The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-12-16
Women inBuSineSS
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Tells Of Their Falling.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox in the New YORK
Journal:
Women are determined 10 enter the ave
nues OF business and the tendency of
the times is TO force them there. whether
they viii or no
Before real continued success can come
to a. woman in any self-respeclng realm.
she must have several things which she
seems unconscious OF today
I fear it is the exceptional business
woman who has a realization Of the ne
cesity Of paying her bills promptly and
OF having her word as good as her note
in money matters.
I shall never forget the modification I
felt for my sex once upon a time, when.
in a strange place away from my hone
gave the name Of a well-knOwn busi-
ness woman as reference in a hnancia.
matter I knew her as a most ambitious
/ and seemingly succe ssful business wO-
man, and was astounded to be told that
her note was not considered to be OF any
value, and in her own town she could not
obtain credit because It was so difficult
/ to collect bills when due
Afterward I heard the woman bemoan
the cruelty Of the world toward wO-
man who tried TO make her own way.
! Of course. our sex has not been ac-
4 customed TO assume large responsibilities
and it is difficult to grasp the situation
/ at once. We have been for centuries the
recipients of the gallant attentions or ty-
ranicaI espionage Of men and TO becom=
/ their associates in business IS quite an
other matter.
7 CIV, hoe cd
field, let her keep her shield bright and
her sword sharp and her sense Of honor
keen.
Another point to be observed IS the ne
/ cessity to eDitomize her IDEAS and cur
tail her words in business conversation.
One of womans greatest hindrances to
/ success is her Ioquaciousness-
The woman who places any value on
( the worth of her own time or that OF an
other, and displays it by economiz-ne
/ both, is worthy of gold medal, so I'm
usual a specimen is she.
Every word we utter means an expendi-
/ ture Of a certain amount of vital force
/ vet women waste this force so recklessly
! as If it were dross instead of pure god
! They talk above, below and around the
/ point at issue, using ren phrases 70 ex-
! press what could be better said in one
( Woman's conception of the Importance
and value of time is conveyed in smii
! ing At know you are awfully busy, an
/ 1 fear am trespassing upon your time
while she Immediately proceeds to tail
/ for another half hour upon something
which has nothing to do with the pur
pose of her call.
In social life, the woman who fits from
1 topic to topic like a butterfly from fowel
to flower, is delightful She rests, enter
tains, amuses and often instructs h5l
listeners.
The woman who is too serious and one
ideaed in social life is worse If anythi Is
than the one who is toe profuse and dif
fusive in business.
But the two realms are extremes, auC
their methods should be.
This seems to be the point which sh,
finds difficult to realize.
/ 1t is the exceptional woman who takes
a busy office or study and takes half al
hour to do his errand.
It is the exceptional oman who take.
less.
With all woman's desire to be unself h
ness upon which her nature s built sh,
is thoughdess and inconsiderate by he
wasteful verbosity, as a rule in bushes
matters.
The woman who IS direct, concise anC
expeditions in her methods is as unusua
as a white blackbird.
She seldom lacks employment. Thi.
/ quality of dispatch is one Of the funda
mental laws of success; and nothine
reaches a mans business heart soonn
than a delicate consideration Of the grea
value of his time and an indication that
your own, as well. is worth conserving
To every woman or girl who is abou
/ to seek influence, advice or a position
I offer this counsel:
Before you set out on your errand
think out clearly what you want
Then think Of few concise sentences
by which you may express your wish.
Keep to your point. Don't tel the story
Of your life or describe your genealogica
descent from William the Conqueror f,
the man you hope wiz give you employ
mont
Do not tell him your family history, no
the reasons why you seek employment
Talk about the subject which called 20,
into his presence and talk with direct
ness and duency. and get done with It
and go away.
II YOU do not win the mans patronage
you viii at least win his respect au'
gratitude
And you viii have saved your own tim
and nerve force for other occasions.
sa.f45or,I socE Tsland Fxcursions