The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-03-07
'sNrs. Mathis Might Easily Make Many Who Belong 10 the Masculine Persuasion Sorry
 They Were BOrn-Men, Says Dolly
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE


 | WISH could convey in cold i Jl gray type just how Mrs G. H. Mathis, Alabama's dis tinsuished farmer, housewife, pro- moter, organizer and financiel Impressed me when had the pleasure of my first interview with her yesterday. I believe, summed up in a lew words, I'd say that the most vivio thought l had when I left her was f that she could easily make many whc | belong to the masculine persuasion sor- ry they were born men
 i No; you mustn't judge from this that she is an especially ardent suffragist certain 1t is that no proselyting word l ever escapes her lips; she says noth- ing derogatory to the high estate of mere man, nor does she speak of a woman's opportunities; but shining out from her flashing brown eyes and ra- dlant smile is the fact that she just lives the truth in her own life that 1 comes in inspirational climax the more you understand her mission. First and foremost of all, Mrs. Math- IS Is just woman; and I went to see her prepared to ask her just the ques- tons l would ordinarily ask any wom- an who has succeeded in doing one particular thing we'll I had framed up some inquiries as to why she had done certain things and why she hadn't done others why she had forsaken the beat en paths and turned aside into the practical interests of life and corraled the farmers and tenantry instead of ooihg things other women consider more appealing. But I asked scarcely one or my outlined questions. Inter rogation points are not luminous in an
 interview" with this distinguished woman, who seems almost an inspired genius, beacon light to which many discouraged eye has turned when things looked blaekest and skies were darkest
 It doesn't belong In this story to describe Mrs. Mathis physical attri- butes. She is just dominating, splen- did woman, who has opened the flood gates or agricultural prosperity to the south and indeed to the entire country and proves herself a modern Noses who has led vast band out of a wilderness of doubt and fear.
 Mrs. Mathis is mentally and phys ically big. She is as much a psycho- logical study. personally, as her mis- sion: I take 1t. for instance. that she never has the headache like other women, or nerves I can't picture her letting little things worry her. She lives far too high above such common places. I know she could shed tears Just like you and I, but they'd be tears or joy and peace and happiness over the news that she'd helped to make life happier and times easier and somebody's exchequer bigger by some word of hers that had been sown in verdant ground
 For instance. listen to what MT. Frank A. Vanderlip, president of the biggest bank in the world--the Ma tional City bank of New York-said about "our" (please note the "our'') Mrs. Mathis
 One day when she walked in his bank he greeted her with these words:
 Mrs. Mathis, you are national fig ure."
 National. for what?' she inquired.
 National for common sense"
 What woman would not be proud of such a compliment?
 And that's the keynote to Mrs Math- is character. her life her success; common sense; she's got enough, as I said before, to make many who belong to the masculine persuasion sorry theya were born men,. f
 Here's another instance of her big ness and her practical work as seen by the chief executive:
 When Governor Henderson intro duced her before a vast audience upon recent occasion he said:
 There's Confederate monument at Gadsden which shows not the picture of soldier, but girl. That girl typi- fies one who knew the cliffs and rocks across Black creek when General For rest was trying to get to Rome to save it from the Yankees He asked