Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-01
81 GIRLS STUDY
MACHINE MAKING
Young Women in Blouses
and Bloomers at Cen
trail High
ARE BRIGHT STUDENTS

Thirty-two girls started work today
in the manual training department of
Central High School. making parts of
machinery for marine engines airplanes,
guns and devices needed by the Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation in Fastening it's
output of ships this summer.
Frank Robinson and Paul Medary,
members of the faculty of Central High
School in the department of mechanical
arts, are in charge of the work The
girls who are seventeen and eighteen
years of age, have also the help of two
teachers from elementary grades. Miss
y. S. Holmes. assistant high school
principal, is looking after their welfare
and will visit the workshops at frequent
intervals throughout the summer.
After one week of training the girls
will begin productive work next Monday.
This week Anthony @. Neary, who had
charge of the Liberty Loan work in the
Philadelphia schools, will take the girls
to visit the Bound Brook plant of thu
Emergency Fleet Corporation where
such small parts are being turned out
as will be produced on the machines at
the Central High School.
attTactfNC anu GHcleht
In black boomers and white MILDLY
blouses the girls at the machines today
showed that the feminine mechanic car
be both attractive and efficient. with
girlish enthusiasm they had looked over
the field and the consensus of opinion
was, We are just wild about it,"
Heretofore both instructors hav,
taught only boys. They expressed de.
light at the way the girls took hold oi
the situation.
We believe" said Mr.. Medary, that
girls Will he even better fitted to this
kind of work than boys or men would be
because of thar sensitive touch and
their more keen power of observation
In the questions | have already asked
them after brief instruction have fount
their reasoning pawer and judgment tt
be astonishing. The quick and clever
answers, for instance. that were giver
when | asked why a half-inch drill viii
make larger hole in cast iron than ir
wrought iron werV>a positive revelation
and compared favorably to- answers tC
the same questions given by boys.
with the practical work they ar,
to do for the emergency fleet this
summer will be intermixed training ir
principles of machine shop work whicl
will fit them for interpreting Other an,
larger problems that cannot be worke,
our on our machines. They will bt
fitted, therefore, to take hold of work II
other shops where large parts are mad
or assembled"
Patriotism First
The girls are to get $3.50 a week Will
learning. and later will be paid accord
ing TO the degree of skill and applica
tion shown That the pay is not al
| important item with them, while patriot
ism and ambition loom large. has bee
indicated in the number of young girl
who presented themselves and offered {
give their service free, but were turne
| away
Some were perfectly heartbroken,
| said Mr.. Robinson, when told they wer
too young to be employed. one espe
cially anxious and disappointed girl
the daughter of soldier in France. Sh
wanted to do her bit for the sake c
her father, she said
"She was under the required age an
couldn't be used
The two engine rooms are full @
workers, We have all that we neet
Each girl has agreed to work all sun
mer from TO 4 o'clock: without tina
agreement they were not accepted Som
work in the drillroom and some in tn
iatheroom, but they exchange places $
that all have advantage of the training.