Evening Star Newspaper, April 21, 1929, Page 87

FEATURES Part 7—8 Pages D. C, SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 21, NE SECTION The Sunday Star. WASHINGTO 1929; FICTION AND HUMOR s bl i * | Congresswomen Have Many Interests Unrelated to Politics Eight Elected to Present Session Confess That They Have Varying Fads in Realms of Recreation and Service— Daughter of Mark Hanna Places Farming First—Mrs. Rogers Has Become Flying Fan—Daughter of W. J. Bryan Enjoys Travel and Swimming With Children. BY VELLA ALBERTA WINNER. N THE Seventy-first Congress of the United States, now in session, there are eight women, the largest num- ber that ever sat in the Halls of Congress. ‘Three of the most colorful and com- pelling ~ of ~these statesyomen—Ruth Baker Pratt of New York, Ruth Hanna McCormick of Illinois and Ruth Bryan Owen of Florida—are taking their laces for the first time in this august dy. During their campaigns much was #aid and written by them and for them concerning their political backgrounds, their platforms and their methods of playing the political game. The same is true of thoss who have been ap- pointed, elected and re-elected in past years—Mary T. Norton of New Jersey, Florence Prag Kahn of California, Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts, Katherine Langley of Kentucky and Fannie Oldfield of Arkansas. But do you know that the distin- guished daughter of Mark Hanna, in enumerating her hobbies, places farming first, h‘mlltlcs, second and newspaper publishing third? Do you know that Mrs. Pratt, although with & hand on the purse strings of Sandard Oil millions, confesses that she gets greatest joy out of a game of tennis or golf? Will it surprise you to know that the prim little New England Representative, Mrs. Rogers, is a “flying fan,” and says that three hours in the air are as good as a month’s vacation? Isn't your attention arrested by the declaration of Mrs. Norton, serious of mind and of mien, that she has an inordinate liking for chicken a la Maryland, that she can prepare it and Jjust to prove it gives the recipe? Interests outside of their political lives—their fads, foibles and favorites along many lines, their divergent ideas on requisites in a woman seeking public office and their reactions to the sugges- tion of a woman in the President’s cabinet or even in the White House— these are some of the things here set down. “If one’s literary taste is to be judged by the relative amount of time devoted to various lines of reading it would appear that my favorite book, recently,: has been the Congressional Record, says Mrs, McCormick, who adds that her favorite recreation Is riding, and that she can think of no more ideal vacation than spending &s many weeks as possible on her ranch with .her three children, riding, hiking and hunting. * %k kX MR& MCCORMICK is ‘a strong be- liever in the woman’s club move- ment, saying: “Club work induces study of public aftairs, public officials and | public opinion. It also affords experi- ence in the most effective methods of organization for the accomplishment of desired results. Club women were chiefly responsible for the constitutional amendment giving the vote to women, and organizations of women have since accomplished much toward Justifying '“Eé-;o“rl{en who seck public office should possess the same qualifications for the job as man candidates would be pre- sumed ‘There should be no distinction as t0 sex, but th]er:l sho&lld harp distinction as to relative abil- }’t’y.’ industry and experience. ewrrf:x; ividual women _ Drov :‘{x}m’fi% for such important positions as cabinet members, or for the resi- : dency of the United States, they ulg have equal cflnsld‘el;lflbn with men, ‘Mrs. McCormick. “%er. Pratt is distinctly an_outdoors woman and, though she declares she is free from hobbies, she confesses to & great fondness for tennis and golf. - Mrs. Pratt did her first public ‘work as chairman of the Woman's Liberty Loan Comml:lue os(hthe uco:od' l:ed:“r?l Rese! trict. e was - e but says that her lack of did not mean that she was o] to suffrage, further explaining that she was ‘l‘rn.her busy having six children in twelve years.” _““Now that suffrage is attained, Mrs. it believes that women should take an active -interest, not only in the Jarger things in connection with na- tional politics, but in the more uninter- esting local work, even down to the cholice of minor officials. with a vision of tly she did ot enter politics Congress. She began “ | on the lower rung of the political lad- der, taking her place in the Republican ranks after sufftage was won, and awinging the woman vote in. her dis-- MRS. MEDILL Mc CORMICK RUTH BAKER NEW VORK MURRAY PHOTO 4 FANNIE /LLINOIS MHARRIS & EWING PRATT OLDFIELD ARKANSAS MARY T. NORTON HVEW JERSEY VYNDERWaOP MRS. RUTH BRYAN OWEN FLORIDA EDITH NORSE ROGERS HARRIS & EWING MASSACHUSETTS KATHERINE. LANGLEY KENTUCKY HARRISE EWING E—ey - ey ] i FLORENCE PRAG KAHN CALIFORNIA HARSO ok PHOTO - trict, thereby establishing her qualities of leadership, which have served her in such good stead in her aldermanic campaigns. In these campaigns she covered her district with personal calls, announcing, “I am Ruth Pratt and I want to repre- sent you on the board of aldermen.” This plan was, of necessity, supple- mented with personal letters in the con- gressional campaign, and there flocked to her assistance a great corps of volun- teer workers. * K ok % THE political career of Mrs. Owen began at the tender age of 5, when her ' father, William Jennings Bryan, was elected to Congress, for she fre- quently -accompanied him to the ‘ses- sions and listened ‘awe-struck to the procedure. She was in her eleventh year when he became candidate for President, and she was so keenly inter- ested in all political questions under liscussion that she knew every plank both platforms. In her father’s third presidential campaign in 1908 she acted as his secretary. As the wife of a British Army officer, Mrs. Owen has spent much of her life abroad, living for some time both in London and Egypt. is an accom- plished linguist and a lover of music and of the outdoors. 7 “I have s large family of children whose company I thoroughly enjoy,” says Mrs. Owen. “The evenings, which we spend together enjoying music, are a delight to me. My elder daughter composes music, my eldest son writes the verses. My youngest no: and daugh- the | contalner, let stanc of | under chicken on the civic and philanthropic activities of her home eity. Her hobbies are child welfare and home building. Her favorite recreations are motoring and walking, and her idea of a vacation is to get away from work and live in nat- ural surroundings. /| “My big interest in politics is to or- women to a better understand- ing of their potential influence and strength, and to arouse enthusiasm in civic and educational affairs,” says Mrs. Norton. “My message to women is to keep an open mind and absorb all the information possible regarding ques- tions of importance to community, State and national affairs; also to take an individual interest in such questions, to arouse interest wherever and whenever it is found necessary and, above all | things, to avold taking the opinions of uniformed people. “A woman seeking office should ss ability, honesty, loyalty, a strict sense of justice, a large amount of what is known as common sense and an equal amount of sense of humor.” ‘Commenting on the resolution sent to President-elect Hoover in January by the board of directors of the Gen- eral Federation of Women’s Clubs, ask- ing that women not be appointed to positions of Federal trust and responsi- bility unless they are as well or better fitted for such positions than men, Mrs. Norton said: “The resolution of the federation board was sound, courageous and correct.” Mrs, Norton's recipe for chicken-a-la- Maryland is proof that she knows “a thing or two” about the gustatory as well as the po!lflu:: delights of life. cl and ‘When nicely browned, remove minutes. Fry a of ham, place platter, over which pour rich white sauce and with in oven for a few | gress may be sald to have besa tribute to her husband, the late Rep- resentative John Jacob Rogers, but her | Roge: re-election was conceded to be on her own record, a record notable for in- dustry, for working is not only Mrs. rs’ job, it is her hobby and her relaxation. She merely turns from one Fighf Timber Fires TH! season for forest fires is at hand and the Department of Agriculture is out to see what can be done about combatting the huge annual loss to the timber of the country, particularly in the South, where millions of acres are burned over each year. s Unlike the huge fires in the West, when only blackened stumps remain to point .to the spot where sturdy trees stood before the flames swept over them, the fires of the South do not kill the trees so extensively, but wound them so that they are easy prey to the insects and fungi that slow- ly eat their lives away. Of course, some types of trees are totally - destroyed, but the tall, long- leaf pines escape with burns around the bases when the fires creep along the surface of the ground. It is these little scars, however, which do the damage, for they make a point of en- trance for insect and plant life which geeps gradually up the of ees. Naturally, the best timber comes from the base of the trees, where no limbs and when this por- is made worthless by rposes. . !‘reqwenvryu the result of a wide- sweeping fire is the spi up of a less valuable and often scrubby growth of trees, of & different nature from the excellent timber which has fallen ith | before the flames. ‘The to the woodlands is not . | feminine than 51 erosion | 24,101,295 pairs gt an average $1 a pair. to hold ‘back flood waters in times of heavy rain. The needles and leaves, if allowed to remain where they have fallen, na- turally rot and replenish the soil to some extent. When they are burned, there is little left in the way of fer- tility with the exception of some small ‘nl‘-nwm of minerals contained in the ash. needless waste and the threat to future prosperity in these forest fires, and :!t; educational campaign will be con- ued. Buying Shoes. 'HE female of the species is far deadlier than the male, so far as the pocketbook is concerned, when it the | comes to purchasing shoes, the Depart- | ment of Commerce survey for 1927 in- dicates. This greater deadliness begins early in life, too, for just as women | outdistance men in the purchasing of ; footwear, so do girls and misses sur- pass boys and youths. The one indication of a silver lining for the dark cloud is in the fact that, whereas more shoes, to the extent of 22,500,000 pairs, were purchased in 1927 ::ner 1919, the last prior eenmnu. the boots and shoes—to 93,012,560 pairs, while women purchased 123,616,708. Boys and youths account- ed for about 27,000,000 pairs, while their associates were obtaining more 000,000 pairs. Bables required 1 "—that s, | julce of six oranges. cost..of . each cup. ‘It more, kind or piece of work to another and continues to carry on. Whenever an airplane can be used 'to further or facilitate & job, she uses it, for she is a devotee of air travel. “A woman in the President’s cab- inet is not an improbability,” said Mrs. Rogers, but she doubts where one of her sex will attain to the White House. Essentials in a woman seeking office are the desire and the capacity to serve and the ability to work constantly, says Mrs. Rogers. Mrs. Roges' first - public wok - was in the World War, when she made a survey of the hospital needs in North- ern France, England and.Ireland at § the request of Gen. Pershing. So earn- The department is finding that the:est and consistent is - her interest in country is gradually awakening to the | the ‘welfare of World War veterans, as manifesjed by her successful gui 8 of the bill carrying the veterans’ $15,- 000,000 appropriations, and by her never-flagging interest in the veterans at ‘Walter Reed Hospital, that she is known among them as the “angel of ‘Walter Reed.” In an effort to overcome the ever-in- creasing popularity of silk and to throw the spotlight of publicity on cotton, Mrs. Rogers instituted. a_cotton . contest in her home city, Lowell, noted for its many cotton mills. Twenty-five cash prizes were offered to the school girls | sald making the best cotton dresses. Every year the contest gro and interest. Last year there were 500 con- testants. p Although Mrs. Rogers lays no claims to accomplishments in the = culinary arts, she confesses to ;rwhl fondness for g@n"m and gives the recipes lor 3 % Fruit cup for llxmle—flx oranges, box of strawberries, y ‘Wash, hull and drain the strawberries. Remove every particle of white from the oranges, di- vide into small pieces. Use one orange for each person i e e e i cup al T the berries are small, use A i e A Sponge drops—Beat the white of two eggs until stiff. Beat the yolks of the eggs until thick. Then beat the whites and the yolks together. Beat half a cup of sugar into the eggs and beat the juice of half a lemon. Add half a cup of flour and a small pinch of salt, beating them into the eggs and sugar. B:nl’;‘ énuflmm alns tabo:zp ;ed ‘minutes (slowly). Split and put w! cream between. Bake in a moderate oven. Serve with the fruit cup. * ok kX MR-S. LANGLEY probably brought to her office more actual Washing- ton experience than any other Repre- sentative. Beginning in 1903, she served as clerk in the office of her father, James M. Gudger, jr, a member of Congress from North Carolina. Her husband was a member of Congress for 20 years. During the first 14 years she was clerk in his office, and during the remaining six years she was clerk of the committee on public buildings and grounds, of which her husband was chairman. She was elected to Congress in 1926 and re-elected in 1928. “The chief channel through which women achieved suffrage was that of ! education, for which even the woman's home duties preeminently fitted her,” Mrs. Langley. “And it is my firm belief that there should be a depart- ment of education in the Federal Government, over which a woman should preside, and with the - ac- knowledged determination of the pre- sent administration to serve in every possible way the ends of human needs, this will be accomplished during the administration of President Hoover. It is also_certainly not impossible for a some time to become President of the United States.” Mre. Langley has always been deeply interested in civic and club work, and was one of the organizers and first and four strawberries.|president of the Woman's Club of} Pikeville, Ky. “My club experience was a decided lvantage to me in public s g ‘and in work that required par te ary knowledge,” said Mrs. Langley. “The long-delayed enfranchisment of woman makes - all the more imperative her participation in club work, which tends more than all else to fit her for the wider field of human activity which now confronts her, and helps to equip | her for aiding in the purification of | political life and in lifting humanity to a higher plane of usefulness and of honor. | “Lofty ambition, stability, poise, and, as far as possible an understanding of the well-springs of human action, are essential in & woman seeking office. Horseback riding is Mrs. Langley's favorite recreation, and her idea of a vacation is restful environment with ample opportunity to acquire useful in- formation without conscious effort. She is esentially a home woman and greatly enjoys home beautification. Mrs. Kahn first became interested in public life through the career of her husband, whom she succeeded in Con- gress. Commenting on woman's part in recent campaign, &z Kahn saiu: “I believe the women did a splendid iwork in connection with Mr. Hoover's Vrecent campaign, and I am confi- dent- that he will not be slow to give them due recognition.” At the close of each session of Con- gress, Mrs. Kahn leaves as soon as pos- sible for her home in California, for she says her greatest pleasure is a vacation season with her mother and her sons in the Golden State. Mrs. Oldfield, appointed to fill the unexpired term of her late husband, took up her work in January. Although i she_had not hitherto been active in or- ganization work, she has well-defined ideas relative to qualifications in office seekers. She maintains that women seeking office should not rely upon the fact that they are women, but rather upon their qualifications as citizens, and she also thinks that a woman in the President’s cabinet is not a far distant probability. And so it seems that those words jare as true today as the day Shake- speare penned them: “Age cannot wither _nor stale her infinite variety,”