Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-12
New Woman,
Measures Up
To War Jobs

BY IDA JEAN KAHN
GREAT-AUNT ABIGAIL
would have tainted dead away
at the mere suggestion that she
90 into a factory and work like
a man. But today's woman has
tougher fibers.
She Is no longer fragile.
She doesn't take sick leave, or
invent a headache as an excuse
to go home early, or tell any one
about the way she feels when
she doesn't feel SO good.
Mrs. Mary L. Reimold OF the
Stevens Institute Of Technology
in Hoboken, N. j., tells me that
women enrolled for the war in
dustries course have to be on
hand by 9 o'clock in the morn
ing.
Sometimes they don't get
away from the institute before
10 o'clock at night. And a num-
Der of them have two hours
committing each way.
Absorbed in Work
But do you think they would
sow up late for a class, or skip
it? Not they!
They are far too absorbed in
machine shop work, learning
drafting, coping with engineer
ing problems, physics. arithme-
TIC. algebra, factory inspection,
and the like, which will qualify
them for jobs in the defense fac
tories.
1t is hard work. They aver
age an eight-hour day and "A
hours a week. And they are told
to expect longer hours and
harder work when they go into
industry.
Their records show a remark
able stamina.
There are no defense jobs for
the unframed, but the United
State office of education is spon-
soring training schools and
courses all over the country.
Most of the colleges which
give degrees in engineering, are
equipped to give such training
and many will probably give
special courses this summer.
You can inquire about these
government sponsored courses in
your own locality. Just ask
your local board of education.
Physical Exams
At Stevens-which has be-
come famous for its aptitude
tests to fit the square peg to the
square hole-there is no physi-
cal examination.
A number Of the leading voca-
tional schools, however. do re-
quire physical examinations of
the prospective students. 1t goes
without saying that you have to
be able to take it.
Indirectly, your physical fit
ness enters into the aptitude
tests given by the institute.
For example, you would never
make your mark in the tapping
test unless you were feeling par.
This test consists in taking a
pencil and tapping 1t to see how
many dots you can make on a
paper within a given length Of
time.
II you want to try on your
own stop watch, you will find
the best you can do is about 26
dots per .05 minute. When
you're not doing so well, you
might drop down to ID.
Space Sense
Surprisingly enough, mathe-
mates, physics, engineering
problems and machine testing
hold no terrors for women appli-
cants for training in the war
emergency battery at Stevens.
Where they fall down Is In
their space sense, so Mrs. Rel
mold tells me, but they more
than make up for that by their
pleasure in problems.
So far, most of the students
have been drawn from textile
designing. but some of the stu
dents are brand new at this kind
of work and doing well.
The most desirable age for
training is set at Is to 35.
You prob badly will have
enough war work to do right in
your own bailiwick.
But it is interesting to know
that new fields are opening UP
to women and IL is encouraging
to learn that women are meas