The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-06-13
In WoMAN'S BEHALF.
NEWSPAPER WOMEN,


They Are Doing Good work.
The earlier journalistic efforts of wom-
en- were usually on high plane. says
a writer in Chicago Inter Ocean. Not
many women are now called on for such
work as was done by Margaret Fuller on
the Tribune. If Grace Greenwood were
beginning again her articles would
probably have to take a less serious
tone. The women who describe Wash
ington's gowns and engagements are
perhaps able to write, but they certain
ly do not write Mary Clemmer Ames's
Congressional correspondence.
Even Olive Logan, who made an hon
est effort to get back to legitimate crfti-
cism Of public men and measures, was
often enough forced back on the Cabinet
buds and the Senators wives. Women's
occupation of the newspaper field is a
newer thing across the water than with
US, and whether it be because of this or
in spite of It or because of the different
tone of journalism, or the exceptional
gift of the individual, Mrs. Crawford has
position and an influence which We
can not match in America
Women's work in New York newspa-
perdom has materially changed within
a few years. There is great deal more
OF it, and much of it is exceptionally
good of its kind, but the experience of
one of the best known and most success
full writer's is probably fair example
of that Of many more. 81 do very little
newspaper writing now" she said yes
terday, ''and am tempted to go out of
it altogether. When the - changed
hands was informed that art and musi-
cal criticism-my specialty-was not a
line in which the new proprietors cared
to employ a woman. but if 1 would do
tea table gossip and society chatter they
would pay me we'll
Another newspaper writer and one
who has won legitimate distinction was
amusing some friends the other day
with accounts Of how she ''circumvents"
her editor. He is firmly convinced,
said she, that women care for nothing
but beaux and buttons, friyols and frills.
/ can't introduce into my Sunday page
the things women really think and talk
about, but get there just the same. l
never say a word about the higher edu-
cation of women, but il the collegiate
alumne have a meeting. then l report
ii, and it goes as news item. / dare
not mention women's clubs, but if
there's club lunch, then at once tuck
in under a display head some of the
bright speeches, iudiciously interspersed
with the descriptions of the table decor
atoms. Oh, he thinks I'm very submits
sive, but he's sircumvented every time
the presses roll"
At the big Cooper Union meeting of
the Association of Working Girls Socie-
ties recently there were no fewer than
fourteen women reporters. 1t is doubt
full IL there is paper in New York on
which from two TO dozen women are
not getting in space with more or less
regularity. The number of unattached
writers, out-of-town correspondents and
semi-literary aspirants of every descrir-
ton increases every season. A few
women hold responsible positions call
ing for the exercise of their best pow
ers, but for the most part ducats drop
with the most pleasing frequency into
the pockets of those who set up business
as .underclothes editors, purveyors OF
cosmetic secrets, interyiewers of &C.
tresses and diligent searchers after sem
sations.
The carnival of publicity through
which our society is passing as one
phase of it's evolution is helped
on a good deal by the woman news
paper writer. The bulk of small talk is
still written by men, but there are GER
tain things which men can not do. A
man can not cultivate a fashionable
dressmaker's acquaintance by paying
her price for an occasional visiting gown
with a confident reliance on getting
back double tse outlay by leading mad
anne to gossip about the costumes in
preparation for the next social event in
the rich Mrs So-and-So's private ball
room. A man can not cultivate lady's
acquaintance at an afternoon tea and
call on her next morning with smiling
"Please let me see your engagement
book for a minute or two," or "Will
you tell me if you are invited to Mrs.
Browns, and do you happen to know if
Mrs. Jones is going and what Mrs.
Smiths two daughters will wear?"
1t is the woman's tact, her nice dis
elimination, her instinct which tells her
just how far she can go which brings her
services into requisition, while her sue
cess recreates the demand. In the
struggle for existence she sees . chance
to do something which falls in with the
temper of the times. She does it, she is
asked to do it again, she has made her
market II she would sell she must
supply 1t, for it is there that now her
wares are in demand.
II the lsndlady demands her money
and woman is weary of washing out
her own kerchiefs in hand basin, is she
going to hawk about her unstable ideas
ON the future of literature while she re-
members the parting words Of the editor.
"We'n take 1,500 TO 1000 words il you
can get up something good in the vein
of your last Sundays article on Rich
Women Who Eat Olives at Luncheon?
The extraordinary woman is going to
stick to the literature; the ordinary one
is going to find or invent women who
dote on olives #., e.
Every body knows that women write
the column of directions as to how to
powder your nose and how TO do up your
back hair. Every body does not know
that the woman who is telling you to-
day what sorts of hairpins Mrs. Cleve-
land uses on Sundays and what kind she
prefers for Monday afternoons, may have
been writing yesterday about the ba-
bies' hospital, and may give hint to-
morrow that she will show score of
troubled women possible money-mak-
ing occupation The women who man
age the charities, the woman's ex-
changes, the training schools for nurses,
A. L. Ia,