Representative women of New England/Mae D. Frazar
MAE DURELL FRAZAR was born Calais, Me. Her father, the Rev. George Wells Durell, was an Episcopalian clergyman. The early years of her life were spent in the quiet New England town of her birth. Later the family removed to Somerville, Mass., where she attended the public schools. She married General Douglas Frazar, a gentleman who had travelled widely and had much literary attainment. He was the author of several books, one of which, "Practical Board Sailing," has been translated into many languages, and is in use to-day among all standard yacht clubs. When asked where she received her education, Mrs. Frazar answers: "Why, I am being educated now. It has been a daily growth right along. All that I am. however, I feel that I owe to Mr. Frazai. In my own home I learned rich lessons from books, people, and the world."
Mrs. Frazar is, doubtless, the best known and the most enterprising and successful if not the only woman tourist agent in the United States. She is a cheery, wide-awake body, full of originality and up-to-date ideas. The story of the life of the woman who has personally conducted abroad, with skill and .satisfaction during the past twelve years, the "Frazar Parties," frecjuently mentioned in the newspapers of our own and other countries, is most interesting.
A chance visitor will find her in her office at almost any hour of the day, busy at her desk; for she is a journalist and lecturer as well as guide and philosopher. She is so calm in manner, so full of courteous attention to her caller, that it is difficult to realize what an indefatigable worker the woman is. Quick and keen in business, energetic, courageous in expressing her views, she is yet a most womanly woman. Contact with the world has not robbed her of her strong personality or her feminine refinement.
It was after several years of intermittent newspaper writing that Mrs. Frazar became editor and publisher of a paper called The Home Life. As the name implies, it was meant to be useful and instructive to all members of the family. It was a journal of sixteen pages and of excellent literary cordiality. She edited it entirely herself and attended to all the advertising, bringing the circulation up in three years to over ten thousand copies. When engaged in this work she came in contact with all sorts and conditions of men, and gained an intimate knowledge of business life.
Yielding to an urgent request to take charge of a party of young people during a European trip, she returned to find General Frazar's health failing. A change of climate was ordered, and they took up their residence in the city of Mexico. This change necessitated giving up the paper. Being sole owner of the business, she quickly arranged with another journal to fill her subscriptions until their expiration. She retained all the copyrights, and looks forward to the day when she shall have opportunity to give The Home Life a new lease of existence.
While in Mexico she made a careful study of the people and their customs, and furnished a' syndicate of nine papers with letters during her entire stay in that charming country. Mr. Frazar continued to fail, antl after eight years of heroic suffering died in 1896 in his native State, Massachusetts.
In 1889 Mrs. Frazar started, as a regular business, the managing and conducting of European parties. She says, "Experience has shown me that Americans need to see Europe carefully, particularly where the influence of things seen and studied shall be for the benefit of our own country." In this connection she encourages journalistic work among her patrons, several of whom have achieved therein great success. Rooks of decided merit have grown out of this work. The whole scheme of travel is carried out as if planned for an individual. The growth of her business has made assistance necessary, and several young men of culture and travel are now helping in it. The business is decidedly educational, and through interest in travel and the attending study of art and literature Mrs. Frazar has accunmlated a rich store of knowledge, which makes her a most fascinating and instructive lecturer. Appearing in this capacity before numerous clubs and societies, she has formed strong friendships among club women, and has become an active member of several clubs. Two years ago she was elected president of the Daughters of Maine Club of Somerville, which is made up of four hundred women from the Pine Tree State, and whose work is purely literary. This office she still holds. At the present time she is on the editorial staff of the National Magazine of Boston and of the Somerville Journal, finding time also to do much work for the Boston Transcript.
Mrs. Frazar dwells with much pleasure on a certain incident in her life, which grew out of her own sturdy sense of justice. At one time certain people came to this country from Italy to give addresses upon the political conditions of that country. She felt that gross misrepresentations were made, and came out with a vigorous protest, in the Boston Transcript, correcting statements, and urging that no country has the right to interfere with what another country considers its departments of political justice. The Italians of Boston appreciated this and gave a reception to Mrs. Frazar, at which she was publicly thanked for her generous sympathy, and was presented with a tribute of flowers tied with the Italian colors. These flowers were the gift of one thousand Italians, each of whon contributed one cent, this small sum having been purposely fixed so that the ]ioorest might share in the offering.
Mrs. Frazar has two sons: Gerard, the commercial editor of the Globe, and Amherst Durell, who is connected with the Swift Wool Company.
Whether pacing the deck of an Atlantic steamer as one of her patrons, or interrupting her at her editorial duties, or making known to her some need of charity, one finds in Mrs. Frazar a sympathetic, genuine interest in the welfare of others. Perhaps it is this unselfishness that makes her so universally beloved.