Few Northwestern students would admit to agreeing with the anti-alcohol politics of Frances E. Willard. But many student activists probably don’t realize how much they actually identify with her advocacy for labor reform, early education and women’s rights.
One hundred years after the dedication of Willard’s statue in the U.S. Capitol, admirers of the late activist will host a celebration of her life during the next two weeks. Willard was the first woman honored in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall.
Sponsored by the Frances Willard Historical Association, the celebration comprises two Saturdays of presentations about Willard and the woman who sculpted her staTuesday, Helen Farnsworth Mears.
“We wanted to focus on both of these women’s stories,” said Lori Osborne, the historical association’s tours and programs coordinator. “We want people to be told why (Willard) was honored in this way. And I’d like people to know about (Mears’) life and the work she did.”
Because the staTuesday, dedicated in February 1905, depicts Willard standing at a podium, one commemorative event will focus on her influence as a public speaker.
Historians will re-enact some of Willard’s speeches and discuss their rhetorical significance May 21, at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.
“I’m amazed every time I think about a woman in the 1880s standing up and talking about prostitution and getting people to say, ‘we should do something about it,'” said Leslie Goddard, the manager of programs and education at the Evanston Historical Society. She will play Willard in the re-enactment. “There is a lot (Willard) can teach us about how to lead, how to take a radical movement and not just make it acceptable, but make it popular.”
Co-authors of a forthcoming book on Willard will also be discussing the historical context and rhetoric of Willard’s speeches.
“(Willard’s) main talent was that she could mobilize women in a way that few people could do,” said Carolyn DeSwarte Gifford, a gender studies research associate at NU. “They almost worshiped her.”
The other event will feature a discussion of Helen Farnsworth Mears’ work and a performance of five songs from “The Fountain of Life,” a musical based on her life. It will be held this Saturday at Evanston’s Library.
“The world of art and sculpture were male bastions at that time,” said playwright Mary Hiles, who wrote “The Fountain of Life.” “(Mears) had the courage to follow a dream and go through doors that were closed to women.”
The Frances Willard House, 1730 Chicago Ave., will host an exhibit featuring letters, photographs, and a bronze casting of Willard’s bust that was created by Mears. It will be on display May 15 through Dec. 15.
The museum is open every first and third Sunday of the month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours are $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 and under.
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