The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-09
FOR WOMEN'S READING
ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST FE-
MALE TELEGRAPH OPERATORS.
shorter school Vacations for City
work-What Women Will Wear.

There Is. says a writer in the New York
Evening Sun, In the minds of many men
a deep-rooted objection TO women as tele-
graph operators. According TO one authori-
ty the objections are as follows:
Women do not understand business.
They cannot understand it because they are
women. They do very well in small sta
tions, but not in large ones. No telegraph
superintendent or managers consider
women equal, on an average, TO men as
operators. Messages sent over the wires
are sometimes OF such a nature that wom-
anly women ought not 10 be cognizant or
them" To these objections the following
answers have been made by a woman OPP
orator: First. 1t is the fault of men IL
women do not understand business. II
men did their duty all women would be
instructed in business while at school,, or
afterward, to fit them for managing their
own affairs. If necessary, instead OF meet
ing the usual fate of being cheated or neg
lected by fellow-heirs and owners, or to
earn their own livelihood. Second, the as
sertion that womanly women cannot UNDER
stand business is thoroughly disproved by
the fact that many Of them do. Indeed,
the most delicate, refined. most exquisitely
eminin woman of our age, most lovely
and most loved. Florence Nightingale.
possesses and has exerted prime business
qualities as organizer and administrator.
and that to a degree that many a business
man might envy. But further this asser-
ton Is d.sproved by the w~ell-known and
universal business success of women in
saleswomen, managing clerks and book
keepers, in employments requiring exactly
the qualities of a good telegraph operator.
Third. Ii is admitted that women may do
very well in small. offices. Now. a very
large proportion of telegraph offices are
small ones, and thus 1t must be conceded
might be women. Fourth, this point Is only
to be decided by experience. AS a matter
OF fact, many. superintendent are directly
opposed to such pleas as are here advanced,
for they find women at least as competent,
faithful and trustworthy as men. Fifth,
If business messages that pass over the
wires are of a nature unfit to be known
by women. this must be the fault OF the
operators, for no honest business Is i'm
proper. but / am not sure that l know ex-
actly what is meant in this place. 1t Is
unsafe to argue that business is SO dirty
that women must not touch II. 1t Is like ar
guing that politics are SO dirty that cler-
gymen must have none. 1t Is a mistake TO
drive cleanly people away from either. 1t
would be better to let cleanly people expel
telegraphers are incompetent and costly, the
shrewd men who own the lines. and their
executive forces, will soon find it out and
dismiss them. But If they are faithful. safe
and cheap they will employ them. In fac,,
the latter Is the case, and the number Of
women operators is rapidly increasing.
There is another consideration which of
itself altogether destroys the adverse argu-
ment, such as 1T is. Exactly the requisite
qualities for a good housekeeper are those
for a good neutrality-suspicious., faithful
ness, careful attention to numerous and
tiresome details. If women are not. on an
average. altogether superior to men in
these qualities / am In error. / cannot help
thinking that the conclusion really con-
tains the substance of his whole argument.
That conclusion amounts to this. and
nothing more: L don't want any women
operators because | don't This Is what is