Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-04-04
WOMAN OlNECIENT,
M'LISS S.ADVISED
Mayor Says She Could Sweep
Streets, but 1t Won't Be
Ft Necessary
ro1uD RUN TROLLEYS
By M'LISS

Il looks easy
r,a gentleman dons a suit. In previous
,rration It may have been white. He
.x.r Gets a grip on n ng-handled brush,
; ..a With a little spare energy tackles the
A,rt IN the streets. In time this is assem-
. A,od in a pile and a coworker. similarly
-.rhed. is summoned. This gentleman
Lads a little cart, built after the fashion
y =, a nerambulator He assais the pile with
hr,,sh and pan, taking good care not to
,,,t more than one-third Of the dirt The
,sst. eventually. finds itself In the public
eye, ,,,,,.s.,,,,,,,u ....
Kept dirty.
I. And vet although woman from time Inn
.,ar,orial lin fact, ever since Eve swept
Adam and herself out of Paradise-and
q HId II with an apple. too) has been the
Z crime sweeper of the race. no woman in
:. sxh,s country has been considered eligible for
the lowly job of municipal street cleaner.
p.rhaps it's because 1t had something to
: 40 with voting, or something.
Rut now the time has come, as the wal
,us said. to talk of many things, chief Of
them being the harncssing Of the woman
nower." the full strength of which has never
5 been put into use.
Wndt Gail WOlndh wi 10 th0 duCSSioh
syery one is asking.
what can't she do? is more to the point.
Y THE GALLANT MAYOR
3 "I don't know what woman can't do"
4 Mayor Smith said gallantly, when asked
what confidence he would have in the femi-
nine portion of the city, should response
( 70 the call to the colors- on the part OF the
Z men in municipal service be great.
'The American woman is the physical
and mental equal, If not superior, Of her
European sisters. Their spirit Of patriot
ism and willingness to help Is as great. I
am sure there is no job in Philadelphia so
+ iowly or so menial held by man that a
patriotic woman could not be found to fill
Il II her country needed her.
a II do not, however, anticipate the neces-
sity of feminizing our municipal depart
rnents, even should the United States be-
come actively belligerent; but am pre-
pared to say that should the work in the
various city departments suffer from the
y enlistment Of the men now employed, I
should have every confidence in woman
substitutes.
ments in the Department of Public Safety.
The policemen and firemen are needed back
home. That is where their firing line is
Z COULD MEET SITUATION
4 but women shine in the clerical depart-
y ments and always have. They have proved
abroad that they can shine also in work
b that heretofore has been considered purely
mans think we're a long, long way off
from considering the necessity of engaging
large numbers of women to take the places
Of men in the public utility departments
but l have faith enough in the women to
know that we could meet the situation
should it arise"
And SO, sister, though you may not get
the opportunity of being Officeress 666, If
y
enough it is just possible that you may
be allowed as member Of the white wings
squadpto get back to the element that the
vacuum cleaner and the carpet sweeper has
well-nigh deprived you of.
/, ON THE STREET CARS
1t is possible, too that the job Of motor
woman and conductoress may be added to
the growing list Of female occupations.
I'VE could use 'em If we needed 'em, but
We don't expect to need 'em" was the terse
cNmment of a representative of the Phila-
delphia Rapid Transit Company when asked
to consider the question of substituting
women for men in the event Of war.
The mahager of one of the big taxicab
companies was more loquacious, however
Sure" said he, "let 'em come in the
business. Maybe there wouldn't be so many
beats then-though beat will take ad-
vantage of anything blind woman, II
he had the chance"
beat" he explained, is. man who
works the taximeter overtime to the tune
Of $50 or $40 and then walks opulently in
one door of a hotel and speedily out an
other, without remembering to come back
and pay his bill. He is the natural enemy
ef the taxi chauffeur, and the fact that he
travels in hordes makes him all the more
difficult 10 bring to justice.
"A woman's intuition might enable her
to tell a beat by the way he wears his
nlustache or his handkerchief am s,,re
they'd help the business Let 'em come in."
The way, then, is clear for us, girls. All
we need is the opportunity to show them.
We hate the thought Of war, but we'd like
nightly to demonstrate the woman power,
turned on full force and going strong.