The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-15
YANKEE GIRL IN LONDON.
HOW MISS BANKS, JUST RETURNED,
CREATED A Juror THERE.

CREATED n tDROR THERE.
Papers All Talked About Her-But
She Didn't Care, For IL Gave Her
an Opening ON the star of One of
Them, and Now She Is Away Up
In the PrOfessiOn-Raised In Wis
cOnsin, and "a Type of What the
American Girl of Pluck Can DO
For HerseIf-RepIy That Made Her
Famous.
From the Washington Post.
In this day of clever women, and espe-
cially American women, one of the clev-
crest of the clever is Miss Elizabeth
Banks who has just returned from
four years sojourn in London where she
has been successfully engaged in charm
ing the British lion by telling it witty
stories. She has been the American
Girl in London" in a particular manner,
for she was dubbed that by the prominent
writer, George r. Simms, and she has
been continuously called that by the press,
which has laughed at her and with her,
criticised her and praised her, but never
AVL AlCA aiOlS oillt1 oAic AAiduO ANl III ot udSA
into popularity through newspaper work
in that mighty metropolis.
Miss Banks arrived in Washington last
evening, to be the guest for a short time
of Mrs. Charles Thompson, who is the
Pauline Pry of Washington papers Mrs
Thompson discovered Miss Banks about
seven years ago. They were both living
in st. Paul at that time. Mrs. Thompson
being the St. Paul Globe society editor.
1t is a good story and quite characteristic
of Miss Banks the way that discovery
was affected. Miss Banks had emerged
from school shortly before and learned
typewriting. She went to New York
from her home in Oshkosh, Wis, and had
a terrible time in trying to get along, get
position, and get the wherewithal to live.
She did not make a startlingN success of
it, but with her usual determination to
do something, whatever she started out
for she embodied her experience in a
newspaper story after giving up and GO
ing back west. She carried the story to
that wonderful creature in all young and
ambitious girls minds, the successful
newspaper woman. The newspaper wo-
man was dattered, being young herself,
and succeeded in getting the story in
Miss Banks was told it would GO and
she sat up all that night waiting for the
paper to come out. At daybreak she
rushed out on the street, colared the first
newsboy and bought his entire stock.
Then she ran into the house and awak-
ened the family by shouting esctatically
through the halls, my story is printed
my story Is printedw
She did not go on from that moment to
success in journalism, but had to fall
back on her typewriter for a living and a
career. IL brought her the career, how
ever, for shortly after Mr.. John Hicks OF
Oshkosh was made minister to Peru and
he made her his private secretary She
is the only woman who was ever an at
tache OF a legation. and of that she Is
properly very proud. In Peru she wrote
newspaper articles for papers at home,
and In that way got her first real expe-
rience. When she came back, which she
did after year, she went to Baltimore.
and worked for paper there.
The eternal feminine finds in this young
woman perfect embodiment She makes
the feminine her weapon Of warfare, and
is always deliciously inconsistent to that
end. once on the Baltimore paper the
editor gave an assignment to a man which
she thought should have been given 10
her. She rushed into the sanctum and air
ed her grievance. The editor explained
that he thought the particular assign
ment would have been disagreeable to
woman. She declared she did not wish TO
be treated like a woman. Later that
evening big fire broke out and the ed
itor called her in and told her to cover 1t.
Her wrath broke forth again, and this
time was made earnest with tears But
that was some time ago and detail
1t was about four years ago that Miss
all u
She had her star-spangled banner flung
to the breeze and was prepared to de-
spise the British and loathe the British
err The first thing that caught her eye
IN the London papers was an article by
Rudyard kipling, in the Times, regard
Ing American women. 1t purported to be
a delineation Of the type, and stated that
II lived in boarding houses, had no idea
of the sacred meaning of home, and went
down to breakfast at noon in green silk
gowns, and other interesting data Of the
same nature Miss Banks wrote furious
retort Of about column, and sent II TO
the editor.
II was printed with her name attached
the next morning and an evening paper
said edltorially that II was quite refresh
ing 10 see the staid Times devot,ng a col
umn Of It's best space TO the silly twaddle
OF an American girl. But It was that ar
ticle and all the criticism It awakened that
gave her a start in London.
She says 4 awakened her ambition to
stay IN London and be success there.
She went to a lot OF editors and suggested
stories to them but at first she could not
get a hearing. Then she sat down and
thought. She thought hard for two weeks
FOR some Idea that would force attention.
IL came 10 her at last like an inspiration.
way 10 attract readers of every class, ana
that was to tackle the SER
want question. She went to the