Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-08-25
THINGS GIRLS CAN DO.
An Expert on Woman's Work Discuss
Different Trades.


Different Trades.
Miss Alice Woodbridge, rs secretary
of the Working Womcn's Society, is ac-
quaintcd with all sorts and conditions
of working women. In the interests of
the labor bureau which the society has
recently put in operation she has in
vcstigated opportunities and wages in
a great variety of womcn's occupations.
She considers the question of the best
trade for girls a very difficult one.
"Gcncrally speaking" she said TO a
reporter for the New York Press, girls,
as know them, give very little thought
to what they are to do for living. A
sister Or friend, perhaps brother, is
employed somewhere, vacancy occurs,
and if one of the girls of the family is
fifteen or sixteen she is only too anXi-
Gus to take place and give rs little work
as she can for as much wages as the
employer chooses to give. She rarely
feels any responsibility 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 con-
scicntious creature in the world, but
she has absolutely no scruplcs in this
sort of sclfishncss.
Probably the factory worker is bet
ter paid than the saleswoman or stem
ographcr. Girls employed in silk mills
receive the highest wages of any of the
factory workers. They will average
six dollars or seven dollars week.
That's really high average OF course
they make very much more in busy
times, but there are many full weeks
when they make less The work re-
quircs considerable skill.
"The occupation of salcswoman 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 departments who receive
twelve dollars to eighteen dollars a
week. But have in my mind very
ambitious little woman who is employ
cd in big city store, who has been
working six years for the firm, who is
recognized as faithful, trustworthy,
in every way satisfactory saleswoman,
and who receives six dollars week.
Outside of the financial reason for not
adopting the occupation of saleswoman,
there is the question of health. No
matter how unhealthful the factory
! girls occupation, the salcswoman's is
worse. Women are untitled by nature
for constant standing.
"Stenography and typcwriting were
until few years ago the most lucrative
things woman could take up. But
to-day am sure | could hire whole
army Of them from three dollars week
up some of them competent, too. The
average stenographer and typewriter
receives about five dollars week, while
the girl who gets twelve dollars regards
herself as a particular favorite of for
tune. Remarkably enough the great
reduction in the wages of this class OF
wagc-carncrs is due to great extent
to the woman who is trying TO build M
a little business of her own. She goes
around to the Offices where work done
by a stcnographer or typewriter is
needed. She offers to take the dicta'
ton and return the typewrittcn copy al
cheaper rates than the employer car
get it done by keeping stenographei
in his Office. If that does not persuade
him to give her the work she proceeds
to undcrbid herself, and being bust
ness man he proceeds to let her do il
until she reaches rock bottom. | know
woman who rather than let Il job o
that sort go will take one dollar and ;
half for work she ought to get five dol
lars for, and no amount of talk that
do seems to convince her that she is no
only doing herself an injustice but il
wronging u whole army Of workers a
well.
"The best occupation girl can adop
is something new. If she can originate
trade she can make good living 81
long rs she can be alone in the field
AS her competitors increase, the occu
patton is bound to be less and less desi
rablc from the financial side of TIL
question.
The next best thing is to get into
field hitherto monopolizcd by men
Piano tuning seems to be one of these
/ talked few moments with a pian
manufacturer the other day about it
lie seemed to think it an occupation
for which women's delicacy of toucl
peculiarly fitted them, and he offers t
teach a few women. The prices pal,
are high. The wages earned depent
upon the number of orders a tuner cal
get. This occupation, of course, woul
require 4 quick ear and some knowledg
of music Women have not entered tn
drugstore or the silversmith's shop, bot
of which seem peculiarly suited to them
Just at present the trained nurs
seems to be particularly well off in
financial way. 1t is fashionable ia
among rich women to have an attac
of nerves" and to have the doctor pr,
scribe sojourn at q health resort an
q trained nurse.
"The occupation Of the nurse Is nc
yet oYerWowded There Is demap