The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-09-13
ARE YOU BUSY OR IDLE t?
NO HALFWAY BUSINESS WITH
THE WOMEN.
Her Business Methods Are Up-to-Dats
and Admirable as Those
of the Idler Are
Deplorable.

when life Is an idle dream" said
busy woman 10 New York Com
mercial Advertiser man. IL am apt to
find the business woman too brisk and
the society woman too frivolous 10
please me, but when there is work TO
be done, business affairs to be attend
ed to, letters TO be answered ana APP
pointments TO be kept commend me 10
the broad winner who has been train
ed In the methodical. conscientious
ways OF business men, or 10 the So
cial butterfly. whose bustling life
forces her to observe businesslike
methods and live by rule, in order TO
keep up with all her versatile world
demands of her. If you send note
of inquiry TO the woman who is nell
ther breadwinner nor a butterfly, you
may or may not receive a reply. She
may be N or out of town. she appoints
no one to open her mail. she forgets.
she mislays, she has a thousand eX-
cuses. But maybe she does answer In
few days, when Ii occurs 10 her.
And what an answer! She dates II
Sunday or Monday and she forgets TO
post It until you have grave doubts as
to which Sunday or Monday is meant.
She omts all of the things you would
like to know and writes proper names
as illegibly as the rest of the letter
Sometimes she underscores them, as
if to call attention to their eligibility.
THE charities and clubs who have
women of this type for their secretar-
les do not know how expensive their
voluntary services are. One woman's
club has secretary who sends out
her invitations and announcements on
postal cards. The writing is almost
undecipherable and it is as difficult TO
find out from these cards what Mrs.
- is going TO read paper about or
on what day she Is going TO read 1t as
ii is to decipher where she is going to
read it. And often, unless one is a
club member and familiar with other
members names, ii is impossible TO
tell who is going TO read the paper.
The name of the club is printed at the
top of the card. so if one has zeal and
ardor one can apply in person and in
quire when. where and for what one
has been summoned.
"The amateur philanthropist is more
annoying because one feels that she is
wasting time and patience and oppor-
tunities that might be made TO yield
such glorious results. She sends one
a little note on pretty notepaper, and
asks if the mission for pigeon-toed ba-
bies appeals TO one, and If one would
care TO do some work for 1t. OF course,
the recipient of such a modest little
note sits down at once Of business
woman or a society woman) and
writes that nothing in this world in
terests her as much as do pigeon-toed
babies. and if the secretary of the So
ciety will send her particulars of the
mission she will not only be glad to
do what she can herself, but will also
try TO interest her many influential
friends in its behalf.
And what does that amateur secre-
tary? She is delighted, Of course, but
does she send a report of last years
number of children cared for, the
neighborhoods they come from, the
cost of maintaining them, the persons
WHO lOuuueu tht hlSlltu'ioh anu WhOl
and why ii was established? No. she
does nothing of the sort. She chats
about mercy and charity and duty tC
ones fellowman. d proposed new
building, a well-known clergyman's
well-known phrase Of praise for sucl
institutions and winds up with lis
of patrons and directors and an init
nation that spinal disease is not tax
en-. It's discouraging but l assure yor
I do not eXaggerate. For philanthro
by and clubs, commend me to the
woman who has had social or bust
ness training"