The herald. [microfilm reel], February 13, 1898, Image 20

About The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
FIRST FEMININE
STATION MASTER.
Kentucky Girl Has Proved
Woman's Fitness lor
Railroad Work.
WAS APPOINTED AT TWENTY.
Though a College Graduate,
She Preferred Business
to Teaching.
The Southern woman is rapidly be
coming as "new" as her Northern sis
ter. In some respects, she is more orig
inal In her choice of occupations than
the woman of the North, who is grad
ually growing into conventional modes
of livelihood just as she formerly took
It for granted that her only aims in
life were marriage and housekeeping.
In the South, however, where there are
not so many "positions" open to wo
men, those who are reduced In circum
stances take the first opportunity which
offers itself, and pretty generally make
a success of It.
Miss Susie M. T.asloy of Rowland,
Ky.. is one of this type. She belongs
to a proud Southern family which is
one of the traditional "F. F. V's"— her
mother having come from Virginia. Her
occupation is unique, so far as members
Of the feminine persuasion are con
cerned. She la the first fully equipped,
officially authorize,!, and legally bond
ed station among women, and
she is only twenty-two. What is more,
she has held the position for two years,
having been, at the age of twenty, ap
pointed to the office which ahe had
practically filled for two years previ
ous to that time.
At eighteen, she graduated with th"
degree of A. B. fflffm South Kentucky
College at Hopkinsville, nnd so-ii se
cured a position as assistant to her
brother, who held the agency which the
young women herself now rlHs. Then,
wlien the brother went off travelling in
Central America and his successor sud
denly died. Miss Lesley, who had mean
time been keeping her eyes open and
learning all that was to be known
about a railroad station, was called to
fill the position.
"As to the ability of a woman to fill
such a position." says Miss Lesley, "I
quote the comment of the officials who
sai<l at the dose of the year. 'Your ser
vice has been altogether satisfactory.'
"The requirements," she goes on to I
SHy. "are a good general education, j
with quickness and accuracy in mathe- !
ma tics. One must be able, instantly. '
to tell the per cent, accruing to the
particular railroad company to which
one belongs from a shipment of live
stock to Liverpool, England, and at the i
same time be able to compute and fur-;
Irish 'ten cents worth of riding ma
terial' to the backwoodsman at the
ticket window".
"The characteristics demanded are a |
good memory', quick Judgment, and
self-reliance, combined with that rare,
but saving grace, good temper.
"My experience has proven that tho
place can be successfully filled by a
woman, demanding no more of those |
small courtesies from the opposite sex ;
than any other position. I find the!
work pleasant and interesting, and de
void of the monotonous routine that |
Susie M. Lasley of Rowland, Ky,, College Graduate
and Station Agent.
characterizes so much of the allotted
woman's work. My home is one mile
distant, and whenever the weather
does not positively prevent it, I ride a
Wheel to and from the station. I be
lieve that Clerical railroad work,
though as yet an untried field for wo
men, is a most interesting and con
genial occupation, and girls who are
looking about for a means of livelihood
would do well to take it into consid
eration."
Copyright, IS9B, by Bachellcr Syndicate.
Flower Bath for Women.
One of the latest whims of women
who can afford to indulge their whims 1
is tile flower bath. It is claimed that 1
there Is nothing like it for strengthen
ing the muscles of the neck, shoulders
and arms. This is the way the baths
are taken: Suppose a girl wishes to
take a rose bath. She puts a quantity
of rose petals into a bag and pours a
Quantity of boiling w-ater sufficient to
cover the bag over it. The water Is al
lowed to boll hard for ten minutes. It
is then allowed to cool, and is poured
into the bathtub, which must be half
full of blood-warm water. The bather
lies quietly in this for fifteen or twenty
minutes and suspends the thinking pro
cess as well as she possibly can. It is
alleged that the treatment, if persisted
in two or three times a week, will put
the body in a healthy condition and
give a glow and softness to the skin.
Its fragrance makes it delightful.
Crushed violets, oat straw nnd pine
needles can be substituted for rose
leaves, and all arc prepared in the same
way.
MILITARY GIRDLE
Made of Buttons From Sol
diers' Uniforms—Peacock
and Cameo Belts.
If you want to proclaim yourself as
belonging to the "army and navy set."
and therefore In a very gay social
' swim, you must wear a military belt,
which is not, as its name might indi
cate, a ponderous leather and gold af
|fair, patterned after the kind belonging
Ito soldiers' uniforms. It la indeed, the
product of much devastation of those
i uniforms, but the articles plundered
1 are not the belts, but the buttons.
I Ovary fair damsel who has military i
[friends smiles upon one after another J
I until she has persuaded each to muti
late his regimentals in order to bestow
| upon her the one favor which she ask
above all others, a pretty brass button !
from the front of his coat. In vain he
offers to bring her one the next time
he sees her; she will have none of his
promises, but will snip the button ofl
herself before he escapes her. In rare !
oases, an officer gets off by promising'
to bring her a half dozen or SO, for of
< OUPee that would lessen her labor and
shorten the time before the n"ees.s,iry
materials for the belt were collected.
Having obtained a couple of dozen of
these buttons, she hies her to a jeweler. ;
who fastens tiny links to the edges of
the buttons and connects them with
chraina until sufficient girth Is reached
to encircle her presumably slender
waist. A diamond shaped buckle is
then formed of the rest of the but
tons, ar.d the belt is complete—unless
thcr? should happen to be a few of the
military souvenirs left, in which case
they may be used for a chatelaine.
The belt next in favor is designed to
represent a circlet of peacock feathers.
The feather par: is dark. OXydtSed sil
ver, and the "eyes" are made of a pur
ple enamel that glitters lilc? amethyst.
Such a girdle costs twenty-five dollars,
but it Is a great favorite with the
swagger New Yorker, notwithstanding
th« superstition that peaonrk fenthers
are the plumage of ill omen.
Tn general, belts average about two
Inches wide, and the newest on»s are
made of a succession of round or
square pieces linked together over an
inner belt of silk —usually grey, to I
match the silver. This introduction of I
a silk lining into the composition of a :
metal belt Is a new Idea designed to
protect the dress from the constant
friction of sharp, or. at least, hard
points with delicate material.
Another innovation has the same
merits to recommend it as a certain
well-known health corset which has
been on the market for many years. It
is the belt with a spiral wire arrange
ment that stretches in accordance with
the movements of the body, allowing
free breathing and reasonable exercise.
Young women who contemplate a
summer by tho sea should either avoid
the < ut steel belt or else ask for the
; kind that is warranted not to tarnish
at the seashore, as there is a new va-
Iriety, now on the market which has this
] guaranty.
Ingenuity in the arrangement of imi
. tation jewels has been taxed to the ut
termost in the making of belts, and the
despairing designer has turned his at
tention to imitation cameos. Mercury,
Ptayehe, Venue, Juno, and all sorts of
mythological characters arc linked to
gether in ttnelassieal disregard of rela
tions or affinities, but they make a
j beautiful belt and are affected by the
damsel whose pose is Grecian wherever
I possible.
1 Copyright, 1M)8, by Uaeheller Syndicate.
LOS ANGELES HERALD ■ SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 13, 1898.
SOCIAL PUFFS FOR DEBUTANTES.
Value of Luncheons And Dinners in Their Honor Recßoned at 60
Much Per Line in Case of Ordinaro Commodities--CoffeQe
Girls' Pfans for Junior Promenades.
From a social point of view, the
months of January and February are
to Winter "what July and August'aro
to Summer, the chief differences be
tween the two pairs of gala months be
ing in the motive for each. The winter
pair is almost wholly devoted by the
society mother to the social interests
of her daughter—attending to her in
troduction into swelldom, her lunch
eons, calls, and above all, to her gowns. ,
In summer, however, she goes away to «
rest from winter obligations well ful
filled, and sets about to enjoy herself,
leaving the younger members of her
household to take care of themselves.
Just now is the most critical moment
in many an anxious mamma's whole
year. Most of the debutantes of the
season have been brought out, but the
problem of keeping up social interest
in those same buds is as ditllcult to
solve as that of any advance agent for
a coming soubrette, or a promoter of
interest in some new kind of soap. The
fact is, the debutante requires adver
tising quite as much as any commer
cial commodity, and though it must all
be done in a delicate sort of way, it is
none the less a piece of high-art ad
vertisement through the columns of
some society leader's mansion where
I the young lady in question is to be the j
guest of honor at a luncheon or din-j
ner. This requires the enlistment of j
one's friends' interests instead of the
newspaper paragraphs at so much a
line, which are the usual thing In less
delicate matters; yet the favor is one'
which can be. and usually is. returned
in kind, so that after all it is only a
species ~f barter in which no money
passes from hand to hand. In many
cases, one's relatives do this sort of so
cial boosting. Very often, also, as in
i the case of Miss Josephine Drexel of
New York, there is no need of any out
• side assistance to the top of the ladder,
and it Is only gone through with as a
I matter of form, as well as to give the
• deJbutante a good time and a chance to
display her natural powers of fuseina
! tion. Miss Drexel has had the good for
• tune of an opportunity to make an Im
pression in two cities in the first year
of her coming out through the gener
! osity of her Philadelphia aunt. Mrs.
• | Anthony Drexel, who has attained so
cial celebrity for both herself and her
! captivating niece, by spending nearly
In Orange and Black for a Princeton Ball.
s3,ooo for the young woman's cotillion
favors alone. It will be a long time be
; fore the guests of that cotillion will for
i get this fact.
j And at the same time that all this is
going on in the exclusive circles of the
: wealthy, the plain, ordinary daughter
'of the middle classes, who doesn't both
:er herself about coming out balls, be
cause like Topsy she has "jus' grow'd
up" in her own particular set. and
doesn't need introductions, is having as
I good a time in her own way as any of
I the girls in higher social strata.
Among them all, however, there is
! none who so thoroughly enjoys herself,
and who so materially contributes to
the enjoyment of her associates, as
I does the college girl, which term may
!be broadened to include the girl who
I comes under the influence of the college j
! environment —in short, the college
' man's girl, who comes in for all the ]
I fun attendant upon college life. That!
i this girl is the most interesting of all
the various types of the season may be
assumed from the fact that she finds
favor in the eyes of the college man, i
| for this youthful embodiment of inde- j
j pendente is bound by no considerations j
lof wealth or birth in the choice of her ,
■ whom he is pleased to regard as his j
j "best girl."
! This is the damsel who will grace the
I various "Junior Proms." which take
place at different times from now until
| June.
Princeton will follow Yale's brilliant
' lead this week With its Junior ball,
to be given at the Casino next Friday,
■ February 11. Mrs. Grover Cleveland is
among the patronesses, a distinction
j which "old Nassau" enjoys over other
| colleges as a result of proximity to the
1 home of the ex-president's family, as
well as to the interest which the lat
ter have always shown in the welfare
of the institution. Naturally, every
young woman who expects to go is In
a flutter of excitement over the affair,
I and the thoroughfares leading to the
I principal New York shops have been
profitably traversed by such of the
pretty Jersey girls who are so fortu
nate as to have admirers among the
Princeton men. There are plenty of New-
York and Philadelphia girls *tfho "ex
ited to visit relatives or friends at that
verj( time," within driving distance of
| the Casino, which is the scene of the
ball, and many a new gown will re
ceive its first airing there.
One exquisite little dress which is
especially designed for the occasion is
done in the Princeton colors, at the
same time carrying out one of the lat
est fancies in evening costumery. The
new fancy is to drape a thin white
gauze over a moderately dark shade of
taffeta. The taffeta in this case is, of
course, orange, and the gauze over
dress is white with edges of narrow,
black velvet ribbon. The foundation
skirt has a pleated flounce around the
bottom albout fourteen inches wide.
The overdress is cut up in long scallops
at the bottom which reach to the top
of the taffeta flounce, and are them
selves edged with a five inch pleating
of the white gauze finished with black
i velvet ribbon, as above mentioned. The
' waist has more pleatings of black
' edged gauze over the shoulders, and the
I inevitable sash with Its long ends is a
j perfect billow- of pleated flounces run
' ning up the edges and across in zig-zag
j fashion. The slippers to go with this
i gown are orange satin, with black
j beadings, and the gloves are black,
j Black gloves for evening have a most
, unaccountable popularity, as is evinced
by the quantities of them which are
seen at the opera. Tho date of the
Princeton "Prom." Is so near to St.
Valentine's day that it may easily be
regarded as a Valentine dance, and
probably will be, so far as the college
men and their sweethearts are con
cerned.
Black enters into the composition of
i a great many of the evening gowns one
i sees at the opera. The fearless woman
• with confidence In her figure appears
I in black velvet cut very decollete, and
i un-relieved, except for the gleaming
■ string of diamonds at the top of the
I corsage. She also wears black gloves
' which stop at the elbow, if her arm is
i pretty, or reach several inches above
,in other cases. The glove that covers
I all but the upper four inches of the arm
i is again in favor, and there Is only the
• tiniest bit of a puff for a dress sleeve
■ at the shoulder. One of the box favor
> ites who wore black velvet, the other
• night at the performance of the Meis
- tersinger, had the beginnings of tight
t sleeves at the shoulder in place of
f puffs. The effect was startling as
ij evincing a return to the positively un
comfortable, tight sleeve of eeven years
ago.
One young girl ln rose pink had a
tiny sleeve cap of mousseline gathered
around the top of her arm.
The smallest bit of trimming at the
top of the arm is sufficient sleeve, un
less one wants to wear a long one
reaching to the wrist. This sleeve is
being introduced into the new summer
evening dresses whlcth are already on
sale In the large shops. The style will
be found extremely convenient for sum
mer hops wnlch are usually more or
less Informal, and a dress so made can
easily be converted into an afternoon
gown after its first freshness has worn
off.
The evening gowns on exhibition are
characterized by the yards upon yards
of satin ribbon that are sewed in rows
around gauze flounces and above them
on the body of the skirt, and then
above that, on the bodice itself. The
sleeves also have the same trimming.
The ribbon Is not the "baby" variety,
but Is alK>ut a quarter of an inch wide.
Pink mousseline or organdy trimmed
in this manner makes a beautiful dress,
and. the principal elements ln Its com
position being time and. patience, the
average girl can easily make It her
self.
Finally, no evening costume, however
beautiful, is complete without a flow
er, feather, ribbon, or aigrette in the
hair. Young girls wear a ribbon or
flower set low on the hair. Matrons
prefer a high aigrette or feather.
ANNIE LAURIE WOODS.
Copyright, 1898, by Bacheller Syndicate.
A Veteran Worker.
One of the most devoted workers In
the cause of women is Mrs. Margaret
W. Campbell of Dcs Moines. la., who
Is now 70 years old, but still very ac
tive. She was born In Maine, and came
to lowa a great many years ago. Her
husband was an artist, and was also
an anient suffragist. When Colorado
was about to be organized as a state
Mr. and Mrs. Campbell dropped all
other business and went to the terri
tory to work for woman suffrage, hop
ing to get it into the new state consti
tution. They travelled all over the
state, undergoing all manner of hard
ships and privations, climbing over
mountains on burros, riding ln rough
wagons, visiting pioneers in their
homes in all parts of the new and wild
country. They did not succeed then,
but they planted the seed which after
ward ripened into the full right of suf
frage now enjoyed by Colorado women.
The constitution was so framed that
the question might be submitted to the
popular vote, and when it was submit
ted it was carried.
Mrs. Campbell for years travelled
from Maine to Califronia, putting in
most of her time for the equal suffrage
cause. For many years she was Lucy
Stone's "right-hand man."
FarvSeeing Young Women.
Two young women named Kenway
Who live in Kllckital county, Washing
j ton, have turned a neat bit of money
jas the reward of possessing business
sense and being stanch republicans.
The New York Sun says that when Mc-
Kinley was elected they rejoiced great
ly, and. being sure that a few months
more would see a protective tariff in
operation, and wool bringing high
prices, they got together $1,840, <uid last
spring bought a flock of sheep. Then
they hired a sheep-herder, and sent
their flock off to the hills to graxe on
free grass during the summer, plaining
to sell their newly acquired live stock
before the winter should make neces
sary expensive care and feeding. As the
summer waned they began to Ixik
| about for purchasere. They made three
j .separate sales, receiving for the sheep
I a total of $7,480. They disposed of the
• last sheep before the cold and wet Wtol
j ter weather began, and netted on the
Cora C. Weed of Muscatine, la., Seeks Appointment as Consul.
whole enterprise $5,000. That 18, they
trebled their money tn a little more
than six months. Which proves that
the modern 80-Peep is a much wiser
person than ehe waa in Mother Goose's
time.
Photographs By An Empress.
The Empress of Austria possesses a
collection of photographs taken by her
self during her travels of the last nine
years. They consist of portraits of all
the beautiful women and girls whom
her majesty (hae seen, a great number
of them being Italians and French. At
tached to each photograph Is a paper,
on wfhich is written the name, a«e and
description of the lady depicted, to
gether with the date on which the por
i trait was taken and the place.
A WOMAN ASPIRES
TO A CONSULATE.
Diplomatic Qualities Not
Necessarily Masculine,
Says Cora C. Weed.
SWITZERLAND HER CHOICE.
Has a Large Endorsement
Among lowa Politicians
of Influence.
We cannot "all bp teachers and
Stenographers nor even "lady newspa
per men." Some can be doctors, some
nurses, and others can enter matrimo
nial bonds.
"For my part, I propose to be consul,
if I can get appointed," says the voice
of the advanced woman from the West.
And she is saying It pretty loud, too,
if the experience of Mrs. Cora C. Weed
of Muscatine. lowa, can be taken as an
indication of the trend of public sen
timent.
"There la nothing." says Mrs. Weed,
"In the requirements for a consulate
which prevent a woman from filling the
position as well as a man. In fact, the
average man Who Is appointed consul
has no special qualifications for the of
fice. He does not even bother himself
to learn the language of the country to
whi< h he aspires to be consul until af
ter he is appointed. And as for train
ing to diplomatic service that is out of
the question until one is sure of the
office.
"The qualifications which should be
required are a thorough acquaintance
with different languages, more especial
ly the one spoken In the country to
which one aspires to be consul, as well
as some knowledge of the customs of
various countries acquired by a cer
tain amount of travel."
Mrs. Weed lives in a house beautiful
ly situated at the top of a bluff over
looking the Mississippi river. It is well
named "Eyrie," suggesting the eagle's
nest from its lofty height.
This brilliant woman who aspires to
till a position never yet bestowed upon
any of her sex. Is one of the most in
fluential politicians in lowa. The Wo
men of lowa are not yet allowed to
vote, but they are said to wield more
political power than the women of any
other state in the country, perhaps ex
cepting Kansas. Mrs. Weed is an ac
complished linguist, thoroughly edu
cated and broadened by travel, and "as
to the grounds upon which I hope to
succeed," says this feminine aspirant
to a consulate, "I refer, with pleasure,
to my extensive endorsement among
men of influence and political power."
Mrs. Weed's preferences as to locality
lie between Germany and Switzerland.
"These two countries," says she, "are
attractive for many reasons to the con
sulate seeker. Their people are more
congenial to Americans than those of
other European nationalities, and life
there would be more nearly like that
to which they are accustomed at home.
"It is my belief that the time Is ripe
for the recognition of woman in the
field of representative public service,
and upon this belief, as well as upon
the hearty support of political friends,
I base my hopes of success ln obtain
ing the appointment."
Copyright, 1898, by Bacheller Syndicate.
Persian Mournesr.
The mourners at a Persian funema 1
wipe away thedr tears with wads oi
cotton wool or little sponges, which are
atfterwaird squeezed Into bottles. The
tears are preserved ais a powerful and
efficacious restorative for those whom
every other medicine has failed to re
vive. This constitutes a most Impor
tant part of the obsequies of the dead.
Where Women Suffrage Prevails.
In South Australia all adults enjoy
the rights of franchise, and Mr. King
ston, the prime minister, says that the
women appreciate the power and al
ways use it intelligently.