The Washington times., 1917-07-04
MARCON| PROVES
COURAGE BEFORE
FEMININE ATTACK

NEW YORK. July 4.-Marconi. the
wireless wizard. according to the New
York Sun, thinks women could De
better radio operators than men and
could fill the most responsible Govern
ment positions on ships, if
They could rise superior to the dis
fractions caused by men wanting TO
while away the tedium Of a voyage
by counting them: and IL
They could conquer the excitable
emotional tendencies that seem to be
Characteristic of women; and II
They would remember that the con-
tents OF the messages they send and
receive must be regarded as conf
Dental and not divulged OF anybody
whatsoever.
Proof of Bravery.
II any person living has the shadow
of doubt of Marconfs being a cour-
ageous, even a daring man, let that
person take note of the fact that the
inventor made these statements sit
ting in the midst OF and entirely sur
rounded by women and girls, femi-
nine pupils at Hunter College and the
Marconi school in the art of sending
messages on air waves.
There were thirty OF them. chap
eroned by Mrs. Herbert Sumner
Owens, and they had called on SiEnor
Marconi in his suite at the Ritz Carl
ton to hear the truth about women
and the wireless. They got It.
And II was, on the whole, agreeable,
though not entirely definite IN Its
bearing on the important question of
whether the 125 radio pupils al
Hunter and the Marconi school will
get good jobs when they finish train
ing. But they learned that Slgnor
Marconi considers women more salts
| factory telephone operators than men.
because their ears are keener and
their voices pleasanter, and he hates
to phone after 10 o'clock at night, at
which hour the masculine invasion OF
the switchboard occurs.
FemInIstie Leaning.
In fact, he seems to have rather a
feministic leaning. He was going to
bar the press OF New York from the
Interview until he was informed that
the reporters who waited at the gate
were all women. Then he smiled re-
lentingly and said, Let them come
in"
Immediately attired in a snow
white uniform was Signor Marconi,
with some imposing decorations,
which he had plenty OF time to ad-
just after Mrs. Owens and her young
charges were announced. because she
had considerable difficulty arranging
the procession that paraded from the
elevator on the eleventh floor to the
Marconi suite. First she placed them
two by two. and then up came Mrs.
Ella Haggin, who claimed some au-
thority on the ground that her
nephew is a wireless man and she
knows Marconi. and Mrs. Haggin
said the arrangement must be
changed.
Have them three by three" she
said. at will be much more impos-
ing. And good gracious, the idea OF
not putting the uniforms IN the front
row."
For some of the girls wore In
khaki uniforms with nifty little caps
and some just in street clothes.
Everybody saw the justice Of Mrs.
AAA = IN NAA1AN kaAA anu ING pIGNAg
brunette in piISs wolfe and the blue
eyed girl in embroidered tafTeta who
thought they were to have the glory
OF leading the charge on Marconi
were yanked from their places and
three efficient looking young things
in khaki were placed in the van.
Now one, two. three. march, cried
the leader of the First Feminine
Wireless Brigade, and in this order
they marched upon Marconi and soon
! he was seated in their midst listening
with a sort OF inscrutable smile TO
Mrs. Owens telling him how she had
foreseen the war long ago and how.
| because of her daughter, Miss Elise
| Owens. wanting TO study wireless. she
! had organized those classes at Hunter
College and the Marconi school and
how they used to be affiliated with the
National League for Women's Service
but left that and are now with the Ma
tional Amateur Wireless Association.
And other things like that.
RecOncIIed Anyway.
Marconi appeared not exactly en-
thusiastic. but reconciled. especially
after Mrs Owens told him she was so
sorry she had had such short notice Of
the interview, as. II she had known the
day before. she could have brought the
| whole class OF l3.
What. here? What would we have
done with them" inquired Marconi.
and appeared to think that everything
has its compensations.
Ii was when the inventor was begin
ming to feel more at ease, even noticing
the uniforms. feeling the khaki be-
tween his fingers and remarking ap-