The farmer and mechanic., 1911-10-17
ABOUT WOMEN IN
LITERATURE TO-DAY
Subject of Lucille Erskine
Today in Series On
Women in Business
Ry LUCILLE ERSKINE.

,ect hov would YOU advise her 60
ing about it," | asked Miss Fay
Kellogg the first woman architect IN
New York. as she swayed on per
iIously swinging beam on the top
floor of a sky-scrapper she was erect
ing.
LET her take the course in archl-
lecture at Pratt, Brooklyn" she an
swered decisively, swinging on the
beam to further enjoy my horror
there were nine stories yawning be-
meath her. In Paris they believe
Pratt has the best systemat1zed
course of this kind in the world.
When she has finished there, it
would be well for her to study at the
Beaux Arts for polish; that is
school of architecture, painting,
sculpture, etc. l succeeded in haV-
ing it finally opened to women, after
two years Of repeated rebuHs. Inc
instruction there is more personal
and individual than ours, and not SO
thoroughly systematized. But if she
cannot make the Beaux Arts she
need not despair; for such study IS
only an extra frill to the super
can get a very good Beaux Arts
polish second hand by working In the
atelier of a graduate of this school.
You find these men in all the large
cities Of the United States:
After that, comes the time or
hardship, when, with her drawings
under her arm, she makes her des-
pairing round Of architect offices,
turned away from each with the in
evitable no My successors can
never have as many turn downs as l
had, or be told so often, Impossible,
my dear young lady, your drawings
are excellent-your equipment COM
plete-but a woman in the office
what would the men say? Ultimate
ly she will edge in at the munificent
sum of $500 week, work like
slave, drawing from morn to night,
while the boss suns himself at his
club, only remaining in the office
long enough to affix his signature to
her designs. The elimination Of all
her years Of study, her fresh energy
and enthusiasm, he extracts to him
self for a weekly stipend. On the
other hand this is good for her. be-
cause she will soon get tired Of being
denied recognition for what is origi-
nally hers and start out for herself.
We are goaded on to success just as
frequently as we are gently led up
ward.
Then comes struggle No. 2, to OBJ
tain a clientele. For two Or three
years. she will hardly do more than
pay her office rent, but she must not
whine about it. The road is as rocky
start in law or medicine is not flower
streWn. 1 look back now and laugh
at that bare, hard time, but it was
not mirth- producing, while my bal
ance at work was $50 and the hope
of new suit too remote to even
and didn't move instinctively. |
knew it was only a prelude to the
time when l would be making S1O,-
600 year.
time-WOn't they be bounding her to
death to get a position that pays and
give up the lure of the 'sky-scraper?
That's where We pioneer profess
sionaf women have to fight double
battle. It's hard enough to win
the dust Of worn-out traditions; in
addition we have to beat down the
opposition Of the folks AS soon as
girl refuses to spend her time en-
broidering or gossiping at five O'Clock
teas, from the very moment she be-
vital than bindings, the family
gasp in horror. If She pulls hard
enough to get an education. they ex-
pect her to earn money at once
take up the nearest thing that offers
itself, any kind Of genteel drudgery,
SO it's ladylike; but the boy is sup
ported not only during his school life.
but also aided during his professional
apprenticeship. / doubt if the most
talented of young women architects
would be financed by her family for
five years while she studied and
sketched and absorbed abroad. Yet
that is how the most famous man We
have produced in this profession got
his start He borrowed $1,000 and
simply loafed around Europe, spend
ing it judiciously in saturating him.
self with the architectural perfections
of France and Italy. These indis-
pensable first impressions were vital.
as they went into the making of the
really magnificent productions of his
maturity.
Ought European study come while
the architect is in the making?'
That is the only time we need at
mosphere, when we are absorbing
to SO store the memory that a facade
seen once in France can be adapted