The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-17
WOMEN OF WASHINGTON CITY.
Various Ways in Which They Earn a
Livelihood.


Various Ways in which They Earn a
Livelihood.
Washington City Letter.
Those of the brave women alive today
who years ago started out in the vanguard
of the 'woman's question" not clamoring
for rights and suffrage. but who saw no
reason why the accident of sex should
keep them from good positions when
thrown upon their own resources, may well
feel proud of the rapid strides toward sue
cess that their followers have taken.
In stenography and typewriting more
young women find employment than in
any other occupation in the capital. The
demand at first was for those who COM
bined the two branches of work, but of
late it has been more for rapid typewriters
alone, and since the introduction of the
graphophone shorthand seems to be losing
its place in the business world.
Men who formerly dictated their cor
rcspondence to stenographer waited until
she had transcribed it on the typewriter.
thus taking double amount of time. But
now the business man or lawyer dictates
little slower and the girl takes it down at
the rate OF sixty or seventy words minute
and when she has finished the typewriter
letter is taken from the machine and
handed TO him all ready for signature. OF
course this saves a great deal of time. but
then 1T creates greater demand for expert
typewriters.
Those holding positions either as type
writers or stenographers can command
from 500 to $50 per month, and if detailed
on piece work they can easily earn that
amount. Young women who have made
themselves valuable for their perfect work,
are employed by the government and by
leading attorneys and are worth good
deal more, numbers of them receiving SAL
aries ranging from SIS to 500 per month.
In the departments girls and women COM
mand great number of clerkships. Their
grades and sa,aries range all the way from
5000 to 81 800 year. In many cases par
ticular training and natural ability do not
seem to be required.
The male clerks in all the departments
are paid better than the women, though
the latter share equally in the labor per
formed, and in the quality of their work
very often excel. The majority of these
girls and women are the mainstay and SUM-
port OF one or more members OF their fami-
lies, heroically struggling to keep the tide
OF poverty from submerging their homes.
In the counting and handling of money
women are far ahead of men. 1t has been
conceded on all sides. and bitterly lamen.ed
by few, that women can make the money
fly. This Is particularly true in the treas
ury department. Women hold their own
with men. They count better and faster
and are unequalled in the detection of
counterfeits. Notes which have circulated
freely through every bank in the country
are detected the instant they come into the
hands of the women operators in the treas
ury.
There are some women in the CITY who
have been admitted to the bar. and q few
who are engaged IN active practice, though
the number Is extremely limited, as the
few who have the legal right to practice
have studied simply for the purpose of
adding to their general knowledge and
mental training, and some, perhaps. with
the intention of becoming lawyers good
fortune from which they may have been
excluded during moment of weakness by
consenting 10 marry some ordinary man.
Among physicians the feminine face is
not so infrequently met. Chief among
those who have achieved success in he
ranks OF women physicians is DR.. Clara
Bliss Kinds. the daughter of the eminent
surgeon. DR.. Bliss, who was the leading
physician TO President Carried during his
last illness. Mrs. Kinds inherits her
fathers skill in the healing art and has sue
ceeded beyond the limits of ordinary ex-
perience. She is the sole support of her
self and child, and has q practice that is
the envy of many a male doctor who
Washington has two women dentists and
they are good ones, too. Their rooms are
often full and their patients are nearly al
ways women and children, though at rare
intervals they are patronized by the stern
er sex.
In the ranks of teachers many women
are at present employed in Washington.
The salary ranges from $500 the first year.
in the primary department., to about ST 500
in the position of principal. and the school
year covers only forty weeks The train
ing and preparation in this field do not
take the time and labor of many of the
other professions.
In journalism women have proved a
power here. Miss Kate Field manages and
edits paper herself that would tax the
Judgment of an average man. Then there
are scores OF others who correspond for the
leading papers, and who prove that women
have the persistency and tact to make Jour
nalism pay. The brightest light in the
firmamentof self-supporting girls is the do.
mestic. None so rutnlessly throw employ
ment to the winds and yet so quickly set
out Tor new engagement. She can have
choice OF places and and still be sought
after. She can dictate her own hours.
compensation and privileges, and vet he
free from household responsibilities.
But her pay is only from
IS to Sl6 per month. To earn this she
need only be medium cook, passable
chambermaid and an ordinary laundress.