The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-03-27
THE FEMALE LIGHTS IN JOURNALISM.
a. ASTEROIDS; Or the Women of the Newspa-
per Press Published for private circula'


II April FOOLS Day had actually ar
rived Though il i a week stIll
distant, We could easily have under
stood the meaning of the above named
deceptive package, which comes to
/ the GOidCH Age Office wrapped and
/ tied and labeled after the manner Oi
some choice gift or holiday annual.
We nave in our library an elegan
/ edition of "The Queens of England,
in two volumes, which, on being
opened by the inquiring reader, dis
cover pleasing vacuum filed with
nothing more studiOus than a back
Cannon board, with its sheep-skin
lining, and its gilded points stamped
on black and red. The Asteroids" is
q similar learned work in one bulky
volume, and consists of collection OF
photographs of the adventurous COM
pany of brave women, who, in this
country, have taken TO journalism TO
earn a living. Here we find them
far more real and life-like than the
/ aforesaid "Queens of Englandn-each
q queen in her dOgmatic and willful
way.
DIR. johnson recommended that ev-
cry book Should be printed with pOr-
trait of the author, inasmuch as the
picture would generally give the read
er fair idea whether the writer had
much or little brains. What would
this erudite photographer aud cur
mudgeOn have thought of the brains
and hearts of these AsteTOids-these
ishining lights that have lately made
their feminine way among the mas
I euline stars of the newspaper press
DR.. Johnson is right. The pictures
are autObiOgraphies.
The admiring but anonymous col
| lector puts Grace Greenwood at the
| head of the list, a lovely woman of
/ thirty, her eyes piercing and brilliant,
| her hair flowing like her style, and
her subscribed hand writing hurried
and wayward-as if in haste to get off
her Washington letter to the Times in
season for the mail. Such a face
would look fine in marble. It's fea-
| lures are regular, its expression almost
classic. Grace was the one American
| female writer who, of all others, was
most admired by Charles Dickens. 1t
used to be said that Phoebe Cary was
| the wittiest creature of her sex, but
the title always belonged to Grace
Greenwood. She is q perfect sumner
at puns. Her wits are her chief dia-
mOnds, and she wears them every
where except to church and to funer-
ais.
Kate Field looks arch and mischiev-
Gus. The little bit of white she is
crumping in her delicate hand is not
a cambria pOcket-handkerchie but a
COPY of verses called "a Masked Ball
at Florence" and the crinkling stiff
ness which she seems trying TO crush
out is owing to the harsh rhymes and
tough subject OF that uncOnsecrated
ode. Kate's pen is a "Free Lance;n
and it is never at rest. 1t is seen per-
haps to most bewildering advantage
when she shoots it like feathered ar
row, as from Cupid's bow, throus sh
the startled imaginatiOns of the Lie
derkrantZ ball-dancers, or thrusts it
like the keen reflections of Jacques)
into the pierced heart of some stag of
the AdirOndacks. Kate is like Queen
EliZabeth-she abides in
"Virgin meditation, fancy free"
She is twenty-five years OF fage, versa
tile, accomplished, growing hand
sOmeT every day, proud of touch Of
mercury in her Irish blood, born of an
actor and actress, ought to be herself
on the stage, and would make 3
"schOOl-marm" that no prudent and
skin-valuing urchin would ever think
of playing truant from. In fact, Kate
could return the compliment on Pc
truchiO.
Nellie Hutchinson-dainty little
Nell-a perfect violet of unObtrusive
modesty-is one of the most delicate
and charming of all the newspaper
reporters and correspondents. Her
little head is full of wise thoughts,
fresh fancies and quaint cOnceits; and
her style is graceful, buoYant and be-
witching. She is seventeen years of
age, weighs ninety pounds, and wears
No. l slippers. Her autograph is as
large as George Washington's. She
lives at "M0rsiania,n and stretches
the name of that small town all across
= sl1eeU E-GOt1oi. note fs0rar-
Mrs. Runkle, of Berkiey Heights, n.
J., is the John Russell Young of fe-
male OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, fefVid,
pictorial, brilliant and lazy. Her
eyes go all through you-like the typ
ical Orbs of Kate Kearney, who dWelt
on the banks of Killarney. 1t is not
she who shuns danger and flies. Did
she not cut John Graham into ribbons
with her scissOr-like answers in the
Richardson trial? Her picturesque
pen is still held in grateful remem-
brance by the seals of San Francisco
Bay for pOrtraying their sun-basking
frolics in 50 lively a style. Her age is
twenty-four, and never increases.
Mrs. Mary Mapes Dodge 1--WE put in
the "Mapes' because she is tilially
proud of her fathers professional
name) is buxom widow, "fair, fat
and'-thirty; a genial, mOtherly, no
ble woman; 4 good writer, particular
IL for children; and one of the earliest
and steadiest Asteroids of weekly
newspaper journalism. She has big
ewes, and the same sized heart. II you
were very sick with the smallpox,
and should send for her, she would
come.
Louise Chandler MoultOu, q Con-
necticut girl of promise, born in Pom
fret and nOurished to patriotism on
the tradition of Putnam and the wolf,
is now the Boston correspondent of
the Tribune, and keeps up the reputa-
ton of the Hub as the classic region
of bright wits and clever pens. Mrs.
Moulton ought to be employing Eer
leisure hours in the composition of an
heroic poem in twelve books, to COM
memorate in a genuine Connecticut
epic, the story of the historic hero of
her birthplace. She is twenty-three
years of age, and writes twelve small
novels each year, and one large one
every three years. She has m )Te
brain than any Governor of Massa-
chusetts since John WinthrOp's time.
Her handwriting is small and deli
cate, like Thackeray's. Her face is al
ways on the point of bursting into
laughter, and her photograph finds 1t
difficult to contain itself.
Mrs. Rebecca Harding Davis-now
a mature mind of thirty-fve-divides
her time between novels and editOrt-
ais, and instructs the world both
through fiction and facts. She is eX-
eeIlent at solemn reflections, and
makes a judiciOus use ot Scripture
names, of which her own is one. Her
pen goes down very deep into the ink,
and comes up all dripping and dread
full. She lives in Newark, New Jer-
sey-One of the principal suburbs OF
the New York daily press. First-class
woman and secOnd-class beauty.
Virginia +. Townsend, who, since
her graduation a few years ago from
boarding-school, has been a constant
editor and writer, is a monument Of
industry, and is an example to the
young. She throws off books, ARTICLES,
sketches, essays and repOrts-all so
fast that they go flying through the
air like cloud of arrows from Per
sian army; and some Of them have
fallen afOretime into the Golden Age
our readers, we are sure, always
finding them keen of point and un-
poisoned in barb. She has a modest
and worthy look, the air of profess
sor of English literature in a female
institute. Her autograph cOndense5
itself into the exceeding tineness Of
Charlotte Bronte's. Her picture don't
do her justice, but her personal friends
supplement- its deficiencies with praise
oflthe woman herself.
Shirley Dare-a name which we
suspect is a nom dc ptLme-beHes her
looks in this counterfeit present.
ment." Photographs play sorry
tricks with light complexions-par-
ticuIarly of the Titan type. You
would suppose that this cleaT-cut,