The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1892-10-27
WHATGIRI.S DO BEST.
AN EXPERT ON woMENs WORK
DISCUSSES DIFFERENT TRADES.

Pay Bsst-stohOgraphy and TyPeWrit-
ing Not what They once Were.
Miss Alice Woodbridge, as secretary Of
the Working Women's society, Is acquaint
ed 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
in great variety Of women's occupations
She considers the question Of the best trade
for girls very difficult one
Generally speaking" she says, girls,
as ] know them, give very little thought
to what they are TO do for living. A Sis
ter or a friend, perhaps a brother, is EN-
ployed somewhere, a vacancy occurs, and
II one Of the girls Of the family is fifteen
or sixteen she IL only too anxious to take
the place and give a. little work az she can
for as much wages az the employer chooses
/ to give. She rarely feels any responsible
ty about the work. Il never occurs to her
that work that Is worth doing nj all IL
worth doing we'll. and Us 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 EelhshnesA
Probably the factory worker Is better
| paid than the saleswomAh or stenographer.
Girls employed in silk mills receive the
highest wages Of any factory workers.
They will average six or seven dollars a
week, That's really 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.
1.-The occupation Of saleswOman has very
little to commend It 10 the girl who has
any choice at all In the matter. There are
Of course a few women heads Of depart
ments who receive twelve to eighteen dol
lars week. But ! 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
IL 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 a week up,
some Of them competent too. The aver
age stenogrnpher and typewriter receives
about five dollars week, while the girl
who gets twelve dollars regards herself
a. particular favorite Of fortuHe. Re-
markedly enough, the great reduction In
the wages Of this class Of wage carriers is
due to a great extent TO the woman who Is
trying to build up little business Of her
own. She goes around to the Offices where
work done by stenographer and type
writer Is needed. She offers to take the
dictation apd return the typewriter copy
at cheaper rates than the employer can get
It done by keeping stenographer In his
| Office. II that does not persuade him to
give her the work she proceeds to under
bid herself, and being a business man he
proceeds TO let her do it until she reaches
rock bottom. ! know q woman who rather
than let 4 job Of that sort go will take
l.50 for work she ought 10 get five dollars
for, and no amount Of talking that can do
seems TO convince her that she Is not only
doing herself an injustice but is wronging
q whole army Of workers rs we'll.
1.-THE best occupation girl can adopt Is
something new. II 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 best thing Is to get into a
Geld hitherto monopolized by men. Piano
tuning seems TO be one Of these. talked
q few moments with piano manufactures
the other day about 1t. He seemed to think
It an occupation for which women's deli.
cacy Of touch peculiarly fitted them and he
offers TO teach a few women. The prices
paid are high. The wages earned depend
upon the number Of orders 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 silversmith's shop, both
OF which seem particularly suited 70 them.
Just at present the trained nurse seems
70 be particularly well OF In a financial
way, II IL a fashionable fad among rich
women to have an attack Of nerves and
to have the doctor prescribe a soiourn at a
health resort and u trained nurse.
1.-THE occupation Of the nurse Is not yet
overcrOwdpd. There Is demand for them,
and they receive from sixteen to twenty
five dollars II week and board. Those en-
ployed in hospitals receive less, but they
have permanent position. This occupa-
ton Is not open to every girl, however.
She must be physically fitted for the wear
and tear Of Il. At Mount Sinai Training
school, and presumably at other hospitals,
they have difficulty In filling out the
classes because the applicants are not up
70 the physical standard.
ut seems 10 me, after all, that the old
fashioned women's trades OF dreAsmaking
and millinery afford the greatest oppor.
tunities for girl. There II always this
much 70 be said In their favor Il Ia hard
ly likely that a machine will ever be In
vented that will design and drape and fold
and fit. These offer girl the possibility
Of an independent business Of her own, and
they pay very well, too, even In the larger
establishments. OF course ! don't mean
| Wholesale dressmaking. Curiously enough,
that Is beginning 70 make machines Of the
girls Only one special part Of the gar
ment is given to each girl. One makes all
the sleeves, another the skirts, another the
plating and rufiles and so on.
Sometimes a girl who makes the sleeves
Of gown never sees the gown into which
they are sewed. In many cases, however
Wholesale dressmaking has gone out Of the
hands Of women entirely. Most Of the
ready made women's garments are made
by men-Russlan and Polish Jews In sweat
ing shops. Il seems a bit odd, doesn't II,
10 hear Of men taking women's placesl
But the same state Of affairs chAraeterizes
the shoe trade. Ten years ago almost every
portion II 4 woman's shoe except the sole
was made by women, while now. IN New
York at least, the work Is almost entirely
done by men. ! think. though, II a giri
I ktsaNHa..a