The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-10-11
Women's Place
In Journalism


An interesting article appears in the
Los Angeles Graphic giving a history
Of woman's activity in the journalistic
field and is here reproduced for the
pleasure of those following the pro-
gress OF women today:
There Is a general impression that
American women journalists have
come into the field in the last quarter
Of q century. But this Is a mistake:
for they have been in newspaper work
for the last sixty years, more Of less.
to my own knowledge. But there were
no women in the daily paper offices
until 1860. as there was no society or
club reporting in the daily newspaper
Of the United States until that time.
and no Sunday editions Of our daily
papers until after the beginning of the
civil war. But prior to 1860 there
were a good many strictly Sunday
papers In New York. Boston, Phila-
delphia, Washington and Baltimore,
and hundreds Of other weekly papers
In the cities above named and in Ger.
tain Of the western and southern
cities; and there were a number of
women who wrote on various subjects,
such as cooking. movements Of rich
social personages. and scores Of story
writer's.
I we'll remember when Fanny
Fern" began to write for Bonner's
New York Ledger in 1855: she was
the divorced wife Of James Parton, the
historian and ~biographer, and the sis
ter OF N. p. Willis. the poet. Mrs.
Ann Stephens also wrote for a New
York Sunday paper. Gail Hamilton"
whose real name was Abigail Dodge.
and Olive Logan were writing for
weekly papers in Boston. and Mrs. E..
p. e. ~. Southworth contributed to
the Hartford Courant. AS early as
1885, Miss Augusta Evans was a writer
in Mobile. Presently Constance Feni-
more Woolson. who was a niece of
J. Fentmore Cooper. wrote stories for
a Richmond paper. and still later came
Jennie June" the wife Of a Journal
iet m David 9. Croly, and Marion
Harlan and Maude Howe: the latter
mao travelled ! Europe with her moth
er' whose home was on Beacon street,
Boston. About the same time Olive
Harper wrote letters from Europe and
n orient. and also a young woman
named Kate Sanborn. In the civil
war period and for a number of years
afterward Mrs. Sarah Jane Lippin.
colt. better known as Grace Green.
WOOD" was one of the Washington
correspondents Of the New York Tri-
oune; subsequently. she wrote from
various parts Of the world and be.
came tho author Of several charming
DOCKS. I remember her we'll as hav-
ing q masculine face and wearing her
hair short and frtxzled. Frances Hode-
son Burnett. a black-eyed brunette.
came speedily to the front as q novel
tst. after having had some experience
newspaper work. Mrs. Mapes
!Dodse was a writer Of short stories
before she took to novel writing. The
may be said Of Harriet Prescott
who for many years, between
1850 n 1870. wrote for various east
.rn papers from Washington. Anoth-
oriiliant newspaper and magazine
writer IN the 70's was Mrs. Clemmer
a9oson Ames; still another novel was
Husband Of Nine" May Nunez
who was a native Of st. Aug
Justine. Florida. was a brilliant writer
Lor newspapers and magazines before
ana after he civil war, and was the
author OF a number Of plays and books
Kate Field was one Of our most bril-.
liant Washington editors and Wash
!ngton correspondents in the late 70's.
Hunt (Jackson) did good news.
work before she gave us "Ra.
At present land for the last quar-.
ter OF a century, all the daily news
papers employ women az writer's; all
the society and club reporting Is per-
formed by women. generally young
ana unmarried; much of tho dramatic
ana music portions Of the daily papers