The Washington times., 1902-08-29
Miss Lula Jordan's Tress-
eS Interfered With
Her Work.
FED A GOVERNMENT PRESS
Employe of Printing Office Resents
Dictation as to the Way She Shall
Wear Her Locks, and There is
Trouble in Big Printery.

Uncle Sam has among his employees in
the Government Printing Office one
young lady who refuses TO work because
she is not allowed to wear ner hair in
exactly the manner she desires. There is
in the whole category of rules governing
the actions and work of departmental
employees no passage that tends TO die
tate how young ladies shall wear their
hair. But despite this fact, Miss Lula D.
Jordan, who resides at zoos / Street
northwest, is out OF a good job because
she persists in making her coiffure in a
manner that is tabooed by the foreman
OF the press room, Mr.. Henry C. Nc
Farland.
About a month ago the young wO-
man. who is press feeder. was requests
ed to change the style OF dressing her
hair. as it was said to interfere seri-
ously with her work. According TO The
observations of the boss" her manner
OF wearing her tresses occasioned her
such continual anxiety as to result in
her robbing Uncle Sam of about halt ne
time she was paid to work. One day Mr..
Mcfarland politely protested against
this loss of time, and requested that
Miss Jordan adopt some other style of
wearing her hair.
Here, it is said, the female press feed
er grew exceedingly wroth. and proceed
ed to institute lively doings in the nam
moth print shop for the space of several
minutes. She hurriedly left her ma
chine, rushed into the cloak room and
secured her hat and parasol. and left
the scene, where she had avowedly been
grossly insulted." Traversing the parts
of the building where the other girls
were at work. il is said that she reused
a sort of mild panic by loudly proclaim
ing the injury that had been done her.
Met With Diplomacy.
At the office of Mr. Oscar J. Ricketts,,
who, in the absence of Mr. Palmer, is
in charge of the work, she met her final
Waterloo.
Il am sorry. miss he said. that you
are having serious differences with Mr..
Mcfarland. l would not attempt for
anything in the world to suggest to you
how to wear your hair. which, am sure.
is most attractive. But the complaint
is that your hair interferes with the
feeding OF the presses and causes the
spelling of many sheets CT paper"
He further sustained Mr. Mcfarland
in the position he had taken in the mat
ter. and. il is said, intimated to the
young lady that when she underwent an
operation for her trcsses the officials
would be glad to have her return to
work
Mss Jordan rose in her dignity and
departed. Nor has she since been heard
from at the printing Office
Strange to say. although the indignant
employe has not yet condescended 20
allow her former fellow workers n
glimpse of her. her position is sJiil open
to her, and the officials are patiently
awaiting her return to work. She must,
however, have adopted some other style
OF coiffure before that event takes place.
Her Hair Employed oEe Hand.
The particular complaint against Miss
Jordan's manner CT wearing her hai-
was that il hung down over her face
and obliged her to constantly employ
one hand in holding it up or pushing ii
back about her ears. She was employed
on one of the smaller machines, known
as a Job" press. The blank sheets OF
paper have TO be fed into these ma
chimes by ore person. Both hands are
required to do the work and the feeder
must be constantly cn the alert in order
10 perform the task properly.
In order to dispatch the enormous
amount OF work necessary TO be dor.
each day in the present small and
cramped quarters of The office, these Job
presses have to be fed at the rate Of
1900 sheets per hour If the number
falls below this average the work Of tie
ircssroom IS serIeu5ly Handicapped.
Miss Jordan, it is stated, did let IT fall
short. And on account OF the fall Of
her hair
AS the story current at the printing
Cfice goes, the young woman missed
every other sheet in order that she
might reach up with her hand and brush
her tresses back out of her eyes. In
this way she continually skipped making
Impressions on the machine actually
feeding in abolt kalf the requisite num-
Der.
Finally the foreman of the press room
decided that he could afford to lose no
more time and work in this manner
Consequently the female press feeder
received polite call down" and at
once left the office. She is permitted
TO return az will-provided. Of course
she wears her hair done up in a new
style.
Considers 1t "Comic."
Mr.. Henry C. Mcfarland. foreman OF
the press room. who was directly re-
Eponsible for the tabooing of the press
feeders Peculiar coiffure. lives at 455 G
Street northwest. When seen last night
by g Times reporter in regard to the
matter involving Miss Jordan. he talked
entertainAngly on the subject. apparent
ly considering the whole affair com
ical story.
Honestly, ! don't think ever saw a
head of hair like Miss Jordan's." said
M. Mcfarland Every hair seemed 10
stick out straight and have q particu-
1sr place of its own. You've seen the
sort OF Eair dressing / mean. II seems
to be quite popular with girls nova
days. But that wos just a bit differ
snt from the way other girls Ak thei.'
tresses.
when the young woman bent over