The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-05-09

and has fer4enEineer's liscense, al legal
as that held by any male engineer in
the Buckeye State,
Miss Stout is but eighteen years old.
In September, 1898, she made her debut
into the business world as a bookkeep-
er in the Dyesville Flowering Mill. But
office works did. not prove congenial.
and besides~the ambitious girl was not
able to make as much money as she
Thought she ought to. So she conceived
the plan Of studying the milling bust
ness. So rapidly did her application
fit her for advancement that in a short
time, in spite of her youth, she was
put in charge Of the. flour department.
Gradually she acquired q, knowledge
Of machinery and mechanical devices.
She fourd that nothing fascinated her
half as much: Then she determined to
learn engineering. Friends sought to
dissaude: her, but the aspiring engineer
was obdurate. In July 1899, she began
firing, and two months later she was
entrusted wit 1the responsibility of
managing the entire plant.
She passed the rigid examination pre-
scribed by the state with complete sue
cess. The district examiner said he had
never received more intelligent ans
wers.
The engine Miss Stout runs is sta
tionary one. She dispenses with mas
culine help, shoveling her own coal and
doing all the furnace work. Far from
proving a strain this arduous work
seems to agree with the fair engineer,
and she is as healthy, sturdy and
charming a girl as can be found any,
where.
Within the last few months the wom-
en- of the country districts of the United
States have found a new occupation in
the Government service. Some hund-
reds all owe rthe country have been ap-
pointed rural letter carriers, and the
reports to the Department show that
the women have done wonderfully well
in their new occupation.
Indeed, only a few years ago super
intendent Machen of the Free Delivery
Division Of the Postoffice Department
received reports that number of his
female rural carriers braved the severe
billiards. in the West, and while acting
as substitutes for the men carriers
| made the daily deliveries in the deep
snow and sleet of the blizzard in a
ner.
There are at present no less than
| thirty-seYen female rural letter car
riers, that is, thirty-seven women who
have stood the Civil Service examina-
lions and passed so we'll that they ex-
| celled the male candidates and have
! been appointed regular rural carriers,
not substitutes. -.
z.Ss ss IND err the: rules Of disappointment
Of rural carriers the#reg.1lar2 I, carrier
after his apppintrnent has theaarightS to
name bstf tute who iS to 40 his
work sW hen the Carrier isa;sick or IN
T capaeitated for work. Generally. the
carrier appoints some member Of his
| family, as he has to supply his horse
| and wagon for the service, and of late
| the carriers have been naming their
| wives, sisters or daughters and some
| times their mothers as substitutes. The
| department has found that these sub
stitutes have performed good work, and
that their sex has not 1nterfered with
the rural delivery, so when woman is
named now as a substitute she is ac-
cepted..
The Department officials say that
| women make very good carriers, and
they do not lose time gossiping when
| delivering the mail as one would sup
pose, and that the innate love of CAD
ding about and visiting their friends
| to see what is going on makes the fe
| male like the work and forget the
drudgery and hardships incident to q
| daily drive twenty or more miles in al
| sorts of weather.