The Topeka state journal., 1922-06-29
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC }. HAsK1N. Director.
Washington. ID. O.
ANfERTCA,s FANIoUs WoNIEN

earnestly Trying 10 COIupIAe q AASL VI
the twelve greatest living American
Chilean public.
Al the same time the Woman's
Universal alliance is busily engaged
| in scouting out the famous feminine
dead. The alliance wants to know the
twenty five greatest women OF world
history. Statues of them are TO be
erected in the women'S hall OF fame
that the alliance is to build in this
city. This organization Is also trying
to find out the twenty five greatest
women of each state SO that columns
about the hall of fame can bear their
names. These women must be dead,
too. Aside from that, any American
woman is eligible for the list
Both organizations have invited the
public to help them make a wise Sc
lection of names for their particular
purposes. and answers kave begun to
pour in
At the headquarters of the League
of Women Voters they admit that they
are not much nearer solution o.
their problem than when the question
was first propounded- The Chilean
senorita. GracioIa Mandujano. GER
tainly started something when she
ca.sualI@ asked Mrs. Maud Wood Park,
president of the league, for dozen
names of the greatest American
women. She wanted to write maGa-
zine stories about them for her peo-
pie, the SenOllLa eApldlnGQ- MIS- L
decided that she needed help. Her
casual selection might leave out
women who would be of greatest in
terest to South America So the pub
lie was informed of the situation and
the excitement started
Wanted as Examples
You can see that the purpose for
which the list is to be used must guide
the selection of the names. Our IL
greatest women of today are to be in
troduced to the South American
women as inspiring examples They
are to indicate what American women
are achieving by character. service,
and talent
The name of Helen Keller. which
has been mentioned in number of
not be included in the final selection.
Miss Keller has been an inspiration to
thousands of the handicapped, but in
SO brief a list the appeal of each name
should preferably be to a wider range
OF people. Miss KelIer's teacher. Mrs.
Sullivan, might be more helpful ex-
ample for the women of Chile. The
patience. resourcefulness. and deter
of the teacher brought Miss
Keller back into the everyday world.
1t is interesting TO note the personal
bias that enters into the lists sub
mitted. Most of the letters are writ
ten by educated women with every
desire to be impartial Yet it is pos
sible to tel with reasonable certainty
whether a set of names was chosen by
a club woman, social worker. or one
Of an artistic type.
This is inevitable to a certain ex-
tent. and the league is interested in all
of the angles on the fame question
Scarcely any one person is sufficiently
familiar with all occupations to know
and compare the greatness of the lead
ers- A woman doctor or scientist
could name at once half a dozen
who rank high in her own
line of work. But could you. off
knowledge. reel off the names of a
great woman doctor, politician. law
YER poet. scientist, artist. business
woman. mother. and musician? If
you did. would another person of
your own education agree with the
ist2 Yet out of q large number of
names, written as broadmindedly as
possible. the League of Women Voters |
thinks il will finally be able to arrive |
1T an intelligent summary of AmeEi- !
,an womanhood. |
The first to respond to the leagues |
call for assistance have been club |
and women interested in pol !
tics. The outstanding women in |
.hese fields figure prominently in the |
lists submitted. Some are entirely /
of leaders in women's |
ments. The names of Mrs. Car |
lie Chapman Gait. Mrs. Thomas Win |
-er, Mrs. Maud Wood Park and Mrs. |
Harriet Taylor Upton occur again and |
again
The women seem to be less in |
agreement IN mentioning great wom- !
IN in other fields. This is strange |
politics is a new venture for |
women, while they have been artists.
nurses and teachers for years Yet |
lot one nurses name has been men !
ioned. Nor has any scientist been |
named. and only one woman doctor, |
and one educator.
OF the writer's. Agnes Repplier. |
Edith Wharton. Amy y-Lowell. Agnes
st. Vincent MiIlay and villa Gather |
lave been named. 1t is n commen- |
ary on the critical faculty of America |
hat other writers of a more popular |
ltyIe have been mentioned more fire. !
luently than these
Few Actresses Proposed.
Only n few actresses have been /
Mrs. Fiske. Julia Marlowe, !
ethel Barrymore, Afaude Adams and /
Nary Pickford- Geraldine Farrar is
he only opera star so far suggested, |
md Ruth St Denis the only dancer. |
The names of Violet Oakley, Cecilia /
3eauX and Jessie Wilcox Smith are /
tut forth as women artists of note
Other nationally known women |
include Mrs. Harding, Mrs /
Woodrow Wilson, Jane Adams, Ida |
rarben, Julia Lathrop and Molla Nal /
ory.
A member of the league comments /
IN the fact that no American beauty /
las been included in the lists so far. |
If this were a century ago, or even
ifty years ago." she said, I'VE should /
urely have received the name of some
toast. famous for nothing
tut her wit and beauty. 1 do notg be-
ieve that women are less clever or.
Lttractive now. but they are doing so
many things that these qualities are
10 longer accepted as remarkable un-
ess put to service
The league is not going to make up
is final list hastily. 1t is studying
.arefully all of the lists sent in and
[ may be several months before the /