The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-04-12
WHEN ADAM DELYED
And Eve Spun Where was the
SalesWOman?
AN IMPORTANT SOCIAL PROBLEM
Washington in Ferment Over "Salesladies"
Does the Cowl Make the
Monk?

1 loptClal 10 1hE hERALD---EJXa1lller DlSD1tCl,I
WASHINGTON, April 1.-THE ''saleslady'
must go. A concensus of opinion of the
most prominent women at the capital shows
that it has gone, so far as general use is
concerned. These ladies represent every
section OF the country, which makes thei1
very decided opinions in the comparative
merits of ''salesladyn and ''saleswomen, y
as defining terms, the more forcible. When
the question was propounded it everywhere
met with an astonishing degree of interest,
and social philosopher would have been
highly entertained by all the varying shades
the aansWer took among those who dislike
to be quoted on any of these nice little
DISTINCTIONS IN FEMININE RANK.
That is what it amounts to after all.
whether that large and generally clever
class of female wage-workers shall be
known as ladies" or women Perhaps
| IN no place is the question more practically
| answered than at the White House For
the first time in its official history a
Woman's hands play on the typewriter,
and Woman'S facile pen jots down in stem
ographic fidelity the words that fall from
the Presidents or his private secretary's
lips. In the social calendar of the house the
type writer is a lady, but professionally
her work is that of a business woman;
nothing more.
Mrs. HARRISON LOOKS AT THB QUESTION
whether it shall be ''saleslady'' or ''sales-
woman" in her usual sensible and prac-
tical manner. She would probably
use neither term if she wanted to refer to
female clerk in a shop. She would in all
likelihood speak of the ''young lady who
waited on me,n if The transaction needed
any second reference. She says that the
word would be best left at ''saleswoman."
Lady in this country is much abused
term. Mrs. Blaine believes that if the ap-
pellation "saleslady'' is any kindly conces-
sion to our poor human nature-well,
let US keep on using it. That, however,
does not destroy the original impression
that ''saleswoman" is the proper word and
she feels herself supported in this idea by
general usage. She knows that the digni-
Tying by word of anybOdy's station in life
will not add to ones social Importance.
FEMALE CLERK Is sALEswoHAN
and if, in addition to that, she is also
lady, as it generally happens, all the more
glory to her. a woman who works for her
living deserves all the respect and atten-
ton that it is possible to show her, but
calling her ''lady'' will not add to her in
come or make her one, if she is not one by
birth or instinct. I was very sorry
GlldG IlES. IHOuldS w was |
out of town today, as the opinion of |
this lady as to what, for instance, the hun
dreds of female clerks in the great house |
of Wanamaker are known by in his house |
hold would be of interest.
Mrs. Rusk, the wife of the secretary of |
agriculture thinks ''saleslady" good but |
Observation-Disclosures. Mrs. ETracy is too
keenly alive to all the hardships of the |
girl in the great city of New York |
where her observation has generally ex-
tended, to apply the appellation one
way or the other. ''SaleswOman" is the
proper word in the "City of Churches"
where her home is, and she does not think
''saleslady'' improves on it in any way.
Mrs. Justice Miller does not see how there
should be any doubt on the subject at all,
and sees no reason why the term ''sales-
Lady, should be used. Perhaps every
Washington housekeeper has been asked |
by her other servants to attend to the
wants of her washlady, and this incongru-
.ty of terms is about as appropriate as send
ing