Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1885-04-03

The Work of Women in Financial
Positions. 3Ia


1t would be absurd to say that women
are never dishonest in money matters.
Anyone who has wrestled with the domes-
tic labor service problem, to say nothing
OF others, knows that women are often
culpably dishonest as well as men. but it
is very gratifying to learn from one of the
leading journals of the country, that al
though hundreds of women hold positions
of financial trust in the country, we have
yet to hear of one of them being guilty of
embezzlement or defalcation." This tes-
timony is not confined to the United States.
"Women are excellent money keepers -
says the London Graphic. while male
cashiers form gr1evously large percent
age among the prisoners brought to trial
| for embezzlement, women and girls, being
! seldom exposed to the same temptation as
men IN the matter of dissipation, betting,
gambling or speculation, have very rarely
/ been known to misappropriate moneys in
/ trusted to them. An honest woman is
| very honest, AN honest man is too often.
as Lord Palmerston bitterly said. 'one who
has never been tempted
! 1t is pleasing to every conscientious
woman, WHO honestly desires the advance
ment of her sex, to see the almost uni
versal presence of women cashiers. We
might add to the self-respectfu and re-
| fined woman cashier. 1t is true that wom-
en- are employed because they will work
| for less pay than men; but, at the same
| time, they would not be retained, nor
would they multiply so largely and con-
stantly, if it were not that they did their
work well.
| 1t is to the immortal credit of General
Spinner. whose remarkable autograph
was once the most conspicuous feature of
our national paper currency. that he first
introduced women into the service of the
United States Treasury. No one ever had
better opportunity to study the question.
and he has left record of the 1000 wom-
en- under his direction, almost all of them
engaged in handling money, that they
count more accurately and rapid than
men; that their ability to detect counter
felt proved to be superior in almost every
test that they were, without an exception
honest. and were invariably more careful
and painstaking IN their work. Said Gen
eral Spinner:
1.-The shrewdest and quickest detectors
If counterfeit currency were women. and
in case of dispute as the genuineness Of
money, General Spinner invariably took
the judgment of Miss Grandin, who was
for long time employed in his bureau
In speaking of her ability in this particular
one day, General Spinner said: "If | were
a believer in clairvoyance | should say
that she possessed that power; but | am
not, so | call it instinct" Although there
are several thousand women employed by
the government as clerks. accountants
postmistresses, and in other capacities
not one has ever proved unfaithiul to hel
trust. Many have been discharged fol
incapacity aud for other reasons, but never
one for dishonesty"
1t is often alleged against the women
clerks in our stores, that they are ineffi
cient and unreliable. No doubt this is
true in many cases. But that the sex OF
the clerk has anything to do with the
matter may justly be questioned. 1t is
more than likely that it. in the same place
were put young men of the same age and
lack of training. who consider the work 8
burden, a temporary hardship, to be 60
along with as easily as possible till some
foolish person of the other sex should steE
in and relieve them from it by marriage
the service would be quite as inefficient
The women who handle money are, as
rule, of much higher order intellectually
and take more rational views of life
Weekly Press.