Representative women of New England/Cora A. Benneson

by Mary Esther Trueblood

CORA AGNES BENNESON, counsellor-at-law and special commissioner.—Wherever in history a person is found whose plan of life has been drawn from within, whose course has been mapped out without precedents, that man or woman justly challenges attention. The last third of a century has furnished not a few women of independent thought and action who have vindicated the right of each individual to do that for which he or she is fitted by nature. Younger women too easily forget the debt they owe these women of earnest conviction and liberal spirit.

To find Miss Benneson well established in the heart of a conservative commimity in what is for women a new profession, accorded on every hand professional and scholarly recognition, allows one to judge of her initiative, intellectual power, and gentle persistence. Her youth fell at a period when women were becoming active forces in society. Colleges and universities were being opened to them as well as to men. Girls were beginning to study, not because it was the fashion, but because they were impelled by an awakening self-consciousness.

The circumstances of Miss Benneson's birth and parentage made it quite impossible that she should be provincial or her opinions narrow. The community in which her early years were spent was made up of people from all the older parts of the country. Her father, Robert Smith Benneson, went when a young man from Philadelphia to Quincy, Ill., where he became an influential and wealthy citizen. He was born in Newark, Del., the son of the Rev. Thomas and Jane (Carlyle) Benneson (name originally Benson). He was of a strong, long-lived family, and seemed always to be the embodiment of health and good cheer. Because of his integrity and ability as a financier he was naturally called to positions of trust. He combined the keen insight of a man of affairs with an active interest in matters of public moment, especially education. Through his efforts the original act levying taxes for school purposes in Illinois was passed by the Legislature. For fourteen years he was president of the Board of Education of Quincy, a longer time one of its members. While Mayor he preserved the credit of that city by giving his personal notes for its debts.

Miss Benneson's mother, Electa Ann Park Benneson, was a descendant of Richard Park, who came from England and was a proprietor in Cambridge, Mass., in 1635. His house stood "near the cow common," the land at present bounded by Linmean Street, Garden Street, and Massachusetts Avenue. In 1647 he crossed the Charles River into that part of the town familiarly known as Cambridge Village (the territory since comprised in Brighton and Newton), where he had eleven acres and a house within a few feet of the spot now occupied by the Eliot Church. A little to the north-west of this lay his large tract of six hundred acres, bordering on the Charles River. His only son, Thomas Park, inherited this estate. When divided among his heirs, 1693-94, it comprised seven hundred twenty-two acres and part of a corn-mill on Smelt Brook. (See Jackson's History of Newton, p. 382, and map affixed.) Miss Benneson's grandfather, Daniel Harrington Park, descended in the fourth generation from Richard Park, was born in Massachusetts, but was taken, when in his second year, by his father to Connecticut, In manhood he became a resident of Vermont, where he married Welthy Ladd. In that State, at South Royalton, Miss Benneson's mother was born.

When a young woman, Annie Park, as she was generally called, taught school for a few years near the birthplace of her father in Brighton, Mass. Some of its prominent citizens, once her pupils, still hold her instruction in grateful remembrance. While visiting" CORA A. BENNESON friends in Quincy, Hi., she met Robert Benneson, to whom she was afterward married, and there they founded their home. Their interests, whether educational, religious, or philanthropic, were identical. Mr. Benneson valued his wife's sound judgment and keen intuition in business matters above that of all other counsellors. Each respected the individuality of the other and of their children. They helped to estab- lish the Unitarian church in that section of the West, gave to it liberally both of their labor and of their means, and were devoted to its interests throughout their lives. For many years Mrs. Benneson was superintendent of the Sunday-school. "Do right because it is right" was the keynote of her teaching. Her activity was not confined to her home and church. Any movement aiming at the good of the com- munity found in her a ready helper. In what- ever she undertook her foresight and execu- tive ability led her to be successful. She was much interested in the W^oodland Home, an asylum for orphans and friendless, and united all of the churches of her city in a large fair for its benefit, over which she presided. During the Civil War she devoted herself to the sol- diers' families and to the wounded in the hos- pitals, even receiving two from the latter into her own home, where they were cared for until convalescent.

Mrs. Benneson was always the same — self- sacrificing, courageous, forceful, not easily sur- prised, remarkably even-tempered and well- balanced. Her feelings found expression in deeds of kindliness rather than in words. She had scholarly instincts, rare literary taste, and constantly took up new studies. In the inter- vals of a busy life she wrote easily and well. That her children should excel in authorship would have been her greatest satisfaction.

Miss Benneson, the youngest of four sisters, inherited her father's physique and her mother's mental characteristics. She was a sturdy child, orderly, accurate, self-reliant, ambitious, and persevering. Her mother, who studied all her children, soon perceived that tlie wisest way to direct her was as f«r as possible to answer her questions exactly and fully and to explain to her principles and the relation of things. Under this loving guidance and in the companionship of her sisters and a young cousin who was one of the household, she had a happy childhood. Her happiness, however, was by no means passive. Diligent in all the activities that impel healthy young minds, she wrote and studied with a zeal that might have put to shame much older heads. She had learned to read before the family knew what she was about, and when she became absorbed in a book one could call her name aloud without her hearing it, an experi- ment frequently made by the other children. The five little girls had many novel and in- genious ways of entertaining themselves. One of their enterprises was the editing of a maga- zine called The Experimentj which was read aloud every week in the family circle. In its colmnns appeared Miss Benneson's first writ- ings. At eight she contributed a satire on a fashionable woman's call, entitled "A Visit," which won the prize the mother had offered. To receive it the embarrassed author had to be dragged from under the bed, where she had hidden during the reading.

At nine, by her own request, her father al- lowed her to help keep his books. In his old ledgers are still to be seen her childish figures, correctly and carefully entered.

At twelve she was reading Latin at sight, had acquaintance with much of the best litera- ture, and was industriously collecting and tabu- lating historical facts. Her mother noted her ability to get at the pith of an argument and to sum up a conversation in a few words of her own. Permitted to take pencil arid paper to church, she drew trees as she listened to the discourses, the trunk representing the text, or main thought, the branches the ideas leading out from it. In her judgment the merits of a sermon depended upon whether or not it could be " treed." At school she easily excelled other children of her age. At fifteen she had finished the course at the Quincy Academy, the equiva- lent of that of a good high school. At eighteen she was graduated from the Quinc}' Seminary. From that time until she entered college she had her full share of social life, of which her father's house was a hospitable centre.

The homestead of the Bennesons is a large mansion situated above a series of terraces, surrounded by trees and shrubs, and command ing a magnificent view of fourteen miles of the Mississippi. To Miss Benneson, who was a good rower and knew every inlet and island of the neighboring river, it was a part of life. She watched with untiring interest the steamers plying to and fro between St. Louis and St. Paul, the flare of the pine torches when they neared the landings at night amidst the melodious chanting of the negro deck-hands, the varying moods of the restless stream itself in sunshine and in storm, its daily busy traffic and evening glow, and eagerly awaited its supreme moment, when it tossed off the crashing ice-blocks in the spring, piling them high along shore. Whether seen from her windows or from her boat, the Mississippi had always for her a personality indelibly associated with her childhood and youth: it was her unconscious friend, helping her to think and act.

In the home there was great harmony and incentive to noble living. The men of note who were there entertained, especially Alcott and Emerson, made a great impression on Miss Benneson, who while still in her teens was inclined to philosophic study. Indeed, Emerson has always been an inspiration to her. One of her hapjiiest summers was spent at the Old Manse in Concord, amidst the scenes that he has immortalized.

When the question of her higher education was considered, Miss Benneson chose the Uni- versity of Michigan, then recently opened to women. She entered with advanced rank, antl completeil the four years' course in three. The first college girl to greet her on her arrival in Ann Arbor was Alice Freeman (afterward Alice Freeman Palmer), then a Senior. She was one of a band of earnest women that had assem- bled frf)m all sections of the country in response to the new opportunities. They studied hard and said not much about the great cause for which they stood, laut the consciousness of it drew them very closely together. Some have since become famous. The lives of all have been the richer for what they there received. Their friendship and that of the men who stood loyally by them Miss Benneson regards as one of the best gifts of her Alma Mater. Her first public appearance m college was during her l'"reshman year, in a Homeric controversy, in which she took the position that Homer wrote the Iliad, arguing from the internal evidence of the book. She spoke extemporaneously, at that time unusual for a woman; and her manner of presenting argument, then, as always, for- cible, won the day. In her Senior year she was elected one of the editors of The Chronicle, the leading college paper, the first woman to fill this office.

After receiving the degree of A.B. at the Uni- versity of Michigan, Mi.ss Benneson began the study of law. It was a deliberate choice. She was not forced by circumstances to take up a profession, but it was impossible that her mind should remain inactive and her life ineffective. Her choice was not opposed by lier family or friends. Her application for admission to the Law School of Harvard University, signed by five Harvard alunmi, was refused on the ground that the equipments were too limited to make suitable provision for receiving women. It was no detriment to her legal education that she returned to the University of Michigan, where she received instruction from Judges Cooley, Campbell, and Walker, Professors Wells and Kent, one of the strongest law faculties ever assembled in America. In her law class, which numbered one hundred seventy-five, there were but two women. They had, however, no preju- dice to encounter. Respect anfl courtesy greeted them on every hand. Miss Benneson was sec- retary of her class, presiding officer in the lead- ing debating society, and judge of the Illinois Moot Court.

After receivi.ng her higher degrees, LL.B. and A.M., and being admitted to the bar in Michigan and Illinois, Miss Benneson made a journey around the world, occupying more than two years. This was accomplished without a day's illness, detention, or accident. Starting from San Francisco in company with a friend, a Massachusetts woman, she travelled continually westward, visiting Hawaii, Japan, China, liurma, India, Arabia, Abyssinia, Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, and all of the principal countries of I'Airope. I'ar fmni being the ordinary journey of the ordinary globe trotter, it was an extended study of the customs, manners, and laws of many nations. Curiosity is not a touchstone in foreign travel, but a kindly nat uie and human sympathy relax even the sto- lidity of a Chinaman. Doors opened easily to Miss Benneson, both those to the home and to the heart. Where .some would have seen only odd dress and curious customs, she found the spirit and motive of the real life. She was able to discriminate without being critical. The journey, too, was full of thrilling incidents, among them a camping expedition in the Yo- semite; horseback rides over the lava tracts to the Burning Lakes and down and up the steep walls of the gulches of Hawaii; the tour of Canton under English escort at the time of the Tonquin War; the elephant and dromedary rides m India and Egypt; the sight of the fa- mous Highland regiment, the Black Watch, marching out to battle, and the sound of the artillery fire of the British squares; a journey with the pilgrims returning after Easter from Jerusalem to Damascus; an adventure with brigands in Greece; the coming unawares upon the breathing Hermes of Praxiteles just un- earthed ; the mountain climbing in Switzerland ; the exploration of the Norwegian fjords.

Miss Benneson has the distinction of being one of the few that have visited the law courts of all of the principal civilized countries as well as their chief governing assemblies.

Upon her return, Miss Benneson lectured on her travels — first in her native city, where she gave an account of her entire journey, speak- ing seventeen times consecutively to deeply in- terested audiences; afterward in St. Paul, Min- neapolis, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Boston, and many other cities. Her lectures, everywhere well attended, were found instructive by those who had travelled as well as by those who had not, for with her trained mind and keen per- ception she was able to give an interpretation as well as a narration of facts.

In 1886 Miss Benneson edited for a time the Law Reports of the West Publishing Company at St. Paul, Minn. In 1887 she accepted a call to a fellowship in history at Bryn Mawr College, where she remained until June, 1888. The fol- lowing September she came to Cambridge, returning not only to the seat of her ancestors, but unconsciously choosing a location near Richard Park's first house. She is environed by historic and literary associations, being mid- Way between the Washington Elm and the Longfellow house, within a stone's throw of Radcliffe College and in sight of Harvard. Miss Benneson did not find herself a stranger in Massachusetts. Kinsmen and old friends welcomed her. Among the new was Lucy Stone, in whose home she became a fre- quent guest, meeting there others of similar tastes.

In 1894 she was admitted to the bar in Massa- chusetts, and in the following year was ap- pointed special commissioner by Governor Greenhalge.

Various organizations attribute their success in large measure to the foresight of Miss Benne- son when framing their constitution and by- laws, notably the Unity Clubs of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Quincy, 111., which she founded, the College Club, and Woman's Club House Cor- poration of Boston, of which she was incorpo- rating counsel.

While attending to an ever-increasing practice, Miss Benneson has been a constant student. Her contributions to literature on questions concerning government are of recognized value. A paper upon " Executive Discretion in the United States," read before the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1898, attracted wide attention. That was followed by one upon " Federal Guarantees for Maintaining Republican Government in the States." The Popular Science Monthly in speaking of this paper said: "No more suggestive title has ever been presented to such a body." In recognition of valuable papers contributed, Miss Benneson was made a fellow of the Association in 1899, and in 1900 was elected secretary of the Social and Economic Science Section. Another paper on "The Power of our Courts to interpret the Constitution," also read before the Association, has led to the announcement of a book dealing with the same general subject. Aside from these, articles from her pen have frequently appeared in various magazines. At the First International Council of Women, held at Washington, D.C., 1888, she read a paper on "College Fellowships for Women," which has had much influence in increasing their opportunities for original research. In June, 1899, she gave the Alumni Poem at the University of Michigan, and in 1903 the Ode of her class at its anniversary meeting.

Notwithstanding; her professional duties and her student life, Miss Benneson has not been indifferent to any human interest. She has been a keen observer of all the activities of women, has been quick to deplore any tendency that would destroy womanliness in the highest sense and as ready to aid any movement that would give women a fuller and richer life and make them more efficient members of society.

"The coming woman," writes Miss Benneson, "will not hesitate to do whatever she feels will benefit humanity, and she will develop her own faculties to the utmost because by so doing she can best serve. She will have a home, of course. She will not marry, however, for the sake of a home, because she will be self-supporting. The home she will help to found will not be for the selfish gratification of two individuals, but a centre of light and harmony to all that come within the sphere of its radiance. Many so-called duties, that drain the nerve force of the modern woman, the coming woman will omit or delegate. One duty she will not delegate—the character moulding of her children. The woman of the future comes not to destroy, but to fulfil the law. She will not confine her influence to a limited circle. It will be felt in the nation's housekeeping. Wherever she is needed there will she be found."

Miss Benneson believes that reforms cannot be forced upon society, but must come through a natural evolution, and that one can do another no more serious injury than to deprive him of liberty of opinion and action. Hence she is never dogmatic or aggressive. Her rule of conduct, though perhaps not .so formulated, seems to be "to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, await occasions, hurry never." From her earliest years her life has been characterized by calmness and deliberation. She carries the burdens of others easily, and seems to have none of her own. "Verite sans peur" is Miss Benneson's motto, adopted when she was eighteen year's old and so faithfully adhered to that her friends, seeing it even on her office; walls, have come to associate it with her name. Following truth without fear and seeing the best that is in every one, she has become to others a constant stimulus to new and high achievement. They cannot bring into her atmosphere what is trifling or degrading. She opens to them a larger life, helping them by showing them how to help themselves. Her secret of happy living is to convert difficulties into blessings by making them contribute to self-mastery and spiritual development.

Mary Esther Trueblood, A.M.