The record-union., 1898-03-20
BESELENA'S PRATTLE.

Especial Correspondence Record-Unionj
PORTLAND (Or), March 16.-This
is essentially an age of realism and of
progress; an age when the code of
ethics laid down by our grand
mothers and their grandmothers be-
fore them is slowly, but none
the less surely, giving place TO
new order of things. From the
Puritanical primness of our ances-
tors the bachelor girl has evolved her
self. She is not only an essential fea-
ture to cur civilization, but d necessity;
she is making herself known all over
the land, and not only that, but is oc-
cupying all manner of positions of
trust and responsibility
The position we find her in most fire.
quently is that of typewriter and ste
nographer. True, this profession like
great many others, is overcrowded,
but there is always room at the top OF
the ladder for the girl with brains and
intelligence; the girl who makes her
self unobtruSively useful to her en-
ployer; such a girl is bound to succeed
This is an age when speed tells, and
as consequence the typewriter is more
in demand at the present time than
ever be fore. There is scarcely a busi-
ness Of any Importance whatever which
does not employ its own private ste
nographer. Yet 1 know from personal
experience that the position is too of
ten occupied by young women who
seem totally ignorant of the two most
important essentials to a first-clasS
typist: spelling and punctuation. L
have heard more than one complaint OF
this sort from business men.
writer almost any reasonable salary
she would demand if I could only find
one who could SPELL" walled certain
man to me not long ago, as he laid on
my desk a bunch of the worst looking
copy l ever saw. One very simple
word which l cannot recall just now,
was spelled in three different ways. and
none of them the right way, on the
same page.
Then again nearly all the writer's and
authors of the present day either do
their own typewriting or else hire it
done. These people want a girl who is
quick and intelligent; one who is well
read, and who can, if necessary, offer
timely suggestions. Such a girl will
soon find that she can not only COM
mand a higher price for her work, but
The girls who earn their own living
to-day belong, in nine cases out of ten.
to the steadily increasing horde of
bachelor girls. The idea has often oc-
Cured To me that there ought to be
in every city of any Importance club
house for these girls, where they could
get their board and room at a reason
able rate. Many of the girls who work
in our stores and offices are girls whose
homes are in the country. and, who,
when they come to the city, are obliged
to room out, and in many cases pay a
high price for some miniature sky par
lor
l believe that in several of the larger
Eastern cities such clubhouses have
been tried. but they have never been
successful for the reason that the good,
but mistaken people having them in
charge, clung tenaciously to the old
fashioned idea that the girls needed
watching; in other words that chap
erone was an Indispensable necessity.
The giIls very naturally resented this
system of espionage, for the girl who
earns her own bread and butter is a
very Independent young woman, and
as a consequence the club was not a
success.
1t seems to me that in order to have
such club successful it should be run
on the plan of hotel or boarding house
with all of its freedom and privileges.
If the people having such a girls club
in charge make careful inquiries before
allowing girl to enter the house as
to her moral worth and reSpecta bility