Mrs. Cynthia May Westover Alden is an example of the possibilities of
journalism as a vocation for women. She was born at Afton, Iowa, May
31, 1862, being the daughter of Oliver S. and Lucilda (Lewis) Westover.
After a period spent in local common schools, she graduated from the
Colorado state university and the Denver business college. Subsequently
she taught geology, book-keeping and vocal and instrumental music. The
owner of an excellent voice, she was for some years a soprano soloist
in several church choirs in New York. In 1887 she was appointed United
States inspector of customs at the port of New York, and during her
term of service as such made many important seizures. She was also
secretary in a municipal department of New York, and for a time was an
employee of the New York state museum of natural history, resigning
therefrom to engage in journalism. After editing the woman’s department
of the New York Recorder, she took charge of a similar department on
the New York Tribune. She is now on the editorial staff of the Ladies’
Home Journal. Mrs. Alden is also the founder and president-general
of the International Sunshine society. Her life has been as busy as
useful, and she has made for herself a large circle of friends who,
though not knowing her personally, are nevertheless acquainted with her
through the medium of the kindly and helpful journalism with which she
is so generally identified.