Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1912-01-24

other one OF a dozen tasks common to every COM
muaity in this busy age. On the other hand,
however, Uncle Sam has on his payroll number
of women who have odd duties. Some of the
tasks indeed, novel, that Uncle Sam had
to train his own workers for their performance
and there are, scattered here and there in the
ranks of the army of feminine workers, women
experts or specialists who have absolutely unique
Observation-Disclosures Of their crafts who have no
rivals anywhere in the world.
For instance, there is woman in the employ
OF the department of state who stands preemi-
nent as a manuscript doctor" or manuscript
surgeon Never heard of such thing did you?
Well. it is very important line of work for all
that there is not wide market for her services
and 1t is form of endeavor that is almost inva-
liable to Uncle Sam, who likes to preserve intact
Ell the historical manuscripts and documents
which have had bearing upon the history OF
our nation. Before the government had recourse
to the services of this "restorer' many Of the
most valuable documents (treaties presidential
proclamations, etc. were fast going to ruin Age
handling, and frequent foldings that broke the
paper had. indeed, already played havoc with
many a precious relic. After this ingenious wom
an took hold she accomplished wonders in mend
ing the ravages of time. She patched and pasted
and smoothed out wrinkles and the result is that
many Of these treasured mementoes are, to all
appearances literally good as new.
very interesting line of work In which Uncle
Sam has recruited a corps of especially adept
women workers is fine book binding. In ordi.
nary practice most bo0kbinding nowadays is done
by machinery That is the way 1t is done at
the government printing office where there Is
maintained one of the biggest bookbinding plants
In the country. However, the government has
some books that it desires to have bound with
the costliest materials and with greater care
than be bestowed upon the machine-made
product. This handwork is performed for the
most part by women and some of the morocco.
bound volumes which they have turned out in
recent years would arouse all sorts of enthusiasm
were they to be exhibited at any of those expo
sitions of women's handicraft which are held
from time to time
The whole process of making Uncle Sans pa
Per money and postage stamps is full of odd
tasks and many of them performed by WON
en-. The women-hundreds of them-assist in
printing the precious product and they have an
ideal field In which to develop their superior
dizziness of lingering in the counting and recount.
Ing of the money in the making. The newly
printed currency is counted no less than half
hundred times ere Uncle Sam sends it out to the
people, and women do most of this enumeration:
They also examine the sheets of money and
stamps for the tiny defects of printing. and this
requires a keenness of vision almost unbelievable
in its accuracy
When the soiled currency, tattered and torn
IS sent back to Uncle Sam as unfit for further
usefulness, 1t Is other women at the treasury
department who have to count it and check up
the returns Connected with this of6ce-the re-
-7demption division, few women whose work
IS perhaps the most miraculous of all the won
2 der-tasks performed by the women at Washing
ton. Their forte is to identify the denomination
Of partially destroyed bills which no ordinary
individual would regard anything more than
waste paper Currency that has been chewed
by dogs. notes that have been torn into bits and
even charred paper money that has been all but
consumed by the flames is taken in hand by these
wizards and in ninetynine cases out Of a hun
bred they manage to ascertain the denomination
al the damaged bit OF pulp or paper and Uncle
Sam rein,burses the unfortunate owner.
In line with the detective work of these money
s'euths is the intuition (you cannot call it any,