MRS MARIE WILTSIE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12165, 17 February 1914, Page 2

MRS MARIE WILTSIE.

i "M<illlei'. : -' ihe olio word which all I nationalities understand, lias k-e.-u :ipplied to Wihsie liv men and wonu>n of alino.-vt ei-crv i-'c- of tin- <-iri- , li-o-il world. Who is -Mrs WTlisi..:- ! ".Mrs Mario Wilt-i- is niiiiron at the I ICilnuinton (Aha.) fniun'-r.-aiiun Mali. ! She has heen a nioiher o! ions of lliou- | saiul, of lionirsoi-l;.. rs from ail r.arts o:' the world since IS!!*, when she le--1 received the appointment from the l)o----j minion Cnvernmeni. and was romem- ' hind with presents liv pioneej- rosi- ; dents of the capital or A"lhiTta and setj tiers at the fifteenth anniversary of Ikt connr-ction with the institution.'' says the Toronto Saturday Night. "She has ■ sorv.ed iin'h-r two Covernmcnts ninl I three immigrant a-rents. and Ir.-r work j Ims always heen highly satisfactory. • 11. r lin?haud is a orosoerous 1 armor at ! Millet. Alherta. whore the couple v. : ll : pa-..- th- eveeiing of their iivi s in year:, ! "-Mrs Wihsie came to IvJmoitton from I Castern Camilla, where she taught i .school heforc her' manage, two vears ! a tier the Klor.dvke rnsii. The immi- , jiintiiiii hall, ih.eii l.ieat.-i in Strathj eoiui. o:: the south side of the Saska:j chewan river, was iuadei|Uato to ac- ! eommod.nte all the prospective settlors. I and among ofli-r.s n.-iv o Caiicians. j who jotinil .-hel-.or in a lii-g i-xnt. Dttr- | ing a storm sin l lirought the women ! and I'hildi'oii into tile permanent luiildiuL." in face of the protests, from the • l'jiglish-.-po.-ik, : ng immigrants, and gave. ■ up- her li.-'d e.nd stove for their use. , l.an-r thf i.ro-i'sier.- mihhejv thanked i her icr her efforts in liehaif of the ■ laliciaiis, and the latter could not do enough lor their champion. "Th.- local imiirl-rniion officer sough; .Airs Wiltsie's a.-si.-taiice the following day. and when the old Columbia Hot.- 1 was secured as an immigration hail Mrs "U'iltsie was invited to take charge. However, the P'od-ral Government declined to finance the hail until it Has shown to he :• .success. The rent ot tlie estahlishinent for the first two months was oaiil liv the local siore-k.-i.per.,. At t'he end" of that "nriod ill- j Covcrnment tool: over tin: hall, ami Mr- Wiltsie has remaiiieil tti matron I over since, and during 15 vears has | not lie.-., awav from the hall at ni-dii. j "Mrs Wilts'ie ha- hoc:! ; , mother to I thousands of inimigrant- who have j come ro Kilnionton. :i-:il many of thusiwho arc now pro-ii-rotts r. -iiietits of the (ifv and the irihutarv disirict ji-mein- j her •.vith'-gratit.ude h"-r kimlm has many letter- from ail parts of the i world from relatives of men anil women , anil chodren she hail under her cure j ! aft-;* their ::iivai in iv.irnontou. ■ I'f ioreign tongue.-, picked up during j her work a- m.uon. Mr- Wiltsie has . ! never failed in coping with the many •iiflicui; ituat!".:s which ari-e in an , imnii-1-.-ii..n hail when" all natiouali- | ties .-:•.• I; ing mixed nerhnii- tor til- [ lirst time. S;:e can tell manv na- ! thetic -tori.-s „f Je.rdshiii" hrave'v !;oni.- l.y i. ; -.v -ei:U-rs. anil -he has also many stories of happim -- ; : U"1 pro--perity won in this new lain! by tho-e who <•«■•!!•■ lien- stranger?, not linowitig a word of the Kngiish la.n.guage. "Mrs Wiltsi*. a.-cruhes hei" success to the fail that .-lie hi:, treated le-r "•barge- a.- - rial mother handles in r cliildren. There .-ire no favorites.

immigration hall falls to the lot of tin- ii' J'cmkis tia-ia elves, and Miine;isc< there are arrivals who know no;hi!ii£ of v.,,!-!:: hut thev are reotioxted to do their share side I,'y side with the ; eoa-aat. Sunn-limes, they baulk, but < the matron is tine.. <r.nlai<;iiv_: that < win"!.' every iiuiis ij£i -tin has i-oiial :;_:■ 11-; i with lii> fellows h ' is exoeoted to do 1 his nart. She makes it clear that the : i ii--.ri.Uon ha!! is not an :,.-v!um ior | the shiftless, hut that it, is a clearing- : lioiw for the eanie-; and ambitious, fsuallv. lal.ue the newcomer who has ; tint, i-i-!- ived he first !->-on in citizen- i ship leaves for his ii.-lrl oi endeavor he : expresses his apDrociatioa of .Mrs Wilt- f .-ie-s efforts. ■; -Other s-tori-s are humorous. At 1 one time while .Airs Wilts!-- was assisted t '.-})■ a few we.-ks !.v he,- iiraiiddnujriiu-r. t rsk-,1 thin" t'ha'y'oiiaV woman' he di- T reered to clean the hoots of the new ar- ' li rival and her three ,-liiidren. All 'a kinds of requests are made by the imf migrants, end sotne -if them do nor h seem to realise that thev arc- not in :, s iirst-elass hotel. One man who was t asked to fetch a few buckets of coal ti

I fniii] tin' bin was astonished at tiio re- . cjiif-t. bul wii.-i Mr.-: YYiltsic thank, d - him and started fur tin- coal-house, hi' apologised and luisji.'i! himself for the t rest of th-- i-venner. Hi' --ends a prei sent to .Mrs once a year, also - a letter in v.-liirh ho always refers to • her democratic rule. [ i ''Several bahirs have been Imrn in . I tilt' imimsr..tm:i hall, anil to them Mrs . j Mrs Wiitsi.- i- "iiiliuntlii-r. There have , | been only, .two deaths —both youne , j children who wen- sick whi-n fln-v ;ir- - ! rived with their oarents. Tin-' hall - I has n.-.-t-i- had to hi- i:li,si-i! ilmvn nwinI to infection. Constant ran- ami watehj lalia:-- mi !ln- nart of the matin:, "has ! hromji; about this stau- of affairs. i •• -\V,- know neither race nor <-n-: ti , here." -Mrs Wiitsie f.aiil. \!t matters j not if any an- poor or well-to-do. A;l :' an- welcome, and tin- same tt catim-ut ■ is ai-eorded to all. I lov,- them all. 1 nai <r!ad to hi: helpful, ami I shall carry . on the work as Ion;; as my stn-njriii an.l heaith permit. '•'] have seen many changes in Jvimontou anil tin- stirrou inline; cmniirv miipo 18.08. A city of more than C.;h(«) !i:s sprtinir from a fur-iradin<r vilia.ee. which, when I i-ami- here, was not i-ven served hv a railroad. To-tlav it has thro- transr-oiuinor.tal lines, and is the capital ol .1 nrnvince larger in area than the State of Texas. Millions of | dollars of forei-n capital have hei-a I pound into tin- r-itv for various our- j poses, i,,ul hundreds of thousands of | acres of land have been dovelomd and -ettled. It has all been so rapid that | it hardly seems true. It is more like a dream. I '• The Indian trails v: t ;r used by j freighters when my Im-band and I nrpaved Mreets and boulevards, electric j oars, light and poller, waterworks, ami i oih-r ouhlie utilities, all owned and I rated bv the eitv. Then. too. we ! lnn>- the s tax. The transform;,- 1 lion has be,;,, swift anil substantial: ' probablv the most remarkable of tiil- ' a-e of l,i;r t h ill--.' "Dnrine her residence in lvlmonton j Mis Wihsio has seen tin- bald prairi • : converted into bonanza wheat ranches. ! and in iur:i o'eveioped as commercial j farms. Cnivs. pi-Ts. sheep, c'iiickens. j ■and ntiier imvl an- now mil- j lions ol dollars' worth of 'meats, hut- i ter. ehees:\ milk. eiiL's anil poultrv. and j tin' introduction oi vcri-tabi ■ and fruit iltowiiiL' is adding materially t<> the J ' nrnsporitv of the countrv. Women | have assisted their husbnr.iU. brother-, !r and in makine liionev on the I farms. *\W are receiving the ri-jht It kind of women, also sturdy inr-n.' .she , says, -and tliov can lie depended upon 4 to coniinue the big work now under wav.' '' '