the result of dis
ease contracted while serving his government
in India.
In-the field of art many American widows,
such as Mrs. St Gaudens, are factors, if not
by virtue of their own talents at least as cus
todians of the masterpieces left by their de
ceased husbands, and the same is true in the
spheres of literature and public life, where the
collection of the papers of an eminent man or
the publication of his memoirs has frequently
devolved upon the widow. In the financial
world wealthy widows, by sheer force of their
monetary possessions, wield an influence rec
ognized by all men of affairs. The most no
table example, of course, is that afforded by
Mrs. Hetty Green, who controls one of the
wealthiest and most powerful of the New York
banks.
CURRENT WRECKS A BRIDGE
Twenty-Seven Big Timbers Are Cut
Through In One Day by Aid of
Electricity.
One of the most ingenious uses to
which electricity was ever put was in
the wrecking of a bridge over the Wa
bash in Indiana.
This bridge had been purchased by
the county authorities, who intended
to replace it by a steel structure erect
ed on the old piers and abutments.
The owner agreed to remove the
bridge in 30 days.
The chief difficulty lay in the short
time agreed upon for the Temoval of
the bridge. Several wreckers to whom,
the matter was submitted declared
that it would be impossible within 30
days to pull down the old bridge with
out injury to the piers. ..,
The structure might be blown up
with dynamite, but the explosion
would also destroy the piers. Were it
tired, the heat would crack and injure
the masonry of the bridge. The 30
days expired, nd an extension of one
week was granted.
The owner was at his wits' end,
when he chanced upon an electrician
Who proposed, not to blow up the'
bridge, but to burn it apart His pro
posal was gladly accepted.
Each .span of the bridge was com
posed of nine chords of three timbers
each. The 27 sills were to be cut
simultaneously, so that the span would
drop between the piers into the river.
The cutting was. to be accomplished
by burning through the wood with
loops of iron resistance made red-hot
by the passage of the electric current.
Fifty-four resistance loops were
heated to wreck each span, and the
spans were wrecked one at a time.
Sufficient current was used to heat the
iron wires cherry red. The result was
exactly the same with every span. Be
tween the turning on of the current
and the fall of the span an hour and
40 minutes elapsed. Then the mass
of timbers fell into the water well in
side the piers, so that they were unin
jured. The cut made by the hot-wire was
sharp and clean, and the wood was
not charred more than ah inch from
the place of fracture.
The current was first turned on at
about five o'clock in the morning, and
at two in the afternoon the last span
crashed down to the river bed.
Scientific American.
A BALL FOR BABY
If ever love is stitched into a gift
it goes into the' one that celebrates
baby's first birthday. One of the pret
tiest presents, which will give the
little one great joy, is a large edition
of those balls which the happy
mothers of today delighted to fashion
as children with two circles of card
board perforated in the center.
Instead of making the circles an
inch or two in diameter, make them
full six inches in size, and use pink
and white or pale blue and white wool
of a very fleecy type. Tie the wool
through the perforation in the card
board and then proceed to fill up the
hole by drawing the wool through and
through over 'the cardboard until no
more will pass. Cut it and tie it be
tween the two circles and' remove
these by tearing them away.
The ball should be sewn on to nar
row satin ribbon, blue or pink, as the
case may be, and to this ribbon
should be attached a quantity of little
gold or silver bells, which will jingle
merrily when the ball is swung to and
fro by the ribbons.
RENEWS ANTIQUE WASHSTAND
Long Islander Sells Piece of Furniture
for Fifty Cents and Buys It
Back for $20.
An elderly Long Islander once at
tended an auction of old furniture.
Among the articles for which bids
were asked was a heavy marble
topped ' washstahd. The Long Island
er bid ten cents for it, and as he was
the only one who spoke the wash
stand was knocked down to him
rather to his dismay, as he had to
have it conveyed! to his distant home.
For several years this ten-cent antique
was an occupant of the barn, its mar
ble top being removed and the interior
of the stand serving as a receptacle
for cans of paint.
One day a clerk from a furniture
store in the neighborhood called at
the Long Islander's and accidentally
caught sight ofj the unappreciated
washstand. He made some inquiries
concerning it and eventually pur
chased it for 50 cents. The clerk took
his purchase to j the store, gave it a
thorough renovating and" it became a
handsome piece! of hardwood furni
ture, the marble top adding the fin
ishing touch. Jot long after this
transformation fthe elderly - Long
Islander and his wife visited the fur
niture store, and when the wife saw
that beautifully pollsaed antiquo
washstand she fell In love with It, for
it just filled her ideal. Her husband
seemed to have a suspicion of the
truth, and endevored to distract her
attention. But the affair ended by the .
woman purchasing the stand for $20,
and it is now one of her most highly
prized possessions.
Bell Must Be Tuned.
The general impression is that the
tone of a bell is largely , a matter of
accident but this is not so. A bell
must be tuned the same as a piano
or any other musical instrument. Ev
ery bell has five sounds, which must
blend together in perfect harmony,
and this is accosimpllshed by shav
ing down certain parts until the de
sired harmony is. secured. In the
event of shaving too deep the bell is
not injured, but the tuning operation
is prolonged, as other parts must be
operated on and cut away to a corre
sponding degree.
Just the Thing.
FIgg What are you having carved
on the photographer's tombstone?
Fogg Taken from life. Boston
Transcript. ,
First Lady How very hanDT the
bridegroom looks! Really it is pleas
ant to see a young man looking so
joyful.
Second . Lady Hush! That's not
the bridegroom; that's a gentleman
the bride jilted six months ago.
WEAk BACKS MADE STRONG.
Backache In most cases is kidney-
ache, and usually accompanied by Ir
regularities of the urine. To removo
the pain and weakness you must cure
the kidneys. Do so
with Doan's Kidney
Pills. Mrs. Perry HID
man, Mpnongahela
City, Pa., says: "I :
was so bad with
kidney disease X
despaired cf relief. I
had inflammatory
rheumatism and final
ly dropsy set in. My
ankles became bloat
ed, my heart was affected and the
doctors gave me no relief. Soon after
using Doan's Kidney Pills, I grew
stronger and ere long I was able to
do my housework.".
Remember the name Doan's.
For sale by all dealers. 50 cents a
box. Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
Brought the Tears.
An unusual incident marked a re
cent fire in New York. The fire,
started in the cellar of a five-story ten
ement and before it was. extinguished
the 18 families in the building and all
the firemen were weeping copiously
from inflamed eyes. In the cellar
many bags of onions had been stored.
The chief fireman allowed the tenants
to remain in the building, assuring
them that the fire was confined to
the cellar. They did not stay, how
ever, when the onions had got well
afire.
Dare to Be Happy.
Let us never be afraid of innocent
Joy; God is good and what he does la
well done; resign yourself to every
thing, even to happiness; ask for the
spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of re
nunciation, and above all, for the spirit
of joy and gratitude, the genuine and
religious optimism which sees in God
a Father, and asks no pardon for his
benefits. We must dare to be happy
and dare to confess it, regarding our
selves always as the depositories, not
as the authors of our own joy. AmieL
Home and School.
Home and school are two different
spheres and have of necessity differ
ent duties to perform and different
work to accomplish in the training
and teaching of the child. But unless
the ideals are the same and unless
there is a systematic attitude of mind
between pareDts and teachers, the
best result cannot be achieved and
the child must suffer .i-rMrs. E. L.
Franklin, Secretary Parents' National
Educational Union, -England, i ,
EDITOR BROWNE
Of The Rockford Morning Star.
"About seven years ago I ceased
drinking coffee to give your Postum a
trial.
"I had suffered acutely from various
forms of indigestion and my stomach :
had become so disordered as to repel
almost every sort of substantial food.
My general health was bad. At close
Intervals I would suffer severe attacks
which confined me In bed for a week
or more. Soon after changing from
coffee to Postum the indigestion
abated,' and' in a short time ceased
entirely. I have continued the daily
use of your excellent Food Drink and
assure you most cordially that I am
indebted t6 you 'for the relief it has
brought me.
"Wishing you a continued success, I
am Yours very truly,
J. Stanley Browne,
Managing Editor."
Of course, 'when a man's health ;
shows he can stand coffee without
trouble, let him drink it but most
highly organized brain-workers sim
ply cannot
The drugs natural to the coffee ber
ry affect the stomach and other organs
and thence to the complex nervous -system,
throwing it out of balance and
producing disorders in various parts
of the body. Keep -tip thi3 daily pois
oning and serious disease generally
supervenes. So when, man or woman
finds that coffee is a smooth but dead
ly enemy and health is of any value -at
all, there is but one road quit
It Is easy to find out if coffee be the
cause of the troubles, for if left off 10
days and Postum be used in its place
and the sick and diseased conditions
begin to disappear, the proof is un
answerable. Postum is not good if made by short
boiling. It must be boiled full 15 min
utes after boiling begins, when the
crisp flavor and the food elements are .
brought out of the grains and tho ber- -erage
is ready to fulfill its mission of
palatable comfort and renewing the
cells and nerve centers' broken down
by coffee: ,
"There's a Reason." , "
Get the little book, "The Road to
"Wellvnie," in pkgs. " ; '
Ever rend the nbnre Tetter T A new
one appenr from tlmo o tlm. They
are fcennlne, true, and. full of bnmxs '
Interest. , .
Ml1
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