The Republican journal., 1883-03-08
Found at Last !

During Miss Clara Barton's recent visit
to Boston, it was the privilege of The
writer to meet her, and to hear from hel
own lips an account Of her experience in
| the Patent Office at Washington, wears
ago before the war. The story was SC
interesting, and has such a strong wo-
mans rights moral that the readers D
the Womans journal are entitled to heal
it,
Miss Barton's early life, like that Of sc
many New England girls, was spent ii
teaching school. TO her belongs the
credit Of having assisted IN organizing
the public school system Of New Jersey
| When she went there the State had {
number Of good private schools, but only
two ''tfee schools, which were making .
rathe' doubtful trial of the new State law
in res nd to public schools, which up tC
! this time had been regarded as, and
/ styled, 'pauper schools" Her example
did more than all that had been done tC
set the public school system of y. J. up
on its feet
Miss Barton organized public schoo
in Bordentown, y. j. She began with
six scholars in 4 dilapidated old house
with capacity for twenty. and left it at
/ the years end with 600 in a tine brick
| building. newly erected for her at cost
Of S4 4000,-the present Public School
Building OF BordentoWn. Severe eNer-
ton told upon her health, and She lost
her voice. She went to Washington to
recupsrate, the climate there being tay-
orable for her recovery,
At that time Judge Mason, Of Iowa,
was Commissioner Of Patents He was
in a good deal OF distress because Of the
| difficulty of finding a male clerk nho
could keep secret. After a man had
applied for patent. and before it could
be granted, the confidential clerks in the
Patent Office would reveal his invention
to some other person who would there
upon come forward and claim TO have in
vented the thing before him. People
were willing to pay almost any price for
such information. The secrets of the Of
fee had several times been betrayed, and
Judge Mason was at bis wits end. In
this dilemma. it was suggested to him
that Miss Barton would bt competent to
do his work, and could bc trusted not to
sell secrets. He sent for and engaged her.
At this time there We're no regularly
appointed female clerks in any Of the De
partments at Washington There We're
three young ladies in that Office, who
were temporarily occupying the desks of
their sick or deceased fathers. They
came with wells over theil faces, scudded
pnl1I N
their work was done, and drew their pay
in their fathers names. 1t was distinct
| " understood that they We're merely sub
Stitutes, and the male clerks did not OBJ
iect to them But when Miss Barton was
engaged as a regular clerk, and her own
name went on to the payroll, there was
great comm0tion among the Government
employees For. if one woman could be
employed, why not more? The craft
was in danger They determined that
they must get rid OF Miss Barton; and
they took IA noble and manly way to DO
it, First they tried to stare her out.
She had to come in to her work through
a long hail and corridor, They used to
form two long rows along the walls on
each side, 50 that she had to pass be
| tNCCH lItlll. L ltN NltlCt lIdl " ttl Ltl ;
and uttered occasional little soft whistles
is she went by. Il had never encoun-
tered anything like this before" said Miss
Barton, land my Yankee blood did not
like it, | passed through with my eyes
on the toor-I never saw anything OF
them above their knees-but every morn
| ing there We're all those rows Of legs.
Still there was a principle involved, and
| determined not to yield it."
Then they tried SANDER. They found
a spokesman in personal acquaintance
Of Judge Mason, and preferred charge
against her moral character, The judge
asked for the proof, and gave until five
o'clock Saturday night to collect the
evidence. "But understand" he said,
"things will not remain Just as they are
in this office If you prove this charge,
Miss Barton goes; if you fail to prove it
you 60"
The chosen vanguard presented him
self at the appointed hour to beg an eN-
tension Of time; the mails had failed to
bring him promptly what he had relied
npon. The Commissioner replied that
''the time had not failed to come around,
neither would his word fail !; and the dis
missal was Immediately made.
Miss Barton remained i'll the office
three years, doing her work so we'll that
her books are still shown as models. At
the end of that time, she fell under suspi-
cion Of political heresy. Buchanan was
in power. 1t was known that she came
from Massachusetts. so did Sumner and
Wilson, 1t was a dangerous State, ana
she was suspected Of being a "a black
Republican, She pleaded guilty and
gave up her position. Judge Mason had
previously resigned and returned to his
home in the West.
After Lincoln's election, while the war
was brewing, and after public opinion
had turned, the Patent Office began to
quake in its shoes, and desiring to have
a friend at court earnestly invited Miss
Barton to come back. BY her father 5
advice, she returned. She was welcomed
With open arms, and nothing was consid
cred too good for her. They would not
allow her to do anythi; & so menial as to
sit at an office desk, but sent her the
choicest part of the work TO her own
room, and supplied her with messenger
to carry it back and forth 50 things
| NNl1V VII tlIl lHC Wal blOhc Oui. lt
Government was poor and leaking at
every seam. Many of the clerks in the
patent office were disloyal. Miss Barton
went to the Commissioner, Hon. ID. p. Ilol-
loWay, and told hlm that if he would dis
miss two of these disloyal clerks she would
herself do the work of their two desks,
on condition that their salaries ISL 500
each) should remain in tie Treasury,
and that expense be saved to the Gov
ernment. The offer was received with
great respect, but declined because it
could not legally be accepted Miss Bar
ton resigned her position, and soon after
! began that career Of service to the
wounded which has made her name his
| toric.
The above account, hastily written out
from memory, was submitted to Miss Bar
ton. who kindly corrected some errors of
detail, and pronounces it accurate as it
now stands. Womans Journal
Our Unjust Fishing Treaty
The Senate joint resolution providing for the
termination of the fishing clauses of the etreaty
of Washington, which was passed by the House
last week. was favoraby reported by the COM