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YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

Gift of

David Howland

Sn iWemoriam.

0 c, ¦

The following sketches, written by two
of Mrs. Lane's most intimate friends, are
here collected for the eyes of those who
loved this large-hearted woman.
A proper record of her life and work
might fill a volume, and would be a story
of unselfish, untiring labor in the cause of
benevolence, guided by rare wisdom and
high courage, which invariably achieved
success for whatever cause she espoused.
Having the highest aims, she worked
only with the most worthy methods, em
ploying a clear intelligence, a frank and
earnest directness, and a personal magnet
ism that impressed her opinion upon all
whom she desired to influence, and won
their respect and admiration. H.

Mrs. David Lane.

In the death of Mrs. David Lane, of New
York, the large circle of those personally
attached to her mourn not only the loss of a
beloved friend, but that of a woman of rare
administrative ability, who gave a generous
share of her time and talents to the service
of patriotism and philanthropy. She was
married young, and spent several years,
both in Paris and New York, occupied with
the ordinary duties of society, her home, and
the care of her four children. Her remark
able powers first became known beyond her
own family in her management of the Em
ployment Society, an association to help
poor women, which, beginning in the Church
of the Messiah about forty years ago, has
increased in scope and usefulness to the
present day, and whose success is largely
due to the interest, vigor, and good sense

which Mrs. Lane brought to its councils.
For many years, no Thursday found her
absent from its meetings ; and she left her
post there only when other duties pressed
too heavily upon her.
When all hearts were stirred by our Civil
War, and the Sanitary Commission was
formed to carry healing and comfort to
agony and disease, the enormous sums re
quired made extraordinary exertions neces
sary to raise them ; and a Metropolitan Fair
was proposed upon a scale unprecedented
in size, time, or quality. How nobly this
idea was carried out, New York and the
whole country well know ; and all who were
connected with it know equally well that
Mrs. Lane was the living soul of the whole
enterprise, and that it was mainly owing to
her controlled enthusiasm, energy of pur
pose, soundness of judgment, fertility of re
source, tact, patience, untiring devotion, and
comprehension of the minutest detail in ar
rangement as well as of the general result,
that at the end of several months of labor,

closing with two triumphant weeks, the mag
nificent sum of $1,184,000 was paid into the
Sanitary Commission treasury, to be dis
tributed in countless rills of blessing through
camps and hospitals.
The qualities needed for such an under
taking were those of a statesman or a gen
eral, and it is well now to remember how
much force of character and brain work went
to its successful completion. Great numbers
of people were dealt with, as voluntary or
paid assistants ; the timid inspired, the rash
restrained, the slothful stimulated, the vacil
lating steadied ; a strong, courageous, cheer
ful will was poured into all the channels of
action; decision was prompt, and courtesy
was invariable ; and, through it all — as was
well said of Mrs. Lane at the time by an
onlooker — "She was queen o'er herself, and
no one saw her temper ruffled or her ingen
uity baffled."
She had great directness and simplicity
of mind, and a native modesty that pre
vented her from being swayed from her

balance by all the praise that was showered
upon her. She cared more for the deed
than the doer, and was more gratified at
having succeeded than that the success was
her own. But from that time her assist
ance was sought as almost invaluable to any
good cause ; and it was not long before
the Woman's Hospital enlisted all her sym
pathies, and for many years, as its Vice-
President, she worked for it with all her
heart, and used her time and strength un
sparingly in its service. Her tenderness
for the sick and suffering was as great as
the solid good sense which was one of her
most striking characteristics. She knew
all the details of every case in the hospital,
the modes of treatment, and the nature of
the attendance ; and she would talk for
hours with glowing interest of the wonder
ful alleviations of misery, and cures of ap
parently hopeless disease effected in that
excellent institution. Its external affairs,
too, were no less her care ; and, in the irk
some task of raising money to enlarge and

perfect it, she used her influence powerfully,
and enforced it by her example. Indeed,
her labors in this cause were so unremit
ting as seriously to injure her health ; and
on this account, with great reluctance, she
finally resigned her place, although she re
tained her concern for the work.
It was through her intimate acquaintance
with sickness and hospitals that the plan of
a Training School for Nurses, connected
with Bellevue Hospital, engaged her atten
tion and support. Although still small,
compared with the need, this is one of the
most valuable and best managed institu
tions in the city. Mrs. Lane presided over
it from the beginning, and was still its head
at the time of her death.
The breadth of her views was shown in
her active and brilliant presidency of the
Decorative Art Society, which has done so
much of late years to refine and cultivate
taste in household matters, and which, with
many mistakes — for what committees are
perfect ? — has largely promoted innocent

luxury and graceful occupation. She look
ed upon it not only as the means of im
proving the public taste, and leading it to
just and true perceptions of beauty in the
decoration of home and of daily life, but as
opening new chances to that large class in
modern society, chiefly women, needing to
work for a livelihood, too delicately bred for
hard labor, domestic service, or the lighter
trades ; too ignorant for teachers, unpre
pared for any positive business, needing, in
short, most of all things, that which Mrs.
Lane felt to be the most important element
in education, and earnestly endeavored to
provide in every school with which she was
concerned — thorough training in some one
direction. The classes in china painting,
needle work, and lace making, of the Dec
orative Art Society were thoroughly taught,
and held out the promise of remunerative
work to their faithful students — -a promise
fulfilled by the constantly increasing demand
for artistic ornamentation. The two superb
Loan Exhibitions given by the Society,

which were an enormous care, responsibility,
and satisfaction to the president, had the
same object in view, and were as instruct
ive as they were interesting and beautiful.
But not all this service to the public was
allowed to interfere with the private duties
of this noble and excellent woman. It is
only right, now that she is taken from us,
to mention gratefully the many things that
she did for the general good. But it is as
the devoted wife and mother, the constant
and generous friend, that her memory will
be most tenderly cherished. She was a true
lady in the old Saxon sense — a loaf-giver
— a thorough and exquisite housekeeper ;
and her kind and gracious hospitality was
unfailing. She was a steady Unitarian, of
rather a conservative type ; but her sym
pathies were bounded neither by sect nor
opinion, and she loved and was loved by
people of every shade of belief. She was an
intimate friend of both Dr. Dewey and Dr.
Bellows ; and may we not hope that the fel
lowship, broken for so short a time here, is

renewed in that other life of which we know
so little and hope so much? For several
years her health has been failing, but she
continued to exert herself while exertion
was possible. And it was admirable and
touching to see the brave and sweet pa
tience with which she met bitter bereave
ment and physical suffering, and finally en
tered the shadow of death, cast upon her for
four months before the final summons came.
That summons at last was gentle, and in
quiet sleep her spirit passed away, leaving a
sweet and enduring memory. Mary E. Dewey.
St. David's, Seft. i, 1882.

Mrs. David Lane.

The death of Mrs. David Lane in this
city, on the 24th of August, takes from this
community one of its most valued members,
one who for the past twenty-five years has
been identified with many of the most im
portant philanthropic enterprises of New
York City, and who must ever be remem
bered in connection with them.
Mrs. Lane held successively the positions
of First Directress of the Employment So
ciety of Dr. Bellows's church ; Chairman of
the Board of Lady Managers of the Sani
tary Commission, Metropolitan Fair ; Chair
man of the Board of Lady Managers of the
Woman's Hospital ; President of the Local
Visiting Committee of the State Charities
Aid Association for Bellevue and other pub
lic hospitals ; President of the Society of
Decorative Art ; and President of the Train-

ing- School for Nurses attached to Bellevue
Hospital. This last position she held at the
time of her death.
Our citizens are justly proud of every one
of these philanthropic achievements, which
have served as models for the promotion of
similar societies in this and other States.
How much of their efficiency has been due
to Mrs. Lane's power of organization, ex
ecutive ability, good judgment, and extra
ordinary energy, her associates can bear
witness. Her official duties were never per
formed perfunctorily, but commanded every
power she had to give to them — her time, her
thoughts, her energy, her entire self. She
stamped herself upon every piece of philan
thropic work she undertook, and the im
print reflected her own nobility of purpose,
largeness of view, fine sense of justice, and
high standard of integrity.
Mrs. Lane was the parishioner and friend
of the late Dr. Henry W. Bellows, and, as
a member of his church, took an active in
terest in parish affairs. But her executive

power was first made known to the gen
eral public when the Sanitary Commission ^
in 1 86 1, summoned the loyal women of the
country to furnish hospital supplies for our
sick and wounded soldiers. The ereat Met-
ropolitan Fair of 1864, in the organization
of which Mrs. Lane took a prominent part,.
will long be remembered in this city. It
poured into the depleted treasury of the
United States Sanitary Commission over
one million dollars.
Work in hospitals and work in behalf of
hospitals were the natural sequence of wo
man's work at the close of the Rebellion ;
and in the pauper hospitals in this city and
on Blackwell's Island, through the Training
School for Nurses attached to Bellevue Hos
pital, and in the Woman's Hospital, Mrs.
Lane devoted herself to the relief of the
sick and suffering, and found a wide field for
usefulness. In the Society of Decorative
Art, of which she was the organizer and
first President, her love of beautiful things
was brought to the service of those who re-

quired the assistance and instruction which
only such a society could give. The success
of the Loan Collection in behalf of this so
ciety was almost solely due to her organiz
ing ability and personal effort.
Commanding the confidence of her asso
ciates as a leader, evoking their enthusiasm
by her own, concentrating all her energies
upon one thing at a time, Mrs. Lane quietly
and steadily advanced whatever cause she
might be engaged in to a firm footing.
Again and again, as her health gave way,
she was obliged, with deep regret, to resign
the work she loved, only to be sought be
fore her recovery was completed and pressed
again into the service of some new under
taking, where her ability and experience
were needed. And so she has literally died
in harness, as she herself wished might be,
for it was at a meeting held last spring in
behalf of the higher education of women
that the fatal stroke came which so recently
terminated her life. Mrs. Lane leaves a
large circle of sorrowing friends and fellow-

workers, and her death is a great loss to this
community, in whose service her life has
been freely given. Louisa Lee Schuyler.
September 3, 1882.

God giveth quietness at last !
The common way once more is passed
From pleading tears and lingerings fond
To fuller life and love beyond.
Fold the rapt soul in your embrace,
Dear ones familiar with the place !
While to the gentle greetings there
We answer here with murmured prayer.
What to shut eyes hath God revealed ?
What hear the ears that death hath sealed?
What undreamed beauty passing show
Requites the loss of all we know ?
O silent land to which we move !
Enough, if there alone be love,
And mortal need can ne'er outgrow
What it is waiting to bestow !
O pure soul ! from that far-off shore
Float some sweet song the waters o'er ;
Our faith confirm, our fears dispel,
With the dear voice we loved so well !
John G. Whittier.

Aft ^ t&44 ij

1.16 RAR*'-

eAYLORD BROS. Inc. \
Syracuse, N. Y. |
^Stockton, Calif. j