Women of distinction/Chapter 36
CHAPTER XXXVI.
MRS. ZELIA R. BALL PAGE.
It was in the old aristocratic city of Alexandria, Va., that Zelia R. Page, nee Ball, first saw the light of day. She was not a slave. She was reared by her mother, a woman of remarkable ingenuity and foresight, who, during the dark days of slavery, helped many a poor bond-man on his way to Canada. At one time, while living with a wealthy Southern family in Washington City, she kept concealed for one week in the attic six slaves, waiting for the pass-word to march. This mother, seeing and knowing the degradation and misery of slavery, was determined that her daughter should know as little of it as possible. She, having faith in the girl’s future, was deeply interested in her education. Having many friends in New England, and knowing of the educational facilities that colored youth had in that section of the country, she made up her mind to take this child to New England, but the question was how to pass through Baltimore and Havre de Grace alone with her child. Being intimately acquainted with the family of the celebrated Dr. Peter Parker, who had recently returned to Washington City from China, and knowing that they intended to visit the East, she consulted them about the matter. Dr. Parker told her the only way she could travel with his family was to go as far as New York as their slaves, she and her child. She readily consented; and thus one Saturday morning in the month of June the mother with her child arrived in Providence, R. I. She found after reaching Providence that the educational facilities were not as good for the colored youth as those in Boston, so she sent Zelia to Boston to school.
This girl possessed great dramatic and artistic powers. During her stay in the New England school she would always be called upon to declaim in the presence of visitors. She declaimed before the great educators, Bigelow and Green. They said to her, "Go on; you have talent; improve it." But, alas! like many others, she had no one to depend upon but a poor mother for her support. Her mother sent her to Wilberforce in 1870. She was graduated in 1875. She returned to Providence. In 1878, June 27th, she married Inman E. Page, the first colored graduate of Brown University, and now President of Lincoln Institute at Jefferson City, Mo. Her life has not been one of continual sunshine, and yet it has not been at all times the opposite. Having a strict moral principle, she could never wink at anything that was wrong or seemingly wrong. Perhaps if she had been so constituted as to be able to close her eyes to what she supposed to be wrong-doing she might have prevented a good many hard statements that have been made about her. She is a diligent sttident, constantly seeking to add to her store of knowledge some new truths from the different departments of learning. She has written several excellent papers that have been read before the public and published by request. Before she was twelve years old she had read the works of Scott, Milton, Dante and other noted authors. She has been to Lincoln Institute fourteen years and during the greater part of that time she has served either, as matron or as teacher of natural science.
She has been the means of doing much good in Jefferson City. She organized a Union Training School for the poor children, September 25, 1891, which meets every Saturday afternoon. The value of the instruction which she gives to these children will be seen in future years. She has often said, "Oh! if I were only rich. I do not want money for myself, but I would like to be rich in order to do some food in this world. I would build an institution of learning simply for the poor colored young men and women of my race and have them to learn everything that would enable them to vie with the Anglo-Saxon race."
She is a devoted Christian, and always seeking to do what good she can and to help others. Mrs. Page will long be remembered by the students of Lincoln Institute, and especially the poor students, for her deeds of kindness to them.
MRS. ZELIA R. BALL PAGE.