Woman of the Century/Narcissa Edith White Kinney

KINNEY, Mrs. Narcissa Edith White, temperance worker, born in Grove City, Pa., 24th July, 1854. She is Scotch-Irish through ancestry. Her mother's maiden name was Wallace, and family records show that she was a direct descendant of Adam Wallace, who w;is burned in Scotland for his religion, and whose faith and death are recorded in Fox's Book of Martyrs." At his death his two sons, David and Moses Wallace, fled to the north of Ireland, whence Narcissa's grand-father, Hugh Wallace, emigrated to America in 1796. Her father's ancestor, Walter White, was also burned during Queen Mary's reign, and the record is in Fox's Book of Martyrs," and four of her far-away grandfathers, two on each side of the house, fought side by side in the battle of the Boyne. Her maiden name was Narcissa Edith White. She was reared in a Conservative church, NARCISSA EDITH WHITE KINNEY. the United Presbyterian. Rarely endowed as a teacher, having entered the profession before she was fifteen years old, it was natural enough that she should be recalled to her alma mater as an instructor in the training department. She was also chosen at the same time superintendent of Edinboro Union School, New Erie, Pa. Later she was engaged as a county institute instructor. Not until the fall of 1880 did she find her place in the white-ribbon rank. She brought to the work the discipline of a thoroughly drilled student and successful teacher. Her first relation to the Woman's Christian Temperance Union was as president of the local union in her town, Grove City, and next of her own county. Mercer, where she built up the work in a systematic fashion Next she was made superintendent of normal temperance instruction for her State, and did an immense amount of thorough, effective work by lecturing, writing and pledging legislators to the hygiene bill after her arguments had won them to her view of the situation. Next to Mrs. Hunt, Miss White was probably the ablest specialist in that department, having studied it carefully and attended the school of Col. Parker, of Quincy fame, to learn the best method of teaching hygiene to the young. In the autumn of 1884 Miss White was sent by the National Woman's Christian Temperance Union to assist the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Washington Territory in securing from the legislature the enactment of temperance laws. Under the persuasive eloquence and wise leadership of Miss White the most stringent scientific temperance law ever enacted was passed by a unanimous vote of both houses. Also, in spite of the bitter opposition of the liquor traffic, a local-option bill was passed, submitting to the vote of the people in the following June the prohibition of the liquor traffic in each precinct Miss White assisted in that campaign and had the gratification of seeing prohibition approved by a majority vote of all the citizens, both men and women, of the Territory. In 1888 Miss White became the wife of M. J. Kinney, of Astoria, Ore. In 1890 she was prostrated by the death of her infant. She recovered her health, and in 1891 she undertook the work of organizing a Chautauqua Association for the State of Oregon, in which she succeeded. She served as secretary of the association. Her husband, who owns a popular temperance seaside resort, gave the association grounds and an auditorium that cost two-thousand-five-hundred dollars. The first meeting of the new Chautauqua Assembly of Oregon was held in August. 1891. Mrs Kinney has liberally supported the Chautauqua movement in Oregon, having contributed about six-thousand dollars to the work. She retains her interest in that and all other reform work.