The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-11
A FAIR STREET CLEANER
Chicago Is Proud of Its Female Su-
perintendent.
The Novel Work of Overseeing Gangs
of Laborers All Day Has Changed
Mrs. Paul From II Delicate, Unhappy
Mother Into Vigorous ToiIer
Who Finds JOY in Her Occupation.

CHICAGO. March 1O.-MrS. 4. Emma
gene Paul, Superintendent of the Second
ward street cleaning, may well be called
the Colonel Waring. of Chicago. AS the
| first woman in the world to engage in the
work of street cleaning from the practi-
cal side and the only woman up to date
to have occupied the position which she
today holds. there is mere than a novel in
| teIpst in noting Mrs. Paul's evolution from
frail, aenemic, melancholy. reserved in
valid to the vigorous. robust capable,
fearless creature which she is today; driy-
ing about the streets of Chicago from
morning until night, or from night until
morning, as the case may be; overseeing
gangs of workmen. fnanciering street re-
pairs, eschewing politics in the most poll
tic manner befrending the workfngman
and his famly-strong, honest. courag-
eOus and kind, living exponent, in her
particular sphere, of the Ruskin gospel of
joy in work. and the beauty of labor.
Twenty years ago. according to Mrs.
Paul, she was exactly the type of woman
that constituted the despair of the violent
woman suffragist. She had no theories as
to the position or advancement of woman
was interested in no sex movement" she
was not even a member OF any club. and
had no wish to be: when occasionally ask
ed TO do something to help on the cause
of woman she might put her hand in her
pocket to please friend, but she really
thought very little of the cause. and as for
taking any active part in matters outside
OF her home, her reply always was: My
work is right here; / have all that | can
do at home"
She was not however, without her am
billions. but they were all centred in an
only son, for whom she thought worked
studied. traveei-lived. From the first
moment of his existence, she consecrated
herself to the single great aim of making
him the finest possible type of human
being. But just as she began to reap the
beautiful harvest of her sowing malignant
dipbtheria came. and before she fully real
lied that her son was i'll he was gone
Then followed six years of hopeless mel
ancholy. combined with failure of vitality.
until she was reduced to the condition of
chronic nervous dyspeptie. so acnemic
that her body seemed to have completely
lost the power to produce red blood
One day in her usually lifeless mood she
picked up the daily paper, and her eye
CHANGED 10 light upon little editorial in
reference to a woman who had also suf-
fered, but who had risen above her grief
and was making her life distinct bless
ing 10 humanity. Something in the spirit
of the article aroused Mrs Paul to q sud-
den resolve and when her mother came
into the room she quietly announced her
intention of going back to Chicago. To
hef family the very idea was madness. but
neither illness nor influence could deter
Mrs Paul from her purpose, and to Chi
eago she came with ne definite plan as to
what she was going to do, but believing
that some work must be waiting for her
in the big. crowded city. This was in 1893.
the spring after the Worlds Fair. and it
so happened that Mrs. Paul went TO. visit
friend. who was a member OF the Mu-
nicipal League, an organization formed
during the fair, for the purpose OF seeing
what power women could exert in the ad- |
ministration of civic affairs. The club
seemed very much alive to the generally !
filthy condition of the city, and to the |
of it's laws. After lis |
tening to endless explorations and discus
sion5 of the subject, Mrs. Paul one day |
ventured to say:
We'll, ladies. you talk very well, but /
why don't you do something"
Yes" was the reply but how to be- |
gin. 1t was obviousl! necessary to first |
make terms with the mayor, and none of |
the ladies had any personal acquaintance |
with him. As chance would have it. Mrs. |
Paul had a friend who knew that official. |
and ii all ended in her being detailed to |
bring the attention of Mr.. Mayor to a few ,
of the things that the Municipal League |
wished to have done. She found his honor
very much inclined to treat the whole |
matter as a joke. He, however, finally 1
volunteered TO go before the ladies and |
prove to them the utter futility of their
schemes He accordingly went. but not /
finding them so easy TO convince as he had
imagined. he consented 10 appoint an in
spector from among them. providing the
league would second his choice OF Mrs
Paul for the office.
Nothing could have been more averse
to Mrs. Paul's inclinations; but finding
that her refusal would Stultify any further
efforts of the club. she consented to take
the office for month, simply to prove that
it was not only a possible. but an emf
nently suitable position for a woman to
hold She had no need and no desire to
add TO her income and undertook the
work with the sole aim of proving that !
woman could do il. She was thereupon
to take one of the best
wards in the city. Investigate it's condi-
tons. and do Whatever she chose for its
Improvement, with the equipment already
appropriated. Mrs. Paul first spent sew
eral days in a study of the situation, and
she was later to discover
in nearly every ward in the city-that the
regular inspector was given his Office as a
reward for electioneering during political
and that, although drawing
81 goo a year salary. he not only did no
work. but nothing was expected of him:
in fact, in most instances lie had some
other business which consumed all his
time. The contractors were in much the
same situation. While there was a law to
the effect that the garbage cans were to be
empted three times a week they were
often left to accumulate unwh1esome de-
bris for six weeks or more, and the alleys
even adjoining fine residences-were an
horror, an Offence that smelt
. heaven.
Mrs. Paul adds, by the way. that sup
pcsedly fastidious women have their pc
;uliarties; that If they can get the often
5ive thing OF their own premises it
concerns them very little where it goes
whether a little lower down the alley or
)nly into neighbnrng garbage can.
Her investigations concluded. Mrs Paul
ooked up the contractor who. fortunately,
vas an easy going. hearty freshman. He
vas infinitely amused at the novel situa-
ion, and seeming 10 think it best to hui
nor the women in their little whims' be-
stirred himself to secure teams and work
men and stood good naturedly by while
Mrs. Paul "bossed the jub''-regarding the
whole proceeding as a little windstorm
hat would soon blow over. The new in
'pectOr systematzed he Labor OF the ward, |
Exactly as she would have done her own
house cleaning: thoroughly cleansing a
given area. then going back each day over
III that had been done removing any new
iccumulations. Even the men became
a,