A CHANGING WORLD

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2211, 25 July 1914, Page 13

A CHANGING WORLD

'■WOMAN IN lIAN'S DOMAIN.

"If you are sceptical of the ability, of Women, read Dr. Mozan'B- new book on 'Women in Science,' in which he devotes 437 pages of close print to the achievements of women in mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, archaeology; invention," remarks Dr: Symons to a representative of the Now York "Evening Post." Dr. Sykes has made a careful study of the field, of woman's activity and the educational opportunities offered hor, and he presents the points which: are coming to by those interested in the education : and progress of American women. "You have always heard that women are not creative, that they are not inventive? Since 1809 women have taken, out nearly ten thousand patents In the- United States. ■ .'.... ,

"It seems to me a strange kind of has permitted men,to -take advantage of the freedom which has been offered them' by: the work of women in the home, leavihe to her the. 'Kirche, Kinder, Ruche, Kleider,' and now to protest that women are not inventive ; that they do no creative work; that they are positively lacking, in ability along these lines. It Us not a matter of brain, but of '" .environment nnd training. They haven't built our bridges and tunnelled our rivers, because they have been busy doing, other things. But ; now the kind of work which used to be a part of the old-fashioned home.has: been 'taken outside > its four walls;, it is beingi done industrially and socially, and so ( in. the industrial and social fields women are finding their Work again, and new forms of training are needed to fit them for it.

"Thereis.no more surprising passage in Dr. Mozan's book than the one in which he states in so many words that 'the best constructive work done on the Trans-Siberian Railroad was .that , in charge of a woman engineer.' It recalls the work of Katharine B. Davis during the time: of the .Messina earthquake. She was in Messina at the time, and, when great numbers of the refugees were sent to Syracuse, \ the city was overwhelmed. Miss Davis was appointed to • help take charge of K the situation, and among one of her principal works was a system'of road-building, which was adopted by Palermo, arid has been in use ever since. -It:was named after her, tie 'Davis system.'" ■ !■'• . ..'