The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1914-11-27
WOMAN WITH WILL
WHO FOUND A WAY
How Mrs. Cunningham-S
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.

BY RICHARD sPILLANE.
Copyright, Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate
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. 1t is not the
woman of the North who is doing it
all. The woman of the South is not
far behind, One of the daughters of
the 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
sha had desperate situation to meet.
She was young, and she was widowed.
Years before 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
many Of them-were necessary.
Surgery costs money, greatldeal 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
its commerce and it's ever-increasing
trade, it never has lost it's old world
flavor, its fidelity to old established
social customs and it's quaintness.
Queer that out of that city should come
a woman without any business train
ing who has made a. striking success
in an altogether new line of business.
Not Brought Up to Work.
Mrs. Cunningham-Snyde is daugh-
ter of M. 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
ince of the man to provide and care for
the women of his blood. This Is beau
tiful 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. If
her ambition led her to dream of some
thing beyond this, it were better that
she be content with dreaming and not
seek 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 a famous
surgeon and, incidentally, to see if she
could do anything to make a living
for herself. She Is bright, has a fer
tile brain, has been we'll educated and
has lots Of courage. The handicap
under which she suffered by reason of
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 self-support- |
ing, she determined.
Began Study of Medicine.
She had leaning toward medicine,
SO she decided to take up that study. |
incidental to her ambition in this d.
rection, she became an aide to physi- |
clans, doing secretarial work for them
and assisting them in the preparation
of papers for publication in medical
ljnItrpo oil Cha THOUGHT Dondi0inn Of |
fered an excellent field for her There |
are not so many women in it. The |
field is there, but somehow woman |
does not make the Roadway in med
icine that she does in other branches
of endeavor.
Mrs. Cunningham-Snyder kept at her
studies and her secretarial work for
several years. Now and then she
would have to go to the surgeons ia
BILE. In all, she had to submit to seven
operations. After each operation she
was invaded for several weeks.
For the first year that she was in
New York her father assisted her
financially, but after that Mrs. Cum
,ningham-Snyder would not let that
good and kindly man do any more in
a monetary way. She was able to make
both ends meet through her own brave
efforts.
In the Psychopathc Ward.
To broaden her knowledge and earn
more money she took a position in
Bellevue hospital, in the psychopathic
ward. There it is that patients SUI
fsring from mental disorders due to
of the nervous system
are treated. 1t is not pleasant place.
Many a man would rather dig in a
ditch for dollar day than work
there for $40 a day. Mrs. Cunningham
Snyder saw little of the disagreeable
work of this ward. Most Of her duties
were those of the student and the
clerk. She had to look after the details
for the commitment of patients to
state institutions. She drew up the
papers, made a history of each case
and saw that the records were kept
straight in regard to all these unfor-
tunates And all the time she studied.