The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-03-23
PAPER FROCK HAS
PROVED FAILURE
How Parasol Caused Con.
fusion To London News
paper Woman

"Stunt' stories are assigned to women
newspaper reporters, of Fleet street, at
indefinite intervals, just, understand
as women are, wont. to undertake them
in America.
can recollect walking along Regent
street one warm summer afternoon
dressed in a paper frOck with large
chintz roses and trelliswork designed
across it, writes Kathleen Courlander
in the New York Tribune.
The frock had been made on me in
five minutes to test the integrity of
someone who advertised that his paper
wear for women.
How happy and cool i felt as / trip
ped light heartedlS aloIg I - until a
woman caught her parasol handle in
the skirt of my gown, with the result
that | hailed the nearest taxicab in
the utmost confusion.
On another occasion last year. when
early summer was coming, / had a
''stunt" which still has it's happy memo
ries.
A Walking Assignment
walked and rode all night by the
side of 16-year- girl and boy of
10 who had decided they would become
Great Britain's juvenile champion walk
ers, and marched from London to
Brighton, distance of about 60 miles.
We left Westminster bridge at Z
o'clock in the evening, with mob howl
ing us on to victory. At midnight we
had come to the edge of the country
side. In pale dawn, with a streak of
red painting the yellow primrose mauve,
at o'clock, and just as the rest of
Great Britain was sitting down to
lAraa lyfa oct vii int
Brighton.
Writing about this occasion, when l
had no bed for the night, reminds me
of the amusement that. was created
among many of usswomen reporters in
London by the indictment of a woman
in writing an article about journalism
for women, condemned reporting for
girls because of the fact that if they
were sent out of town on country mis-
sions it would be undesirable for them
to sleep in strange beds.
Personally, l have slept in beds in
Durham and beds in Sheffield, beds in
the south and beds of the north of Eng
land, and in the east and in the west
Some of the beds have been hard and
others have been bumpy; some have
been stuffed with feathers, and others,
am sure, with bricks, but still l have
been able to sleep in them all.
We, London newspaper women, do
not form nearly such a large body as
women reporters appear to in New
York. / do not think there are more
than eight or ten of US who have def
mite appointments on reporting stats.
Women On "Men's Jobs
Women reporters in America, be-
lieve. were the first to go out on linen s
jobs" but doubt whether women were
employed for reporting on newspapers
here before they were in London One
of London's oldest established newspa-
pers has a woman reporter who holds
long record of years to her credit. She
has specialized in reporting the activi-
ties of the royal family. She is now
personally known to the queen, who
never fails to greet her when she sees
her reporting any function at which her
majesty is present.
The women reporters in London are
paid on the same basis as the men.
Women reporters of America have an
institution to assist them which, alas
the Fleet. street newspaper women have
not yet obtained, and that is the quick
lunch. A woman reporter must visit
America to realize what boon the
quick lunch system is to the real, live
journalist