THE COURIER
She spoke English - Imperfectly, yet
she had not been in this country many
years before she saw the great need of
a hospital for women In the spot where
she had chosen to live. Poor, friend
less, a foreigner, but gifted with the
same kind of energy that sent Colum
bus across the ocean, and the same
faith in endeavor that upheld Wash
ington at Valley Forge, she got the""
money together for a magnificent hos
pital. She had the inspiring power.
She worked and talked herself, and
she Influenced the women to hold fairs
and to use "ill kinds of means to col
lect money, and finally her magnificent
project was a thing of stone and
marble with un adjacent maternity
hospital.
We ourselves give up little things
every day that we have tried to do
because of discouragements, cold
water, unresponsiveness, et cetera.
This little foreigner, zealous to do
something for the poor women whom
she treated in conditions of such
squalor and wretchedness that the
babe's right to be born in a clean place
could not be assured him, saw the ter
rible need of a hospital, and. forthwith,
built one.
By her own wish, her funeral ser
vices were held without religious cere
mony, and she herself wrote, when she
knew she must die soon, her own fare
well to the earth and to the friends she
thought she should never see again.
Mr. Wm. Lloyd Garrison pronounced
a farewell to the body that had for so
long held the soul of a great woman.
Mr. Garrison said: "She had no pol
itic methods, no skill In concealing
opinions that traversed those In vogue,
but her manifest sincerity of soul at
tracted helpers whom policy would
have repelled. Although not literally
the first woman physician In Boston,
she was, par excellence, the head of
the long line of educated women who
adorn and dignify the ranks of the
profession in this vicinity. She won
and kept the same proud position else
where held by her venerable surviving
pioneer -friends. Doctors Elizabeth and
Emily BlackwelL I he very success of
her students, consequent upon her
faithful conflict against a senseless
prejudice, serves now to obscure the
trials and disappointments that then
blocked the way. The same solemn
objections that are today urged to ob
struct the further-progress of women,
were then actively employed to show
the danger of admitting the sex to the
practice of medicine.
"Living In an environment of relig
ious formality, she remained firmly
outside the pale of theological influ
ence; and If she found satisfaction in
Theodore Parker's sermons it was be
cause of their humanity, regardless of
speculations on the future life, of
which she was a frank unbeliever. No
threats of punishment hereafter would
tempt her to misreport the message
which her reason brought. Whatever
reality there may be in the heaven
pictured by devout minds, it Is safe to
say that no celestial city that bars out
such souls as this for unbelief would
be worth the .seeking."
Then Dr. Zakrzewska's own farewell
to the friends who had gathered at her
home Just before the body was taken
to the crematory is remarkable for
frankness and undaunted facing of ob
livion. "During my whole lifetime I
have had my own way as much as any
human being can have it without en
tirely neglecting social rules or tres
passing upon the comfort of others
more than Is necessary for self preser
vation. And now upon this occasion
I wish to have my own way in taking
leave of those who shall come for the
last time to pay such respect as cus
tom, inclination and friendship shall
prompt, asking them to accept the as
surance that I am sorry to pass from
them, this time never to return again.
"While these words are being read to
you, 1 shall be sleeping a peaceful, w ell
deserved sleep, a sleep from which I
will never arise. My body will go back
to that earthly rest from which It came.
My soul will live among you. even
anwac tiKe who will come after you.
I an jxt creaking of fame, aor 'do J
think that my name, difficult though
It be, will be remembered. Yet the idea
for which I have worked, the seeds
which I have tried to sow here and
there, must live and spread and bear
fruit. And after all, what matters It who
prepared the way wherein we walk?
We only know that great and good
menan"d women have always lived and
worked for an idea which favored pro
gress. And so I have honestly tried
to live out my nature, not actuated by
an ambition to be somebody, or to be
remembered especially, but because I
could not help it."
After mentioning by name the friends
who had most helped her to be good
and to lead an effectual life, tl'e Doctor
quoted this stanza:
O lieb so lang du lleben kannst;
O lfeb so lang du lieben magst;
Die Stunde kommt, die Stunde
kommt.
Wo du an Grabern stehst und klagst.
The German lines are so nearly like
their English equivalents that trans
lation Is unnecessary: Then the Doc
tor's friend read her last farewell, the
paper was folded up and the body was
incinerated.
Deplorable Competition
Men of the sophomore class of Cor
nell university were disgusted and held
an indignation meeting because the
young women of. the class had engi
neered a class meeting and secured a
vote which authorized the young wo
men of the basket ball team to wear
the class numerals on their uniforms.
The young men announced, with all a
sophomore's wrath and portentous dig
nity, that If the girls wore the numerals
the mule members of the various ath
letic teams would not wear them on
their sweaters.
The announcement of the elections to
Phi Beta Kappa at Cornell Is not cal
culated to subdue the indignation
which the students feel against women
who attempt to claim any of the re
wards of college life and effort. Of
the class of 1902 eleven women students
of Cornell are elected to membership In
Phi Beta Kappa and five men. Of the
class of 1903 three women are elected
and two men. The male Cornell under
graduate is brighter than the Nebras
ka under classman, where only an oc
casional male student In unrestrlctel
competition with the girls succeeds In
attaining a scholarship which admits
him to membership in Phi Beta Kappa.
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RALPH E. JOHNSON.
Ralph E. Johnson, although not a native Nebraskan, has spent the
major portion of his life in Lincoln. He was born In Spencer, Owen
county, Indiana, on the 3d day of July, 1S72. In 1885 he moved to Ne
braska, his parents having decided to locate in Lincoln and take advan
tage of the growing possibilities of this city. At that time the town
had scarcely 20,000 population. He is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. I. E.
Johnson, his father having been in business In East Lincoln for fifteen
years past. Mr. Johnson graduated from the Lincoln high school in 1889,
being one of the nine members of the class who delivered commencement
orations. That same fall he entered the state university, graduating
with a B. A. degree in 1893. 3dr. Johnson was at all times closely identi
fied with the student life In the university. He was one of the editors
of the "Sombrero," the publication of which his class revived In 1882, and
at one time was also editor of the "Nebraskan," one of the college papers.
He served In the cadet battalion for three years, graduating as a first lieu
tenant of company "A." During his college course he- acted as corre
spondent for different city papers, which experience served him usefully
in various capacities after graduation. He entered the university of Ne
braska college of law in the fall of 3893 and graduated in 1895, being ad
mitted to the bar immediately thereafter.
During the last three or four years, however, Mr. Johnson has be
come prominent In the state and throughout the west as a champion of
"fraternallsm," as exemplified by fraternal beneficiary societies. He is
now serving his second term as deputy head consul for Nebraska of the
Modern Woodmen of America, which is not only the largest fraternal
beneficiary society in Nebraska with a membership of almost 50,000, but
also the largest society of its kind In the United States, having 700,000
members. He joined Antelope camp No. 916, M. W. A. of Lincoln, in
March, 1894, and was presiding officer of that camp for several terms.
He attended the Grand Island, Fremont and Kearney state camps of
the order as a delegate in 1897, 1899 and 1901 respectively. At Fremont in
1899 he was elected as delegate to the Kansas City head camp, as one
of the Nebraska representatives. Shortly after that session Head Con
sul Northcott appointed him as state lecturer for Nebraska, and in the
fall of 1899 he was sent to the Pacific coast as a special lecturer, spend
ing several months out there In tie Interests of Woodcraft. He was
given his present position as deputy head consul for Nebraska In. Febru
ary, 1900, and has charge of the order's Interests in this state. Mr.
Johnson has become widely known as a fraternal speaker and a large
part of his time Is devoted to addressing Woodmen audiences upon fra
ternal topics. He Is a member of several other fraternal organizations,
and Is a warm supporter of the fraternal beneficiary society system. In
college he was one of the charter members and charter consul of Lin
coln chapter. Phi Delta Phi, which is the most prominent law fraternity
in American colleges. Mr. Johnson has only been a married man a little
over one year, having married Miss Virginia Voigt of Philadelphia on
April 24, 1901. In politics he Is a republican and Is actively connected
with the party organization in this county.
H. W. BR0WN
Druggist
and Bookseller
WHITING'S FINE STATIONEBY
AND CALLING CASDS.
297 So. EkTenta Street. Pbooa M
PRIVATE AND PUBLIC
Library books
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TIAL MANNER AT FAC
TORY PRICES BY
Soutk Platte Publishing Co.,
PATE BOX MAXKKS, .
135 N. nth St., LINCOLN, NEB.
FREIGHT PAID ONI WAY.
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Athletic motograpns
Photographs of Babies
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129 South Eleventh Street
fim
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and see our Cut Flowers and
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14.3 South Thirteenth Street
PHONE B236
We make a specialty of f arniihing
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A complete stock, of Plants and
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Stackhous & Greer,
FLORISTS
Greenhouses S5th and B Streets.
Office 143 South 13th Street.
TO
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V IS SAFE
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