A Golden Farewell for Margaret Hampson
The Christian women of Seattle gather to honor a departing evangelist with a purse of gold, royal purple plush, and honorary membership in the W.C.T.U.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In accordance with an invitation read by Rev. John N. Denison, the ladies of Seattle gathered in the Rink on Friday to prepare for the reception of Margaret Hampson. When our guest arrived, between two and three hundred women were assembled. Mrs. Thompson presided at a table in the center of the room, and when the tables were cleared, Mrs. Chick addressed Mrs. Hampson, presenting her with a purse of royal purple plush, embroidered with lilies of the valley, containing one hundred and twenty-six dollars. Mrs. Hampson expressed her love for the women of Seattle and vowed to use the gold for the Lord. Mrs. Jenner then invited Mrs. Hampson to join the Seattle W.C.T.U. and bestowed the white ribbon upon her. The evening was pronounced the most charming affair ever witnessed in our town.
“God is a good postmaster—but I will not let them lay in the office. I will take them into the front ranks, and will use them in winning souls.”
Evangelical women’s organizations like the W.C.T.U. were a powerful, organized force in late 19th-century Seattle, wielding social influence long before they secured the vote. Their 'white ribbon' pledge movement reflects the era's focus on moral reform, a stark contrast to the secular civic debates that dominate modern Seattle’s landscape.
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