Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1892-06-23
WHAT GIRLS Do BEST.
AN EXPERT ON WOMEN'S WORK
DISCUSSES DIFFERENT TRADES.

cd with all sorts and conditions OF working
women. In the interests of the labor bu-
reau which the society put in operation she
has investigated opportunities and wages
III great variety Of womens occupations.
She considers the question of the best trade
for girls "a very difficult one.
Generally speaking" she says, girls,
as l know them, give very little thought
to what they are to do for living. a sis
ter or a friend, perhaps brother, is en-
ployed somewhere, a vacancy occurs, and
if one of the girls of the family is fifteen
or sixteen she is only too anxious to take
the place and give as little work as she can
for as much wages as the employer chooses
to give. She rarely feels any responsible
ty about the work 1t never occurs to her
that work that is worth doing at all is
worth doing well, and as for refusing to
take smaller wages than somebody else
can afford, she may be in other ways the
most conscientious creature in the world,
but she has absolutely no scruples in this
sort of selflshness.
probably the factory worker is better
paid than the saleswoman or stenographer
Girls employed in silk mills receive the
highest wages of any factory workers,
They will average six or seven dollars n
week That's really a high average. OF
course they make very much more in busy
times, but there are many dull weeks
when they make less. The work requires
considerable skill.
"The occupation of saleswoman has very
little to commend it to the girl who has
any choice at all in the matter. There are
of course few women heads of depart
ments who receive twelve to eighteen dol
lars a week. Dut | have in mind a very
ambitious little woman who is employed
in a big city store, who has been working
six years for the firm, who is recognized as
a faithful, trustworthy, in every way salts
factory saleswoman, and who receives six
dollars a week. Outside of the financial
reason for not adopting the occupation of
saleswoman, there is the question of
health. No matter how unhealthy the fac
tory girls occupation. the saleswoman's
is worse. Women are untitled by nature
for constant standing.
"Stenography and typewriting were
until a few years ago the most lucrative
things a woman could take up. But to-
day am sure could hire whole army
of them from three dollars q week up
some of them competent too. The aver
age stcnographer and typewriter receives
about five dollars week, while the girl
who gets twelve dollars regards herself
as particular favorite of fortune. Re-
markably enough, the great reduction in
the wages of this class of wage carners is
due to a great extent to the woman who is
trying to build up n little business of her
own. She goes around to the offices where
work done by a stenographer and type
writer is needed. She offers to take the
dictation and return the typewriter copy
at cheaper rates than the employer can get
it done hy keeping stenogfapher in his
Office Ii that does not persuade him to
give her the work she proceeds to under
bid herself and being business man he
proceeds to let her do it until She reaches
rock bottom. | know a woman who rather
than let Job OF that sort go will take
s. 80 for work she ought to get five dollars
for, and no amount of talking that l can do
seems to convince her that she is not only
doing herself an injustice but Is wrongng
whole army of workers as we'll.
THE best occupation girl can adopt is
something new. If she can originate a
trade she can make good living so long
as she can be alone IN the field. AS her
competitors increase the occupation is
bound to be less and less desirable from
the financial side OF the question.
The next rest thing is to get into a
field hitherto monOpollZed by men. Piano
tuning seems to be one Of these. talked
few moments with piano manufacturer
the other day about it. He seemed to think
it an occupation for which women's deli
cacy of touch peculiarly fitted them and he
offers to teach few women. The prices
paid are high. The wages earned depend
upon the number of orders a tuner can
get. This occupation of course would re-
quire a quick ear and some knowledge OF
music. Women have not yet entered the
drugstore or the silvcrsmith's shop, both
Of which seem particularly suited to them
"Just at present the trained nurse seems
to be particularly we'll off in a financial
way. 1t is a fashionable fad among rich
women to have an attack of nerves and
| to have the doctor prescribe soiourn at
health resort and trained nurse.
The occupation of the nurse is not vet
overcrowdcd. There is a demand for them
| and they receive from sixteen to twenty.
| five dollars a week and board. Those EN-
poycd in hospitals receive less, but they
| have a permanent position. This occupa
| ton is not open to every girl, however
| She must be physically fitted for the veal