Middletown transcript., 1897-10-23
WHAT A WOMAN IS DOING.

woman has been chosen Tor SUCH Z
commission. Mrs. Paul took the con.
tract because in the list cf Civil Ser.
vice eligiblss her name Was at the top,
and Mayor Harrison reasoned that il
was not far wrong to have woman as
head sweeper, anyway. He presented
his plan 10 her. II was exactly what
she wanted to do, and exactly what
she thought she could do. She there
fore rolled up her sleeves, tucked up
her skirts, and --one day startled the
town by appearing on its busiest street
at the head Of the broom brigade.
There is no one in Chicago who does
not think Mrs. Paul will accomplish
what she has set out to do. The town
has confidence in her, despite the fact
that for twenty years men have failed
TO keep even the crosswalks passable,
or the alleys better than the byways of
an Indian shamble. Mrs. Paul is not
new woman." She is plain busi-
ness from the bottom of her feet to the
top of her head. Her chin is pointed
and her head tips back over two square
shoulders. Sue is built like q woman
who always knows her own mind. She
wears policeman's star under her
jacket, and she has never hesitated to
step in the middle of the road and ask
the officer on the beat TO stop scaven-
ger who was sprinkling old bustles and
cans from his overloaded cart. Many a
baker, making bread with rats in a
basement, has been driven from busi-
ness by her persistent nagging as an
agent of the Health Department. She
has cleaned out scores of unworthy
buildings. 1t has never been recorded
that she feared anybody, or hesitated
to demand the enforcement of any or.
dinance calculated to keep the town
clean.
This unique Commissioner of streets
is New York woman. She was born
in little village in Monroe County,
near Rochester. Her parents had
plenty of money, and more. They con-
cluded to try the West while Mrs. Paul
was young girl. They went first to
Rockford, ILL.,, and we're prosperous.
Mrs. Paul-the only girl in the family
went to he seminary at Canandaigua,
where she was graduated wi b honors,
and went back to Rockford to live the
peaceful life of bright country girl on
big farm.
She was married in due course, and
it was all sunshine for long tine.
Then the clouds piled up with one
great sweep. She lost her husband,
her father, her four brothers-all in
few months. Her son followed the
Others This left ber without kin on
earth, save her mother. She therefore
decided to give her life and her ener-
gies to the good of the race in general,
the poor in particular.
Mrs. Paul moved To Chicago to have
a broad Geld for her philanthropy. She
became member of the Civic Fedora
tion-a reformatory organization which
was organized for the good of the town
By Secretary Lyman J. Gage. The So
ciety needed workers who would be
honest under fire, and who would be
fearless in the search for dishonesty.
Mr.. Gage accepted the services of Mrs.
Paul, and for three or four years she
wore the badge of authority equal to
that of policeman. ALI the sanitary
crusades were entrusted to her. She
picked out the worst part of the city,
aud spent her days there. A dozen
gan bage contractors were forced by her
to give up their contracts for failure
to comply with the agreements. She
dug into the filthy Easements in the
foreign settlements and found bakers
making bread which was breeding di-
sease. This manner of thing was stop
ped by an ordinance she prepared. A
big combination was about to close
deal for five years by which each man
in it should get rich out of work for
the Health Department. Mrs Paul
stepped into the Council Committee
with proofs which knocked the project
into cooked hat and saved the city
another big scandal.
1t was her ambition to get chance
at the downtown streets. The only
Way to get the chance was to take the
Civil Service examination. This was
easy. She passed the questions with
grade of fraction more than 98 per
Cent. the highest in the history of the
Board. Mayor Harrison aud Commits
sioner McGann wanted a change in the |
of the central sweeping
plan. The only way to get such a
Cu6uS6 WdS CO udh0 U6W appoint.
ment. The Civil Service people sent |
in Mrs. Paul's name as the one
next in line. The Mayor was delighted. |
She was appointed forthwith. She
has seen ut work week, and there
are alIeady signs of Improvement.
All she says she wants is more men,
fifty more, with City more brooms and /
she will make Chicago as
br ght as dollar-at least the front
yard of Chicago.
Mrs. Paul's success In the depart
ment which she will manage in Chi
cago will be a personal triumph for
her, and practical Endorsement of
The methods which were introduced by
The present Commissioners of Street
Cleaning In New York. Mrs. Paul
recognized the value of Col
Onel Warnings methods, and came to
New York to learn what she could on
The subject. She spent four days at
In fha Street Giaanin nono rfrno.,k a,,a