The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-12-18
NO SEX In SUCCESS
Women of Brains and Nerve
Who Make Big Money.
ATTHE HEAD VARIOUS TRADES
How They Started and What They Are
Now-They Talk Entertainingly
About Themselves.


| carry a business head on her shoulders
| that at best she is bad scheIner. n worse
| executor and only capable of routine work.
| They have an impression. also, that a very
| general prejudice against women in bust
| ness prevents her development even in
| cont sniaI lines. These people Will learn
something from this article, because there
are women with ideas who are perfectly
capable of carrying them out. and n clever
woman is in just as much demand as a
brais,y man. Success Knows no sex /:
originality and force of ideas count
always.
Women in New York are doing some
thing besides being journalists, doctors.
dentists and handlers of supplies peculiar
TO their sex; they have gone into the
counting room and gotten down on their
elbows TO the big ledgers they have gone
in,o manufactures and known the touch
and smell of machine grease, and they
have presumed to organize stock COM
panies for producing. buying and selling.
quite az if they were TO the business born.
President of the Mary F. Seymour PUB
fishing Company Miss Seymour is the
founder, editor and publisher of the Bust
ness UomGn's Journal and the head of
women. They intend TO make enough
money out of their venture to own an en-
tire block. to he occupied exclusively by
women of the different professions, and to
their president is due much of their en-
thusiasm in this direction. Miss Seymour
is an enterprising woman Just in her
prime. vivacious and sensible. and very
much interested in the development of her
sex.
II was bent on being scribbler," said
she, land began making rhymes when
was Il. The first money / ever earned was
for poem sent to Jennie June. and tell
you that s. looked very big TO me. | had
TO go TO teaching finally, but It didn't agree
with me- and | was an invalid for
a year after 1t. While | was in
bed began to write for the papers
again, and studied stcnography as
an aid to journalism. When ! got about
/ went TO work for the only woman stem
ographer then in New York for nothing =
month and the experience. did an Office
boys work, even to sweeping out and run
ming errands, but | learned business
routine that is of vital Importance to q
woman | wouldn't work on Sunday,
though, and that stood in the way of my
being taken into partnership. Then | set
up as a stenographer for myself, but | was
so nervous over the work that | tainted
dead away at the first reference case [
took Bv and by when | was accustomed
10 il got so much work | had to sit up
half the night To finish it and once I
worked twenty-six hours at a stretch to
finish case | had promised at certain
hour. As my business grew l became i'm
terested in helping other women. and all
told I suppose | h We taught at least 500
stenographers. ! had six copying Offices
at one time in the different big office build
ings, but | gave them up TO take hold OF
the Journal
II believe in business women. They arc
more faithful than men; don't take adj
vantage OF business secrets to steal tips
and speculate on their employers inter-
ests. and of the hundred and one embez-
zlers who have violated confidence and
the Ten Commandments not one has been
a woman, though there are hundreds OF
them in New York handling other peo-
pies money. And want to say one thing
with extra emphasis; that is. that any
woman who knows what she wants to do
and how she is going to do it can find or
make place for herself just as success
fully as If she were a man."
Mrs. f.. L. Fernandez Is the only woman
in New York who is the manager of \ the
atricaI agency, and she has about the pref
test offices in the business. III you want
TO see splendid representatives OF the
human race there is the place to- go. Her
walls are papered with pictures OF hand
some actors and beautiful actresses. with
here and there some of the sweetest babies
that ever grew. Mrs. Fernandez has long
been known as the mother OF stage chill
dren." and she looks it. comfortable-
bodied whole-souled, kindly-faced woman
is she. with vast store of "reminiscences.
Il have been in the profession all my
G., "A "A hafsa
so when found myself obliged to stay at
home and take care of three instead of one
the only thing had to turn to was some
branch of stage work. My little daughter
was playing children's parts and j made
n speciality of preparing children for the
atrical work; but Gerry interfered with
that business to a considerable extent so
| branched out TO include the placing OF
grown people. You know, all the COM
panies are filled through agencies, and
though a great many women had made
failures in trying to establish agencies,
Daniel Frohman suggested that j sea
what could do, and offered TO help me in
every possible wav. For three years It
was uphill work, although | knew every
body in the profession, but when l got
away down in the blues | went over to
Frohman's and he cheered me up by tell
ing ma what tough times he had at first.
II was glad IN those days to- do the
and spectacuars. but now / am in with
the best of them and TO stay. | own my
own home and have taken care of my
family all these years. aud you may be-
sure that | am one of those who believe
that woman can make go of any thing
II she's mind TO.
Miss Elizabeth Marbury is in something
the same line of work, though she deals
with plays instead of people. Instead OF
placing 4 heavy villain where he can do
the most damage and comedy soubrette
where a trim Egure aud saucy tongue
will be most appreciated, Miss Marbury
disposes of plays~when she can iind a
good one. Miss Marbury is. intelligent
and practical more than that, she has
tact enough to get along nicely With en-
thuslaslsts without letting sentiment run
away with her
II handle plays on strictly business
principles" SAID she. "rhete is no other
establishment such as mine in New York,
because the former attempts we're swamped
in sentiment. / sit down to the reading
of play with mental scale. scissors and
blue pencil handy, regardless Of the IN
doTsement on the MANUSCRIPT And
don't bother manager with play until
I have made a study of his partiraiar
wants, what he has refused and whatthe
has used Managers are busy IueE, and
they would rather lose the very play they
are looking for than - wade through
dozens of undesirable manuscripts to
find II.
II do not coniine myself To American
plaY a rights you know. arm the Amer
lean representative oil every foreign dram