Show THE FIRST WOMAN WOMA DIPLOMATIC CORPS CARPS Miss Lucile Atcherson n i of Columbus Ohio Mistress r of International Law Foreign Politics Commerce and Trade Life and European History a Pioneer in New Field in Which She Expects Shortly to Be Joined Joine by Many More Women ii J tI fA r WOMAN diplomat officially accredited A steps into the picture in the person of Miss Lucile Atcherson of Columbus Columbus Co Co- lumbus Ohio l' l Since time out of mind women have played important but unofficial roles in the drama of the nations Their whims and caprices have rocked empires Cabnet Cab Cab- Cabinet inet net ministers have laid down portfolios knowing well that a woman affronted bad had caus to be stripped of honor It remained for Uncle Samuel to avail T himself of the sex's unquestioned ability f- f fin in affairs diplomatic and Miss Atcherson Atcher- Atcher son is the first woman member of the ther r American diplomatic corps She probably probably probably ably will be connected with the embassy embassy embassy em em- bassy at Paris where Ambassador Herrick Herrick Her- Her rick a personal friend and one cf her most active sponsors will supervise the activities of our first woman diplomat Ohio in the appointment of Miss Atcherson At At- F cherson has added another first to her herlong herlong long list It was the first State in the Union to urge woman suffrage the the first to admit women to its colleges first to elect a woman to sit on its Supreme Court b bench first to send to Washington a woman Federal prohibition agent That Miss Atcherson's home is in Ohio however has nothing to do with her appointment It is Ohio's luck that Miss Atcherson happened to live there and not Miss Atcherson's that she lived Jived in Ohio As a matter of fact luck luck and geography played no p part rt in the success of our first woman diplomat Grit and sand and sense of the most I 1 uncommon variety combined with half halfa a lifetime of study and training are responsible responsible responsible re re- re- re for her arrival and nothing else Add to these qualifications the purely femi feminine ile assets of a pair of brown eyes that look into the deeps o of t you a voice that is so exquisitely modulated mod mod- modulated it sings singS' to you iOU a graciousness and refinement and exotic beauty that charm you and a commanding poise that jet yet fails to hide the bubbling en enthusiasm enthusiasm en- en underneath There you have our ur first woman diplomat If these attributes go to the making ofa of ofa f 1 a diplomat diplomat diplomat-as as it is an open secret that I they do in the making of any other tri triumph fri hi- in a womans woman's career then career then it is isa is isa T a foregone conclusion that Miss l Atcherson Atcher Atcher- son is automatically made k AT AT THE end of a long hard hand day at atthe atthe the the State Department where she is t r being put through a course of sprouts before assigned to a foreign post Miss Atcherson was found at her cozy hotel apartment to all appearances as fresh as asa asa ast t a June rose She was wearing a chic 1 piece one-piece frock of blue embroidered embroidered em em- broidered in colorful wools Carefully groomed from slippers to hairnet she sat in a big wing chair with eyes shining cheeks glowing talking like a woman of the world and looking like a debutante after her first ball i. i It was difficult t t to re reconcile thi this s slender young girl 4 sti still l in In her twenties with th the important post of oY world diplomat One glan glance e at the titles of the thick books on the mantelpiece over her head however however on on international law foreign politics commerce and trade European history with history with which she has intimate acquaintance will assure you how se seriously seriously seriously se- se she has gone in for her career and how little time has been left for Ifor frivoling And yet ask Miss Atcherson whether she likes the things that other girls do dancing for instance Her eyes sparkle as she replies Love it I danced my i way through Europe And as for college dances well dances well when I wasn't on the other side of the ocean I dont don't think I ever missed a fraternity dance at the Ohio University t r You know I was born bom in Columbus fr she said and right under the sh shadow d v of the university But now we are living Jiving o on a farm fann just outside of toWn town She does not care for so-called so society society society so she said though she does enjoy i meeting interesting people in it who j stimulate her she plays some golf and rides horseback every day of her life when possible Love of hors horses s is a special special special cial weakness of hers in fact dating back to her pigtail days When she went to to college her favorite mount went with her An only child of well-to-do well parents r naturally she was indulged Her father Fred W. W Atcherson who was for twenty years superintendent of the Columbus Street Railway Company found his re relaxation re- re taxation on horseback and with him al always always always al- al ways rode his young daughter As soon as asher her hei feet could reach the stirrups he pre pre- seated d her w with th a mount of f h her r own own with the stipulation on that s she e would ride every da day rain lain or shine Lucile Atc Atcherson Atcher Atcher- r- r son named her horse John Edwin and nd when the time rolled round for tr t r her to togo togo go t to college her parents l laughingly said the only member of the family she shem m minded leaving was John Edwin Edwin Both Mr 11 an and Mrs Atcherson accompanied accompanied accompanied their d daughter to Northampton n where here she sije entered Smith College She was was one one of of the youngest college entrants being only fourteen years old at the time and naturally suffering a all l theu the u usual ual qualms q qualms alms alms' of homesickness When the family w was s ready to return r return turn t to 7 Ohio hi Mr Atcherson suggested goi going g o 1 I IA l I A J y f-y f I Ik J. J fi 1 I k J JiZ Z i 1 i. i I j Y P l k J t y I. I 1 I M Members Members' rc of the Unit United d States Diplomatic Corps occupy occupy y positions of of dignity ii arid aid L consequence ons q en Th They y J i represent p t the Un United er States S tat es and it its institutions They y must st establish establish and nd m maintain i t in rin rint in in t theN the tt capitals p t s in which hi they reside a position befitting the commanding b prestige of the theRe Republic Bli w g. g nations t oris Such Such Such- ii is IS the job of Miss MLA f ISS' ISS Atcherson tc h erson v 1 with hi his d daughter to a local livery ery stable to select a horse for he her st stating t ng that he hewa wa wanted ted her to keep up up her d daily ily rides and would feel f el better satisfied if he knew the kind of ho horse se she would hav have Lucile showed showe l not the slightest en enthusiasm enthusiasm and on arrival at the stable would scarcely look at the horses bro brought out for her inspection When the Ute third horse was being rejected however her father fathe urged her to look again Take a good look Jook he raid eaid and andl I believe you will like this L better Something in his voice wheeled his his' daughter round To her her de delight and d. d complete complete complete com com- astonishment there stood 1 John ohn Edwin 1 Miss iss Atcherson graduated f from om Smith College Colleg in 1913 a a B. B A. A t a at eighteen 4 L I 2 2 i t r i t C 4 u. u o S 'S 1 1 t L 3 vv sa saN N oFf c I a 4 r d i S 1 JJ a X d f C L r. r r a d pa 2 Y 4 y oa aY Y 4 f r 4 55 S I o fie r t S 'S a nJ vJ wa y 4 2 5 Y She majored in econ economics thus starting her diplomatic training training though though gh unc unconsciously ri early early in life From college ollege she we went t to 0 Europe with her m mother returning returning re re returning turning home just w when en Ohio Ohi was in the midst of the State suffrage fight Being in ina a plastic state stat she observed observed ed and wanting something real to occupy occupy oc oc- oc cupy cup my time the suffrage campaign offered just the urge I need needed d. d Mrs Harriet Taylor Upton an an- an anold old family active suffrage suffrage suffrage suf suf- suf- suf friend and one of the most frage leaders in the State put me to work eventually making me secretary of the Columbus Womans Woman's Suffrage Com Com- This secretarial experience nce interested me a and d convinced me me that to to make mako a really eal y good executive w one one should should know J r all aU about b corporations l and arid fi finance an and nd economy eco i wh which l led d' d dt t to my going to the JI University of if f. f Chicago to tg do do some ome special work tk in hit these hese s subjects Op On Op my iny ieti n from the university a nub municipal suffrage campaign n was on in Columbus l in tl Ha Having i g be been n. n in a losing Josing fight I I wasH was anxious to g get t in what looked like a winning nning one So I v went nt actively to td soak k again gain a and d' d this time we won Th Then n. n c ca came me the war war and the chance to go go abr abroad ad as M secretary sec to Miss Anne Morgan Morg na and aid d her Committee for Devastated Devas Devas- tran France With With the he e exception of two two- weeks leave at home I I was vas i in E Europe rop th three ee years years year serving serving as as' general general secretary Y of of the c committee after Miss Morgans Morgan's re re- re Miss L Lucile Atcherson th the first American rican wom woman n to enter our our r r diplomatic service i.- i. turn to the the States af s. s F For r a year of 9 of that time I I. I Was Avas stationed fn in n Paris Pans While there ther we had we had a great m many ny cases to take 1 yup up up with th the embassies I found the contact con con- tact so interesting and the intern international 3 t tangles s' s they they Were called upon to Unravel so intriguing that the thought came to tome tome me th that Id Id I'd like nothing better than to tobe be in ih su such Jl work york myself An And why not I argued If suffrage ge h had d let down the b bars s completely why couldn't women qualify for the diplomatic service as aswell well as as s men men When I came home on leave I broa broached bleached hed the subject to Mrs Upton asking asking asking ask ask- ing what hat she thought of it it She was keen for it and did a great deal to help meI me I put put in my my application to the State Department in du due time and md when I was wason wason on on- the the high seas returning home for good good in in the summer t of 1921 notification notification tion was was sent to me of of the diplomatic examination As this was was to be in July however and I realized I would need sp special dal preparation for it I asked permission permission per per- mission to take the next examination which was gi granted anted An Depart Depart- sting detail of State Department Depart ment workings was disclosed by Miss MissA A Atcherson's appointment It required considerable considerable considerable con con- effort on the part of a woman high in th the councils oun ls of df f the Republican Party before the diplomatic examinations examinations examina examina- were opened to to women women And when she came on to Washington to prepare herself for the examination requiring a special l diplomatic course cours the professor sor under whom she studied studied would not permit her to enter the regular classes with the men but tutored her privately 1 5 4 I II I I Ii 1 r 3 I 1 The State Departments Department's examination is a stiff one covering a period of ot three days and comprising such subjects as international law diplomatic usage at least one modern language other than English the natural industrial and commercial com com- co commercial mercial resources and the commerce of the United States especially with reference reference reference refer refer- ence to the possibilities of increasing and extending the tr trade de with foreign countries American history government and institutions and the modern modem history history history his- his tory since 1850 of E Europe rope Latin America and the Far East Enst Following th the written examination was an oral examination given by Robert Woods Bliss As Assistant Secretary several State Department officials and Mrs Helen Gardener Civil Service Servi e Commissioner Commissioner Commis Commis- the object being to determine Miss Liss Atcherson's alertness general contemporary contemporary con con- temporary information and natural fitness fitness fit fit- ness for the service including mental m moral ral and physical qualifications character charac charac- ter tel address and general education and good command of English In determination of final rating the written and oral tests are of equal weight Now that the State Department has become becom it a little more accustomed to the idea of women diplomats it is admitted admitted that diplomatic fitness is not a matter of sex sexi They re 10 few m men n fitted for diplomatic diplomatic diplomatic dip dip- work just as there are few fete women is is' is the view expounded T The e departments department's de- de departments departments department's de attitude is that no sex line shall shan be drawn that men and women will hence henceforth orth be given the same opportunities opportunities opportunities in the service Not once did they advance that moss-grown moss theory that women cannot keep a secret the possibilities of her P DISCUSSING work Miss Atcherson said The question arose arose whether women would be better able to handle the problems problems' of wc who apply to the various the various embassies embassies embassies sies for advice or help In Par Pe it in instance instance in- in stance are hundreds of young women art students from America They constantly constantly con con- call at the American A Emb Embassy and some one suggested that here would be a field where a woman woman secretary would be especially valuable But the suggestion was vas downed immediately by the argument argument ment that it had been p proved oved that women prefer doing business with men men So that we believe it is largely a matter of the individual and not sex sett Miss Atcherson agrees though she fully fully ful ful- ful- ful ly y appreciates that she has a cert certain in amount amount of prejudice to ov overcome because of her sex I am consecrating myself to the task she says not only for my own sake but for the sake salce of other women who wh I I hope ope will find themselves s fitted to come into the diplomatic corps Speaking of the educational background back back- ground necessary for a diplomatic career Miss Atcherson said history was highly essential Most of the universities have special diplomatic courses said she but I think in in addition to that women need tutoring from men who have specialized in foreign trade and international law lawin lawin in order to get the nice slants that come coma from direct insight IIO Of course course- trade and commence commence and that sort of thing are foreign to a womans woman's wom worn woman's womans ans an's training It is is' is sheer men memory ory work at first but one finds the subjects presented presented pre pre- in such an entertaining and picturesque picturesque pic pic- way that it doesn't take tak long longto to become interested and get a lasting grasp When asked if her family would live Jive abroad with her Miss Atcherson stated stated this would not bo be possible just at present present pres pres- ent but t that at she expected to take a favorite favorite onte aunt along not along not for the purpose of chaperoning but in order that she might be able to maintain her own home and her own salon Since the proper social contacts are very valuable in establishing establish establish- ing friendly relations between nations and can be had only under |