Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1914-11-12
How Mrs. Cunningham-Sny der,
Driven by Circumstances,
Is Winning Fame.
IS YOUNG SOUTHERN WIDOW
Studying Medicine and Aiding Physl'
clans, She Now Heads Great
Nursing Service Established by
Big Life Insurance Company.
BY RICHARD sPILLANE.


There never was an age In which
woman showed such versatility and
capacity as she Is demonstrating to-
day. There seems TO be no limit to
her work, no field In which she cannot
blaze her way to success, II Is not the
woman Of the North who IL doing II
ell The woman OF the South is not
far behind. One OF the daughters of
abe South who has done remarkable
things is Mrs. Georgene Cunningham'
Snyder, formerly of New Orleans,
but now OF New York.
A little more than eleven years ago
che had a desperate situation to meet
She was young, and she was widowed.
Years before a fall had so injured one
OF her limbs that tuberculosis OF the
bone developed. To save herself from
becoming cripple and, possibly, from
death, 1t was imperative that she be
under the care of one of the great sur.
geons OF New York. Operations
tnany of them-were necessary. .....
Surgery costs money, a greahdeal Of
money when the knife is welded by
one OF the masters of the profession.
New Orleans is the most charming
of all the cities of the South. With all
FITS commerce and its ever-increasing
trade. 1t never has lost it's old world
flavor, its fidelity to old established
social customs and its quaintness
Queer that out of that city should come
n woman without any business train
fng who has made a striking success
In an altogether new line of business.
Not Brought Up to Work.
Mrs. Cunningham-Snyder is a daugh.
Ger of NJ. J. Cunningham, who for
three terms was attorney general Of
the state of Louisiana. She was
brought up as are the girls of all good
families of Louisiana-without any
idea that she would have to make her
own way in the world. 1t is the prov
&nce OF the man to provide and care for
fiful in sentiment, but sometimes cir
cumstances develop that make it very
hard for a woman. In Louisiana only
a few lines of work have been open to
the woman of gentle birth and scant
means. She could teach instrumental
music. singing, or she could do en-
broidery without losing social caste. II
her ambition led her to dream Of some
thing beyond this, it were better that
she be content with dreaming and not
meek reality.
: Mrs. Cunningham-Snyder did not
want to be burden upon her father
The family was large, there being four
sisters and five brothers. In 1903 she
went to New York to consult famous
surgeon and, incidentally, to see If she
could do anything to make a living
for herself. She is bright, has fer
tile brain. has been well educated and
mas lots Of courage. The handicap
under which she suffered by reason OIL
that fall of years before did not dis
courage her. The fact that she would
have TO go upon the surgeons table
many times cut no figure in her plans
She was going to become selfsupport
ang, she determined.
Began Study Of Medicine.
She had leaning toward medicine
go she decided to take up that study
Incidental to her ambition in this di
Tection, she became an aide to physi
clans, doing secretarial work for then
and assisting them in the preparation
of papers for publication in medica
Journals. She thought medicine OIL
fered an excellent field for her. Their
are not so many women in It. Tn
Held is there, but somehow woma
does not make the headway in meC
irine that she does in other branche
of endeavor.
Mrs. Cunningham-Snyder kept at he
studies and her secretarial work fc
several years. Now and then sh
would have to go TO the surgeons I
BILE In all, she had to submit to seve
operations. After each operation 81
was invaded for several weeks.
For the first year that she was
New York her father assisted h.
financially, but after that Mrs. Gu
ningham-Snyder would not let tn
good and kindly man do any more
a monetary way. She was able TO ma
both ends meet through her own bra
efforts.
In the Psyehopathic Ward.
To broaden her knowledge and ca
more money she took a position
Bellevue hospital. in the psychopatt
ward. There 1t is that patients s.
fering from mental disorders due
arrangement Of the nervous systt
are treated. 1t is not pleasant pla,
Many a man would rather dig in
ditch for a dollar a day than VIC
there for 500 day Mrs. Cunningha
Snyder saw little of the disagreeal
work Of this ward. Most OF her dut
were those of the student and I
clerk. She had to look after the deta
for the commitment OF patients
state institutions, She drew up /
papers, made history OF each ca
and saw that the records were X,
straight in regard to all these unf
tunates, And all the time she studi