Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1905-04-03
MRS. READERS CAREER
Woman Diplomat Who Figures
In Santo Domingo Dispute.
BEGAN Is A TYPEWRITER GIRL

cess In Big Enterprises-Not Afrai
of Any Kind of work-How sh
Was Befriended by Roosevelt whel
He Was Governor.
This is the life story of Mrs. Attic
b. Reader, woman diplomat and anna
zon captain of finance, as she told
recently TO Miss Frances Maule Of tn
New York Americans stan Her mar
rative is remarkable because of III,
extremely modest estimate she puts OF
her own extraordinary achievements
Miss Maule says:
l heard from her own lips the story
of the rise OF Americas first woman
diplomat and financier from a timiC
little southern girl looking for work In
New York to the adroit manipulation
of gigantic enterprises, who only miss
ed becoming the dictator of all SantC
Domingo's fiscal affairs through con.
tracts and concessions for assuming
Santo Domingo's financial liabilities by
SO trivial thing as the premature be.
trayal OF her plans to the United States
government
lnstinctively one looks for a new
type in a woman who has done such
new things so surprisingly well. In
Mrs. Ella Rawls Reader one finds only
an exceptionally sweet, wholesome,
sympathetic, cheerful, amiable and
good looking young woman.
Mrs. Reader betrays instantly nat
ural, Astounding interest in all sorts
and conditions of life. Nothing is too
trivial. too commonplace. too dull. to
escape the attention of her inquiring
mind. One could almost say that she
was childlike in her honest. whole
some, sweet simplicity. She has in
marked degree that open heartedness
and friendliness of the southern PEG.
pie. She speaks with decided south.
ern accent - the accent she carried
away with her from the little village
of Marion. Ala, when she came up
north to seek her fortune some ten
years ago. She looks to be about thir.
ty years old.
She is woman who Is not used to
failure. She snatched the concession
for the Johore railroad from under the
very noses of some of the sharpest
fnanciers in all Europe and America. |
She captured the contract for the Lon.
don tube from dozen keen contract. |
ors. She Travelled through the Andes, |
accompanied only by native guides
ann pnadn hat min
other peoples mines had failed She
built up a gigantic business out OF
nothing but girls courage. brains and
ind1-erEt -t.sssteiIe-it.rp tIe-Det-ay.li
of her plans for capturing the fiscal
affairs Of country does not greatly
trouble her.
She told her story In the pretty lamp
lighted parlOr of her sisters home In
New York while her sisters children
tumbled about her knees, now and then
receiving tender caress.
II have no children of my own" she
said In explanation, "and my sister
lends me hers. If there is one subject
In the world ON which am not abso.
lutely rational it is children. My sister
has five. but | honestly think | should
like TO have fifty.
You see, I'm not really so remarka-
Bile as you people all seem to think |
am, she said, stroking the hair of the
Youngest toddler at her knee. Every
hing | have done has just come sim
ply and naturally In the regular order
,f business. / don't think I have dis
played any marvellous powers beyond
ordinary determination and Industry ;
lnd perseverance. I've always known ,
what | wanted and gone after It with {
he Intention of getting 1t. and In most
ases I've succeeded. / do not believe 4
possess any occult powers; I'm lust I
N ordinary, normal. Woodworking bust [
less woman. with real love for the
World and everything that is In IL. S
I've never been able to see why /
woman should not have as good bust I
less opportunities as u man IL she does
he work required as well as a man I
II this Santo Domingo affair | could i
ot see why ! shouldn't have the con. v
ession If L could manage the affairs a
the Island as well as any one else. S
" course, however, when | was L
Dung girl these ideas were not gen. r
rally current In the south. When | e
7anted to go into business for myself
had to come up north to do IL.
Il had plenty Of friends here, but |
Id not want 10 go to them. | was T
roud, and l wanted TO carve my own Il
'ay. | made up my mind that there 81
as no sort of honest work that / Il
ould not accept in order to get my
art. al
1t wasn't particularly easy 10 get Il
Iat start. You see, | really was not la
tied for anything. My mother had 81
ade 1t rule never TO be strict with pi
about going to school. and I'm p
raid that l spent as much Of my *
me out on the river with my fish line III
in the woods with my gun as In the IL
hoolroom with my books. ThereforS th
EN- my education was not all that
uld be desired in strictly technical
alters
However, one day / went into the th
siness office OF certain newspaper W
re in New York and asked for work OF
lie business manager asked me what WI