Page:Woman of the Century.djvu/194

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COHEN.
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as a member of some of the lending literary and art clubs of Philadelphia, such as tin- Contemporary Club, the Fairmount Park Association, and as a member of the hoard of directors of the Pennsylvania MARY M. COHEN. Museum and School of Industrial Art. When the New Century Club was formed by the executive committee of the Women's Centennial Commission, after the Exposition of 1876 was closed, Miss Cohen became a member, and was subsequently elected to the executive board. For a year she had charge of the writing class organized by the New Century Guild, and for three years directed a Browning class. In November of 1888 that class developed into an independent society, which now has a membership of nearly six-hundred men and women, including some of the leading people of Philadelphia. In 1884 Miss Cohen was invited by Rev. Dr. H. L. Wayland, one of the directors of the American Social Science Association, to present to that organization a paper on Hebrew charities. The paper was read by its author before the convention held in Saratoga, N. Y., 12th September, 1884, was favorably received, discussed and published. Miss Cohen was elected a member of the association and placed in the social economy department. In the affairs of the Jewish community Miss Cohen has taken a strong interest and an active part. Receiving her religious inspiration from Rev. Dr. S. Morais, her love for the religion the history, the achievements and progress of the Jewish people has been deep and abiding. She taught the Bible class in the Northern Hebrew Sunday-school for a number of years. Miss Cohen was chosen to serve on the Philadelphia committee of the Columbian Exposition, in the department of social economy.


ELIZABETH COIT. COIT, Mrs Elizabeth, humanitarian and temperance worker, born in Vvorthington, Ohio, 10th January, 1820. Her parents, Joseph and Nancy Agnes Greer, were natives of Belfast, Ireland. Elizabeth was the fourth daughter of the family. She was educated in the female seminary in Worthington. After her graduation she was engaged as a teacher in that institution, and held her position until her marriage, 15th April, 1844, to Harvey Coit, of Columbus, Ohio. Her home has been in that city ever since her marriage. Mrs. Coit is an excellent housekeeper, but she has always found time for a good deal of philanthropic and charitable work outside of her home. She is the mother of eight children, three of whom are now living, the comfort of her declining years. During the Civil War she was one of the members of the committee of three appointed to draft the constitution of the Soldiers' Aid Society. To that organization she devoted much of her time for three years, and her work was invaluable to the society. She is interested actively in all the progressive and reform movements of the time She was chosen president of the first Woman's Suffrage Association organized in Columbus. For many years she has served as treasurer of the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association.


COIT, Miss Irene Williams, born in Norwich, Conn , in 1873. She is the only daughter of General and Mrs. James B. Coit. She won a reputation by success in passing the Yale College entrance examination in 1891, and is by no means insensible to the impetus her venture in knocking at the doors of Yale has been instrumental in giving to the cause of co-education in American colleges. Already that venture has been effective in modifying stringent college laws in various quarters. From her earliest school days she was proficient in her studies. She took the full classical course in the Norwich free academy and was graduated in June, 1891, with highest honors. Her determination to try the Vale examinations with the male classical students of her class, was born solely of her generous ambition.