Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-25
ONLY HIS TYPEWRITER,
A, Machine and Not Intelligence is What
Is Wanted.

81 am always the one that gets left"
complained rapid and correct operator.
81 went early this morning TO answer an
advertisement for typewriter, and
thought | should be the first one in the of
fee, but the advertiser told me he was al
ready suited"
Possibly he told you story" thought
her nearer, glancing at the disappointed
,girl-a girl with a turkey egg complexion
and hair that would set unkind persons to
speaking of white horses; girl with half
her teeth gone, and the remaining half
discolored; a girl with square shoulders,
and the voice of file. How was the ad-
yertiser TO know that here was typewriter
who would identify herself with her en-
ployer, and attend conscientiously to all her
Office duties? How was he to know that,
"in book Of moral beauty she might have
her portrait painted at full length ?"
81 am always the one who is taken," OBJ
served another girl, one stylish" enough
to pass for being pretty, and one who, in
the language of the bread-winner, could
always speak up for herself. 81 leave a
place directly find that things there are
not going TO suit me, because know | can
step into another within week. | am
not such an awfIIlly fast writer either l
can, on squirt, so as high as eighty words
minute, but usually write about fifty
that's enough, dear knows No, | don't
work steadily all the time l am in the
office. Sometimes | carry on half the day
with the other girls, the girls who-are aG-
dressing circulars by hand. My present
BOSWELL, employer, then-sends ont just
100000 circulars every winter, and that
keeps a lot of girls busy for few months.
They are awfully envious of me, some of
them, because my place is a permanent
one, while they will have the grand
bounce as soon as the circulars are all sent
out; and, besides, my working hours are
shorter than theirs, and | earn just twice
as much as most Of them do. One of the
girls-she isn't girl, either, but an old
woman, thirty-fve at least-tried my
typewriter at recess the other day. and it
seemed to do her so much good to show me
| how much neater her work was than mine
as if it matters pin about the letters
being all on line, and the spaces of the
same width 1t seems to surprise her
that she cannot get 4 place as type
writer, .as she has certificate from
somewhere to show that she is competent
don't tell her so, but she is too old for
one thing; hardly anybody would employ
typewriter over thirty. Why should
that be the dead line? Well, suppose it
is because women are set in their ways
after they are out of their twenties, and
think they know it all. The girl mean
the old maid-I am speaking of had a
place some time back and she told it her
self that sometimes. when her employer
would be debating to her, she would stop
him and tell him how the letter could be
better worded. Did you ever hear ofsuch
cheek? Why, if my b-employer said
nothing but 'High-diddle-diddle' I'd take
it down just as he said it. It's my fingers
he wants, not my brains-supposi had
any. One day this person am talking
about heard me scolded because | had
written to a customer that we had no more
goods of a certain kind, and in hurry
had spelled no know, just like the other
know. She was delighted at catching me
in mistake, and didn't let me hear the
last of it until l said We'll, madam. l no
know how to get place as typewriter, and
earn So week, while you earn only 50
with your poky addressing 1t is silly,
isn't ii, to laugh at a girl because, when
she is rushing through with her work, she
doesn't always spell like Daniel Webster
Noah, was it? l thought his name was
Daniel
"At the typewliting-school they used to
tell me that my ignorance Of punctuation
would keep me back, but ] am not both
cred much about such matters; if sprin-
kle a few commas here and there, as | 60
along, my employer seems to be satisfied.
| have heard stories of dreadful conse-
quences from misplacing ones stops, but
don't let them trouble me, being convinced
they are all my grandmother. Leaving
out comma is very different from leaving
out not | have done that more than
once, and it has got me into hot water.
Capitals are the trouble with some girls,
but my employer has given me only one
rule about them, and it is easy to remem-
der; therfrst day wrote from his dicta-
ton he said to me- When in doubt, use
a capital. Capitals out of place will be
forgiven, but small letters, never
mo, mine isn't brainwork; it is hand
work altogether, and there is a lot Of
sameness about it. Some days l have to
write the same fibs to dozen different
customers, and it becomes so monotonous
that | nearly go to sleep over it. Doesn't
the pricking of conscience keep me awake
Well, should like to know what my en-
ployer's fbs have to do with my con-
science. He invents them, and l, who
only follow dictation, am not supposed to
know that they are fbs. do know it
though and if were his Sunday-school
teacher might sometimes feel it my duty
to ask him where he expects to go when
he dies, but thank heaven am only his
typewriter"