Page 99

(Holly Cottage, con.). 97

Cor. sec. of the Co. Federation.

The sentiment of our hostess was
from a sermon by Rev. E. B. Allen of Ohio upon
a topic that is all engrossing – “What is peace?
not inertia and stagnation, but power held in
control. No conquest is greater than that wherein
we win back a friend.” She also gave reminiscences
of our own Civil War from the ready pen
of the widow of Gen. Corbell Picket who witnessed
many distressing scenes during the sorrowful 60’s.

Sarah T. Miller had a most interesting sketch
of Katherine B. Davis of N. Y. whom some of our
people here first met at Asbury Park Conference.

She distinguished herself there by making
such a stirring appeal for a poor young girl with
histrionic talent, that our “grave and reverend” elderly
Friends even, handed out their cash to help educate
an actress! Miss Davis had 13 yrs. experience in
Bedford Reformatory and then the Mayor of N. Y.
appointed her to take charge of all the Reformatories
in that great city. This quiet little woman quelled
insurrection among the hardened criminals, where
armed man failed. One of the worst cases was
a girl of about 20 who had nine indictments hanging
over her, and seemed to be the most vicious
and helpless of all the inmates. Yet at the end of
2 yrs. she was paroled to go to her home in a distant
state after having learned cooking, sewing. gardening,
embroidery, the making of hats, rugs & concrete walks!

She had to her credit a perfect record of 6 mos.
and so Miss D. is given the honor of transforming
a soul. A new “Detention Home” in N. Y. was
mentioned as performing a great work of reformation.
The subject of trying to save some of
our young colored population from flagrant
immortality was discussed, following a message
to S. S. ladies from Pattie Hood, a respectable
woman of that race, who said she believed a
talk given years ago by a strange lady to herself
and a few other girls, had kept her from falling
into sin and disgrace, and she greatly wished
similar appeals could be made now.

Mary E. Gilpin’s article attributed the whole
direful War of this time to the presence of universal