Page:Frances Wood Shimer 1826-1901.djvu/19

 with others concerning her plans. She seldom worked for immediate or short-lived results; hence those who were ignorant of, or did not understand, her motives, and those who were less gifted in forecasting results, looked askance, or openly criticized projects which in the end proved to be the wisest thing which could have been done. She never rushed blindly or uninformed into any scheme.

Her ingenuity and resources were equal to emergencies. In 1857, in the midst of building, came the financial panic. Bills could not be collected, banks would not make loans, contractors failed to meet their agreements, laborers refused to work lest they should not be paid. Only the masonry and carpenter work was finished, rooms were engaged for the ensuing year, and the date for opening at hand. Mrs. Shimer&mdash;then Miss Wood&mdash;bought painting materials, glass, and paper at wholesale, and glazed all the windows, painted all of the new building except the cornice, and painted and repapered most of the rooms in the main building. All was ready for the opening of the term. This work was in addition to the correspondence, bookkeeping, employment of teachers, providing in advance for the year's food, fuel, and furnishings, supervision of the manual labor department, and the oversight of the grounds and garden. The chef d'œuvre of her executive skill was in 1876, when bids for the construction of the last building were so much in excess of th e money resources of the school, and the demand for room so urgent, as to tax to the utmost the ingenuity of the proprietor. The outcome was that the stone was quarried, timber cut, of lumber sawed, and brick manufactured from land which she owned or purchased, by machinery which she bought for the purpose, and by men in her employ. She was the architect, and superintendent of all the details of construction, heating, ventilation and lighting. The building completed cost considerably less than the lowest bid.

This glimpse of Mrs. Shimer's lifework speaks for itself. She was an extraordinary woman&mdash;extraordinary in the endowment of natural gifts&mdash;physical and mental vigor, unbounded enthusiasm, wonderful perseverance, fearless courage, cheerful optimism, generous impulses, excellent judgment, and good common-sense;