Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-01-11
FIGURES HER STRONG POINT.
Ambitious Mother of Three Small
Children Enters Johns Hopkins.

Mrs. Arthur Davis, we'll known in
this city as Mss Lizzie Brown, where
she was reared and educated. has en-
tered Johns Hopkins university as q
member Of the postgraduate class,
says the Washington Star She will
do the work and take the prescribed
course to win the degree of doctor Of
philosophy, but, as she is woman,
will not receive the customary $500.
and may never receive the degree.
Mrs. Davis has three small children,
one not yet three months old She will
live in Baltimore, near the university.
so as to keep her small family near
her. Her husband, Arthur Powell
Davis, a nephew Of Major Powell, of
the geological survey, has charge of
important work for the survey near
Los Angeles Cal, which will keep him
in the field, except at rare intervals,
for the next two or three years, dur
ing which time his wife proposes to
pursue her studies in the university
Mr. Davis sympathizes heartily with
his wife'S ambition.
Mrs. Davis came to Washington
when 4 mere girl. She was educat-
ed here and lived here two years after
her marriage, when she accompanied
Mr.. Davis to Los Angeles. She was
born at Front Royal, Va, March Il,
1863. Her father was Major Victor NJ.
Brown, G. S. A, member Of the staff
of the late General Corse, of AleXan-
dria. Her mother was the daughter
Of the late State Senator Edward ia
cObS.
At the age of seven Elizabeth Brown
wonderful aptitude for mathmati tics.
When the philanthrop:st, w. w. Cor
cOran, had about this time endowed
the Scientific School of Columbian
University and caused its doors to be
thrown open to women Miss Brown
utilized her first salary by helping
her mother and paying her own tuition
in this school. Here her professors be-
came much interested in her mathe-
NAUTICAL proficiency.
A Mr. Bancroft, of Massachusetts,
who had filed a place in the nautical
almanac office worth $1,000 a year,
died.
Professor Newcomb advised Miss
Brown to pass the competitive eXamin-
alton he had ordered to be held to
frd a person competent to fill the
place. She promptly filed her papers.
SO did several men, all college gradu-
ates. On the day set for the examina-
ton Miss Brown, the only woman ap-
plicant, and these men entered the eX-
aminatiOn-rOOm. In three hours every
man had given UP and retired from
the room, utterly routed by the diff
cult problems in higher mathematics
and astronomy which confronted them.
In five hours Miss Brown had answer
ed every question, solved every prob
lem. The board of examiners We're so
enthusiastic over her success they for
got their own regulations for exact
ness and gave her 1OO-1OO being the
mark to denote perfect" They went on
record as saying she was more than
perfect and she was at once appoint
i ed The chief clerk Of the navy de-
partnent, taking it for granted she
i was a man, addressed her as Sir
in her official appointment and ex-
Secretary Whitney signed it in that
shape.
| While she was in the nautical alma
nae Office she invented and copyrighted
Washington Greenwich table, which
is now used in the departments, as it
greatly facilitates the work. She also
discovered and corrected an error in
one of the tables of La Place, which
had caused inaccuracies since that
great mans day.
In the meantime she kept up with
her class at the Columbian University
and graduated with the class honOrs
IN 1886 Thirty days after she gradu,
ated she married a classmate Arthur
Powell Davis.