Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-03
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
Sara Yorke Stevenson Made che Lot Of
Women In journalism q Pieasantsr
One by the Example Of plscre.
tlon and Dignity She Gave
70 Her Work
BY SARAH ID. LOWR1E

1
much by her connection with 1t as that OF
| journalism for women.
| Perhaps better than most Of her acquaint-
snces am in a position to Judge just what
only for her day and generation, but for
| the generation that will reap the beneht
without very we'll sensing the source.
Journalism has long been an honorable
calling for women; thanks to those who have
shone In its ranks, but to ignorant and
! therefore prejudiccd onlookers it has not
always seemed gracious or worthwhile
| position of power. ...
pounds If they thwarted the getting and
the giving Of news. And many persons felt
that they were quite within bounds II In the
company of journalists they assumed that
nothing could be left to the discretion of the
| journalist and almost nothing left to her
| honor.
MRS. STEVENSON. who was Pesgy
Av4 Shipper of the PUBLIC LEDGER, swept
away that ignorance and therefore much of
that prejudice, and only the indiscretions of
the women who are her successors can undo
the work she so ably and quietly performed.
1t never occurred to the many persons
who talked things over with her, and most
persons who had news private or public that
affect the welfare Of this town were wont to
talk things over with hcr--it never occurred
to them to say: ''This must not be written
upw
On the contrary. her word was waited for
whether, thing should be made public and
how and when.
She was inundated with items that per-
sons wished her to consider news; and that
she accepted 80 much speaks volumes for
her real kindness of heart. for she knew
without the lifting Of her hand enough to
MI her space twenty times over. And she
was given more liberty than any journalist
before her day to write what she pleased.
Out Of the long experience of her life and
the varied personal experience of her days
she had copy and to spare concerning
things that belonged to her life, but she
allowed other interests and other persons
to use her as mouthpiece to a most gen.
erous degree.
think this was due to perennial youth
nate or lag on the forward march,
Her acceptance Of SO much news gave
many really timid souls courage to ask her
70 accept more, and in the end she got her
whole great community Of more than mil
non souls accustomed to the idea of sending
their news-little or big-to the newspaper.
4, ferhaps the 'space manager" sighs over
THIS idee fxe as an inheritance he would
gladly forgo, but 10 the gatherers of news
response to their perfectly reasonable in.
terest which actually goes more than half
way. That is, If they are known to be ready
and able to publish news. the news is
vouchsaied with very generous gesture of
S-eSe ohA Siut1uCutlOu.
LIVERY now and then one meets an old.
~ timer who has a refrain Of cautionary
expurgations; every now and then one Is
bored by a sort of bantering taking for
granted that nothing is safe when a news.
what used to be the rule among women is
now the exception where Mrs. Stevenson
was known.
!. for one, am immensely grateful to her.
tell her SO face to face.
suppose the secret Of her discretion was
not only personal dignity and what is called
worldly wisdom. but an instructive sense OF
what would help and what would hinder
soGa cause or good person or good idea.
temporary Embellishments, and to tell tho
story In the exact words without the per.
Vading atmosphere-to be, in fact. a mis-.
Chief maker instead Of a constructive OBJ.
server Sc IN the END shuts the doors in the face
OF thnt particular newsgetter. People may
read her, but she has to guess her facts or
What she sends in as facts, and in the end
she loses her usefulness no matter how we'll
she writes. VIVA
MRS. STEVENSON was sometimes curl.
4VA ously absent minded about dates md
data concerning coming events, but she was
TO De trusted up to the hilt in the matter
or atmosphere.-what lay back of an event
ana constituted the reason for it. Her train.
Ing In society and life in general made her
wary of interpretations Offhand. She might
nave been racy-she and her set knew more
racy things about the people that make IN
the world than the professional gossip Jour.
nails: but she preferred discretion, chose to
be kind to regulations and judicious rather
than amusngly malicious.
80 IN very real sense she built up
feeling OF security, what one might cali n
trust. which it will be an honor TO her fel.
10" craitswomen to carry on in this town.
Do NOT know what was her leading
L motive for taking up that career M a
time when her life was at the beydov of its
multiplied activity: perhaps it was the need
or money In the first place: bur hcr dis
eliminating mind very soon made hcr aware
how much journal ism carries with it that ia
not money ana Is more than Just mower
It is great fellowship, and once awar. ~
that side of it, Mrs. Stevenson accented that
as its chief asset for herself. pcrhaps the
greatest asset her varied and interesting jfe
had 5rought 70 her. Its democracy papably
broadened her and probably kept her snirit
the clear and buOyant force it was tbrough
'sorrow, toll and pain" Ne"
think she would be the first 10 testifv
thht she got as much from journalism as
saying. that she was happy in her choice ~
profess ion and at her best in her doiIv
work for her daily bread ''
work is not a curse; working for ones
daily bread or for ones daily luxury or or to o
pass one time isn't drag. II is work
done against the grain, or without nm Nv
spra'ion. or under the dscouragement NJ
failure or for no good thing. or, worst OF
all, to pr"long an existence that is in itself
living death that is II curse.
Whether we women are fitted for orr
daily work by, technical training or arc
trained for it by the changes and ch,nnos
OF life, as was Mrs, Stevenson. the g great rent