Must the Maiden Die (44 page)

Enterprise
Yes, fans of
Star Trek,
one of Lowe's favorite silk balloons was the
first spaceship by this name to explore the heavens. It is said
there is nothing new beneath the sun.

Fuller, Margaret
(1810-1850) Feminist
author and essayist who, with Ralph Waldo Emerson, edited the
Dial,
a Transcendentalist journal considered to be the
criterion by which to judge early nineteenth-century American
literature. She later became the political and literary editor of
Horace Greeley's
New York Daily Tribune.
Susan B. Anthony
considered Fuller to be the earliest and most influential author
in the embryonic women's movement.

Lowe, Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine
(1832-1913) His research flights with aeronautical balloons made
him a forerunner of modern aviation; during the Civil War he also
pioneered the use of the balloon for espionage reconnaissance and
aerial photography. The Lowe Observatory in California is named for
him. For some reason, this man has remained largely unknown, and
yet he is one of American history's most interesting characters. My
research suggests that Jules Verne likely created Phileas Fogg, the
main character of
Around The World In Eighty Days
(1873),
with Thaddeus Lowe in mind. Eyewitness accounts describe the
brilliant, eccentric Lowe as stepping from his various balloon
flights dressed in an elegant Prince Albert coat and tall silk
hat.

The Millville Rose
In the
mid-nineteenth century, glass paperweights became extremely
popular. Miniature fruits, reptiles, birds, commemorative
portraits, and flowers were encased in heavy domes of clear glass
that served to magnify the objects. The Millville Rose became
possibly the best-known American-made paperweight.

Montezuma Marsh
(and Black Brook) At
one time, Black Brook was a body of water of substantial size.
Although sections of it today can still be traveled by canoe, it
has been 90 percent channelized for irrigation, so its flow is
greatly diminished. The brook flows north from Seneca Falls into
what is called today the Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge. Prior
to the turn of the twentieth century, the Montezuma Marsh extended
twelve miles north from Cayuga Lake and was, in some places, eight
miles wide. During construction of the New York State Barge Canal,
which included a dam at the outlet of Cayuga Lake, and subsequent
alterations of nearby existing rivers, most of the swamp was
drained. In 1937 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased 6,432
acres of the former marsh. Since Montezuma lies in the middle of
one of the most active flight lanes in the Atlantic Flyway, it is
today an important refuge and feeding ground for migratory
birds.

New York Infirmary for Women and
Children
The infirmary was founded on New York City's Bleecker
Street, in 1857, by Drs. Elizabeth and Emily Blackwell and Marie
Zakrzewska. It was the first infirmary to be run entirely by women,
and its practice consisted of both medical and surgical services.
Despite criticism from the male medical community, threatening
mobs, and financial uncertainty, the infirmary quickly outgrew its
original facilities, and in 1859 moved to a new location on Second
Avenue, with a dispensary as well as space for female medical
students.

Noyes, John Humphrey
(1812-1886) The
charismatic leader of the Oneida Community (see
Oneida
Community)
as described in the novel
.
He also authored
the weighty tome
History of American Socialisms,
published
in 1870, which studies the nineteenth-century socialist community
movement, also referred to as "Utopian Socialism."

Oneida Community
This was but one of
many religious groups that experimented with Utopian communities
during the early to mid-nineteenth century. The western section of
New York State is often called by historians "The Burned-Over
District," which refers to the flames of religious revivals which
swept the area beginning around 1825, fanned by the period of the
"Great Awakening". Oneida and John Humphrey Noyes rose out of that
fervor. Oneida was unquestionably one of the most successful of
these communes, as it lasted for more than a generation after
others disbanded. Its success was due in large part to the
leadership of Noyes. And it left its mark, as Oneida Ltd. became
one of the world's largest manufacturers of stainless steel knives,
forks, and spoons. The community prospered financially during the
Civil War, and while questions were raised as to where its money
originated, no charges of treason were ever substantiated.

Scientific American
Founded in 1845 by Alfred Beach,
Scientific American
is one
of the oldest of American periodicals still being published.

1. What was the reason given for Tamar
Jager’s father selling her as an indentured servant to Roland
Brant? What other factors may have entered into his decision?

2. Why was it so difficult for people in
Seneca Falls to believe that Roland Brant was not the kind of man
he pretended to be?

3. Bronwen and Emma were referred to as
having little in common, yet both could be considered unusual women
for their time. How were they alike? How were they different? What
about each seemed to most annoy the other? Why do you think that
was so?

4. Bronwen makes a spectacular entrance into
Seneca Falls on a hot air balloon, then uses the balloon to great
advantage spying on gunrunners. Imagine a modern-day version of
Bronwen. What might her job be? Who (or what) might she be
pursuing? What tools might she be using?

5. What was Glynis’s dilemma (in court)
concerning “being a lady?” How did the cult of the lady work for
men who wanted to keep women in their place?

6. How did Chapter 90 work in Emma’s favor?
How might it have changed Tamar’s life if it had been passed
earlier?

7. What was the likely cause of Helga
Brandt’s “ill health?”

8. Describe some of the ways in which Cullen
Stuart benefitted from Glynis’s unofficial “deputization.” In what
ways was Glynis’s gender a help? What limitations did it
impose?

9. At one point, Glynis reflects that “the
minds of many women seemed to run on more than one track,
invariably changing course to accommodate the needs of those in
their path.” How did that quality help women of the 1860s in their
day-to-day lives? How does it help women today? What was the
“downside” then? What is it now?

10. Briefly describe The Oneida Community’s
stance on sex, marriage, and parenthood. Name at least two other
things the Community was known for. Why do you think the
neighboring farmers supported the Community?