This article, written about the life of Mariah (Stevens) Fish, appeared in
The Los Angeles Record Editorial Page in 1912.
ACTIVE WOMAN, NEARING FOUR SCORE,
GIVES TALK ON HOW TO KEEP YOUNG
By Estell Lawton Lindsey
"I can conceive of no calamity so great as to be deprived of work."
That is the statement of a woman 78 years old who is still working every day, who has
been self-supporting all her life, and for a period longer than the average lifetime,
supported someone else.
This woman, Mrs. M. S. Fish of Eagle Rock, has for a quarter century been a cripple from
rheumatism; but she has carried on her work and thanked God she had it to do.
"I have fitted dresses when I could hardly stand to do the work," she told me, " and I
have never once in all my long life regretted the necessity of labor."
Her hands were busy while she was speaking, and I noticed how the joints were crooked from
the disease; but the face was cheerful and smiling as the old lady discussed the questions
of the day with her visitors. Her snow-white hair was cut short and curled
about her head in little ringlets.
ATTRACTS THE YOUNG
"I'm a socialist," said the old lady, "I've been one more years than you have lived, most
of you. I am a spiritualist, too, and that gives me the clear vision, so I
know socialism is the only way to solve our economic problems. Under socialism
we will get rid of the drone. The drone is what is eating out the heart of
society."
This from a woman nearing 80.
"They tell me I am old," she continued. "Maybe I am, but I don't feel old
except when I see what the rheumatism has done to me. All my life I have
discarded the old and outworn and welcomed the new. When a thing has served
me I have let it go as gladly as I welcomed it when it met a need."
"You have no children?" I asked.
"No; that has been the one great sorrow of my life; but I dare say I have had more young
life around me than many a woman has borne a large family. I have just rented
my cottage over there and am camping in this little room until my new rooms are ready
for me.
"When I lived in my home I had many young people as visitors, and gave them parties and
lectures and dances. They never made me feel I was old, and I never made them
feel they were culpably young.
SELLS FANCY WORK TO PAY TAXES
"I did not tell them how we did things when I was young. I just talked to them
about the live issues of the day and let them dance and sing all they wanted.
"I have known lots of progressive women in my day and none of them were lonely.
Elizabeth Cdy Stanton used to be one of my friends in the days when I lived in
Battle Creek, Mich."
"The home of postum cereal and breakfast food," I said. The old lady sniffed.
"Some people like 'em," she replied, "just as some people like these things I sit and make
out of eucalyptus acorns and seaweed and shell.
"When I could not make dresses any more because of the rheumatism I looked around for
something I could do. When we came to California 25 years ago -- I got up and
headed the party -- I was infatuated with the seaweed and shels and I gathered large
quantities of both. Now I am using them, making all sorts of fancy articles
for sale. Last year I paid all my taxes by selling fancy work.
"It is about as useful to make good fancy work as to rear bad children, isn't it?"
demanded she.
"Yes, but why need children be bad?"
A HINT TO THE OLD
"Because the mothers are ignorant. The average womand sells herself in marriage
for a living, and that stops everthing for her. She don't know enough to take
care of children, and so they are bad or die, and when the mother is old and needs them they
are of no use.
"Children, if you train them just for yourself, are a poor investment. If I had
had children I would have trained them for the world, to live in the world, work for the
world and be part of the world.
"That is the only way to get people out of themselves, to make them realize that they are
a part of humanity and entitled to no more rights than the next one.
"That is one thing my work for the world taught me. In my old age I don't
expect to be humored. I don't expect the young to sacrifice their wishes until
I am dead, so no one is waiting for me to die.
"It's when people begin to wait for you to die that you begin to feel old.
"It is 58 years since I was married and I do not feel old. I've lived to see
the dawn of the day when my will be free, will be human instead of just feminine, and I
hope to live to see the establishment of socialism.
"But I don't wish to live when I cannot do my share of the world's work."
The room was all full of the fragrance of eucaplytus boughs and acorns, and somehow that
pungent odor seemed peculiarly wholesome and fitting, just a bit like the keen mental
outlook of the old lady.
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