Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-03-19
nor CAV SIZE suPpoRr HERsEnFg
What Shall Young Girl do to Earn
Her Own Living?

| obl1ged-ln these days OF sudden re-
verses--to take care of herself, to find
for herself the food, the clothing, the
place to live, which have hitherto been
hers "without her care or payment
just as free to her as the air and the
light that are given to us all from the
Father above. And the two questions
confront her; What shall she do? How
shall she do it?
To such girl whom these lines may
find in this position, or to her who in
the future may find these questions
confronting her, let me say
In the first place, my dear, wherever
you are, sit down calmly, and think
what you can do. Reflection shows You
that you have hitherto been lily of the
field, doing nothing But what have
you liked to do for your amusement?
Have you liked to trim over your bon
nets, or altar the decoration of your
dresses? Have you enjoyed gathering
and arranging flowersg Have you been
used to criticising your food so that you
knew when it was properly cooked?
Have you liked to teach in Sunday
school, or to visit the sick, or take care
of your friends when they are ill? Can
you write good letter? Are you musi-
calg Do you draw?
Think these things over; the thing
you like to do you will do best. Choose
deliberately whether you will be a mill
liner, a dressmaker, a cook, stepo-
grapher, nurse, or what other occupa-
ton suits you best All these things
are trades; all have methods to be
learned.
To be milliner, you must go through
an apprenticeship, which will for the
first year pay you nothing, very little
for the second. Dressmaking YOU will
begin to learn as sewing-girl at small
wages Cooking will need at least a
years study. A teacher must begin in
small schools, unless she is exception
ally educated and gets an exceptional
position at once. A stenographer needs
a full years hard study and practice.
All these trades are oyercrowded. A
nurse in training has her board,
a small weekly payment flom the
beginning, and one uniform.
do not advise you-even with the
strongest taste that way-to ATTEMPT
literature as means of living. 1t is
the hardest work for the poorest nav a
woman can do, and full of modification,
anxiety and disappointment. For
man Il is different; a man gets twice the
pay, Tor literary work, that is given to a
woman, though it be of poorer quality.
FROM a lifelong experience | advise
you to let literature alone, except as an
amusement.
a good cook gets high wages and not
very hard work. A saleswoman, of the
average sort, can just live on her pay.
IL IS not easy for woman to support
herself, but she has to do it often, very
often.
Now, my dear, having decided on
your work and fitted yourself for it, YOU
have still to find place. To do this, |
unless you have very useful friends to |
whom you can appeal, you resort to ad-
yertislng. That is expensive, but this is
not world where you get anything for
nothing. You will not like answering
advertisements, but you are in earnest
and must face the matter. And whe
you go out to do this disogreeable bust
ness, let me advise
First, Be particular about your dress,
Do not go about in cheap finery brilliant
colors, and the latest styles. Do not wear
anything striking. Put on plain, dark
dress, quiet hat, dark gloves-in short,
be as neat as you like, but never SNOWY.
This is business-like. Neither man nor
woman looks favorably on a girl in 4
cheap dress decorated with cheaper
trimming, a great Tapping hat, or
high steeple, A woman is judged by her
dress more than you think; it may be as
cheap as you please, it must be neat and
quiet,
Second: Be still more careful about
your manner; let it be civil, reserved,
quiet; and above all things avoid gush-
ing, giggling, beaming, rolling your
eyes, or any other sort of affectation. Be
reserved in your manner to
men; girl thrown on the world to get
her own living, lays herself open to
scant clvility in certain places if She has
no dignity Of her own. There are girls
who think ii is all right to be very sweet.
md put on all their airs and graces to
avery man they meet They think--as
heard one say-that they consider it
he one thing in life to attract men, and
AIRY out that idea even when they
ire working girls. This is the sort Of
girls who get insulted in their search for
work; they are not Intentionally bad,
'nly contemptibly silly, but the average I
nan considers them in the worst light. !
know girls who could go anywhere ,
without provoking word of disrespect :
rom any man, because they are Quiet, i
lignitieG, reserved ladies-true women.
lave just as little 10 do with men,
Dung or old, as is necessary; do not IN
lulge in that underlined, indicate prac-
ice popularity called flirting. II is i'll a
red in any position; it is destructive to a
working girls character and prospects. S
be careful, too, what girl friends you G
lake, BE cheerfully civil to your com v
AIDES OF your own sex, but slow to make S
1timacies. '.Prove all things: hold fast 9
nat which is good" The Bible has lbs G
uiding word for every emergency of 5
fe. You can have no bettercounselor. q
Ehatever work you do undertake, do ii n
"Whateyer is worth doing d
all, is worth doing we'll, is an old o
lying but worth taking to heart. If a
on only do half way what you take up O
) profession, You might as we'll let it 4
one. +
The great failure of our working 81
asses lies in their desire to get money "
! easily as they can, and therefore st
ping their work as briefly as possible fl
ithout care about its perfection. The fir
umsy milliner; the careless dress SC
aker; the sewer on machine who pl
nds out work that is crooked, full of
osc threads, bungling corners; the
ok who sends to the table rare veal, 81
Ter-done mutton, heavy bread and ILL
oked vegetables; the teacher who fails tn
make her pupils understand their III
ssons; the stenographer who is inatten- TO
&c and only catches part of dictation; m
e Typewriter whose letters dance up 81
d down, who cannot spell rightly or II
rue brlef, clear business note, are lo
II the workers who get good places or fo