The Washington times., 1902-02-14

bic requisite of journalist is "a nose
for news, and a talent for seeming out
a story under the baldest happenings.
With men the ability to collect and
disseminate news is the triumph of edu-
cation over nature. With women it is
intuitive faculty.
IT is only within the last three or four
years, however. that woman has been re-
moved from the side show of journalistic
freaks and let in the main floor OF
legitimate newspaper work. She is no
longer advertised as a strange creature
of almost human intelligence. who can
write almost like a man. She works side
by side with her brother and stands or
falls on her own merit"
"Pi,ls in Politics."
Miss Bertha Lucas then gaze a violin
solo. THE Legende' of Weiniawski. ac-
companied by Mr.. Edward Duke. and was
heartily applauded.
DR.. Cora Smith Eaton then delivered
an address entitled, pills in. Politics."
She said in part;
at is not a far cry from pills to
politics. The woman doctor cannot
practice at all until she has passed an
examination required by law made by
men, before a State medical examining
only in the four equal suffrage States
are women doctors given paid and re-
sponsible positions on boards and on
STATS of institutions where women are
confined or congregated
The progress OF woman in medicine
has kept pace with the suffrage move
ment. In 1915 the first convention was
called to discuss woman's rights, and in
that year Miss Elizabeth Blackwell be-
gan to study medicine To-day, while
DR.. Blackwell, the first woman doctor, is
still living, there are probably 5000
women practicing medicine in this coun-
try. 1t is Z modest estimate to say that
on this 18th day of February, 100, 900 pa
TENTS have tasted the pills or the
scalpels OF women physicians and sur
geons in this country.
THE pioneer doctor suffered social os-
tracism, professional contempt and per-
secution. legal restrictions and CONNER
cial suspicion Landlords refusing to rent
houses TO herr; while the modern woman
finds nearly all the best medical schools
open to her, State boards courteous and
complimentary. and landlords seeking her
as a tenant.
Municipal politics affect women even
more keenly than State politics. One-fifth
the population of cities are women and
three-tift are children. It is manifeStly
unjust that the men. the One-fifth OF the
population who know least bout the needs
of the other four-fif should constitute
the health boards. In Minneapolis a wom
an physician was named for member of
the health board, bIjt was rejected by the
aldermen because there were seven or
eight good Republicans who needed to be
taken care OF and must not be pushed
aside for some one who had no vote.
There's the impeachment, my friends;
and the women doctors want the irnpedi-
ment removed"
At the conclusion of the address Mrs.
Gait remarked that DR.. Eaton was not
only a doctor with large practice, but
surgeon with 4 very long record. When
l tell you" she continued, that in the
city of Minneapolis there is no surgeon
who has cut more people to pieces than
she has [laughterl you will see what
that record is
..From Statues to Statutes"
Miss Bertha Lucas then gave another
violin solo.
Miss Gail Laughl'n paper, From |
Statues to Statutes" was next on the |
Miss Laughlin's appearance
was greeted with cordially which in
dicated that the audience knew what was
coming.
The speaker defined her subject by say
ing that women were now asking for
substance from statutes instead of from
statues.
Literally" she said. they have asked
for bread and have been given stone.
Justice has been represented by the fig
ure of a woman. while women have been
forbidden to practice law in the courts.
refer to the case of Mrs. Myra Brad
well. whom the Supreme Court refused
the right to practice law. because it was
contrary to the law of God
when the law of God is invoked by
court it is a pretty sure sign that the
court cannot depend on the statutes of
man.
Between three and four hundred wl-
men have been admitted to the bar in
this country, and of these but two hun
dred are in actual practice. This is be-
cause of the prejudice against women,
which makes it difficult for woman law
yer to get clients"
Mrs. Laughlin made a strong argument
in favor of the practice of law by women
even under these discouragemeDts. al
though admitting that this profession, in
which women must depend almost wholly
on men for business, could only be a ia