The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-05
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THE OFFICE BOY DOOMED.
He Is Apt to Be Thrown Out of Doors
Rv the New Girl.

Chicago Times Herald: The rising gen
Grafton of femininity has been invading
| nelds hitherto regarded as peculiarly
those of the boy just as her older sister
the new woman, has been acceptably fiil-
ing positions. situations and professions
which We're formerly regarded as suitable
only for the male sex. The office girl has
appeared in Chicago the last few months
to take her place beside the army of
women stenographers and typewriters.
No one knows exactly who began the
innovation. Perhaps the idea was bor-
rowcd from the big department stores,
which employ cash girls almost eXclu-
slVely- lew years ago these stores used
to employ boys and cash girls We're sell
dom seen. But IN course of time the cash
girls became more and more popular. I'M
til the cash boy IS now the exception,
while the cash girl IS the rule.
Much the same transition is predicted in
the ranks OF office boys. The old fashioned
Office boy. who swears. smokes cigarettes
and IS impairment usually, and reads
dime novels in a corner or loafs when he
Is sent on some important errand. is fast
disappearing and it is predicted that in
course OF time the Office girl will have
entirely taken his place.
Office girls are now employed in a num-
Der OF the offices in the big buildings
down town. The success of their sisters
has suggested the idea to other girls of
invading the field hitherto monopolized by
their brothers and earning more wages
than are paid 10 the cash girl. Every
now and then a man who has put an adj
vertisement Tor an Office boy in the paper
finds among the applicants letter from
girl. or If he asks that the boy apply
in person, one or more girls are apt to be
among the score of youngsters who an
swer the advertisement. At first the man
does not take kindly to the idea. and the
would-be Office girl finds il difficult work
10 secure a place. The men are prejudiced
against the idea OF employing women as
stenOgraphers or typewriters.
Those who have had office girls in their
employ. are. however, very well pleased
with them. and most of them who have
tried office girls declare that never again
viii they have an Office boy around the
premises.
Most Of the Office girls are ambitious
They are like the Office boy of a gene
ration or two ago, who entered the en-
ploy OF his master with a firm determine
ton 10 rise TO the tOpmost notch. They
realize that in this day every occupation
is open 10 them. and that they them
selves may be lawyers. bankers, brokers,
insurance agents or anything else. Il they
are able to master the details OF the busi-
ness. they therefore keep their eyes open
and learn all that they can about the
business. that they may put the ideas so
gained into practice when there, shall be
an opportunity. some years in the fG-
ture for them to 90 into business of some
sort for themselves
Most OF the office girls Immediately be-
gin to quality themselves for promotion.
They practice on the typewriter when
they have a few moments TO spare, and
so qualify themselves for situations as
stenographers Some of them have al
ready learned enough of tynewriting 10
gain an increase of salary and position
which calls for more typewriting and
less of the Office boys duties.