“It has always seemed to me that there was something wrong in the present system of housekeeping. Men have particular branches of business to which they give their exclusive attention, and never attempt to carry on three or four trades at the same time. Housekeeping comprises at least three trades, that of cook, laundress and seamstress, to which might be added that of house cleaning; and yet it is expected of woman that she will single-handedsuccessfully carry on these various trades, and at the same time bear and rear children and teach them to become great and good. How long would men undergo a like amount of labor without devising some means of lightening and separating its burdens?“I wish to call your attention to the fact that in the mythical second chapter of Genesis, upon which men lay so much stress as their authority for subjugating and belittling the position of woman, no toil was imposed on our Mother Eve. The ground was cursed for man’s sake, and he was to labor and eat his bread in the sweat of his face. But to woman no command to labor was given, no toil laid upon her, no ground or stove cursed for her sake. She was to bear children; but motherhood was never cursed by the Almighty. Woman is the mother of mankind, the living Providence (under God) who gives to every human being its mental, moral and physical organization, who stamps upon every human heart her seal for good or for evil. How important then that her surroundings be pleasant, her thoughts elevated, her mind imbued with the best and noblest traits, her individuality acknowledged, her freedom assured, that she may impart wise and noble characters to her children, surroundthem with good influences and train them in all goodness and virtue! This is the part of woman. But how can she be fitted for such life work when subjected to the whims and commands of another, to the constant round of housekeeping labor, to toil and drudgery, to cares, annoyances and perplexities which she has not health and strength and nerve to bear? How can one woman cook and wash dishes three times a day, sweep and dust the house, wash and iron, scrub and clean, make and mend and darn for a family, and yet have time or spirit for the improvement of her own mind so that she may stamp strong characters upon her children? How can a mother whose every hour from early morn to late at night is filled with cares and worries and toil to supply the physical needs of her family find time or be prepared to instruct properly the tender minds committed to her care?“It is to woman’s weary hours and broken health, and to her subject, unhappy and unsatisfactory position, that we may impute much of the evil, vice and crime that are abroad. And to the same cause are due so many domestic quarrels, separations and divorces. Children are born into the world with the stamp of the mother’s mind upon them. I believe itis conceded that children are more indebted to their mothers than to their fathers for their natural gifts. How important then that every facility be afforded the mother for making good impressions on her child! How strange that men so entirely overlook this law of inheritance! What can they expect of children when the mother is degraded and enslaved?“Is there not some way of relief from this drudging, weary work over the cook stove, washtub and sewing machine; from this load of labor and care? Why should one hundred women in each of one hundred separate houses be compelled to do the work that could equally as well or better be done by less than one-fifth of that number by some reasonable and just system of coöperation? Why cannot the cooking and washing and sewing be all attended to in a coöperative establishment, and thus relieve women, and mothers particularly, of the heavy burdens their fourfold labors now impose upon them, and give them time for self-improvement and the care and culture of their children? It is said that in the city of New York there are but 30,000 household servants to more than 270,000 families. By this we see that nine out of every ten wives and mothers in that city are subjected to the daily round of household labor.Can we not trace a large percentage of the vice and degradation of that city to that cause? And this state of things will hold good to a large extent over the whole country.“Time is not allowed me to go into the details of coöperative housekeeping, even had I the matter well matured in my own mind, which I have not. But I have given reasons why some plan should be devised to relieve woman of hard labor and crushing care, and I leave it for her who is to follow on my side of the question to present a plan that shall recommend itself to our approval.“A. B.”
“It has always seemed to me that there was something wrong in the present system of housekeeping. Men have particular branches of business to which they give their exclusive attention, and never attempt to carry on three or four trades at the same time. Housekeeping comprises at least three trades, that of cook, laundress and seamstress, to which might be added that of house cleaning; and yet it is expected of woman that she will single-handedsuccessfully carry on these various trades, and at the same time bear and rear children and teach them to become great and good. How long would men undergo a like amount of labor without devising some means of lightening and separating its burdens?
“I wish to call your attention to the fact that in the mythical second chapter of Genesis, upon which men lay so much stress as their authority for subjugating and belittling the position of woman, no toil was imposed on our Mother Eve. The ground was cursed for man’s sake, and he was to labor and eat his bread in the sweat of his face. But to woman no command to labor was given, no toil laid upon her, no ground or stove cursed for her sake. She was to bear children; but motherhood was never cursed by the Almighty. Woman is the mother of mankind, the living Providence (under God) who gives to every human being its mental, moral and physical organization, who stamps upon every human heart her seal for good or for evil. How important then that her surroundings be pleasant, her thoughts elevated, her mind imbued with the best and noblest traits, her individuality acknowledged, her freedom assured, that she may impart wise and noble characters to her children, surroundthem with good influences and train them in all goodness and virtue! This is the part of woman. But how can she be fitted for such life work when subjected to the whims and commands of another, to the constant round of housekeeping labor, to toil and drudgery, to cares, annoyances and perplexities which she has not health and strength and nerve to bear? How can one woman cook and wash dishes three times a day, sweep and dust the house, wash and iron, scrub and clean, make and mend and darn for a family, and yet have time or spirit for the improvement of her own mind so that she may stamp strong characters upon her children? How can a mother whose every hour from early morn to late at night is filled with cares and worries and toil to supply the physical needs of her family find time or be prepared to instruct properly the tender minds committed to her care?
“It is to woman’s weary hours and broken health, and to her subject, unhappy and unsatisfactory position, that we may impute much of the evil, vice and crime that are abroad. And to the same cause are due so many domestic quarrels, separations and divorces. Children are born into the world with the stamp of the mother’s mind upon them. I believe itis conceded that children are more indebted to their mothers than to their fathers for their natural gifts. How important then that every facility be afforded the mother for making good impressions on her child! How strange that men so entirely overlook this law of inheritance! What can they expect of children when the mother is degraded and enslaved?
“Is there not some way of relief from this drudging, weary work over the cook stove, washtub and sewing machine; from this load of labor and care? Why should one hundred women in each of one hundred separate houses be compelled to do the work that could equally as well or better be done by less than one-fifth of that number by some reasonable and just system of coöperation? Why cannot the cooking and washing and sewing be all attended to in a coöperative establishment, and thus relieve women, and mothers particularly, of the heavy burdens their fourfold labors now impose upon them, and give them time for self-improvement and the care and culture of their children? It is said that in the city of New York there are but 30,000 household servants to more than 270,000 families. By this we see that nine out of every ten wives and mothers in that city are subjected to the daily round of household labor.Can we not trace a large percentage of the vice and degradation of that city to that cause? And this state of things will hold good to a large extent over the whole country.
“Time is not allowed me to go into the details of coöperative housekeeping, even had I the matter well matured in my own mind, which I have not. But I have given reasons why some plan should be devised to relieve woman of hard labor and crushing care, and I leave it for her who is to follow on my side of the question to present a plan that shall recommend itself to our approval.
“A. B.”
The War of the Rebellion aroused the feelings, as also the patriotism, of the women of the Northern states to a high state of activity. Perhaps at first they did not enter into the contest so earnestly as did the women of the South, that is, their feelings were not so deeply aroused; but ere long, as the war went on, they came up nobly to the duties before them and were henceforward unwearied and unremitting in their discharge. Their fathers, brothers, sonsand husbands were in the armies of the Union periling their lives for its complete restoration. They could but hope that success might crown their efforts, and in various ways they sought to help on the contest until the end should be reached, the republic saved; and many also hoped and prayed that, when victory came, it would bring also the complete destruction of slavery. Mrs. Bloomer entered into this feeling, and the work done by the women of the North, with all the energies of her ardent spirit. Two regiments were raised in Council Bluffs and the vicinity, and many of the young men of the city were in their ranks. The women did a great deal towards providing them with camp conveniences and furnishing them with needed clothing and other comforts necessary for the arduous and dangerous life on which they were about to enter. Each day, dress parade found very many on the regimental grounds encouraging “the boys” in the discharge of their duties. Among other things, a beautiful flag was prepared and Mrs. Bloomer was delegated by the ladies to present it to company A,which had been mainly recruited in the city. This she did in the presence of the whole regiment, in the following short speech:
“Captain Craig, Sir: In behalf of the loyal ladies of Council Bluffs I present to you, and through you to the company you command, this flag. Its materials are not of so rich a texture as we could have wished, but they are the best our city afforded; and we hope that you will accept it as an expression of our respect for yourself and your company, and our warm sympathy for the cause you go forth to uphold. This flag has emblazoned upon it the stars and stripes of our country. It was under these that our Fathers fought the battle of the Revolution and secured for us that priceless gift, the Constitution of the United States.“You are now going forth to sustain and defend that Constitution against an unjust and monstrous rebellion, fomented and carried on by wicked and ambitious men, who have for their object the overthrow of the best government the world has ever seen. To this noble cause we dedicate this flag. We know you will carry it proudly, gallantly and bravely on the field of battle and wherever you go, andwe trust it may ever be to you the emblem of victory.“Soldiers: We cannot part with you without a few words of counsel and warning. In the new and dangerous path you are entering upon, let us entreat you to guard well your steps and keep yourselves aloof from every vice. Avoid, above all things, profanity and the intoxicating cup. The latter slays annually more than fall on the battlefield. The hearts of mothers, wives and sisters go forth after you. Many tears will be shed and many prayers will be offered in your behalf. See to it, then, that you so conduct yourselves that whatever may befall you, whether you fall in the service of your country or return to gladden the hearts of the loved ones you leave behind and to enjoy the peace you will have conquered—that no sting shall pierce their hearts, no stain rest on your fair fame. Go forth in your sense of right, relying on the justice of your cause. Seek peace with God your Saviour, that you may be prepared to meet His summons should it come suddenly, or to enjoy life should it please Him to spare you for many days.“Our good wishes go with you, and we shall ever hold you in honorable remembrance; and when this important war is ended which callsyou from us, and you are discharged from duty, we shall heartily welcome you back to your home and friends.”
“Captain Craig, Sir: In behalf of the loyal ladies of Council Bluffs I present to you, and through you to the company you command, this flag. Its materials are not of so rich a texture as we could have wished, but they are the best our city afforded; and we hope that you will accept it as an expression of our respect for yourself and your company, and our warm sympathy for the cause you go forth to uphold. This flag has emblazoned upon it the stars and stripes of our country. It was under these that our Fathers fought the battle of the Revolution and secured for us that priceless gift, the Constitution of the United States.
“You are now going forth to sustain and defend that Constitution against an unjust and monstrous rebellion, fomented and carried on by wicked and ambitious men, who have for their object the overthrow of the best government the world has ever seen. To this noble cause we dedicate this flag. We know you will carry it proudly, gallantly and bravely on the field of battle and wherever you go, andwe trust it may ever be to you the emblem of victory.
“Soldiers: We cannot part with you without a few words of counsel and warning. In the new and dangerous path you are entering upon, let us entreat you to guard well your steps and keep yourselves aloof from every vice. Avoid, above all things, profanity and the intoxicating cup. The latter slays annually more than fall on the battlefield. The hearts of mothers, wives and sisters go forth after you. Many tears will be shed and many prayers will be offered in your behalf. See to it, then, that you so conduct yourselves that whatever may befall you, whether you fall in the service of your country or return to gladden the hearts of the loved ones you leave behind and to enjoy the peace you will have conquered—that no sting shall pierce their hearts, no stain rest on your fair fame. Go forth in your sense of right, relying on the justice of your cause. Seek peace with God your Saviour, that you may be prepared to meet His summons should it come suddenly, or to enjoy life should it please Him to spare you for many days.
“Our good wishes go with you, and we shall ever hold you in honorable remembrance; and when this important war is ended which callsyou from us, and you are discharged from duty, we shall heartily welcome you back to your home and friends.”
This address was delivered at dress parade just as the sun was going down and only a day or two before the regiment left for the front. The volunteer soldiers listened with deep emotion, and when allusion was made to the homes and friends left behind many a stout heart heaved and tears trickled down many a manly face.
Lieutenant Kinsman, in behalf of Captain Craig, accepted the flag from Mrs. Bloomer in a neat and appropriate address.
Lieutenant Kinsman had been a partner of her husband and a dear friend of Mrs. Bloomer’s; over his subsequent career she watched with the greatest interest. He soon rose to be the captain of his company, then a lieutenant-colonel, and then colonel of an Iowa regiment at whose head he fell bravely fighting at the Battle of Black River Bridge, in Mississippi, in 1863. As showing the earnest patriotism of Mrs. Bloomer and her intelligent appreciationof the great questions involved in it, the following letter written by her to the convention of loyal women in New York City in 1864 is here inserted:
“Miss Anthony:“Your letter inviting me to meet in council with the loyal women of the nation on the 14th inst. in the city of New York is received. Most gladly does my heart respond to the call for such a meeting, and most earnestly do I hope that the deliberations on that occasion will result in much good to woman and to the cause you meet to promote.“The women of the North are charged by the press with a lack of zeal and enthusiasm in the war. The charge may be true to some extent. Though for the most part the women of the loyal states are loyal to the government, and in favor of sustaining its every measure for putting down the rebellion, yet they do not I fear enter fully into the spirit of the revolution, or share greatly in the enthusiasm and devotion which sustain the women of the South in their struggle for what they believe theirindependence and freedom from oppression. This is owing, doubtless, to the war being waged on soil remote from us, to women having no part in the active contest, and to the deprivation and heart-sorrows it has occasioned them. There are too many who think only of themselves and too little of the sufferings of the soldiers who have volunteered to save their country. While they are willing to give of their time and means to relieve the sick and wounded, they at the same time decry the war, lament the sacrifices and expenditure it occasions, think it should have been prevented by a compromise and long for peace on almost any terms. These think not of the great cause at stake, they care not for the poor slave, think not of the future of our country, and fail to see the hand of God in the movement punishing the nation for sin and leading it up through much suffering and tribulation to a brighter and more glorious destiny.“But there is a class of women who have looked beyond the mere clash of arms and the battlefield of the dead and dying, and recognize the necessity and importance of this dark hour of trial to our country. The first cannon fired at Sumter sounded in their ears the death knell of slavery and proclaimed the willof the Almighty to this nation. These have never believed we should have peace or great success until the doom of slavery was irrevocably sealed. That seal has been set. Our noble President has bowed to the will of the Supreme Power and by the guidance and sustaining spirit of that Power will, I trust, lead our country successfully through the great and fearful struggle and place it upon a firm and more enduring basis.“The contest has outlasted the expectation of all, and has cost the nation a vast amount of blood and treasure. It has called into the field a million or more of soldiers, and the number of fathers, brothers and sons slain upon the battlefield and wasted away in camps and hospitals is counted by hundreds of thousands, while its expenses run up to billions. And still the war for the Union, for Freedom, and the integrity of our national boundaries goes forward; and in the hearts of true Union men everywhere the firm resolve has been made that it shall go on until the rebellion is crushed, cost what it may, and continue though it should last as long as did the war which brought our nation into existence.“Now the question for us to consider is: Are we prepared for the further and continuedsacrifice? Have we yet more sons and brothers to yield up on the altar of our country? To this question let every loyal woman address herself; and I fondly hope that the proceedings of your convention will be such as to nerve woman for whatever sacrifice and trial await her.“I know there are many women in whose hearts the love of country and of justice is strong, and who are willing to incur any loss and make almost any sacrifice rather than that the rebellion should succeed and the chains of the bondmen be more firmly riveted. If they manifest less enthusiasm than their patriotic brothers it is because they have not so great an opportunity for its exercise. The customs of society do not permit any stormy or noisy manifestation of feeling on the part of woman. But the blood of Revolutionary sires flows as purely in her veins as in those of her more favored brothers, and she can feel as deeply, suffer as intensely, and endure as bravely as do they.“But I would have her do more than suffer and endure. I would that she should not only resolve to stand by the government of the Union in its work of defeating the schemes of its enemies, but that she should let her voicego forth to the government in clear and unmistakable tones against any peace with rebels, except upon the basis of entire submission to the authority of the government. Against the schemes and plans of the ‘peace party’ in the North the loyal women everywhere protest. That party seeks to obtain peace through compromise, and it advocates an armistice with rebels who ask for none. Such a peace we do not want, for it would be either brought about by the recognition of the rebel government, or by base and dishonorable submission to its demands. To either of these results we are alike opposed. When peace comes, let it come through the complete triumph of the Union army; and with the destruction of the great cause of the rebellion, which we all know to be African Slavery.“What part woman is to take in the work, and in what way she can best hold up the hands and cheer the heart of the great man who is at the head of our government, will be for the loyal women in council to determine.“A. B.”
“Miss Anthony:
“Your letter inviting me to meet in council with the loyal women of the nation on the 14th inst. in the city of New York is received. Most gladly does my heart respond to the call for such a meeting, and most earnestly do I hope that the deliberations on that occasion will result in much good to woman and to the cause you meet to promote.
“The women of the North are charged by the press with a lack of zeal and enthusiasm in the war. The charge may be true to some extent. Though for the most part the women of the loyal states are loyal to the government, and in favor of sustaining its every measure for putting down the rebellion, yet they do not I fear enter fully into the spirit of the revolution, or share greatly in the enthusiasm and devotion which sustain the women of the South in their struggle for what they believe theirindependence and freedom from oppression. This is owing, doubtless, to the war being waged on soil remote from us, to women having no part in the active contest, and to the deprivation and heart-sorrows it has occasioned them. There are too many who think only of themselves and too little of the sufferings of the soldiers who have volunteered to save their country. While they are willing to give of their time and means to relieve the sick and wounded, they at the same time decry the war, lament the sacrifices and expenditure it occasions, think it should have been prevented by a compromise and long for peace on almost any terms. These think not of the great cause at stake, they care not for the poor slave, think not of the future of our country, and fail to see the hand of God in the movement punishing the nation for sin and leading it up through much suffering and tribulation to a brighter and more glorious destiny.
“But there is a class of women who have looked beyond the mere clash of arms and the battlefield of the dead and dying, and recognize the necessity and importance of this dark hour of trial to our country. The first cannon fired at Sumter sounded in their ears the death knell of slavery and proclaimed the willof the Almighty to this nation. These have never believed we should have peace or great success until the doom of slavery was irrevocably sealed. That seal has been set. Our noble President has bowed to the will of the Supreme Power and by the guidance and sustaining spirit of that Power will, I trust, lead our country successfully through the great and fearful struggle and place it upon a firm and more enduring basis.
“The contest has outlasted the expectation of all, and has cost the nation a vast amount of blood and treasure. It has called into the field a million or more of soldiers, and the number of fathers, brothers and sons slain upon the battlefield and wasted away in camps and hospitals is counted by hundreds of thousands, while its expenses run up to billions. And still the war for the Union, for Freedom, and the integrity of our national boundaries goes forward; and in the hearts of true Union men everywhere the firm resolve has been made that it shall go on until the rebellion is crushed, cost what it may, and continue though it should last as long as did the war which brought our nation into existence.
“Now the question for us to consider is: Are we prepared for the further and continuedsacrifice? Have we yet more sons and brothers to yield up on the altar of our country? To this question let every loyal woman address herself; and I fondly hope that the proceedings of your convention will be such as to nerve woman for whatever sacrifice and trial await her.
“I know there are many women in whose hearts the love of country and of justice is strong, and who are willing to incur any loss and make almost any sacrifice rather than that the rebellion should succeed and the chains of the bondmen be more firmly riveted. If they manifest less enthusiasm than their patriotic brothers it is because they have not so great an opportunity for its exercise. The customs of society do not permit any stormy or noisy manifestation of feeling on the part of woman. But the blood of Revolutionary sires flows as purely in her veins as in those of her more favored brothers, and she can feel as deeply, suffer as intensely, and endure as bravely as do they.
“But I would have her do more than suffer and endure. I would that she should not only resolve to stand by the government of the Union in its work of defeating the schemes of its enemies, but that she should let her voicego forth to the government in clear and unmistakable tones against any peace with rebels, except upon the basis of entire submission to the authority of the government. Against the schemes and plans of the ‘peace party’ in the North the loyal women everywhere protest. That party seeks to obtain peace through compromise, and it advocates an armistice with rebels who ask for none. Such a peace we do not want, for it would be either brought about by the recognition of the rebel government, or by base and dishonorable submission to its demands. To either of these results we are alike opposed. When peace comes, let it come through the complete triumph of the Union army; and with the destruction of the great cause of the rebellion, which we all know to be African Slavery.
“What part woman is to take in the work, and in what way she can best hold up the hands and cheer the heart of the great man who is at the head of our government, will be for the loyal women in council to determine.
“A. B.”
The ladies of Council Bluffs were zealous in sending clothing and necessary hospital stores to the soldiers fighting at the front. Mrs.Bloomer was one of the most active in this work. She was placed on many committees, often at the head of them, and her house was a centre around which their efforts were directed. She was a thorough patriot, and did all in her power to promote the welfare of those who were fighting the battle of the Union. She attended for three weeks the great Sanitary Fair held in Chicago in the early part of 1865, and previous to going to it had been largely instrumental in collecting the noble contribution sent thither by Iowa. Here, for the first time, she met General Grant, the illustrious commander of the Union armies. Mrs. Bloomer had never been classed among the “abolitionists,” but she was nevertheless an intense hater of slavery and the slave power, and no one rejoiced more sincerely that the war finally ended with the overthrow of that blight upon the fair name of our country.
Mrs. Bloomer, after her removal to the West, made occasional visits to her old home in NewYork, there spending several weeks with relatives and friends. In the autumn of 1880, with her husband, she passed nearly a week in the national capital viewing the noble buildings and the wonderful collections of nature and art with which they are so abundantly filled. One day was spent at the Smithsonian Institution, where the ethnological department attracted great attention. The Patent Office was looked through, and the Corcoran gallery of paintings and statuary admired and carefully inspected. One day was given to Mount Vernon and the former residence of the Father of his Country visited. It was a beautiful day and the passage down and up the Potomac delightful. The scenes at Mount Vernon were most impressive, and made a place in her memory never to be effaced.
Proceeding from Washington northward, they spent one day in Philadelphia very pleasantly; and, on arriving in New York, Mrs. Bloomer and her husband arranged for a stopin the great metropolis of several weeks. They spent two days with relatives in Westchester County, and after her return Mrs. Bloomer met her old and dear friends, Mrs. Douglass and Mrs. Chamberlain, and had very pleasant visits with them. A day was taken up in visiting some of the noted places in the city, and then Mrs. Bloomer accepted an invitation to visit Mrs. Stanton at her residence in Tenyfly, in New Jersey; but before she had time to do this, word came to her of the dangerous illness of her sister. Giving up all her plans, she at once repaired to the residence of Mr. John Lowden, at Waterloo, N. Y., and remained by the bedside of her sister until her spirit passed away. Of a large family of brothers and sisters, Mrs. Bloomer was then the only one left. After attending the funeral, she spent a few days with her husband in the excellent family of her niece, Mrs. N. J. Milliken, at Canandaigua, N. Y., being present at the marriage of one of her daughters; and then, after another stop in Buffalo of a few days more, returned to Council Bluffs.
One more visit was made to New York, in 1889, to attend the golden anniversary of her husband’s brother, Mr. C. A. Bloomer, of Buffalo. The occasion was a very happy one; and after some days spent in that city, she once more passed on to her old home in Seneca Falls, visiting also at Canandaigua and other places in the vicinity.
In 1879 Mrs. Bloomer made her first journey to Colorado, its mountains and magnificent scenery. This was repeated in subsequent years, the last trip having been made in 1894, only a few months before her death. During these tours she spent many days in Denver, Leadville, Idaho Springs, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, and Manitou. All the points round the latter famous watering place were visited. She rode through the Garden of the Gods, Monument Park, and Cheyenne Cañon, and traversed the great caves opened up in the mountains. Climbing Cheyenne Mountain, she stood on the spot where the famous poetand writer Helen H. Jackson was laid at rest. The scenery from this point over the surrounding mountains and valleys is truly wonderful and makes a great impression on all beholders.
The following descriptive letter written to a local paper by Mrs. Bloomer from Manitou, Colorado, August 12, 1879, gives her impression of that place and vicinity at that time:
“Our stay at Denver was a short one, as we found the weather at that place about as hot as in Council Bluffs. After looking over that city for one day, we hastened on to this famed resort for invalids and summer tourists seeking pleasure and recreation. As usual at this season, the hotels are crowded, and scores of camp tents dot the hills in every direction.“We took up our temporary abode at the Cliff House, principally because of its nearness to the springs, three of which are in the immediate vicinity. This is a popular house and is crowded with guests. The Manitou and Beebe, though farther from the springs, are full and are first-class houses. Scores of cottages areleased for a few weeks or months by visitors, and many private houses take temporary lodgers or boarders. Among owners of the latter is Mrs. Dr. Leonard, formerly of Council Bluffs. She is proprietor of the bath-houses here, and is doing a good paying business, sometimes as many as a hundred a day taking baths. She has built a house of her own, but leases the bath-house, which belongs to the town company. She has also considerable practice as a physician.“Cheyenne Cañon, Ute Pass, Williams Pass, Pike’s Peak, the Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, Queen’s Cañon, and Monument Park are the principal points of interest visited daily by people here. A few mornings since, a party of seventeen gentlemen and ladies left one hotel on horseback for the ascent of Pike’s Peak. They made the journey safely and returned at dark, some of them feeling little worse for the trip, while others were pretty well used up. Yesterday a gentleman and lady made the same journey on foot. As the distance is twelve miles, all the way up the steep mountain side, this was considered quite a feat. To-day the same parties have gone on foot to Cheyenne Cañon, a distance of twelve miles. I have not heard that the lady is one of the celebrated ‘walkers,’but she certainly deserves that her name be added to the list.“Yesterday we made up a party of six and started soon after breakfast for the Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, and Monument Park. The day was one of the finest imaginable, the air cool and invigorating, and our driver a man experienced in the business of showing to tourists the wonders of this section of this wonderful state. We found him a very intelligent and much-traveled man, and learned that he was one of the magistrates of the town. Our road to the Garden of the Gods was ascending all the way. In reply to a query as to why the place was so named, the guide told us a story of how a southern gentleman came to the spot some years ago bringing with him two colored slaves, a man and a woman. He built here a cabin, and soon after took his gun and started out for a further journey, leaving the slaves behind and promising an early return. But days and weeks passed on and he returned not, and never was heard of more. The negroes remained in their new home, made improvements and planted a garden, which in this new land was a sight to gladden the eye. This, in connection with the grand works of nature surrounding it, grew to be the Gardenof the Gods, the name which has made it famous throughout the world. So much for the story. The negroes, Jupiter and Juno, are no more; but the great works of nature remain in all their grandeur, and a visit to them well repays the traveler for the journey he takes to see them.“The rocks in this so-called garden have been shaped into every conceivable form by the action of wind, water and frost. Many of them, by a little stretch of the imagination, are made to bear a strong resemblance to men and animals. The prevailing formation is red sandstone, but there are also conglomerate, gypsum and other varieties. At the south entrance, is a huge rock standing upon the narrowest foundation, and seemingly ready at any moment to topple over on the people who are constantly passing. As the incline is a little away from the road, it is to be hoped no such catastrophe will ever happen, even should the rock in ages to come be so top-heavy as to break loose from its foundations. The Grand Gateway is a narrow passageway between immense piles of rocks over three hundred feet high, of irregular outline and surface, which rise sharply and perpendicularly like a mighty wall. These rocks are full of holes, rifts and crevices andchasms in which thousands of swallows have built their nests, and we could plainly hear the twittering of the young ones from the ledge of rocks a few feet distant, on which we climbed. Our guide led us to a cave under one of these walls. The opening was near the base, and so low that one had to bend the knees and crawl in. The guide assured us that once inside the cave was high and roomy. Half of our party ventured in, but they found it too dark to see far beyond. Those of us who remained outside could hear the echoes of their voices high up in the rocks, showing that there is a high open space within the seemingly solid stone. Other rocks but a few feet distant are of gray color, and a little further on are large white rocks composed of gypsum, very soft and pliable. This is now being taken out in large quantities to be converted into plaster of Paris.“At the time we were passing through this huge gateway, an Iowa boy was standing on the top of one of these towering red walls waving a white flag, and upon the other stood a young woman waving her handkerchief. They looked like pygmies at that great elevation, and but for their moving about we should have supposed them a slight projection of rock. These we are told are the same persons whomade the journey to Pike’s Peak mentioned above. Their ascent up the rocks was a difficult and dangerous one, and though our guide proposed to lead us also up to their summit, we declined the temptation to view the surrounding mountains from so dizzy a height. It is very singular that these different varieties of rock formation should be found in so close proximity, and they furnish abundant food for the study of the geologist. The prevailing shape of the rocks is high and narrow, and some of the forms into which they have been brought by the forces of nature are remarkably beautiful and unique.“Passing on from this famed locality over a smooth and level road, we visited Glen Eyrie. This spot derives its name from an eagle’s nest high up in a crevice or shelf of the rocks, so our guide informed us, and also that within a year the eagles had occupied the nest, which was plainly visible to us, looking the size of a bushelbasket. They have now abandoned the place. The name Glen Eyrie is given to a large tract of land belonging to General Palmer, president of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. He has fenced in this wild tract, opened a road across it, and in a nook close under the towering rocks by which it is surrounded and farfrom any other habitation he has built a costly and elegant residence. The dwelling stands at the foot or entrance to Queen’s Cañon, a narrow gorge up which we traveled on foot the distance of half a mile till we reached a pool or basin of water, eight or ten feet in diameter, which blocked our further progress. This pool is known as the Devil’s Punchbowl, but General Palmer has named it the Mermaid’s Bathtub. Whether either devils or mermaids come here to either drink or bathe, history does not record. Our path was over big stones and rocks, and along the bed of a mountain torrent, which we crossed several times, stepping from rock to rock as our path led first to one side and then to the other. High above us on either side the mountains rose to a great height, their sides covered at times with the evergreen pine and scrub-oak, and again consisting simply of bare and naked rocks ready at any moment apparently to tumble down upon our heads. Our guide informed us that General Palmer has already spent forty or fifty thousand dollars upon the house and grounds of Glen Eyrie. I would not give him one thousand for the whole thing.“After the exploration of Queen’s Cañon our party voted unanimously to proceed toMonument Park, a distance of five miles, which we reached just in time to enjoy a most excellent dinner prepared for us by Mrs. Lewis, whose husband is an extensive cattle-raiser and lives in a comfortable dwelling at the entrance of the park. We are told that he came a confirmed consumptive, but has now become a strong and healthy man. This we could well believe, for in this locality the air was wonderfully pure, dry and bracing, and our party greatly enjoyed its exhilarating effects. Dinner over, we proceeded to explore the Park and gaze upon its unique formations. I do not feel competent to adequately describe them. The rocks are unlike any others in Colorado. They are nearly white with a yellowish tinge and often pyramidal in form. Standing out from the general mass are numerous statue-like columns, which seem to have been carved by the hand of man. They bear various designations, such as Adam and Eve, Lot’s Wife, the Democratic Caucus, Henry Ward Beecher’s Pulpit, the Dutch Wedding, the Anvil, etc., etc. They range from eight to fifteen feet in height and, what is singular, all of them are crowned with a flat rocky cap considerably larger than the top of the column on which it rests. This covering is composed of materials different fromthe statue itself, being of a harder or darker substance, considerable iron being mixed with its other constituents. I noticed one exact form of a bottle or decanter, large and round, with a small neck. This was smaller than the forms that surrounded it, but it had the same flat cap-stone that surmounted all the others. How came these statues here? Who can tell? Some of our party said the rocks had been washed away in the progress of ages from around them and left them standing out boldly by themselves, a puzzle and a wonder to all beholders. But some of them rise from a level plain, standing alone, with no rocks near them, and no evidence of any having been washed away. They rise from the ground, a solid column, and look as though placed there by the hand of man to mark the spot of some great event or the tomb of some departed one. Men have their theories, but the mystery is buried in the darkness of ages and none solve it satisfactorily. We leave them to their solitude and silence and, awe-stricken and subdued, turn our faces whence we came.“A. B.”
“Our stay at Denver was a short one, as we found the weather at that place about as hot as in Council Bluffs. After looking over that city for one day, we hastened on to this famed resort for invalids and summer tourists seeking pleasure and recreation. As usual at this season, the hotels are crowded, and scores of camp tents dot the hills in every direction.
“We took up our temporary abode at the Cliff House, principally because of its nearness to the springs, three of which are in the immediate vicinity. This is a popular house and is crowded with guests. The Manitou and Beebe, though farther from the springs, are full and are first-class houses. Scores of cottages areleased for a few weeks or months by visitors, and many private houses take temporary lodgers or boarders. Among owners of the latter is Mrs. Dr. Leonard, formerly of Council Bluffs. She is proprietor of the bath-houses here, and is doing a good paying business, sometimes as many as a hundred a day taking baths. She has built a house of her own, but leases the bath-house, which belongs to the town company. She has also considerable practice as a physician.
“Cheyenne Cañon, Ute Pass, Williams Pass, Pike’s Peak, the Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, Queen’s Cañon, and Monument Park are the principal points of interest visited daily by people here. A few mornings since, a party of seventeen gentlemen and ladies left one hotel on horseback for the ascent of Pike’s Peak. They made the journey safely and returned at dark, some of them feeling little worse for the trip, while others were pretty well used up. Yesterday a gentleman and lady made the same journey on foot. As the distance is twelve miles, all the way up the steep mountain side, this was considered quite a feat. To-day the same parties have gone on foot to Cheyenne Cañon, a distance of twelve miles. I have not heard that the lady is one of the celebrated ‘walkers,’but she certainly deserves that her name be added to the list.
“Yesterday we made up a party of six and started soon after breakfast for the Garden of the Gods, Glen Eyrie, and Monument Park. The day was one of the finest imaginable, the air cool and invigorating, and our driver a man experienced in the business of showing to tourists the wonders of this section of this wonderful state. We found him a very intelligent and much-traveled man, and learned that he was one of the magistrates of the town. Our road to the Garden of the Gods was ascending all the way. In reply to a query as to why the place was so named, the guide told us a story of how a southern gentleman came to the spot some years ago bringing with him two colored slaves, a man and a woman. He built here a cabin, and soon after took his gun and started out for a further journey, leaving the slaves behind and promising an early return. But days and weeks passed on and he returned not, and never was heard of more. The negroes remained in their new home, made improvements and planted a garden, which in this new land was a sight to gladden the eye. This, in connection with the grand works of nature surrounding it, grew to be the Gardenof the Gods, the name which has made it famous throughout the world. So much for the story. The negroes, Jupiter and Juno, are no more; but the great works of nature remain in all their grandeur, and a visit to them well repays the traveler for the journey he takes to see them.
“The rocks in this so-called garden have been shaped into every conceivable form by the action of wind, water and frost. Many of them, by a little stretch of the imagination, are made to bear a strong resemblance to men and animals. The prevailing formation is red sandstone, but there are also conglomerate, gypsum and other varieties. At the south entrance, is a huge rock standing upon the narrowest foundation, and seemingly ready at any moment to topple over on the people who are constantly passing. As the incline is a little away from the road, it is to be hoped no such catastrophe will ever happen, even should the rock in ages to come be so top-heavy as to break loose from its foundations. The Grand Gateway is a narrow passageway between immense piles of rocks over three hundred feet high, of irregular outline and surface, which rise sharply and perpendicularly like a mighty wall. These rocks are full of holes, rifts and crevices andchasms in which thousands of swallows have built their nests, and we could plainly hear the twittering of the young ones from the ledge of rocks a few feet distant, on which we climbed. Our guide led us to a cave under one of these walls. The opening was near the base, and so low that one had to bend the knees and crawl in. The guide assured us that once inside the cave was high and roomy. Half of our party ventured in, but they found it too dark to see far beyond. Those of us who remained outside could hear the echoes of their voices high up in the rocks, showing that there is a high open space within the seemingly solid stone. Other rocks but a few feet distant are of gray color, and a little further on are large white rocks composed of gypsum, very soft and pliable. This is now being taken out in large quantities to be converted into plaster of Paris.
“At the time we were passing through this huge gateway, an Iowa boy was standing on the top of one of these towering red walls waving a white flag, and upon the other stood a young woman waving her handkerchief. They looked like pygmies at that great elevation, and but for their moving about we should have supposed them a slight projection of rock. These we are told are the same persons whomade the journey to Pike’s Peak mentioned above. Their ascent up the rocks was a difficult and dangerous one, and though our guide proposed to lead us also up to their summit, we declined the temptation to view the surrounding mountains from so dizzy a height. It is very singular that these different varieties of rock formation should be found in so close proximity, and they furnish abundant food for the study of the geologist. The prevailing shape of the rocks is high and narrow, and some of the forms into which they have been brought by the forces of nature are remarkably beautiful and unique.
“Passing on from this famed locality over a smooth and level road, we visited Glen Eyrie. This spot derives its name from an eagle’s nest high up in a crevice or shelf of the rocks, so our guide informed us, and also that within a year the eagles had occupied the nest, which was plainly visible to us, looking the size of a bushelbasket. They have now abandoned the place. The name Glen Eyrie is given to a large tract of land belonging to General Palmer, president of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. He has fenced in this wild tract, opened a road across it, and in a nook close under the towering rocks by which it is surrounded and farfrom any other habitation he has built a costly and elegant residence. The dwelling stands at the foot or entrance to Queen’s Cañon, a narrow gorge up which we traveled on foot the distance of half a mile till we reached a pool or basin of water, eight or ten feet in diameter, which blocked our further progress. This pool is known as the Devil’s Punchbowl, but General Palmer has named it the Mermaid’s Bathtub. Whether either devils or mermaids come here to either drink or bathe, history does not record. Our path was over big stones and rocks, and along the bed of a mountain torrent, which we crossed several times, stepping from rock to rock as our path led first to one side and then to the other. High above us on either side the mountains rose to a great height, their sides covered at times with the evergreen pine and scrub-oak, and again consisting simply of bare and naked rocks ready at any moment apparently to tumble down upon our heads. Our guide informed us that General Palmer has already spent forty or fifty thousand dollars upon the house and grounds of Glen Eyrie. I would not give him one thousand for the whole thing.
“After the exploration of Queen’s Cañon our party voted unanimously to proceed toMonument Park, a distance of five miles, which we reached just in time to enjoy a most excellent dinner prepared for us by Mrs. Lewis, whose husband is an extensive cattle-raiser and lives in a comfortable dwelling at the entrance of the park. We are told that he came a confirmed consumptive, but has now become a strong and healthy man. This we could well believe, for in this locality the air was wonderfully pure, dry and bracing, and our party greatly enjoyed its exhilarating effects. Dinner over, we proceeded to explore the Park and gaze upon its unique formations. I do not feel competent to adequately describe them. The rocks are unlike any others in Colorado. They are nearly white with a yellowish tinge and often pyramidal in form. Standing out from the general mass are numerous statue-like columns, which seem to have been carved by the hand of man. They bear various designations, such as Adam and Eve, Lot’s Wife, the Democratic Caucus, Henry Ward Beecher’s Pulpit, the Dutch Wedding, the Anvil, etc., etc. They range from eight to fifteen feet in height and, what is singular, all of them are crowned with a flat rocky cap considerably larger than the top of the column on which it rests. This covering is composed of materials different fromthe statue itself, being of a harder or darker substance, considerable iron being mixed with its other constituents. I noticed one exact form of a bottle or decanter, large and round, with a small neck. This was smaller than the forms that surrounded it, but it had the same flat cap-stone that surmounted all the others. How came these statues here? Who can tell? Some of our party said the rocks had been washed away in the progress of ages from around them and left them standing out boldly by themselves, a puzzle and a wonder to all beholders. But some of them rise from a level plain, standing alone, with no rocks near them, and no evidence of any having been washed away. They rise from the ground, a solid column, and look as though placed there by the hand of man to mark the spot of some great event or the tomb of some departed one. Men have their theories, but the mystery is buried in the darkness of ages and none solve it satisfactorily. We leave them to their solitude and silence and, awe-stricken and subdued, turn our faces whence we came.
“A. B.”
No children of her own came to the home of Mrs. Bloomer, but she cared carefully andalmost continually for the children of others. Her residence, whether in the east or the west, was hardly ever without their presence. Nieces and nephews were nearly always under her roof, and some of them remained with her until they had homes of their own. Soon after her removal to Council Bluffs, a little boy was adopted into her family and his sister came to it a few years later. These were carefully cared for, instructed and educated, and remained with her until they took their welfare into their own hands. Both have now families of their own, one residing in Oregon and the other in Arizona. The boy, Edward, took her name, and his children bear it also. For him as a boy and a man, and for his children, she ever manifested the warmest interest, preparing and sending to them each year boxes of clothing and other articles designed to add to their comfort and happiness in their distant home. In the early days of Council Bluffs, not a few of the teachers in the public schools resided in her family. They were mostly young women and she always strove to afford to them a pleasant andcomfortable home. She ever insisted that the wages of young women employed as teachers by the school board should be the same as those paid to men. Her position was that, so long as they did an equal amount of work and did it equally well, they should receive equal pay, and this is an argument which never has been and never can be successfully answered, although school boards continue to set it aside as unworthy of their consideration.
Mrs. Bloomer was a zealous worker in the church of which she was a member, as well as in all efforts to promote the spread of true Christianity. While a resident of Seneca Falls, she contributed her full share to the various agencies employed to advance the interests of the parish. She was zealous and faithful in attending church services and all gatherings whether social or festive to advance church interests. Modest and retiring in demeanor, she took her place calmly and pleasantly wherever called upon to labor, and found herchief reward In the approval of a good conscience.
After her removal to her new home in the West, much additional labor came to her in the untrodden field in which her lot was cast. When she took up her residence in Council Bluffs, society was unorganized, without places of worship, and without any of the religious or moral agencies of older communities. We have seen in her personal memoirs how she was very soon called into the work before her. For two years none of the religious services to which she had been accustomed were held in the town, except that occasionally a bishop or minister made his way thither; when they came along, these always found a genuine welcome in her home. It is remembered that Bishops Kemper and Lee, and the Rev. Edward W. Peet, were among her guests during the first year of her residence. They all held religious services in the little Congregational church building which then stood on Main Street. At last a young missionary arrived and took up his residence, making his firsthome with Mrs. Bloomer in her modest dwelling under the bluff. And so it was in future years; whenever new clergymen of her denomination came to begin their work in town, they all uniformly found a home and resting place in her house until permanent quarters were secured. Clergymen, temperance lecturers, reformers of almost all kinds, among them advocates of woman’s enfranchisement, always found a welcome place at her table. On one occasion, being alone in the house during her husband’s absence, she was thrown into great trepidation at finding that her guest for the night (who had just come up from the bloody fields of Kansas) was armed both with bowie-knife and revolver; but the night passed in safety, for the owner of these appalling weapons was one of the noble men who periled their lives to win that state for freedom.
The building up of a new community was in those days attended with great labor and called for unflinching courage and steady perseverance. Churches had to be erected, school-houses built, libraries established and goodworks of all kinds encouraged. In all this Mrs. Bloomer did her full part. The support of the minister and the building of churches, especially, fell largely upon the women. They held festivals and collected money for these objects. They organized and maintained sewing societies and gave entertainments of various kinds for these objects. Mrs. Bloomer was among the active workers in this field. She was for many years secretary and treasurer of the Woman’s Aid Society in her parish, a society which contributed many thousands of dollars towards the erection of three successive churches and wholly built the rectory, as well as contributed largely in other ways towards the support of the parish. In 1880 she was president of the Art Loan-Exhibition given for the joint benefit of the city library and the church, one of the most successful efforts of the kind ever held in the city. On the parish register of her church under the date of 1856 her name stands as that of the first woman admitted to membership, and until within a few months of her decease, when she was prevented by bodilyinfirmities, she was a regular attendant upon the services. She was, however, no mere copyist, taking the words or teachings of others without thought or examination; but looked into all questions, theological, social or reformatory, for herself, and her clergymen will bear testimony to the many discussions they held with her on these and kindred subjects. One occasion her husband recalls: He came to his dinner at the usual hour, but found his wife and a visiting clergyman engaged in warm argument. They had been at it all the forenoon, the breakfast table standing as left in the morning and all preparations for dinner being forgotten. Of course, he enjoyed a good laugh at their expense.
Mrs. Bloomer was a great critic, and for that reason may not have been so popular with her associates as she otherwise might have been. Her criticisms, possibly, were sometimes too unsparing and too forcibly expressed. She had strong perceptive faculties and noticed whatshe believed to be the mistakes and failings of others, perhaps, too freely. No one ever attacked her, in print or otherwise, without receiving a sharp reply either from tongue or pen if it was in her power to answer. But no person ever had a kinder heart, or more earnestly desired the happiness of others, or more readily forgot or forgave their failings. Perhaps, she was deficient in the quality of humor and took life too seriously; this over-earnestness, however, if it existed at all, it is believed was brought out more fully by dwelling so much upon what she regarded as the wrongs of her sex and the degradation to which they were subjected through unjust laws and the curse of strong drink. The same charge, that of taking things too seriously, has recently been made by a noted writer against the women of the present day who are battling for what they conceive to be the sacred rights of women.
Although Mrs. Bloomer was a member of one of the more conservative branches of theChristian community, she was an earnest advocate of woman’s admission to all departments of Christian work. She repudiated the notion that woman was so great a sinner in the Garden of Eden that she should be forever excluded from ministerial work and responsibilities. As to the first sin in the garden, here is her view of it as stated by herself:
“How any unprejudiced and unbiased mind can read the original account of the Creation and Fall and gather therefrom that the woman committed the greater sin, I cannot understand. When Eve was first asked to eat of the forbidden fruit she refused, and it was only after her scruples were overcome by promises of great knowledge that she gave way to sin. But how was it with Adam who was with her? He took and ate what she offered him without any scruples of conscience, or promises on her part of great things to follow—certainly showing no superiority of goodness, or intellect, or strength of character fitting him for the headship. The command not to eat of the Tree of Life was given to him before her creation, and he was doubly bound to keep it; yet he not only permitted her to partake of the treewithout remonstrating with her against it and warning her of the wrong, but ate it himself without objection or hesitation. And then, when inquired of by God concerning what he had done, instead of standing up like an honorable man and confessing the wrong, he weakly tried to shield himself by throwing the blame on the woman. As the account stands, he showed the greater ‘feebleness of resistance and evinced a pliancy of character and a readiness to yield to temptation’ that cannot be justly charged to the woman. As the account stands, man has much more to blush for than to boast of.“While we are willing to accept this original account of the Creation and Fall, we are not willing that man should add tenfold to woman’s share of sin and put a construction on the whole matter that we believe was never intended by the Creator. Eve had no more to do with bringing sin into the world than had Adam, nor did the Creator charge any more upon her. The punishment inflicted upon them for their transgression, was as heavy upon him as upon her. Her sorrows were to be multiplied; and so, too, was he to eat his bread in sorrow and earn it with the sweat of his face amid thorns and thistles. To her, noinjunction to labor was given; upon her no toil was imposed, no ground cursed for her sake. * * * * The Bible is brought forward to prove the subordination of woman and to show that, because St. Paul told the ignorant women of his time to keep silent in the churches, the educated, intelligent women of these times must not only occupy the same position in the church and the family but must not aspire to the rights of citizenship. But the same Power that brought the slave out of bondage will, in His own good time and way, bring about the emancipation of woman and make her the equal in dominion that she was in the beginning.”
“How any unprejudiced and unbiased mind can read the original account of the Creation and Fall and gather therefrom that the woman committed the greater sin, I cannot understand. When Eve was first asked to eat of the forbidden fruit she refused, and it was only after her scruples were overcome by promises of great knowledge that she gave way to sin. But how was it with Adam who was with her? He took and ate what she offered him without any scruples of conscience, or promises on her part of great things to follow—certainly showing no superiority of goodness, or intellect, or strength of character fitting him for the headship. The command not to eat of the Tree of Life was given to him before her creation, and he was doubly bound to keep it; yet he not only permitted her to partake of the treewithout remonstrating with her against it and warning her of the wrong, but ate it himself without objection or hesitation. And then, when inquired of by God concerning what he had done, instead of standing up like an honorable man and confessing the wrong, he weakly tried to shield himself by throwing the blame on the woman. As the account stands, he showed the greater ‘feebleness of resistance and evinced a pliancy of character and a readiness to yield to temptation’ that cannot be justly charged to the woman. As the account stands, man has much more to blush for than to boast of.
“While we are willing to accept this original account of the Creation and Fall, we are not willing that man should add tenfold to woman’s share of sin and put a construction on the whole matter that we believe was never intended by the Creator. Eve had no more to do with bringing sin into the world than had Adam, nor did the Creator charge any more upon her. The punishment inflicted upon them for their transgression, was as heavy upon him as upon her. Her sorrows were to be multiplied; and so, too, was he to eat his bread in sorrow and earn it with the sweat of his face amid thorns and thistles. To her, noinjunction to labor was given; upon her no toil was imposed, no ground cursed for her sake. * * * * The Bible is brought forward to prove the subordination of woman and to show that, because St. Paul told the ignorant women of his time to keep silent in the churches, the educated, intelligent women of these times must not only occupy the same position in the church and the family but must not aspire to the rights of citizenship. But the same Power that brought the slave out of bondage will, in His own good time and way, bring about the emancipation of woman and make her the equal in dominion that she was in the beginning.”
On the 15th of April, 1890, Mr. and Mrs. Bloomer commemorated the Fiftieth Anniversary of their marriage at their home in Council Bluffs. Many invitations were issued, nearly all of which were generously responded to, and their house was filled with guests from three o’clock in the afternoon when the reception began until late in the evening. Over one hundred persons were in attendance. A local paper describes the affair as follows:
“The reception of the guests began at three o’clock. At the front-parlor entrance stood Mr. Bloomer attired in a black broadcloth suit. Next to him sat Mrs. Bloomer. She wore a black-satin costumeen trainwith gray damascene front,crêpelace in the neck, diamond ornaments. There were present Chas. A. Bloomer and wife, of Buffalo, N. Y., N. J. Milliken and wife, of Ontario County, N. Y., and Miss Hannah Kennedy, of Omaha. Chas. A. Bloomer is a brother of D. C. Bloomer, and is president of the Buffalo Elevator Company. N. J. Milliken is a nephew by marriage and publisher of theOntario County Times, of New York. These constituted the reception company. The evening reception commenced at eight o’clock, and lasted until a late hour. Among the callers were the vestry of St. Paul’s Church, who paid their respects in a body to the worthy couple.”
“The reception of the guests began at three o’clock. At the front-parlor entrance stood Mr. Bloomer attired in a black broadcloth suit. Next to him sat Mrs. Bloomer. She wore a black-satin costumeen trainwith gray damascene front,crêpelace in the neck, diamond ornaments. There were present Chas. A. Bloomer and wife, of Buffalo, N. Y., N. J. Milliken and wife, of Ontario County, N. Y., and Miss Hannah Kennedy, of Omaha. Chas. A. Bloomer is a brother of D. C. Bloomer, and is president of the Buffalo Elevator Company. N. J. Milliken is a nephew by marriage and publisher of theOntario County Times, of New York. These constituted the reception company. The evening reception commenced at eight o’clock, and lasted until a late hour. Among the callers were the vestry of St. Paul’s Church, who paid their respects in a body to the worthy couple.”
Mrs. Harris read a beautiful poem, and an original poem was also read by Mrs. C. K. White, of Omaha, and Prof. McNaughton, superintendent of city schools, read the following address:
“To Mr. and Mrs. Bloomer: It seems meet and proper on this joyous occasion that the public schools, their officers and teachers and pupils, should send kindly greetings to one who for the past thirty-five years has extended to them a generous sympathy and, in the earlier days of their existence, rendered them distinguished service by aiding in the erection of a well-planned and commodious edifice, the adoption of a wise curriculum, and the laying of a broad and deep foundation upon which has been reared the fair structure of to-day; one who has aided the teachers and pupils by words of wise counsel and kindly sympathy and is, by common consent, regarded as the father of the public-school system of the city.“To you, Mr. Bloomer, and your estimable and noted wife, in behalf of the public schools of the city, I wish to offer sincere and hearty congratulations; congratulations that, under a rare dispensation of Providence, you have been permitted to enjoy together a half-century of companionship in the sacred bonds of family ties—fifty years of mutual helpfulness and love! fifty years of sowing and reaping together in the fields whose fruitage is intelligent progress and eternal joy! And now, amid the abundance of the harvest, in the golden glories of life’s autumn, may you be long permitted toremain among your devoted and admiring friends!”
“To Mr. and Mrs. Bloomer: It seems meet and proper on this joyous occasion that the public schools, their officers and teachers and pupils, should send kindly greetings to one who for the past thirty-five years has extended to them a generous sympathy and, in the earlier days of their existence, rendered them distinguished service by aiding in the erection of a well-planned and commodious edifice, the adoption of a wise curriculum, and the laying of a broad and deep foundation upon which has been reared the fair structure of to-day; one who has aided the teachers and pupils by words of wise counsel and kindly sympathy and is, by common consent, regarded as the father of the public-school system of the city.
“To you, Mr. Bloomer, and your estimable and noted wife, in behalf of the public schools of the city, I wish to offer sincere and hearty congratulations; congratulations that, under a rare dispensation of Providence, you have been permitted to enjoy together a half-century of companionship in the sacred bonds of family ties—fifty years of mutual helpfulness and love! fifty years of sowing and reaping together in the fields whose fruitage is intelligent progress and eternal joy! And now, amid the abundance of the harvest, in the golden glories of life’s autumn, may you be long permitted toremain among your devoted and admiring friends!”
The following letter from Miss Susan B. Anthony was received and read:
“Washington, April 9th, 1890.“My Dear Friends, Mr. and Mrs. Bloomer:—“And is your Golden Wedding to be here April 15, 1890? That seems quite as impossible as that I should have rounded out my three score and ten years on February 15, 1890, just two months before.“Well, your lives have been side by side for a whole half-century, and this, too, when the wife has been one of the public advocates of the equality of rights, civil and political, for women. I hardly believe another twain made one, where the wife belonged to the school of equal rights for women, have lived more happily, more truly one.“Your celebration of your fiftieth wedding day is one of the strongest proofs of the falseness of the charge brought against our movement for the enfranchisement of women, viz., that the condition of equality of political rightsfor the wife will cause inharmony and disruption of the marriage bond. To the contrary, such conditions of perfect equality are the best helps to make for peace and harmony and elevation in all true and noble directions. Hence I rejoice with you on having reached the golden day of your marriage union, not only for your own sakes, but for our cause’s sake as well.“I wish I could be present in your happy home on that day, but the marriage of my younger sister’s son, on April 17th, takes me to Cleveland to witness the starting out of two dear young people on the way you have traveled so long and so well.“So, with gratitude for the good work done in the first fifty years of your married life, and wishing for you many more equally happy, and hoping that both you and I and Mrs. Stanton and others of the pioneers of our great movement may live to see not only Wyoming fully in the Union but many others redeemed from the curse of sex aristocracy, hopingand believingI am“Very sincerely yours,“Susan B. Anthony.”
“Washington, April 9th, 1890.
“My Dear Friends, Mr. and Mrs. Bloomer:—
“And is your Golden Wedding to be here April 15, 1890? That seems quite as impossible as that I should have rounded out my three score and ten years on February 15, 1890, just two months before.
“Well, your lives have been side by side for a whole half-century, and this, too, when the wife has been one of the public advocates of the equality of rights, civil and political, for women. I hardly believe another twain made one, where the wife belonged to the school of equal rights for women, have lived more happily, more truly one.
“Your celebration of your fiftieth wedding day is one of the strongest proofs of the falseness of the charge brought against our movement for the enfranchisement of women, viz., that the condition of equality of political rightsfor the wife will cause inharmony and disruption of the marriage bond. To the contrary, such conditions of perfect equality are the best helps to make for peace and harmony and elevation in all true and noble directions. Hence I rejoice with you on having reached the golden day of your marriage union, not only for your own sakes, but for our cause’s sake as well.
“I wish I could be present in your happy home on that day, but the marriage of my younger sister’s son, on April 17th, takes me to Cleveland to witness the starting out of two dear young people on the way you have traveled so long and so well.
“So, with gratitude for the good work done in the first fifty years of your married life, and wishing for you many more equally happy, and hoping that both you and I and Mrs. Stanton and others of the pioneers of our great movement may live to see not only Wyoming fully in the Union but many others redeemed from the curse of sex aristocracy, hopingand believingI am
“Very sincerely yours,
“Susan B. Anthony.”
The following telegram was received from Bishop Perry, of Iowa: