The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-12

after leaving
college. She con-
tinued in the teaching profession tin
she had distributed her labors over five
states. She taught in Detroit. was as
slstant principal in Wichita. Kan,
again was normal school instructor in
Minnesota and finally was supervisor
of music in an Iowa school.
Her life was in the main a pleasant
one during this career Of teaching.
Her vigorous intellect, superior educa-
ton and bright. aspiring nature opened
to her naturally the higher places in
the teachers world, and that threw her
socially among college people and lit
erary folk. She was well paid, too, as
teaching goes. but by and by the ques-
| ton occurred to her, What can a wo-
man teacher do if she grows old? Be
fore the teacher there is always the ne
cessity of making provision for one or
both of the inevitables of life" death
and old age. If the teacher dies young
her proper pride" impels her to ar
range for being buried or cremated, as
the case may be. in respectable style.
If she lives to old age, then all the
greater the need that she shall have a
! little income to maintain her while she
/ is waiting to die, as so many persons of
both sexes apparently consider that
they must do. These often bid the
world and all its activities farewell
twenty or thirty years before they ac-
. tually do die.
Thinking of herself led Theodore
/ Wadsworth to think of other women
teachers and workers on comparatively
small wages. In these days of hard
conditions the hope of matrimony as a
life support is a broken stick to lean
upon. Plainly, thought Miss Wads-
worth, the common sense thing for wo-
men wage earners to do is to tax their
income during their years Of activity
so they may have fixed income when
they are old. That is about how Miss
Wadsworth puts it in her insurance lin
go. To make this forehanded provision
for herself and to induce other women
to do likewise so that they might be
free from the bitter dependence of old
age Miss Wadsworth gradually came
to consider her special work.
Some of the large life insurance COM
panies were beginning TO open depart
ments for women. Being a mathemati-
clan naturally, the figuring part of the
insurance business had fascination
it. Her hope and ambition centered on
becoming an actuary. the computing
official of an insurance company and
the top notch in the profession.
She was in Iowa at the time she was
drawn to the insurance field. The COM
pany with which she is still connected
was opening a woman's department in
the northwest with offices at st. Paul
ri ~ "a of 10
new feminine branch of the enterprise.
That was her opportunity to prove
how valuable and capable a business
man a woman makes when she sets her
head TO do it. She remained three
years in st. Paul, managing her depart
ment and watching with pride and
pleasure it's growth. Then the company
sent her to Iowa and Nebraska 10 open
insurance offices for women. Her head |
quarters were in Omaha and Des
Moines.
About that time. too. she began 20
train other women for insurance
agents, a work for which her years as
public school teacher fitted her spe-
cially. In Omaha she gave lessons 10
high school teachers at the beginning /
OF their summer vacation. In her own |
office she had blackboard. on which /
she figured before their eyes the prob 4
lens they as agents would encounter I
In two weeks she prepared them 1
TO go out and try their hands at OBJ /
tanning insurance orders. Some spe-
cial faculty seems necessary to be a 4
successful life insurance agent What 4
ever this is, few possess IL Miss Wads- /
worth says. When woman has H. 4
however. she succeeds remarkably well 4
One lady during the experimental sum
mer vacation work obtained such good 4
results that Miss Wadsworth advised /
her TO ask for leave OF absence from the f
high school in which she was a teacher.
She got the leave and succeeded so well
in insurance that she resigned from
the school and became at length super-
intendent OF the company's woman's
department in Iowa
As 10 Miss Uadsworth herself uyNo
had done such successful pioneering
work. she was transferred 20 New York
city and made superintendent OF the
whole branch Of the business which
pertains 10 insuring women.
do you employ agents?" somebody
asked her.
Yes. ] employ agents. and am NY
self my own best agent" she answered
a woman who Il successful in this
business receives anywhere from 81 20
TO SO Go a year
Miss Wsdsworih herself is royal IL
iustration OF wornans ability tact and
hustle as well as Of a wonan's success
in a field usually given over 20 men
she Vas in Texas awhile looking after
her company's affairs. she and her
agents insure women mostly. though
men are not absolutely Disseminated
against Once curious person asked
her
DO you ever hnd women insUring