LADY NURSEMAID

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14691, 27 May 1911, Page 2 (Supplement)

LADY NURSEMAID

PROBLEM OF A SOCIAL POSITION.

A curious tangle in social relations has caused a great stir at tho United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, and is likely to result in an official inquiry by the Navy Department.

lb appears that Miss Catherine Beers, daughter of a professor of English at Yalo University and an ardent investigator of sociological science, became, in pursuit of her hobby, a nursegirl in tho family of a naval officer at Annapolis, to seo what such an occupation was like. She was treated as tho equal of her employers, and made tho acquaintance of some midshipmen of the academy, with whom she attended soveral academy danccs.

No ono objected until the wife of another officer, whoso daughters had fower partners at tho dances since tho advent of Miss Beers, called the attention of one of tho supervisors of tho academy to Miss Boers wheeling a perambulator in tho academy grounds. She complained that tho social amenities of Annapolis were rather tangled. The indignant officer promptly summoned the midshipman who last escorted Miss Beers to a dance, reprimanded him, and issued an order forbidding her attendance at future dances. Tho reprimanded midshipman talked. Others with whom Miss Beers was exceedingly popular also talked, and tho matter got into tho newspapers.

Tho amateur nursegirl's father has now askod the naval authorities to investigate tho matter. "I feel," he said, "that an apology ,is due. I cannot believe that a lady of refinement would bo excluded from social entertainments because of her inclinations to domestic science. My daughter is a college graduate, and she has always boon interested in housekeeping, and has wished to make a life study of it and earn her living in that way. Personally I feel sho has a right to do so without loss of social £resti&V-