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The Story of a Pioneer



by Anna Howard Shaw






BY

ANNA HOWARD SHAW; D。D。; M。D。



WITH THE COLLABORATION OF

ELIZABETH JORDAN









THE STORY OF A PIONEER







TO

THE WOMEN PIONEERS

OF AMERICA



 They cut a path through tangled underwood

 Of old traditions; out to broader ways。

 They lived to here their work called brave and good;

 But oh! the thorns before the crown of bays。

 The world gives lashes to its Pioneers

 Until the goal is reachedthen deafening cheers。

                Adapted by ANNA HOWARD SHAW。





CONTENTS

                                                              



I。      FIRST MEMORIES



II。     IN THE WILDERNESS



III。    HIGH…SCHOOL AND COLLEGE DAYS 



IV。     THE WOLF AT THE DOOR 



V。      SHEPHERD OF A DIVIDED FLOCK



VI。     CAPE COD MEMORIES



VII。    THE GREAT CAUSE



VIII。   DRAMA IN THE LECTURE FIELD



IX。     ‘‘AUNT SUSAN'' 



X。      THE PASSING OF ‘‘AUNT SUSAN''



XI。     THE WIDENING SUFFRAGE STREAM



XII。    BUILDING A HOME



XIII。   PRESIDENT OF ‘‘THE NATIONAL''



XIV。    RECENT CAMPAIGNS



XV。     CONVENTION INCIDENTS



XVI。    COUNCIL EPISODES



XVII。   VALE!









THE STORY OF A PIONEER



FIRST MEMORIES



My father's ancestors were the Shaws of

Rothiemurchus; in Scotland; and the ruins

of their castle may still be seen on the island of

Loch…an…Eilan; in the northern Highlands。  It was

never the picturesque castle of song and story; this

home of the fighting Shaws; but an austere fortress;

probably built in Roman times; and even to…day

the crumbling walls which alone are left of it show

traces of the relentless assaults upon them。  Of

these the last and the most successful were made

in the seventeenth century by the Grants and

Rob Roy; and it was into the hands of the Grants

that the Shaw fortress finally fell; about 1700; after

almost a hundred years of ceaseless warfare。



It gives me no pleasure to read the grisly details

of their struggles; but I confess to a certain satisfac…

tion in the knowledge that my ancestors made a

good showing in the defense of what was theirs。 

Beyond doubt they were brave fighters and strong

men。  There were other sides to their natures;

however; which the high lights of history throw up

less appealingly。  As an instance; we have in the

family chronicles the blood…stained page of Allen

Shaw; the oldest son of the last Lady Shaw who

lived in the fortress。  It appears that when the

father of this young man died; about 1560; his

mother married again; to the intense disapproval

of her son。  For some time after the marriage he

made no open revolt against the new…comer in the

domestic circle; but finally; on the pretext that

his dog had been attacked by his stepfather; he

forced a quarrel with the older man and the two

fought a duel with swords; after which the vic…

torious Allen showed a sad lack of chivalry。  He

not only killed his stepfather; but he cut off that

gentleman's head and bore it to his mother in her bed…

chamberan action which was considered; even in

that tolerant age; to be carrying filial resentment

too far。



Probably Allen regretted it。  Certainly he paid

a high penalty for it; and his clan suffered with him。 

He was outlawed and fled; only to be hunted down

for months; and finally captured and executed by

one of the Grants; who; in further virtuous disap…

proval of Allen's act; seized and held the Shaw

stronghold。  The other Shaws of the clan fought

long and ably for its recovery; but though they were

helped by their kinsmen; the Mackintoshes; and

though good Scotch blood dyed the gray walls of

the fortress for many generations; the castle never

again came into the hands of the Shaws。  It still

entails certain obligations for the Grants; however;

and one of these is to give the King of England a

snowball whenever he visits Loch…an…Eilan!



As the years passed the Shaw clan scattered。 

Many Shaws are still to be found in the Mackintosh

country and throughout southern Scotland。  Others

went to England; and it was from this latter branch

that my father sprang。  His name was Thomas

Shaw; and he was the younger son of a gentlemana

word which in those days seemed to define a man

who devoted his time largely to gambling and horse…

racing。  My grandfather; like his father before him;

was true to the traditions of his time and class。 

Quite naturally and simply he squandered all he had;

and died abruptly; leaving his wife and two sons

penniless。  They were not; however; a helpless band。 

They; too; had their traditions; handed down by

the fighting Shaws。  Peter; the older son; became a

soldier; and died bravely in the Crimean War。  My

father; through some outside influence; turned his

attention to trade; learning to stain and emboss wall…

paper by hand; and developing this work until he

became the recognized expert in his field。  Indeed;

he progressed until he himself checked his rise by

inventing a machine that made his handwork un…

necessary。  His employer at once claimed and

utilized this invention; to which; by the laws of

those days; he was entitled; and thus the corner…

stone on which my father had expected to build a

fortune proved the rock on which his career was

wrecked。  But that was years later; in America; and

many other things had happened first。



For one; he had temporarily dropped his trade

and gone into the flour…and…grain business; and;

for another; he had married my mother。  She was

the daughter of a Scotch couple who had come to

England and settled in Alnwick; in Northumberland

County。  Her father; James Stott; was the driver

of the royal…mail stage between Alnwick and New…

castle; and his accidental death while he was still a

young man left my grandmother and her eight

children almost destitute。  She was immediately

given a position in the castle of the Duke of Nor…

thumberland; and her sons were educated in the

duke's school; while her daughters were entered in

the school of the duchess。



My thoughts dwell lovingly on this grandmother;

Nicolas Grant Stott; for she was a remarkable

woman; with a dauntless soul and progressive ideas

far in advance of her time。  She was one of the first

Unitarians in England; and years before any thought

of woman suffrage entered the minds of her country…

women she refused to pay tithes to the support of

the Church of Englandan action which precipitated

a long…drawn…out conflict between her and the law。 

In those days it was customary to assess tithes on

every pane of glass in a window; and a portion of the

money thus collected went to the support of the

Church。  Year after year my intrepid grandmother

refused to pay these assessments; and year after

year she sat pensively upon her door…step; watching

articles of her furniture being sold for money to pay

her tithes。  It must have been an impressive picture;

and it was one with which the community became

thoroughly familiar; as the determined old lady

never won her fight and never abandoned it。  She

had at least the comfort of public sympathy; for she

was by far the most popular woman in the country…

side。  Her neighbors admired her courage; perhaps

they appreciated still more what she did for them;

for she spent all her leisure in the homes of the very

poor; mending their clothing and teaching them to

sew。  Also; she left behind her a path of cleanliness

as definite as the line of foam that follows a ship;

for it soon became known among her protegees that

Nicolas Stott was as much opposed to dirt as she

was to the payment of tithes。



She kept her children in the schools of the duke and

duchess until they had completed the entire course

open to them。  A hundred times; and among many

new scenes and strange people; I have heard my

mother describe her own experiences as a pupil。 

All the children of the dependents of the castle were

expected to leave school at fourteen years of age。 

During their course they were not allowed to study

geography; because; in the sage opinion of their elders;

knowledge of foreign lands might make them dis…

contented and inclined to wander。  Neither was com…

position encouragedthat might lead to the writing

of love…notes!  But they were permitted to absorb

all the reading and arithmetic their little brains

could hold; while the art of sewing was not only

encouraged; but proficiency in it was stimulated by

the award of prizes。  My mother; being a rather pre…

cocious young person; graduated at thirteen and

carried off the first prize。  The garment she made

was a linen chemise for the duchess; and the little

needlewoman had embroidered on it; with her own

hair; the august lady's coat of arms。  The offering

must have been appreciated; for my mother's story

always ended with the same wo
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