, 1891-04-08
woMAN,s woRLD N PARAaRAPHs
Brief Sketch Of a Rising American News
paper Woman

Brief Sketch Of a Rising American News
paper Woman
Mrs Ella A Hitchcock lately sailed
from New York for Europe, and Will be
abroad tor a year, perhaps longer. She
will journey from point TO point.
writing newspaper letters about mat
tiers that strike her attention. Mrs.
Hitchcock is a fine example Of what
a woman can do when she makes
up her mind. She is thoroughly edu-
Gated. When she first began 70 earn
her own living she became a teleg
rapher. In a short time she became
noted as a lightning operator. She be-
gan her career in Philadelphia, and so
excellent was her work, 50 apparent her
executive ability, that the place Of
manager Of the Office in which she
was employed vas soon offered to
her. She declined it, however, and went
TO New York Here for a time she was
in a brokers office. then accepted a place
in the huge Western Union building on
Broadway, Here she at once became
noted for her skill and strength, and
presently a "loug distance wire, " Of the
kind usually operated only by men, was
placed in her charge. It is generally
considered that women have not
strength OF wrist to work the instru-
ments that send messages across the
continent, but Mrs. Hitchcock proved
that she could do this with the best.
Next, for a year or two, she wa the
operator on the special wire in the
Office OF the Brooklyn Times. Mean
time, at odd intervals, she wrote
some newspaper letters on her own
hook. and proved that her capa-
bility here was no less thEn it had
been in telegraphy. She seemed to
grasp intuitively the salient points OF in
terest in journalism, just as her ear and
brain had read the meanin Of the
"click, click" Of the telegraph. Finally
Mrs. Hitchcock abandoned telegraphy
altogether and entered the journalistic
field. Openings for work
came to her with what seemed marvel
Gus luck. But it would have been no
luck II she had not been brilliantly able
to do the work. Mrs. Hitchcock Is a
prominent member Of SorOsis. and a
large, handsome, merry woman, with
scores Of friends, who wish her all sue
cess in her journalistic career in Europe.
Annie Besant, from being the best
hated woman in England, has become,
perhaps, the most beloved one. OF all the
English women who have views" abe
is the ablest and most fearless, Ten
years z her ideas were 70 unpopular
that the British nation stood up and
howled. Clergymen preached and wrote
against her, the law attacked her, the
British matron rolled up her eyes to
heaven, and the mob. set on by all these,
cursed her, and stopped only short OF
personal violence. Ia the midst of IL all |
visited her in the autumn Of 1882 in the
little London Office in which she assisted
Charles Bradlaugh in editing his radical
newspaper. l suppose she was at that
time almost the loneliest woman in all
England. fehjoyed visiting her all the
more that / was warned IL was hardly
the proper thing 20 do. ] found a sweet
voiced, comely young woman, with a
face full Of light and vim and
conviction. Her eloquenco was second
only TO her eur~nestness. | was so
charmed with the radical English wom-
an that | came s~traightway home to
America n wrote a long newspaper let
ter about her full Of gush and admira.
ton. Of which she deserved every bit.
remember that the editor OF tho paper for
which | wrote the letter had some hest.
tation in publishing it, so intense was the
prejudice against Annie Besaut at that
time. And now she has lived 1t all
down simply by standing by her colors
and working for tho good Of mankind.
She has served long and admirably as n
member Of the London school board
among other posts Of trust and honor she
has held. She has suffered rs few WON