Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-18
WOMEN AND SCIENCE
RIVALS OF MAN IN FIELD OF
ORIGINAL RESEARCH.
Five Students of Ancient Civilizations
to Attend Congress of
Americanists.

From the New York Tribune.
Five women whose names are well known
among the students interested in the primi-
tive civilizations OF this continent will be
present at the international congress ,of
Amercanists, to be held at the American
Museum of Natural History, New York, Oc-
tober 2O25. They are Mrs. leila Nuttall
Miss Alice Fletcher, Miss Adele Breton Mrs
Alice Carey Maudslay and Mrs. Seller. The
first two are American women. Miss Bre
ton is an English woman, Mrs. Maudslay is
the American wife of an Englishman and
Mrs Seller is German. All five of them
have donevery interesting things. They have
penetrated regions remote from civilization
and inhabited only by Indians. They have
explored old ruins, and endured all the pri-
vations incident to exploration in a wild
tropical country. For. instance, Mrs. Seller
the wife of Professor Seller of Berlin. a
distinguished explorer, has accompanied him
on all his expeditions. She has published
a book Of travel, and was decorated by
the French government last year.
Mrs. Maudslay has also gone exploring
with her husband, who IS one of the most
distinguished of all Americanists. The two
collaborated in the production of beautiful
and expensive book recently published. Mr.
Maudslay wrote the archaeology and Mrs
Maudslay the popular sketches of travel
which the book contains. Mrs. MaudSlay Is
a member of the old Morris family of revo-
lutionary fame, and her relatives live in
Morrisania. She edited the journey of Rog-
er Morris published few years ago.
Copied Ancient Frescoes
Miss Adela Breton is from Barth, Eng
land, and for many years spent her winters
in Mexico for reasons of health. Becoming
interested in the remains of the pre- Column
bian civilization, she has devoted an i'm
mense amount of time to travel and re-
search here Although not a scientist she
has done one thing which has been attempt
ed by no one else. This was the copying of
the ancient frescoes. She would go to ruins,
like those of ChichenitZa in Yucatan. re-
mote from civilization. reached only at the
expense of tremendous hardshps in the
way of travel and accommodations. and,
surrounded only by Indians, she would have
scaffolding erected and spend months in a
careful and exhaustive copying of the
mural paintings. This was entirely a labor
of love, she is a wealthy woman and has
pursued her plans at her own expense. She
has never even published anything, but she
persuaded to come to this congress for
the first time and show some of her paint
ings. She will also read a paper describ-
ing an ancient obsidian mine.
Indians Her Speciality.
In Miss Fletcher and Mrs Nuttall, how
ever, are found two students whose achieve
ments have placed them in the first rank
of Amercanists. Miss Fletcher has for
years been associated with the Indian bu-
reau and the Smithsonian Museum at Wash
ington, and in the former capacity has
done work performed by no other woman.
She surveyed government LANDS aIIioliS the
Omahas and had charge of the division of
these lands. She lived among them for
years. did a great deal for them in a phil
anthropic way, and learned to know them
better probably, than any other person.
Though her work has been practical, her
observations have all been from the sci
entifc standpoint, and her reports to the
government have embodied studies Of the
life, religion, traditions, myths and folk
lore of the Omahas. She Is best known,
perhaps, to the popular mind by her work
in making known the Omaha music. which
for the first time was written under her
care, the words of their songs being trans
lated by her. Miss Fletcher founded the
Woman's Anthropological Society Of Wash
ington and was for some years it's presi-
dent She holds the Thaw fellowship in
Peabody Museum.
Studies Mexican Antiquities.
Mrs. Nuttall is an Americanist of first
rank, and her work holds a peculiar place
in the study of the ancient Mexican civiliza-
ton Her special line Of research is in
Mexican antiquities. including the ancient
picture writings. Mrs. Nuttan has pursued
these picture writings almost all over Eu-
rope. When the COMMISSIONER reached
Mexico they garnered up some of the finest
and most celebrated picture writing and
sent them to the court of Spain as curios.
When the first archbishop from Spain saw