'Mrs. Belva A. Lockwood: The First Woman Presidential Candidate in the United States"

Toledo Weekly Blade
Thursday Dec. 20, 1888



The Household.

MISS HLILY 8. BOUTON + » « . EDITOR





HOME TALKS.

MRS. BELVA A LOCKWOOD,



The First Woman Presidential Candi-
date in the United States,












WONDER how many.
\ of the BLaveE readers
“lave been in Washing-

when the more North-
FA om cities nre wrapped
ein ice aud snuw, or,
f Zwhat is worse, shroud-
Sed in mud, with the
HW pies frowning — or
weeping, and found
that then, in the Cap-



ital, itowas the time
When proud-pied April. dressed in all his trim,
Hath put a spirit of youth in everything,

Beneath suuny skies, and kissed by soft
winds, the grassis springing up brightly
and gaily; the trees are wakened to new
dite, aud by bud and blossom, set in a back-
ground of delicate green show that a new
purpose is astir within them, fluwersleap as
if by magic out into the sunshine, and one
feels almost asif the old earth had faded
away, anda new and more perfect abode
for mankind taken its place.

Washington ig fudeed a beautiful city,
and never more so than in the season of
which Ispeak, Itisa beauty which makes
itself felt, notin asoft, sensuous, languid
way, but in arousing a quicker -beat in
the pulses, agladder heart throb at the
thought of living and doing, and a nearer,
if yet dim, preception of what inay be tho
glory of tha New Jerusalem, Later ou
when the heats of summer come, this new
born evergy may disappear, but I have
only seen it at this season and my
memory of it isa never failing well-spring
of pleasure,



BELVA A. LOCKWOOD

Wandering aloug one of the beautiful
avenues one day, drinking m the inspira-
“lon of all this ioveliness, with a whine aud
a rush that almost took the lreathaway. 8
tricycle flashed by. A weman wag the
rider, There wasa fleeting vision of a
rosy, healthy face, with height dark eyes,
set in a framework of dark browy lair, wu
erect figure with a firm poise, and then it
was goue so farinthoe distupes that ons
could see nothing micre Gian the general
: ‘outling of the rider aud tricycle.

. AWb that?” was the eager inquiry,
for there was something even in this brief
glimpse that riveted the attention.

“That,” was the response, “is Mrs, Belva
Lockwood, You will see her almost any

. fine day riding around the siregts of the
elty, iutent upon her business, which she
goes through with about the same celerity
as she gets over the ground upon her tri-

cycle,”

Of ..conyee,, the . majority of peaple
know.,who., Belva A) Lockwood is—
that she {is a woman lawyer, and
a ohighly su efai one, too; that
she is the first one ever admitted to
practice before the Bupreme court of the
United States; that she isan earnest sup-
porter of woman eufrave, and the first
woman ever nowlnatcd to the Presidency
of the Greal Americin Republic, of which
she is an active and useful citizen.

Those of yon who have ever read Bos-












“wells “Life of Sanucl Jolngea” may recail

what he reporis the latter as saying of a
women who had dared to stop stocking
darnipgy and go to prerching:

‘sir, a Woman preacning is fike a dog's .

walking on his hind legs. It is nob done
well; but you are surprised to flud it done
at all,”

I think this is much the way : that ‘the
first women who undertook the study and
‘prastige of hav were regarded. A good
many moufidy- elfestiiuts, so to speak, of
woman's being governed by intuition, new-
er by reason; of hey inability to foliew log-
ical methods; of the danger of her yieldiny
to sentiment, iustead of following law; of
the difference in ‘the size and
fibre of her brain from that of
sonn’s—all tlissy and more were



hurled at these femiuing plousers in the ,
profession. Persistence and tnergy have, :

however, in spitc of all such drawbacks,
enabied Mrs, Lockwood to win success and
recognition a3 a huvyur, in the highest
courts of the country, Cf the years
of labor through which sbe has passed to
reach her present position, Io will tell
you,

Belva A. Bennett was born, the second
of five clildren, upon afarm near Royal.
tou, Niagara county, N. ¥., in October,
1830, Attending the district school, she
was a bright scholar, and early mustered
the intricacies of all of the common and

some of the higheuglish brancues.Javen

in these early days she showed a marked
individuality of character by writing es-
gaya tochampion the cause of those she
considered oppressed, and it stands out the
more boldly because her father’s home-
teaching was that girls snould attond to
domestic dutics, leaving other Helds for
boys.

Before sho was 15 she began teaching
sohool in her own distauict, and continued
the work ruccessfully for several terms,
receiving as her hivhest remuneration the
muuiflieent gum of eight dollars a month
This teaching was done in the summer, but
in the winter she attended school, beginning
an academia course, which, later on, she
completed.

Wien about 18 she beaame che wife of
athrifty young farmer and miller, Uriah
MoNali, in Her neighborhood. Phe young
husband dived but three or four happy

yeara and lefi her with one Hutle girl, a j

widow not qnite 23 years old,

Then tegan the active, independent fe
which she has since lived. Fora yoar she
carried on the farm and mill energetically,
zing fox. an eduction
aiechersvid tue cproperty a






direction.

Finishing the course at the academy, and
after an interval of teaching, she entered
the Genesee Wesleynun College, at Lima,
N. Y., now called the Syracuse Untveratty,
Ii was the second college that admitted
women, Ather examination for adinission,
the faculty discovered something of the
atuff this aspirant for their honors was
made of, as she was found to be entitled
to enter into the junior instead of the suph-
omore year. She graduated with high
atauding in 1857,






s °
sréd the Gossport Academy, determined -
to mgke a carver for hergelf in a different ;



Now she felt ready for real work, or work
: ; —

to her taste. Without hor knowledge she
was elected preceptress of the Lockport’
Union school, the dutics of which position
she entered upon with enthusiasm. For
four. years she remained there—it having
begome incorporated as an academy—and \
brought to bear an intelligent supervision
of its metheds, the effects of which are
seen and acknowledged there to day.

Lhen came the years of the war and she
was notidle. Busy as she was with her
school duties, she yet found opportunity, |
as president of au Aid Society, to do much

, good work for the soldiers, spending both

time and money in theit behalf, Mean...
while she became the“Wend of the Gaines
ville Seminary, A year later when ‘that -
burned, she built up a schoolap Hornels-

ville, and uflerwards at Owego, both suc-

cussful vengares, the last of which sho |
ended by removing to the city of Washing- |
ton in T86G. Daring much of this time :
her daughter was at the Gencssee Wes-
leyan College receiving the finishing
tonches of a fine education.

Ter cnreer in Washington, which has
brought her prominently before tha public
and given her a national reputation, began,
as a pennanency, with teaching uo select |
school in what wee enlied Union League |
hall. While earrying this on, and attend-
ing to other business, the energy of the
woman was shown by her studying and
mastering jufternational Jaw and the
Spanish as well as the German Innguage,

Is was in 1868 that she contracted a
second marriage with Rev, Ezukiel Lock- -
wood, a Baptist minister, and former .
chaplain in the army. Three years after. |
wardshe bean the study of liw atthe -
National Univ ty, graduating with the
degree of Bachelor of Lawsin 1873. This, |
howaver, wes not done withouta struggle, |
for in the last quarter she, with’one ovber |
tady who had kept by her side through the
course, were refused thelr dipiomas. A
jelter trem Mrs. Leekwoed to Vrest-
dent Grant calling = attention to
this injustice, Lrought about a
change in affaira, and her. afploma was
placedin ber lands. Applying for udinis-
sion to the courts as alawyer, she reecived
several rebuffs, but to nm woman of her
montal sirensth aud determination bey
only ached chu Rpur to continued clYort
until she obtained a victory, ‘Phey had yet
to learn that '

Vo ie a fool who thinks by forea or skill
Ho tura the carrent of a wonnn’s wil”

Certainty Mrs. Lockwood proved, not
only then but afterward, that she could
not be turucd aside from ber pursuit of
wWhint she decutud a right,

Her fish: willy old-time prejudices had,
however, only jushb begun, After three
years of suegessful practice, she found
herself debarred by her sex from the
United States Supreme Court, ‘fo thia her
dauntless apirit would never submit, und
the eontest began, Wado ehacnoieeisiie
energy she went to work, drafted a bill
and succesded after an incredifable amount
of Work and repented faliuras, in having it
carried through Conyrers, adinitting
















hand musical, her ¢

etyying bo do mirac

women to practice before this highest
tribnnal inthe Jand. Dhus again victory
perched upon her banner, Well might
she rejoice at this triuinph, which was
not for nerself alune, abusiugte juncture,
but for all women lawyers in the present
and the future, Thies aecurredin February,
1879, andiu March, accompanied by My.
A. G Riddle, who had been tie cliunpion
of her cause from first to last, she walked
into the presence of the court which wag
now compeciled to yield What had been be-
fore xo peremptorliy denied. Doubtless
these nugnst gentiomen felt as if .the
Potomac hills were tubing abuyut their
ears,

Some notion of the intense feeling In re-
fard Lo woian lawyers is obtatued by the
minusinye account of Mrs. Lockwood's at-
tempt to practigg in the Circuit court of
Maryland, presided over then by Judge MET
grudexr. These are some of the cogeut
reasons Which he offered for his refusal:
“That the immutable laws of nature were
ugainst if; thab woman wes made after
mink and was therefore inferior to him;



that she was wade outof Lis vib and ete
was thereforg his help meet; that sho was
physicaliy Incapable of appearing to ad-
vantage in public; that the track of her
orldit wag around man, not parallel with
bis path: Wuat she should stiek to the fire.
side: Lat her rue inission was to nurse
the sick and minister unto man’s wants,”
he stern judge eaid he hoped the day
Would never come When wonien would be
allowed to prastica law In Maryland,

The funny partof isis that the nex
election relocated this wise judge to pri-
vate life, and Mrs. Lockwood or any other
woman lawyer can practice before all
the courts in Muryvland,

Miss Lockw cod isan ardent advocate of
woman suffrage as may be kuown -ky her
having accepted the nomination Lop the j
Presideidicy by tie Mgdal Riguws toatty int
1884, and again in 1 888. Sha believes in,
Prohibition and in arbitration, and she bag
the courage of her convictions always:
Frequentiy sane goes before Congress,
fearlussly urging needed reforms, and
espechitiv befriending the soldier and the
sailor, She does this not onty with her
voice but with her pen which she wields
with fine effect, As a rpe.ke is always
coutniands attention, her vice Geing clo
ivery lurdible, aud her
winging and in-


















anner excecdiug
variably seif-posscrsed,

One of the characteristics of Mrs, T
wood is the intensizy of her conv
upon any subdeet fi whica she bee
interested. What she bulieves, eho be-
lieves, and then ucts upon that belief,
There is uo doubt, no hesitation, Au
alance of this turn of infiud sho hers
amupingt in an artigie cntitfed.
Beeome oa Lawyer,”
fugazine, of — suine
When abont ten yeus
ryhonnd ,

















in Linpincelt’s
wonths back
old, having rend the Bribie this
believing if Hlerally, she supposed that:
faith was all thag was necessury to res |
engl Lhe iniraches, direushe tricd wall
ing on water as Peterdid. ‘ho result was
an duglorious faliare aud much be-drag-
gled skirts. But the youthiul enthusiast
woenoidiscourrzed, Her toxt off oed—wead-
to raise from the grave a child which had
just been buried, Assuming a iore
prayerful condition of mind she ordered
the dead to come forth, but the










‘dead came nob Apain ai failure.

Yhere ia something absolutely pathetic,
even While so amusing, in Wie carncst faith,
of this fitue girl which received these suc-
vossive shocks, Becaure she lad not suc-
ceeded, huwuver, was to bar ouiy a proof
of Lerown lack of undersianding or laek
of concentration, Studying carefully che
promise, “lf ye have faith asa grain of |
mustard géud,” ete, he concludcd that if
an ordinary mortal could reinove a iioun-
tain, a child dike ber could probably meve
av hail, so she soleeted a small one and
brought her will-power to bea upon it. Lt
stood immovable, aud thea she guyve up
us



7

wy





peti ee

i ‘his spirit of determination has marked
| her course through all of her years. What
she wills to do, that she persists in, with
ithe result of moving mountains in the
shape of public opinion. She is absolute-
) ly fearless, so fur as the coumont of pecp!



ight. here she plauta her feet and there
phe stays,

Mrs. Lockwood has uow been a member
-of the bur for fifteen years, aud for’eleven
years of the thue was in court nearly ev-
ery dyy, Ngb many men can bring forth





arecord like that. Since 1877 she hase
-begp® her hushay sth
e eu Both



ye he “wwas i

‘fight for admittance to the bar of the Su-
preme Court. She ls stillin the prime of
life, stroug and vigorons, and doubtless,
with many years of work before her.

| One word more and Imast close. The






upon her action is cuncerned. Righe is |

a
t

| fact that Mre, Lockwood has tuwice nes,

evpted the nomination to the Presidency
wien there was no more chance for an
election thanof her going to Jupiter, tsa
often cited as proof that ber intellect’ hus
.@ flaw inita strength and a most decided
one, The truth is, she represents a prin-
ciple which she hoids to be a right one,and
she will stand for it in the face of all
ridicule, She believes in the ultimate

triumph of the law of equality between !

the sexes, and she feels to Lhe heart's core
that
"Hoe laughs best who laugh laat !”
Emuuy 8. Bouton.

i

|
|