Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-06-29


OF al the occupations that are open to
young women, from attending a counter
in dry goods store to manipulating
typewriter in a bankers Office, it is diff
cult to conceive of one that at the first
blush is less attractive than being an at
tendant in a dentists office, and yet no
dentist, as well known member of the
profession told me the other day, can adj
rertise for an assistant without receiving
anywhere from to 200 answers.
have never passed through a hallway,
from which opened one of these modern
chambers of the Inquisition and heard the
groans of some poor victim in the dentists
chair without a desire to stop my ears with
my fingers and fly. Can one imagine any
thing worse than to be compelled to put in
eight or ten hours day in these torture
shops, among the nauseating odor of the
ether and with the spectacle of the terrified
and distorted features of suffering human
ity constantly before ones eyes? Never
theless, if you will notice the dentists as
sistant she is usually well dressed, hap
Ply faced, contented and, on the whole,
stylish young woman, who goes to her
work in the morning as cheerfully as girls
over so to their work, and who when even
ing comes is as ready for the theater, the
dance and the young man as any other
girl
If it were a fact, as it is not, that the
majority of these girls like these positions,
with the purpose of ultimately setting up
in business for themselves, as girls who
undergo the dIsagreeable scenes in hos
pitfalls hope to do by becoming trained
nurses, the rush for employment in den
lists Offices would be more readily ex-
planned.
The truth is, girls take these positions
just as they take all others that offer.
simply because they must do something
for self support. The number of woman
dentists in the city can be counted on ones
fingers, and not all of these have by any
means graduated from the position of "as-
sistants.' IL really doesn't appear TO be a
profession in which women as a rule have
any desire to enter. There has been but
one female graduate from dental college
in this state, and she, though charming
in face and figure, has, l fancy, rather
uncommonly independent way of looking
at things in general.
The sa aries received by girls who assist
in DENTS $ offices range from five to fifteen
dollars pr week, and the duties vary With
the prices paid for services. The girls are
instruments cleaned and to administer the
gas in most cases. They receive the pa
tients AMI make appointments for the den
fist when he is busy, keep the books and
hold themselves ready to hand the dentist
whatever he may require when at work on
patient 5 tooth. Do they like it? Well,
have interviewed a number, and the YER
dict is tlat its not bad when you get
used to it." The presence of a young
woman in one Of these places of torture
seems toput courage into the faint hearted
Awoman naturally looks to one of her own
sex for tenderness and sympathy when she
Is in pain, and as for the men-well. YOU
know, when mans afraid Il beautiful
maid is a cheering sight to see"
One thing ! discovered in the course of
my investigation, and that is that the
pretty s rls in dentists shops are very
much less susceptible to the Establishments
OF men than girls in subordinate positions
anywhere else. Men are such towards"
was the way petite blond explained this
fact to me, land can never see a dandy
on the street all smiles and s,nirks for each
girl who passes by without saying to my
self, How differently you'd look at me
now, my fine fellow, if you were seated
in a certain big red velvet armchair l
know Of | will do men the justice. how
ever, OF saying that they invariably behave
with more bravery in our presence than
they do when alone with the doctor"
At fas hiouable west side dentists the
young lady assistant told me that she
had accep, ed the position because of con-
slant encouragement in finding more con-
genial employment. And now" she adj
ded, Pm beginning to like it. like TO
see men suffer, because | have known so
many heartaches. 1t does me good to
watch them walk in here with agony writ
ten on their faces. I'm only sorry when
the torture is all over, and they so away
free from pain" Fancy such a speech
from delicate girl! What do you sup
pose has sent such bitter thoughts into her
graceful Little head?
Another young woman ON the west side
said that she liked her position because the
parlors were nice and homelike to spend
the day in, much nicer than any store"
As she spoke she idly turned the leaves of
novel she had been reading. This Young
lady confessed that she ran out of the room
the first time she saw tooth extracted,
but now she minded it no more than the
doctor. You've no idea" she added
naively, Low easy it is to get used to pain
when it's somebody else's pain
n glrl SAT before an open piano as |
entered the parlor of a dentist on the east
side. She was playing new waltz for the
edification Of young man who was await
ing his turn in the dentists chair. He had
come to have tooth filed and the girl.
finding him poor conversational, was
killing time for him in the interim
left her still smiling sweetly at the I'M
happy youth when ! withdrew. A mes
senger boy preceded me into an up town
dental office and the pretty young assistant
came forward to relieve him of bunch of
roses. DO ! like my position? Why
shouldn't /? Smell theser' and she
brushed the fragrant roses under my nose.
II get lots of these little attentions from
our patients. Besides, the salary receive
is large enough to brighten the disagree
able part Of the work. And, after all.
what's the use .! being nervous over other
peoples pain. Anyway, if girls got to
earn her own living she might as well
work in a Ihysician's or dentists office as