The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-04-07

like for a young girl 10 make a tel.
phone. Well the phone did not wot
Like many another enterprise on wklra
high hores hang. II failed Yet naf
wholly f7- C made buzz. a buzz thar
was really scary 70 ono Knowing sltt
whence IL came. and 10 that extent tie
girl was consoled. She knows now tina.
the magnets were not right A friend
OF the family, seeing how intensely IN
earnest she was in pursuit OF scientific
knowledge, gave her the Ia fest and besi
books on the subject that most oc,l-
pied her. Thus az an age when ordi-
nary girls are reading novels Edith
Griswold was delving into the mysteiss
OF electricity with the ar1cr OF Mar
conf Astronomy was also av science
that attracted her powerfully. naturally
because OF her ma athematical bent.
She found a school OF steam engineer
ing that admitted girl pupils. Fortu-
nately. again, nobody prevented her
from studying steam engineering on the
ground that II was nor ladylike, so n
TINS school she and a girl friend en-
rolled themselves as students. one day
Their teacher showed his Sass some
exquisite mechanical drawings that had
been prepared for United States patent
oihce inspection. The work was so
exact that IL captivated Miss Girls
wold's mathematical Imagination. and
she and the girl friend decided they
would prepare themselves for patent
office drawing. In tho school OF stean,
engineering they learned the use OF
mathematical Instruments, and at 4
the two went with enthusiasm. practic-
ing for future excellence. The first on
Ject they made a drawing OF accordirc
10 patent Office rules was an ink bottle.
The two got list of the patent attor-
neys In New York and Interviewed
them. one lawyer gave Miss Griswo.d
n set of old patent office drawings.
These she took home and copied over
and again week after week with the
earnestness and fidelity OF soul thar
characterize her in every undertaking.
Thus the eye and hand OF exactness IN
curve and angle developed till she fe,t
hersel1 able 10 make pictures of ma
chinery. What the woman patent at
torney has obtained i'm either honor or
emolument she has earned.
AT length she had some pretty little
cards printed in violet ink announcing
that Miss Edith j. Griswold was pre-
pared TO make patent office drawings to
order. She got i'm return some work.
though patent lawyers. with the supe-
rior wisdom that characterizes the mas
culine sex. often refused to consider her
seriously. She did, however, obtain
regular employment in the Office ofla
solicitor, who paid her. Sc week. She
was making progress. For awhile, too.
she taught mathematics In a girls
school and made patent office drawings
at home in the afternoon.
After time she opened an Office for
preparing mechanical drawings anl
soon had more orders than she herself
could fill. Things had come her way ar
last Hut ncbiy aspiring nature IS
never content with present achieves
ment. One OF her customers, a patent
attorney, Mr.. Hubert Howson, offered
her the place of managing clerk in his
Office. She saw in this an opportunity
10 learn more than she could do alone
SO, Without hesitating, she gave UP her
own established business and became
Mr.. Howson's head clerk. in his ern-
ploy she remained several years, learn
ms still. always learning.
Then a new dream a higher aspira-
tiGn--could not she herself be a patent
attorney? why not? There Was no
reason. The thought that heiag wa
man preVen.cd hop from ,iolng what
she wished in thc ir9us,riai world hal
never becn educated into her, and she
did not know how to fail.
Iier employer became her preccptcr
and gave her every aid in his power
which her grateful soul duly alfrresl-
atey, for thus some hard things were
made easier for her. With him she
studied mostly till she was able to pass
examination for the bar. In 1897 she
opened her own Office as patent solic.
itor. passing her examinations for the
bar a year later She is now rated 25
an authority on trademark and copy
right.
Miss Griswold looks back over path
toilsome, but ever tending upward and
replete with happiness. because OF the
kindness and affection Of the frieDds
she made along the road; because too,
she had trained herself TO meet the
events of this life in that spirit which
was the lamented Robert Louis Steven
sons most cherished ideal. sprt
courageous and gay"
So may we too, whatever happens, 3s
courageous and gay"
LILLIAN GRAY.