The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-11-19
CURE FOR THE GIRL
MISS HOWE CHANGES HER VIEWS
REGARDING SUFFRAGE.
Daughter of the Proprietor of The
Atchison Globe Puts in One Long
Day at Her Fathers Office as a
Reporter; Some of the Things That
She Learned in Short Space of
Time; an Object Lesson.

Topeka, Kan, Nov. l5.-The sui
fragettes have lost one powerful dis
cipe, Miss Matille Howe, daughter of
Ed. Howe, editor of The Atchison Globe
and author of "The Story of Country
Town." One days work in her fathers
print shop caused her to change her
mind
Miss Howe, like many other daugh-
tiers of western rich men, felt that
womep are not getting a square deal
in the pursuit of happiness and power.
She believed that the suffragettes of
England and the United States are on
the right track, and that their plan of
campaign will soon result lip the eman-
cipation of the gentler sex. She took
a great interest in the movement. Her
father combated the idea. He tried TO
convince her that woman's place was
at home, and that the men folk should
look after business and politics for the
family. But Miss Howe kept up her
discussion.
Father Finds Cure.
Finally her father said: "Daughcvr,
if women must run the country they
must also do the work. Now, | pro-
pose to let you test some of your suf-
fragette ideas. I will make you a re-
porter at a regular salary. You will be
treated just the same as other report
ers-no better, no worse. If you can
demonstrate that downtown work is
more suitable to women than work
around home, then will withdraw my
objections and let you earn your own
way and be suffragette."
Miss Howe said that was fair prop
osition, and she accepted it. She went
to work the next morning. She lasted
just a part of one day. She is no
longer sufragette: Here is what she
says of the experience:
Her Idea of Work.
"My idea was to sail down about nine
o'clock, gossip little with the force,
dash off an article or two on the type
writer, have lunch and go home. In
stead, I was routed out in the middle
of the night. when it was still dark
and when all women are still fast
asleep. I was hurried through break
fast and out in the cold to run for a
car. The car was full of men; no
women
81 got to the office and was given
corner with some other reporters.
sat down and started conversation
but they answered in monosyllables
In few minutes each one grabbed his
or her hat and dashed out. They came
back at various times, rushed to their
machines and began to write at rate
that got on my nerves. When they
finished their mad rush with the type
writer they rushed out again. I tried
to write, but the combined noise of a
half dozen typewriters almost drove me
mad.
81 left my corner and wandered
around. Nobody noticed nie. Always
before they had stopped to talk. Their
| was the proprietor's daughter; now
a quiet place to be found for moment
| There was not a room where [ could
be alone and away from the rush and
noise. How they could all work at the
tension that they all seemed to take
as a matter of course was more thar
I could understand.
'The noise continued, the typewriters
were going all the time the telephones
were ringing continually and outside on
the street the noise of the wagons and
people helped to make it more deafen
ing. I went out to lunch and ate with
about fifty men, all eating at the same