New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-08-01

paper ItlSt.
ANY such statement makes people
curious. The successful woman il
even in this modern day enough of
rarity to make people ask ques-
tons when they meet one,
How did shs do it? Is she Just
a business woman, or does she have
home and family. too Could We
do it? What is her recipe for sue
cess?
Ethel Hays' success story IS as
glamourous as the best Of them. To
be sure, from the time she could
old a crayon she drew pictures.
and her family. of course, thought
her dogs and cats and houses and
trees looked just like real ones
And when Ethel was in school in
Billings, Montana. where, by the
way. she learned to ride a horse,
she was art editor of the school an
nual and vas probably commits
stoned to draw all the funny faces
of Teacher" on the blackboard.
by the time she was through high
school Ethel Hays was very sure
that she was going to be an artist.
A Matter Of Hard Work
But if you'd told her then that
every day, year after year. one OF
her dra wings would appear in near
ly a thousand newspapers. that mil
lions of people north. south. east
and west would call her Ethel
and follow her work from day to
day with eager interest and that.
moreover, she would be one of the
highest sslaried artists in the coun-
try, Ethel would have hooted.
For Ethel's like that, the kind OF
girl who. boots and even snorts at
bonnets DOTTED to her own abilities.
Just a. matter of settling down
and plugging! Anybody could do
it who will" she'd tell you.
But to get back to that career Of
"Ethels." She persuaded her fam
lily, Of which she was the only
daughter, to let her leave home to
study art. Ethel thinks that's about
the biggest job she ever put over,
for there were several brothers who
rather liked horseback riding with
their kid sister. But Ethel went, to
the Los Angeles School of Art and
De1ien where. as she now recalls,
she learned how to paint pretty
pictures-never dreaming that
was no pretty picture painter" saya
Ethel g.
Then. as every girl with ahlbi-
ton does. Ethel went to New York.
studying for three years in the Art
League But che was still making
charcoals, water colors, roses, land
scapes. still life, never dreaming
that it was her funny bone" which
would make her famous.
Then the war came. Ethel had
suspected for long time that there
was something bigger in the world
than painting blue iris in crystal
bowls. and now she knew. She drop
ped her paint brushes enrolled in a
Red Cross course, passed her exam
nations. obtained her passport. and
was all set for Europe. She went
home to tell the folks good bye
While home she saw newspaper
plea for art instructors for govern.
ment hospitals. -
1t wasn't because Ethel feared
NAL de mer, but because she saw
here chance to help win the wal
and also stay right on in her own
field that she switched from Red
Crossing 10 art instructor for Uncle
Sam.
The ChHkle Girl
Then began her six years of work
as aide to Uncle Sam. They called
these girls who taught the soul-sick
body-sick veterans how to draw and
who mad. funny cartoon posters for
hospital wards, Uncle Sans
Chuckle Girls" And Ethel Hays
"Chuck!e Girt' was most famous Of
all. At Camp Lewis and government
hospitals at Denver, johnson City
Tenn. and Dayton, o., she taught
and entertained sick soldier boys
And by the time this work was end.
ed she knew without doubt that
she had found her line-funny per
and ink drawings featuring the
modern American girl. Meanwhil.
she took correspondence course in
drawing.
The director OF this correspon.
dence art school knew the editor Of
The Cleveland Press. He showed
some OF Ethel's drawings to him
Within an hour the editor had talk.
ed with Miss Hays on the phone q
the government hospital in Dayton
| where she was finishing up hel
| war work. and asked her how soor
she could begin work with TIL,
! Press.
Months afterward Ethel confessed
| that she thought she was being Of
fered layout job, meaning 4
touching up OF photographs. and :
making of borders for them.
But she came. Within a weel
the whole city knew Ethel. Oh,
and a girl reporter did a pictur,
feature stunt day. They inter
viewed and a drew" every celeb
! rity who came to town. They climb
ed church steeples and went dow
! in diving suits. They rode speet
boats and broke ice In the lake II
order to 30 in swimming. Ethel
girl drawings were a city fixture.
NEA Service realized that her
was something more than a loca
stunt. This girl artist. they knew
lad universal understanding o
human nature. its griefs and joya
its high spots and low spots, whicl
is why today Ethels pictures. he
"Fiapper Fanny" and her large