The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-12-16
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
GIRLS WHO WANT WORK.
Things Which Young Women Ought to
Knnw Before They Begin.

1ihES WIN WAN WC.Ik.
Things Which, Young Women Ought to
KIinw Before They Begin.
Most earnest girls nowadays come in
to maturity with real longing for
work. They are reposeful middle-aged
people, to be sure, who firmly believe
that this is n miscellaneous and misplaced
activity and that it is going to work out
all kinds of destruction if the race of
women take to other things than
domestic and polite accomplishments.
BE that as it will, it doesn't pay to
argue about what we shall never live
to prove Here you are, hundreds of
you, girls who honestly want to work
and who are honestly averse to house
work. 1t also happens to be true that
women, like men, work for wages, and
that the wages girl gets for house
work. even in her fathers house, are
not such as to encourage you to adopt
housework as profession. And so it
happens that you are thinking to-day
about wage earning business outside
your home, more than you are thinking
about n hus band.
The first thing you've got to know is
what you can do best. TO find that out
consult your taste. If you think it
would be beautiful to trim hats or
make gowns, say SO and stick to It,.
Then go to the best milliner or dress
maker in your town and ask her to let
you come into her shop and learn. She
won't pay you at first, but your father
has fed you for several years, and can
probably discharge that paternal duty
few months longer. II you are book
fish and the law or medicine attracts
you, 60 to the Office Of your fathers
lawyer or physician and borrow his
simplest book and study it In any
case don't disdain the modest beginning
that lies nearest your hand; you are
not ready for wider fields yet. And
when you've settled upon work, don't
play with it; learn to treat it just as
seriously as your big brother or your
father treats'his his.
And so as your diligence and knowl-
edge grow together, you will perhaps
come to point where you must leave
your fathers roof in order to finish your
preparation for your work or to widen
your competence and SO increase your
wages. You must leave your small
town for city or the small city for a
larger one. Before this can be consid-
erred for moment, one of two things
is imperative: either you must have the
,certainty-not the mere possibility--of
something to work at that will give you
modest living, or else you must have
money enough in reserve to pay your
way for a year ahead. There is no
compromising with this Never leave
your fathers home on any other cOndi-
tons. The number of young women
who leave their homes each year and
come to New York without definite
provision for work is simply appalling,
and out of this spring the awful TRACE
dies of want and d scouragement that
drive women to death or worse.
With this provision made, go into
your work with the whole of you. Take
care of your health, and, for the rest
give your mind and body to your duo
ties. You will'get discouraged in every
fiber Of your tired body, but it will on
ly do you good The man or woman who
doesn't get discouraged often and often,
teeing his ultimate reach beyond his
daily grasp doesn't see far enough
ahead ever to succeed So be sure that
you will get discouraged, and getting
discouraged, encourage yourself be-
iause of that very thing
You will probably lie thrown much
among men. Learn not to expect par
lor etiquette in business places. You
are not there to interpret the amenities
of life to lot of busy men, but TO do
your work competently and go your
way scnsbly, They may be as kindly
intentioncd as your own brothers, but
they are too busy to assure you of their
distinguished consideration. If they
treat you brusGuely, directly and frank
ly, they're paying You the compliment
of treating you like sensible woman.
You will have to keep your tastes,
opinions and purposes thoroughly to
yourself. One young woman in news
paper work in New York had what she
called conscientious scruples" against
certain kinds of newspaper necessities,
and she wanted to argue them out with
every editor she talked to. She failed
in her work, and it served her right;
not because she had ''conscient Gus
.scruples," but because she aired them
whore she had no business to. Neither
have your tastes any more place in
your work You will have to learn &c
do what you arc told to do, aud reflect
that if you find the task insuperably
Objectionable, you have the largest lib.
erty to give some one else the opportu
nifty of trying 1t,
Above all, don't always be looking
for things to hurt your feelings. They'll
come sometimes, and bruise you in ev
cry fiber till you'll want to put you
head down in your mothers lap anC
cry like little girl But you mus
learn to distinguish between wounded
feelings and wounded vanity. A WON
an cries nine times out of ten of wound
ed vanity and once out Of the wounded
soul that calls for divincst soothing t
heal. Let your vanity smart all it will
it's good for most of us, for vanity is
kind of proud flesh" of the soul tha
has to be treated with caustic to keel
it from becoming an eXcrescence tina
will disfgure.
Another thing you will have to learr
is To keep your word; to go where yo,
49,. .-..., IL "A and Ian,,,n ~ hon rc1i 81,