Page:The part taken by women in American history.djvu/694



"I am especially glad to know that you are writing this book, to do justice to the women workers for the benefit of mankind, as heretofore not enough has been said or written of women's achievements.

In the Capitol at Washington, a statue of Frances E. Willard stands in the great circle of honor to represent the prairie state of Illinois, and in the great circles of reformers gathering through all ages, her place is forever secure. The early home life of Frances Willard was pre-eminently Christian. Her father, Josiah F. Willard, was a descendant of Major Simon Willard, of Kent, England, who, with Reverend Peter Bulkeley, settled in Concord, Massachusetts, less than fifteen years after the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth. Major Willard was a man of great force of character and of distinguished public service and his descendants included many men and women who inherited his talents with his good name.

Inheriting many of the notable gifts of both parents and of more remote ancestors, Frances Willard grew up in an atmosphere most favorable to the development of her powers. Early in her life her parents moved to Oberlin, Ohio, that the father might carry out a long cherished plan of further study