Smyrna times., 1890-05-07
WOMEN BEHIND THE DESK.
From Mans Point of View-How One
Woman Treats Another.

From Mans Point of View-HOw One
Woman Treats Another.
II pains me to learn that womansin
Office is somewhat of a failure; at leastlin
New York. Il seems that she carries
into her official life certain traits that
are.characteristic of her sex, but which
are not in harmony with business affairs.
I'm 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 con-
tempt and lofty liberation that are oue
side the limits of law. The cause of this
attitude of woman against woman has
as vet eluded the search of science and
conrounded the theories of philosophy;
and. to conclude, even l have no solu-
tion to offer. And yet, if we consider
the matter closely, we shall find rea-
son. if not a cause. \ man appears be-
fore n woman in office already crushed;
If has absorbed 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 Cor
dav and Minerva combined. She IS not
themore imposing by reason Of her office,
butthe office is imposing because she hills
If because the Office is herself. Such a
woman NAV insist on anything unhinder-
ed of man. He is even content, at her
command. to concede that the earth Is
flat for the time being. He appears be-
fore so much majesty in commanding
attitude: he waits her pleasure patiently
before receiving the postage stamp Tor
which he applies, cash in hand; he stl-
Acs his haste to obtain his letters until
she sees fit to give them to him. For
these reasons the official woman does not
20 out of her way to annoy or to torture
man: she accepts him as a worm, and be-
caIse he is weak she refrains from tread
ing on him. and goes no further than to
turn a deaf ear to his application for let
ters or stamps, and to gorgonlze him
with her Tennysonian ''stOny stare"
\ woman approaches the official wo-
man guarded window in a different atti-
tude. in fact in belligerent attitude,
and the monarch of all she surveys re-
ceives her in an equally belligerent spirit.
Two hungry dogs approaching the same
hone will give a fair idea of the situa-
tion. 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
ewes. an elaborate exhibition of a chip on
the shoulder for opponents to remove
violently, lofty staring at tops of heads
instead of into eyes, an aggressiveness Of
excessive OverpOliteness, the fine malice
of preventing to the utmost the consum-
nation of the object that both have at
heart. the overzealous desire to make a
fault and find it, to imagine an insult
and resent it, to compel insolence that
breeds the insult Naturally, the women
who are not officials complain 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 thewoman who aspires for public
office-the weight that drags her down
when in office. The fault is hers indi-
vidually, but it is the failing of the sex
generally-the impossibility of Il woman
treating a woman in any other way than
as a rival or an antagonist. The woman
in Office cannot escape from herself. She
refuses to see, or cannot see, any differ
ence between a free, if tax paying, pub
lie and her own family circle. She car
ries her home characteristics into public
affairs, regarding men as the possessor!
Of obnoxious latch keys, and women "a
the victims of them. Her clients arr
punished for her tOOthaches and respOn
sible for her dyspepsia. That she is com
PEELED to hold lowly Office is the fault o
the world, and the world must suffe
for it. She knows that she is better thai
other women, and demonstrates her su
periority to anticipate their doubt, or tn
doubt that she has invented for them
,.FAis is not gallant, but, unfortunately
it Is true. There can be no questio
that, with time, the faults indicated wi
be remedied; but, until they are, woma
in office will be a constant exasperatio
to woman out of Office. 1t is true tha
woman out of Office is equally exaspel
ating towoman in Office, and the pr'
verbal mans inhumanity to man is thu
furnished with a parallel in woman
antagonism to woman.-"Chatterer"
Boston Courier.