Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-08-07

drawn by Miss Estelle Reel of the District
OF Columbia, who is the superintendent
of Indian schools.
Rack of the simple statement of the
names of these women in the Blue
Book are many interesting and pathetic
life stories. To many of them. gentle
women of birth, breeding and education,
brought up in the secluded environments
of well-to-do-homes, it has meant con-
quering their pride and hiding many
tragic heartache before they could bring
themselves to enter the ranks OF the
.'employed." But stern necessity Is a
great leveler. To others 1t has meant
that the summit of their ambition has
been reached, the hopes Of years real
lied.
A woman, pretty, vivacious and slightly
over thirty, remarked to friend IN WASH
ington the other day: My dreams have
come true never wanted to marry, but
| have always wanted government po-
stion and the feeling of independence II
brings. Now 1 have 1t. The years may
come. but 1 am not afraid"
1T cannot be denied that this is rather
unusual attitude for a woman to take, as.
very naturally, the majority prefer the
life demanded by their primal instincts
and only go out into the world when their
very existence depends upon it. But all
women are not intended to be wives and
mothers any more than all men are in
tended to be ministers or doctors or law
yers, and many there are who find their
mission as government clerks well
paid, contented and happy one.
The writer in casually scanning several
pages in volume one found that on a
page averaging something over two hun
dred names there We're about twenty-SiX
women, which is surely a fair proportion.
1t is a remarkable coincidence that the
first woman clerk in the government serv-
ice is still at her desk in the Treasury
Department. Mrs. Helen c. Mclean Kim
ball. the widow OF Capt. E. A Kimball,
received her appointment in 1853. For
fOrty-seven years she has been entitled
to a place in the BLUE Book and has
seen men in official places come and go.
New bureaus have been born and political
wars have been fought around her, but
she has gone on in the even tenor of her
ways. And Quoting a writer who has
recently interviewed herr. To-day she is
only ninety years young"
A list of all the ships and vessels owned
by the United States appears in the back
of the Blue Book. This table goes into
the matter in most exhaustive manner,
giving detailed description of the ships
OF every Notwithstanding when and where
built In compiling the data this form is
followed: Name. Station. Propulsion.
type or rig. Hull. Tonnage, gross, net
displacement. Indicated horsepower
Length feep. Beam feep. Draft feeD.
Cost. Cost of maintenance. Condition.
Officers. Force. Crew, engineers and
tremen. All others. When built. Where
built
Uncle Sam is the proud owner of battle
ships in two classes-cruisers, armored.
scout, wooden and otherwise; torpedo
boats. submarines and torpedo boat de-
stroyers. monitors, converted yachts. tugs
ana sea-going tugs gunboats, transports,
supply ships, hospital ships, receiving
ships. golfers. launches and tenders. And
a far cry it is indeed from the dainty
Sylph, so often seen on the placid PotO
mac, with its presidential party aboard,
TO a ponderous and formidable battleship
IKE the Kansas, with a net tonnage of
5S.9
In naming his vessels Uncle Sam has
adopted those of countries, states. cities;
he has even entered the realm of mythol-
ogy; the names of boys and girls. of he
roes on land and sea have been called into
use. He has borrowed from the creatures
of the ocean; the Shark, the Porpoise, the
Cuttlefish, the Pike. the Salmon. the
Pickerel, the Snapper, the Sturgeon and
many others have contributed their
names. The Mohawk. Onondaga, Semi
mole. Seneca and Sioux suggest the In
dams of yesterday and today. And some
of his naval possessions have been chris
tened Alert Guard. Guide. Rush, Bear.
Patrol, Skate and other words of but few
Syllables, which sound more like COM
mands than anything else. Nor has the
nomenclator neglected the flowers. Some
of the tenders in the lighthouse service
are known by the musical and attractive
names of AZalea, Columbine, Crocus, Car
denia, Iris. Geranium, Cypress. Goldenrod.
Larkspur, Magnolia, Violet, Verbena, Wis
TARA, etc.
Continuing on the subject of names. If
for no other reason whatever, the Blue
Book is an interesting document from the