The Washington times., 1925-04-04
TWIN .BOOSTFOR
WO NJ EN- AS
DIPLOMATS
Miss Field Joins Miss
Atcherson; Nicaragua
Sends Woman Con-
sui to California

elgn service mas IecSiNON q wv AOAU
boost with the announcement OF
Miss Pattie Field, Of Denver, Col.'
as one of the winners in the ex-
Limitations held by the State De-
partment in January, and the news
that the State Department has for
warded to Nicaragua an "exeQua-
turf accepting from that country a
woman to serve as consul at Long
Beach, Cal.
Miss Field is one OF twenty
nineteen men and a girl-who
passed the examinations for the
foreign service, which examinations
were taken by q class of about $50.
The number was large because it
was the first examination since tie
combination of the two branches of
the service-diplomatic and consul
lar-according to the Rogers bill.
Miss Field is a young girl, who
has been out OF college only two
or three years. She Is graduate
of Radcliffe and has studied for a
year in Paris. The latter she did
after failing to pass the examina-
lions for the diplomatic service
when they were given the last time
IA little more than. a year ago.
An imperfect knowledge of French
proved her stumbling block that
time, so she hied away to the seat
OF French learning and culture to
strengthen this weak spot in her
mental equipment.
Dark-haired, rosy-cheeked, bright
eyed-a very piquant person is Miss
Pattie Field, who viii match up"
well with Miss. Lucille Atcherson,
who until now has been the sole
representative Of her sex in our
foreign service. Miss Atcherson is
delighted that Miss Field is soon to
Join her, for she believes that the
girl from Colorado win be success
in the service and also that her
presence there will serve to destroy
any tendency to regard her Miss
Atcherson) as an accident" in the
service.
Miss AtchersOn Serving in
State Department.
Miss Atcherson, who is from CO.
fumbus, Ohio, has been serving in
the State Department a little more
than two years-that is ever since
she passed the examinations and
was designated by the President for
this service. Under the rulings of
the Rogers bill an officer in the
foreign service may be permitted
to remain in the department three
years, or a year longer, under an
emergency regulation. Before the
Rogers bill was effective one was
permitted to serve in the department
only two years, or q year might be
added TO this If an. emergency war
ranted it.
whether or not Miss Atcherson
regards this service in the depart
ment as a privilege it would be
difficult to say. The officials in
the State Department, who are
familiar with her ability, insist that
she has done and is doing splendid
work" in the LatinsAmerican divis-
ion, to which she was assigned soon
after entering the department. And
yet Miss Atcherson has really seen
no foreign service" although the
men, who passed the examinations
at the same time she did were sent
out Fin the field" within few
months. Miss Atcherson insists
that it is the work that counts
and that she enjoys her work in
the department. So, if this domes-
disappointment to Miss Atcherson,
diplomacy.
Now that another woman is enter
ing the service, Miss Atcherson may
some day soon cease to be regarded
as a white elephant" and may get
her chance at some foreign capital.
Nicaragua Deals Blow
AZ MOuldy Tradition.
The action OF the little Republic
of Nicaragua in appointing a
woman as consul is a blow to the
tradition commonly respected by Of
ficials in our Government, which
is that the South American atti-
tude toward women in the foreign
service is great obstacle making
IL unw6Ge for this Government to
give women such assignments. And
the consular branch of the service
has hitherto been regarded by State
Department officials as especially
undesirable-they would say, im-
possible-for women.
However, Nicaragua is willing to
send a woman to this country. Will
it be disagreeabfe, for instance, far
this country to send a woman to
Nicaragua? - interested observers
are asking.
Evidently the Nicaraguan con-
sulate at Long Beach will need
more than just a pretty figurehead.
For it is in a rich Oil section of
California and there is much work
to be DONE,
Others of interest to Washington.
who passed the examinations along
with Miss Field, are David Nc
kendree Key, Of Tennessee, whose
marriage to Miss Marjorie Wright,
daughter of General and Mrs. Will
liam Mason Wright, took place
here a few weeks ago; and Stanley
Woodward, of Philadelphia, who,
with Mrs. Woodward, sailed for
Europe soon after taking the
exams. They are now travelling in
Italy and Sicily. Mr.. and Mrs.
Woodward spent last winter here,
where Mr.. Woodward was pre-
pairing for the examination for
foreign service. Mrs Woodward
took many of the courses along
with him chiefly ito be doing
something" and to be with her hus-
band. She is very pretty-lOoks a
little like Ailsa Mellon.
The twenty, who were added to
our Foreign Service by the jan
nary exams, are due at the State
Department on April 20.
DE GATHERS POPULAR
AS DINNER GUESTS
The Belgian Ambassador and
. Baroness de Cartier will be the
ryllesfS i'm yhoSe honor Mrs BORDEN