The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-05-05
WOMEN BEHIND THE DESK.
From a Mans Point of View--H0w
One Woman Treats Another.

JAN I'LL AAOpbR
1t pains me to learn that woman in
office is somewhat of a failure: at least
in New York. 1t seems that she car
ries into her official life certain traits
that are characteristic of her
sex, but which are not in har-
mony with business affairs. In
the first place, the woman official is
severely offensive to women. from
whom she exacts more than the legal
pound of flesh and for whom she
shows a contempt and lofty liberation
that are outside the limits of law.
The aus of this attitude of woman
against woman has as yet eluded the
search of science and COMPOUNDED the
theories of philosophy; and, to con-
clude, even / have no solution to offer.
And yet, if we consider the matter
closely, we shall find a reason, If not a
cause. A man appears before a wolna
in office already crushed; it has alb
sorbed all his courage to face official
femininity, and if he does not receive
all the snubs and the contempt that
he is prepared for he is more disap-
pointed than surprised.
The woman behind the desk is an
awe inspiring object to the bravest
man; she is her sex plus authority,
Charlotte Corday and Minerva COM
bined. She is not the more imposing
by reason of her office, but the office
is imposing because she fills it, be-
cause the office is herself. Snch a
woman may insist on anything unhin-
dered of man. He is even content. at
/ hnr oOr1o m nd 10 aonan6n %1Nf fhn
earth is fiat for the time being. He
appears before so much majesty in q
commanding attitude; he waits her
pleasure patiently before receiving
the postage stamp for which
he applies, cash in hand, he sti-
fies his haste to obtain his letters until
she sees fit to give them to him. For
these reasons the official wo a does
not go out of her way to annoy or to
torture man; she accepts him as a
worm, and because he is weak she re-
Trains from treading on him, and goes
no further than to turn a deaf ear to
his application for letters or stamps,
and to gorgonize him with her Tenny-
sonian STONY STARE
A woman approaches the official
woman guarded window in a different
attitude; in fact, in a belligerent atti-
tude, and the monarch of all she ur-
veys receives her in an equally bellig-
erent spirit. Two hungry dogs APP
preaching the same bone will give a
fair idea of the situation. The passive
Indifference shown to that humble
creature, man, no longer exists; the
adversaries both have their lances in
rest, and each is looking for
the weakest spot in the armor of the
other. There is an ominous silence,
during which the fashion of garments
and fashion of features are criticised;
there is an ominous sniff, a swapping
of eyes, an elaborate exhibition of a
chip on the shoulder for opponents to
remove violently, a lofty staring at
tops OF heads instead of into the eyes,
an aggressiveness of excessive over
politeness, the fine malice of prevent
ing to the utmost the contamination
of the object that both have at
heart, the overzealous desire to make
a fault and find it, to imagine al in
suit and resent it, to compel insolence
that breeds the insult. Naturally,
the women who are not officials com
plain of the women who are officials,
and the woman behind the window
| complains of the woman in front of it.
This is the serious danger that con
fronts the woman who aspires for
public office-the weight that drags
her down when in office. The fault is
hers individually, but it is the failing
of the sex generally-the impossibility
of a woman treating a woman in any
other way than as a rival or an an
tagonist. The woman in office cannot
escape from herself. She refuses to
see, or cannot see, any difference be-
tween a free, If tax paying, public and
her own family circle. She carries her
home characteristics into public
affairs, regarding men as the posses
sors of obnoxious latch keys, and
women as the victims of them. Her
clients + punished for her toothaches
and responsible for her dyspepsia.
That she is compelled to hold lowly
Office is the fault of the world, and the
world must suffer for it. She knows
that she is better than other women,
and demonstrates her superiority to
anticipate their doubt, or the doubt
that she has invented for them. This
is not gallant, but, unfortunately,
it is true. There can be no question
that. with time, the faults indicated
will be remedied; but, until they are,
woman in office will be a constant ex-
ASPIRATION to woman out of office.
1t is true that woman out of office is
equally exasperating to woman in Of
fee, and the proverbial mans in
humanity to man is thus furnished
wife a parallel in woman's antagonism
to MISUNDERSTANDING" In Boston
Courier.
Appearance of a Woman's Foot.
On the principle that "All's well
that ends well" tho appearance Of a
woman's foot is Of supreme import
ance. Treat your shoes tenderly.
Have n pair sacred to rainy wealth
err, for rnbbers ruin fine leather.
Avoid varnish and backing of all
kinds, and substitute vaseline. First,
rub your shoes with a piece of old,
black silk, then apply the vaseline
with q soft, black kid glove. If you
insist on your dressmaker facing your
gowns with velvet or velyeteen, in
stead of braid. you will lessen
your shoemaker's bills and be
saved from the purple blemish
on the instep caused by the
movements Of the skirts in walking.
When buttons come off don't hunt up
old shoes and use the shabby buttons,
invest five cents in a card of shining
hIanE Inoo g1fioc opA have flar, rao1xr