| Show POOR WOMAN IS A PR PHILANTHROPIST Success But for Sophie Wright New Orleans would have no free evening school chool for formen formen men and boys Sophie Wright is herself a working woman She is lame She has been self supporting since she was 12 I years old she has been too the support of her family She is gray looking old older older er than her age which is 32 I Her face is full of noble spiritual beauty When she was 16 she saw the cry crying ing need of educational opportunities for or the men and boys of New Orleans who are occupied during the day and Id she tried to get the public schools to open their doors in the evening to them Falling Failing in this Sophie Wright although a poor woman making her by teaching tea a day school threw open her own doors and every even evening evenIng ing at 7 was W s ready rea y to receive stu students students dents who had no money to pay and no time Ume during the day to study She called caIl d for volunteer teachers to help her in this work and her call met ith Uh response Her school has grown until there are now Over 1000 men and boys in attendance atten ance Fathers and sons men menO 50 O years of age a e and tender little lads sit cit side by side in the same The Theone one requirement for admission is the 1 statement that the applicant applicants is s too loor to pay a cent and wants to learn and to improve himself Many men and boys come barefoot As far faras faras as she can the teacher buys them shoes also hooks books The city is not taxed a pennys penns worth does nOt even tax it elf If to ask how she is setting getting along and shows no interest in the under undertaking undertaking taking She asked once for some soine old school chool desks and was refused Through the generosity of Miss Ida Richardson aunt of Mrs James Brown Potter Countess Di Brazza and other friends and through the efforts of Helen Pit Pitkin PitkIn kin of the she has been enabled to enlarge the scone of her enterprise year by year until her schedule of classes Includes painting drawing clay modeling and music During the present year full courses m in bookkeeping and other clerical oc occupations occupations will be instituted Outside of her educational work Miss Wright fills a very important niche in the feminine e life Ufe of her city beyond which her use usefulness has found extension in aeh offices as national secretary of the Kings Daughters and secretary of the National Federation of clubs |
