NEW PATHS FOR WOMEN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 152, 21 March 1908, Page 11

NEW PATHS FOR WOMEN.

Eor some considerable time . (says the "Age") wo .have' accepted, lady clerks. and typists.as a matter of course. Such,occupations as these ladies pursue are, ; however, largely, of a ■ mechanical nature, which, though. roquiring. reasonable intelligence, do hot demand exceptional, ability. :On the othor hand, lady doctors are members of a great profession; Their numbers, already largo, are increasing at a steady rate. And now there seems to be evidenco that woman engineers will bccomo fairly numerous. In the realms of science, English - women have distinguished themselves,, as witness the work of Mrs. Ayrton, a member of tho, Institution of Electrical Engineers. She has written some excellent papers on electrical' matters. Last year a lady student joined tho engineering' department'at King's College,, Sto-and. As, might be expected, her presence excited no littlo interest among tho normal inhabitants of the ' enginooring laboratories. In tho course'of time they learned that this young pioneer, so assiduously wielded tho hammor and chisel, and learnt the tTado of the carpenter,- because sho intended to go in for motor-car'work. There is a rumour in tho Birmingham University that a'lady student has' joined this year, with a view to taking up mechanical engineering. It might bo mentioned that the charter throws the faculty open to tho fair sex, a distinctive clause being included to this effect. A few years ago one of tho lady graduates-'of the University, who had had a distinguished career in the faculty of pure scienco, announced her intention of taking a course in ono of tho engineering departments. .It was afterwards stated in the Men's Common Room that she was dissuaded by the entreaties of tho timid lecturer. Ho had already experienced difficulty in securing the attention of his class upon their work. He despaired of succeeding if this fair American graduate had carried out her intention.