Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-08-14
A WOMAN BOOMER.
SHE ATTRACTS EMlGRANTS AND CAP
ITAt TO HER STATE.

e.
Failure at Millinery but II Success in
Lcciurine for California Ruiiroats-'Tis
SAID She Gun l:oo,n Western Land with
More Glihne-s Than Book Agent.
California has Il novelty in woman
hood. She is Mrs. Janet Macdonald.
whose business is TO go about the coun-
try featuring to attract emigrants and
capital to the Pacific coast 1t is said
that she can boom Western land with
more glibness than book agent can
boom book. Mrs. Macdonald is an
excellent speaker. and her lectures de-
scriblng the natural resources and adj
vantages OF California are illustrated
with kaleidoscope pictures taken direct
ly under her supervision. She owns
frankly that she was Il failure rs Il
millner and says she'd rather. talk up
California than 90 anything else she
ever tried. According to Chicago Tri-
bune, her braad-winning road has not
always been 50 easy to travel as it is
since the railroad companies employed
her. When asked 10 talk about her
work Mrs. Macdonald said:
Il went to California when l was
II years old. riding horseback all the
way from Council Bluffs with my ia
Their, who was captain Of the wagon
train. We set out on May |, and ar
rived in Carson City. where We made
our first considerable stop. Saptenihe.
Is. Thirty years later came back,
and OH a solidly veatibiilcd train max
ing the trip entirely across the con
tinent in five days. The railroad fol
lows for great part Of the way the
Old wagon trail, and as l Travelled
back ] could recognize many land
marks around our old camping spots.
Il began to earn my own living a
rev months before my t"cnty-iirst
birthday, widow With three children
to support, ard having had tie alvan-
tage OF six months schooling. When
my husband died ! realized l must
earn my living ans; raise my child
ron. knew Of bui three occupations
open to women IN MY pusition--st.w
Ing, millinery, and keepins 4 board
Ing house. | selected millinery. For
six months struggled and made MY
i
know now, that my friends bought my
goods only from sympathy. So IF
course did not have heavy sales.
/ became discourlG ed. and one day
when blue said in the presence OF
man friend that l WAS willing to do
anything by which | could earn an
honorable living for Ey children. He
said: Why don't you canvass for
books? You could make money, hands
up, for you are just the woman for
the place s.5-.ys----=,-,,-,.,-
ITO make a long story short, began
TO canvass for books, and in the first
two weeks made 500. 50 | gave UP my
millinery store and devoted myself to
canvassins. My relatives We're hosri-
fed, and had been Il lepcr they could
not have avoided me more carefully
That treatment aroused my pride and
l worked all the harder. Many 4 day
have gotten up with the sun, gone
out after a light breakfast. ana worked
until black dark Without having tine
for dinner or lunch. Or course, ii
had no. possessed an iron constitution
l would have died. 50 wcld Ly all
means advise women against such ex-
tremes.
las l travelled about the country it
occurred to me that | might make n
good thing by writing newspaper let
tiers. So i'll the morning would can
vass the towns for my hooks and in the
afternoon drive out TO different points
OF interest for my letters. You may
imagine how l felt when. to please
my friends, | accepted 4 position in the
mint at SIS a month. After the first
month | gave it up and Wen; back to
my old profession. How could I live
and educate my children on S75 Il
month after being used To hundreds
many other occupations. became less
remuneratiye as the facilities for travel
increased, SO in time got 4 place to
travel in the interest Of several CT the
largest hotels III San Francisco. Then
the railroads wanted me- and finally
here | am, sent out in the interest Of
the state itself. Illustrating with
kaleidoscope pictures is an idea of my
own. 1t impressed me that the best
way W ludEt al fl!titlitt lt+tiiLt IUt
size OF our big trees was to show them
team passing through. one. or~to let
them see thirty-siX couples dancing on
a stump. TO make them understand
the great amount OF work done. Ivy a
giant harvester the best way was to
show its progress from the time it en-
tered the field of growing grain until
1t left the grain cut threshed, sacked,
weighed, measured. stamped and piled
for shipment.
1T was difficult to &c! the pictures.
The first machine l took out West for
the purpose of making the photographs
was faulty in soIa way. and the pic
lures proved a failure. 30 had to come
East again and go To the trouble and
expense Of getting another. You may
be sure had it thoroughly tested be-