New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-19
Mrs. De Forest Takes Case
Against Engineers So
cicty to Court.
NOT OUSTED BECAUSE
OF AGE, SHE SAYS
Real Fight Is Just Because She's
Woman, Is Charge-Men's
Views Differ.

Is n kind FOR seven thousand men TO
start picking on a lady just because
she is thlrty-two years old?
That IS what Mrs. Nora Blatch de
Forest was asking yesterday afternoon
In a discussion OF her case against tho
American Society of Civil Engineers.
which is 20 be settled within few
days. The seven thousand Through
their board Of directors took. she says,
most unchivalrous advantage OF the
fact that Mrs de Forest Is suffragist
and scorns such feminine weakness as
modesty concerning the number of her
years.
On September so. her birthday. she
received a polite greeting from the
president OF the society, which read
something to this effect:
Dear Mrs. de Forest: Hail and
farewell! Inasmuch as you are to-day
celebrating your thirty-second birth
day, We take pleasure in informing you
that you are 10 longer a member Of
our society. Wishing you many happy
returns Of the day, etc. etc"
AT least. have demolished tho old
superstition that women couldn't tell
the truth about their ages" laughed
Mrs. de Forest, "and ] did get lot of
credit for it, even from the men who
voted against me"
Regard for the constitution OF the
Engineering Society demands that IL
be made clear at this point that il was
not the age alone Of their only woman
member which induced the 1000 10
refuse her the associate membership
she desired. Just what was il then ?
IL is to learn that she took her troubles
TO Justice Newburger, Of the Supreme
Court, and asked him TO decide whether
the society had any reason at all for
voting her down
Ever since 1906 she has been a junior
member Of the society, paying dues and
otherwise enjoying the privileges Of
membership ~ men In 1917 she ap ned
to be transferred 70 associate member
ship she was refused. The refusal has
been repeated periodically since then,
until her last birthday, when inexor-
able Time settled the question or at
least the directors thought II had. Not
so Mrs. dc Forest. NOt Tor nothing D.
she the daughter OF MrI. Harriet Stan
ton Blatch, and granddaughter Of Eliz-
abeth Cady Stanton, pioneers in the
suffrage cause.
The constitution Of the society pro
vides that IN case junior members have
not qualified for associate membership
by the time they are thirty-two years
old they shall be dropped from the
roll. Mrs de Forest appealed 20 the
court on the ground that her request
for promotion TO associate membership
had been unjustly denied.
There are only two reasons FOR
which A member can be dropped from
the roll" Mrs. de Forest said. Those
are faults Of character or professional
qualifications. 10 one, so far as
know. has found any objections 20 me
on either score The only reason they
voted me out is because ] am woman.
81 have learned that the board re-
fused Membership 10 another woman,
Miss Flmina Wilson, and passed a reso-
luton reading; 1T is the opinion of the
board that the constitution does not
contemplate the admission of women
!. Waldo Smith, chief engineer of the
Board Of Water Supply, said yesterday:
81 know Of no reason based on Mrs.
de Forest qualifications which would
debar her from full membership in the
society"
Henry ". Hodge. OF the Public Ser
vice Commission, took an opposite view.
"Her professional qualifications were
the only things taken into considera-
ton, i'm my vote AZ least" he said.
"Thc fact that she is guffragist had
nothing to do with il, neither did the
fact that she is woman"