Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-08
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Mrs. Barclay warburton and Mrs.
J. Willis Martin, the Work They
Do and How They Do II
BY SARAH ID. LOWRIE

THE other afternoon l happened in to the
L state Republican headquarters on South
Broad street. the old johnson House, where
the great picture collection used to hang
all the walls covered and even the bathroom
doors--and l conversed placidy with the
state head of the Republican Women's Com
mittee, Mrs. Barclay Warburton, while /
gazed round and up and down at the pic
lures OF great chiefs who have built or have
adorned the marvellous party machine.
Their large. placid or shrewd watchful faces
covered the wall spaces once devoted to the
school of the Italian primitives.
MATTHEW STANLEY QUAY eyed me
A'A not particularly welcomingly from over
the dcsk-top. / remember hearing Governor
Curtin say that Quay had made a very good
and useful private secretary. Over my
shoulder / caught the outline of Mr.. Taft's
double chin. On the night Taft lost the
presidency n man know was calling at his
brothers house in Cincinnati. As the news
filtered in. all the rest of the Taft family
grew perceptib]y gloomy-not so William
Taft He engaged the chap in conversation
about all the ins and outs Of the gossip con
cerning the affairs of the American School Of
Art in Rome. Italy, and laughed heartily
and then again medtatively at the tale, his
heart evidently quite at lcisure-from itself!
THERE were several Lincolns in the room,
l. and a perfectly huge Harding that
seemed to act as a sort of fire screen. The
only larger things than Harding's face were
two monumental roll top desks. Mrs. War
burtoD's majesticaly faced the entrance
door. 1t was in the full tide of use. She
had begun letter in LONG hnnd'' in pencil
on the pad under her hand. ] am now con-
scious that she had signed it yours very
cordially" and then crossed out the cor
daily" and put sincerely" / was so inr
tanf IL, ta1ly tuay 20 har thoN hat n,,1-
ing over her shoulder without being aware
of my act of trespass. Her penciled correc-
tion and my intentness in talking to her are
both indicative of her.
She does not tell all she knows, or give
all she has got, or put cordially" where
sincerely" would give the right impression.
and yet there is something so candid and so
downright about her that one says very can
did things to her with great intentness so as
to be understood. You may not agree with
her point Of view. but for the time being you
are perfectly determined she shall get yours.
And you pay her the compliment of giving it
to her straight.
A LII of which makes her very valuable
A just where she is. She might we'll have
been just where she is on other counts.
She has her family's genius for turning
people to account and things to account. She
has learned in a much severer school than
superior without arrogance, and of looking
conspicuous without self consciousness.
She has a perfectly natural wit, a kind OF
huornnt shrcwdncss. She likes large, color
full effects, and is impatient of discussion
Of details. She scraps a failure and goes on
to the next affair without too much analysis
leaves some one else to bury the dead, in
fact.
TNHE other desk in the room was placed so
L that its occupant must turn her back on
all that went on, an attitude ] should think
most uncharacteristic of the owner of the
desk-Mrs. J. Willis Martin-Mrs. Warbur-
tons coaGjutor and fellow organizer in the
great business of turning the new vote into
the great hopper Of the Republican machine.
The desk had n little mirror attached to it.
pinned on in the exact center of its ample
bosom, so that one could look up from ones
writing and do ones lip stick exercises with
dispatch and nicely. But Mrs. Martin and
a lip stick are eternites apart! So why the
glass? 1t bothered me all the time | was
there and I only thought of n possible reason
when / was strollng home. Probably the
desk was produced for Mrs Martin and in
stalled in its present serene aoofness by the
superintendent of the headquarters, and
more than likely that desk has had a past.
Possibly the little reflector was little wary
eye that kept tab of a whole nest OF sub
ordnates in some forgotten political crisis
when victory was not the forcgonc con-
cluSion 1t seems to be today.
Certainly the lady who sits facing 1t in her
Office hours is not interested IN it's reflections.
She likes things first hand, does Mrs. Willis
Martin Nor will she sit long with her back
to any room or in aloof relationship to any
matter in hand Give her your plan and If
she sees it--there are plans that she frankly
does not see-she will have all the specifca-
tions drawn up within the hour and the
thing breaking the speed record in going up.
Details are meat and drink to her, big. gen
erOus cnthusiasms are the air she breathes,
and sense of responsibility cntailed by
feeling situation spurs her on to doing the
impossible.
TNHEY make a good working team, those
i two so different women No wonder
after their war record the Republican party
turned to them to organize the new era for
women in PENNSYLVANIA. No wonder nothing
is attempted in this town without their en-
couragement being at least tentatively
sought, No wonder they have few hearty
Cnrmivs and some stern critics and great
army of proud admirers and very efficient
and very various body Of co ordinated fellow
workers
They have the gift Of success.
For three generations there have been al
ways two women like this to whom their
fellow women-and their fellow men for that
matter-have turned to make what was to be
done, u success.
The Quaker in Philadelphia blood has
always given women a large place in its af
fairs.
THIRTY years ago the two leaders were
l. Mrs. Dundns I.iDpincOtt and Mrs. Hunt;
fifteen years ago they were Mrs. Cornelius
Stevenson and Mrs. Owen Wister.
In each case the affairs to be put through
were Of different character. The world of
thirty years ago did things on more per-
Sonal basis and with less expert advice; the
world of even fifteen years ago was more
tentative, needed more tact and had more
prcjudccs to blandly overcome than the eye
for an eye and tooth for tooth world of
today, when every one knows he must move