[1] Semple was part of a group of people in Kansas who actively fought the intrusion of religion into United States government, when prominent religious leaders of the time were "pushing to amend the US Constitution and declare America a Christian nation.

"[4] Semple founded the Kansas Freethought Association (KFA) in order to protect the separation of church and state.

[7] Using her own money and time, Semple self-published a bimonthly newspaper called Freethought Ideal[8] which had a circulation of 2,000.

"[10] Every issue of the Freethought Ideal offered a $1,000 reward to anyone who could give positive proof of the supernatural, including God.

[12] In 1901, Semple decided that she was tired of "trying to talk sense to the rest of the world" and stopped publication of Freethought Ideal.

"[13] Also in 1901, Semple's husband became ill and since she was no longer working on the paper, she was able to devote time to helping him recover.

[13] For many years, her grave was unmarked, until in 2002, the Franklin County Historical Society raised enough money to erect a marker with the epitaph she wrote for herself on the stone.

Etta was a newspaper editor, publisher, novelist, a medical intuitive, sanitarium founder and operator, and a champion of the downtrodden.