Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-05-29
PLUCK AND INDUSTRY.
CAREER OF MISS SEYMOUR AND HER
BUSINESS SUCCESS.

SsAS $4,000 :" ~ooN q rs |
Years-She Was a Pioneer in a New
Line of Work for Women-How the Work
Has Prospered-Story of Her Life.
BY all odds the woman whose name is
now most closely connected with the type
writer MS a means of enabling girls to OBJ
tain a living is Miss Mary F.. Seymour, who
has nearly twenty typewriters constantly
employed upon salary, with from five to
fifty others on piece work. Miss Seymour
has been in business in New York for
twelve years, and besides business success
has achieved distinction as the first woman
notary whose appointment was recognized
as valid in this state, and us the successful
editor and publisher of The Business Wom-
ans journal, a most successful publica-
ton, now in its second year. found Miss
Seymour the other day in one of her three
offices, where, amid the clatter and tinkle
of half a dozen typewriters, Miss Seymour
told me the story of how she came to go into
business for herself.
II began business as IL s~tenographer and
law reporter" she said, Fifteen years ago,
and practiced that alone before I went into
typewriting. started a business both in
New York Inc in New Jersey. My mother
was quite a philanthropist, and l was
brought up to do a great deal of benevo-
lent work, and in that way, l suppose, l
acquired some executive ability. l began
by teaching school first to support myself,
but it was unpleasant work and l wanted
to get out of it.
SIZE o A TAI
had a friend who employed an expert
III stenographer in New York, and he
advised me to take up stenOgraphy. At
that time stenOgraphers charged high
prices, as there were comparatively few
good ones, and she was earning a good in
come. | went to- her when / thought l
knew enough for practical work, Inc she
dictated to me some legal notes. When l
brought back the copy she laughed. 1t
was very much out of the proper form. but
it was accurate.
81 worked with her for some time just
for the experience, and had hopes of a part
nership some day, but We separated be-
cause l would not work on Sunday. |
went to Mr.. Munson, the well known stem
ographer, for employment, and tried a
great many offices in New York. Then l
took to reporting lectures for the newspa-
pers, which filled up some of my time while
waiting for something better.
"There was u lawyer in Jersey City who
had been counsel for a relative of mine in
a suit for which he got a S10,0 600 fee, and l
called upon him. He said he would dictate
to me Il New Jersey law paper, and if l was
successful in that l could have all the work
Of the office.
"People outside of the profession do not
know that writing shorthand II reading
it are two separate qualifications. The
lawyer dictated the paper to me, and l
took it down without any difficulty.
went home. OF all the abstruse and COM
plicated documents a New Jersey law pa
per is, | think, the worst. That evening l
attempted to read my notes.
som HARD TASKS.
"~Fortunately for my future career my
brother was a lawyer. ! called him to the
rescue. Through his assistance | present
ed to the lawyer a very accurate copy OF
the paper and secured u desk there, finally
obtaining so much work that I employed
two young men to assist me. | was fas-
cinated with the work and often sat up all
night in order not to break a promise about
!: delivering my notes.
~ remember one instance where j
worked two nights and three days, with
three Stenographers to help me, without
sleeping at all, except for little maps, and
taking but Il few minutes for meals, in or
der to get some papers ready for Il certain
time. When | first saw the advertisement
of the typewriter l thought stenographers
were doomed. l examined the machine,
and after that felt no fear in regard to its
competition. saw that it would be a val
liable aid.
Sin 1880 l was offered desk room in the
Office of Judge Pratt. of New York. l was
timid about facing the publicity of a large
Office full of men, and decided to wait for
orders and work at home. About three
months experience in waiting for work
and getting little cured me of my folly and
satisfied me that a business woman must
adapt herself to business rules. l then
opened a little office of my own on Broad.
way and started the typewriting business
by writing out my own notes on the ma.
F.. chine.
II was the first law reporter who made d
practice Of doing this in New York. Short.
ly before I started my office l met a young
lady who had been brought up In luxury
and who had been thrown upon her OWL
resources. She attempted teaching and
failed. She tried many other things, and
even went into a factory, working for three
dollars a week.
HOW HER BUSINESS HAS GROWN
ut was the knowledge of this girls ex-
p%erience that partly induced me to start a
business in which l could employ others.
After buying my typewriter | sent word tc
this young lady, and she, after practicing
on the machine, was this first one | EN-.
ployed in my business. Another girl whom
| employed to run on errands began to
practice OH the machine and | taught her
also. She was about fifteen or sixteen
years old at that time. The first of these
young ladies now earns $1,000 IL year in a
large law office, n the second is consiA.
cred one of the experts of New York, and
is paid a still higher salary.
Gradually my business increased so that
| found it almost impossible to carry out
my original intention, which was to dc
perfect work. Women nave been so often
accused of inaccuracy and unbusinesslike
habits that | meant to show something
different. Finally I had to start a train.
ing school in order to get competent as.
! sr%n,% sA--I- -