The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-03-16
Observations
Visiting Women
War Workers in
CAPITAL
BY Helen Esssry

Ever so often Washington puts
on a show that makes me SILVER
with apprehension. No, I'm not talk
ing about Senate battles, nor White
House orders. nor even welcomes
10 royal guests
This time I'm speaking OF the
coming OF the lady welders and
others Of their stout-hearted. strong
armed breed. A dozen or so Of this
new kind OF New Woman" are on
view for a week IN the better clubs
and government audltoriums.
II YOU want TO learn about women
Of the future SO have a look at
them You, too. will shiver slightly
with. what Is this world coming
to- thoughts. Likewise with pride
that women, lovely women, have
shown themselves so smart and 50
willing in this national win-the-war
job.
Are these 1914 New Women.
grim. horny-handed females? Ger
tsinly not. one OF them, Miss Mary
Shade a slim. graceful thing, was
the subject for prize-winning
magazine cover. Her photograph, in
Stacks, heavy boots and safety cap
as she worked in a lumber plant.
operating a fast mechanism which
first holds a log in its talons and
then guides it through a great saw.
decorated the outside Of The Tim
herman and inspired the Museum
OF Modern Art TO make a special
award to the logging journal.
The hands with which Mary
Shade guided the. fast mechanism"
were covered with smart gauntlets.
III bet you Lenten resolution
against a summer vacation plan
that the fingers under the gaunt-
let's were manicured In the newest
shade OF red enamel And that the
hair under the visored safety can
was freshly shampooed and waved.
The New Woman" OF World
War II works that way The man
ner in which she combines strength
OF will and body with Grade A fem
ininity is enough. as | said at the
beginning, to Brighten every brood
er over What will we do with
women after the war;
Mary Shade, skilled setter OF the
saw carriage" is only one o; the
vomenin-industry group that
Washington gazes on in awe. Incl
dentslly. Mary Shade postponed her
wedding in order to make the trip.
There's also Miss Cora Lee
Clounts. welding queen" OF the
Kaiser shipyards at Richmond. Cal.
Likewise Mrs. Edna Slocum. weld
ing queen" OF Moore Drydock ship
yards at Oakland, Cal.
Miss Lee is just 90 years old. She
IS acute little number with big eyes
and a big smile but she's shy. New
er been on a train before this trip.
She wouldn't have had the courage
10 come east II Mrs. Slocum. the
other welding queen, hadn't been
coming. too.
Mrs. Slocum is all OF so years old.
She has two children. The two
queens we're IN a welding contest
and it vas Planned that the en-
vloyes of the shipyard OF the losing
queen should give 1000 pints OF
blood to the Red Cross. Edna Slo-
cum won. Her shipyard promptly
gave pint for pint with the losers.
So the Red Cross got a double sup
ply Of plasma.
There is grandmother in the
Washington delegation Of women in
industry-Mrs. Isabel Patry. Gram
ma Patry makes valves in a Con-
necticut war plant. She was the
first president and still is president
OF the War Workers Grandmothers
Club. Mrs. Patry doesn't regard her
work and her age as incompatible.
There is great-grandmother in
the club.
Look out for Miss Anna Weihe,
who makes parachutes in Column
bus aeronautical plant. Anna was
voted ideal worker" in a contest
sponsored by the labor management
committee. I'm sort OF disappointed
that Miss Ada Moultrie, who works
on the green chain" isn't here.
Ada is a super-dooper woman. She's
the mother OF Is children. Does her
own homework. milks three cows
every day, besides doing a full
days work at the mill.
Mrs. Elizabeth Kennedy OF New
ark is somebody to stare at. She
makes electrical equipment for
fighter planes. She went TO work
because her husband is in a war
plant. her daughter in a war plant.
one son is an ensign IN the Navy
and one an officer in the Coast
Guard. There wasn't anything left
for her 10 do at home.
Pioneer women, all these, and
hundreds Of thousands like them
who are tending their jobs with
good spirit and hard labor The
sort OF work these women do isn't
as gay as I've made 1t sound. It's
hard and dangerous and sometimes
its dull. Yet all these women. these
hundreds OF thousands, have turned
TO the task as cheerfully as II they
had been accustomed TO nothing
nIca