A GREAT REFORMER.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 703, 24 December 1902, Page 1

A GREAT REFORMER.

DEATH OF MRS E. C. STANTON. It is with the deepest regret that wo liavo to report the death of Mrs Elizabeth Cady Stanton, at her home in New York city, on Octobor 26th, at the great ago of eighty-six. The fame of Mrs Stanton as a suffragist and as a reformer is worldwide, and she will go down in history as tho loading pioneer of tho woman suffrage movcmont. But, just as tliero wore heroes bnforo Agamemnon, so there wcro suffragists boforo Mrs Stanton. She, howover, was the first woman to proposo holding a convention and forming a society to advocate tho rights of women. This course suggested itself to her on account of the treatment accorded to tho women delegates to tho World's Anti-Slavery Convention, held in London in June, 1810, when they were rofused admission, sololy on the ground of tho sex, and also on account of a growing conviction that the wrongs of society as a whole, and of women in particular, would nover be remedied unless women themselves played a prominent part in public affairs. Having given hor ideas eight years to germinate, she consulted with sovcral of her friends in 1848, and rosolved to summon a Woman’s Rights Convention. Tins was tho real commencement of an organised woman suffrage movement, of which, it was prophesied at tho time, that it would mako its way throughout tho civilised world, Who, howover, could have imagined that, in tho short space of fifty years, it would havo made such wonderful progress as it has done ? Mrs Stanton had great intellectual powers; hor philosophical reasoning and merciless logic tore to shreds every socalled argument that was advanced against woman suffrago. Although tho cares of a large family absorbed much of hor time, she was always able to find spare moments for tho cause she loved. She made her first appearance beforo tho New York Legislature in 1854, when she spoke on behalf of tho rights of women. For many years sho was the only woman to speak and write on the inequality of the divorce laws, and sho was bitterly denounced, even by many of her own sex, for advocating that habitual drunkenness should be a sufficient cause for divorce.

Although nearly eighty-seven years of ago, Mrs Stanton retained hor physical and mental vigour to the last; ovory afternoon from two o’clock till five she worked with hor private secretary, Mrs White, dictating correspondence, newspaper, and mugazine articles, which wore eagerly sought for by publishers, Mrs Stanton and Miss Anthony wore devoted friends and co-workers for half a century, and tho death of her old comrade must have been a great shook to Miss Anthony. Tho following interview with Miss Anthony was published in the press after tho receipt of the telegram announcing the sad news :

“ Rochester (N.Y.), October 20th.—The news of the death of Elizabeth Cady Stanton comes as a groan shock. The first intimation I had that toy dear friond was not in hor usual hoalth was lato this afternoon, when I received tho following telegram from New York: 1 Mother passed away to-day. (Signed) Harriet Stanton Blatch.’ She will be cremated; that was hor wish. It wbs fifty years ago last May that wo met first at Soncca Balls, whon wo were both young womeD, and thero had boen an unbrokon friendship from that day to this. Wo never agreed on every point, but on the central point of woman suilrago wo always agreod, and that was the pivotal quostion. Wo novel - listened to stories of each othor, and never bclioved anything told of the disloyalty of oaeh to tho other. Through tho oarly days, when tho world was against us, wo stood togothor. Mrs Stanton was always a courageous woman, a leader of thought and new movements. I always called her tho philosopher and statesman of our movement. She wis a most fiuishod writer, and overy statement presented to Congress or tho Stato Legislature in tho early days was written by Mrs Stanton. Whon sho was ablo to attend our convention, wo always had an opouing addross from her. I callod her a word artist, while I was the worker. But if I wanted anything done, any appeals to Congross or Legislature written, I put on my bonnet and went to sec Mrs Stanton. Then sho would composo the speech, while I rooked the eradlo. It spoiled mo for writing myself, for I always had her to loan upon. She was intensely interested in the final volume of the history of women suffrage, soon to be given to tbo public, and every week Mrs Harper and I received letters containing suggestions, and asking that this and that be included in it. She was looking forward with much pleasure to the completion of the book, and her most ardent wish was that she might live to see it. The last letter received from her was one of her strongest and brightest. Sho said she intended to have all her work out of the way, so she could have the book read to her from beginning to end. We are so disappointed to think she can never see it, that we can never be reconciled. It contains scores of her speeches. The last time I saw Mrs Stanton was in June, and we parted very cheerfully. She always said this was a beautiful world, and she wanted to stay here as long as possible. She believed in the immutable law in everything, and did not believe in any special providence for herself or anyone else. I think it right for her to be cremated. I believe that in time this will be the universal method of disposing of the dead. I cannot express myself at all as I feel. lam too crushed to say much, but if she had outlived me she would have had fine words to express our friendship, I can’t say it in words.”