Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born at Johnstown, New York, and was the daughter of Judge Daniel Cady and Margaret Livingston. Elizabeth Stanton had her attention early turned toward the disabilities of her sex. She married, in the year of 1840, Henry B. Stanton, and accompanied him to the world's anti-slavery convention at London. There she made the acquaintance of Lucretia Mott, signing with her the call for the first woman's rights' convention, which met July 19-20, 1848, on which occasion the first formal claim of suffrage for woman was made.

After her return to America, she addressed the New York legislature in 1854 on the rights of married women, and in 1860 in advocacy of divorce for drunkenness; and again in 1867, both the legislature and the constitutional convention, maintaining that during the revision of the constitution, the state was resolved into its original elements, and that all the citizens had a right to vote for members of that convention.

Since 1869, she has frequently addressed congressional committees and state constitutional conventions. She canvassed the state of Kansas in the year 1867, and Michigan in 1874, when the question of woman's suffrage was submitted in those states. She was one of the editors of a work entitled The Revolution." ( Mrs. Stanton was also the president of the national committee from the year of 1855 until that of 1865, in which position and duration of time, she displayed extraordinary knowledge of the management of public affairs. She was also president of the Woman's Loyal League in 1863, and of the National Association until 1873. Mrs. Stanton is a smooth and polished writer and is indefatigable in her efforts for securing for her sex the right of the franchise and the revision of many laws.

Through the untiring efforts of such noble women as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the woman's rights' doctrine now commands great respect, and numbers among its adherents many leading men of the day.

CYRUS W. FIELD.

Born Nov. 30, 1819.

THE birthplace of Cyrus West Field is Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he was educated. Entering a counting house in New York, he became in a few years the proprietor of a large mercantile establishment. Retiring from business in 1853, he traveled for a while in South America, and on his return in 1854 he gave his attention to the subject of ocean telegraphs, and was instru

mental in procuring a charter from the legislature of Newfoundland to establish a telegraph from the continent of America to that colony, and thence to Europe.

For the next thirteen years he devoted himself exclusively to the execution of this undertaking. He was actively engaged in the construction of the land line of telegraph in Newfoundland, and in the two attempts to lay the submarine cable between

CYRUS W. FIELD.

Cape Ray and Cape Breton. He crossed the ocean more than fifty times with the expeditions for laying the cable under the Atlantic, the success of which was mainly due to his exertions. He received the unanimous thanks of congress, with a gold medal, in commemoration of the successful enterprise; and at the Paris exposition he received the grand medal. Since 1877 he has been prominently connected with the elevated railways in New York city, and has been president of one of the companies.

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.

Born Dec. 17, 1807.

WHO is the best American poet? Shortly after the close of the Civil War, this question was asked (when conversation on politics and finance began to lag) by one among a group of prominent men. Horace Greeley, who was one of the party, replied with the name of Whittier; and his judgment was instantly approved by all present. This shows his standing with typical Americans of his own times.

On the primitive homestead in the beautiful Merrimack valley, about five miles distant from the market town of Haverhill, Massachusetts, the subject of this sketch was born, descended from Quakers and Huguenots.

Although when young, he had but little to read the Bible, "Pilgrim's Progress," and the weekly newspapers; and a little schooling in the district school house-yet the boy's poetic fancy and native sense of rhythm were not inert. A great stimulus came in the way of Burn's poems, a cheap edition of which fell into his possession. Of our leading poets he was almost the only one who learned Nature by working with her at all seasons, under the sky and in the wood and field.

A piece of verse sent by young Whittier to the Newburyport "Free Press" led William Lloyd Garrison, its editor, to look up his contributor and to encourage him with praise and counsel. From that time we see the poet working upward in the old-fashioned way. Supplementing his training by a year or more in the academy, and by a winter's practice as a teacher, he entered upon a journalistic career of varied experiences. His first work was a book of legends, in prose and verse. He now was doomed to years of disfavor through his efforts for the abolition of slavery, and he should be crowned as poet laureate by all anti-slavists. Whittier was the secretary of the first anti-slavery convention. We are told

that from 1832 to the close of our dreadful war in 1865, his harp of liberty was never hung up. Not an important occasion escaped him, and every significant incident drew from his heart pertinent and often very impressive verses.

In 1831 Garrison had begun the "Liberator," with the watchword of unconditional surrender, and he was re-inforced by Whittier, with lyre and pen. "Snow Bound" was received with a warm welcome.

66

He supplied his verse on the instant, and, of course, were not polished so finely as Longfellow and his compeers; slight changes would have made that eloquent lyric, Randolph of Roanoke," a perfect one. Skilled in prose, the best articles and essays from his pen are written with a true and direct hand, though rather barren of the epigram which enriches the prose of Lowell, Emerson and Holmes.

Johnson's tribute, a complement to Parkson's paid

honor is "The poet of free- JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER. dom, humanity, religion; whose words of holy fire aroused the conscience of a guilty nation, and melted the fetters of slaves." He has tried to make the world a little better,

66

to awaken a love of freedom, justice and good will, and his name will be enrolled as one that loved his fellow men." In this person a grace is added to his poetry by the avowal, "I set a higher value on my name as appended to the AntiSlavery Declaration than on the title page of my books."

ROBERT BONNER.

Born April 28, 1824.

BORN in the north of Ireland, near Londonderry, Robert Bonner was brought to America whilst yet a child, and was educated in Connecticut. Showing a liking for the printers' trade he was placed in the office of the Hartford "Courant," where he learned to set type. He soon became known as the best and quickest workman in Hartford, and upon one occasion set the astonish

ing number of seventeen hundred "ems in one hour. In 1844, he went to New York, and worked on the American "Repub. lican;" and after the collapse of that journal, on the Evening "Mirror." He received charge of the "Merchants' Ledger," which became the New York "Ledger" of to-day. After superintending the "Ledger" for a short time, it was bought by him. At that time New York had no literary journal, Philadel

ROBERT BONNER.

phia and Boston being recognized as the literary centers. When Mr. Bonner announced his intention to make a literary weekly of the "Ledger," his failure was predicted by all his friends.

Fanny Fern was at the height of her popularity at that time; Mr. Bonner engaged her to write for the "Ledger" at one hundred dollars a column. He advertised the fact everywhere. The announcements of his paper were in almost