The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-20
FOR FEMININE READERS
QUALITIES THAT MAKE WOMEN
SUCCESSFUL IN BUSINESS.
suggestions to the Woman Who Needs
More ROOm-The Man Who Pre-
sides-London Gossip.

COnstancy 20 purpose, declared Beacons-
field, is the secret of success in any calling,
In the opinion of another well-known writ
er. says the New York Sun. plodding per-
severance has been known to accomplish
as much as genius under precisely the same
conditions.
Neither opinion altogether fits the case
of the successful business woman. as she
is known in America She is a composite
of self-reliance, independence and fearless
ness, astonishing to the people Of other
lands, and an celebrating example TO
wage earners the world over.
Moreover. to be a business woman is no
longer questionable. If labor statistics
are to be believed, the proportion of women
in America actively engaged in business
pursuits tremendously exceeds that in
any other country. and unlike any other
country it includes women not only of
every nationality. but also of every grade
Of society. 1t is now no unusual thing TO
see women who can boast of a pedigree
and women who make no pretensions what
ever to a family tree, and have risen from
the ranks of the cash girl and the errand
girl. working side by side in the same bust
ness with equal success.
Every woman who starts in business and
is spurred OF by ambition wants to come
TO New York of course.
During the last twenty years" said a
leading dry goods merchant, land especial
ly during the last decade, business in New
York has increased tremendously, which
accounts somewhat for the rise of the bus
mess woman. L must confess, however,
that she has multiplied far more than pro-
p~ortionately, and to-day usurps places once
filled only by men.
I'VE have now women boOkkeepers, stem
Cgraphers, typewr1ters, cashiers and l
should not be surprised ere long TO find
our largest establishments managed entire
ly by women"
What Will become of the men in that
case?' he was asked.
"Oh, they will probably take to farming.
1t has not yet been demonstrated that
women have any particular talent for that
pursuit.
When the question, What sort of wom-
an succeeds best in business" was asked
the merchant said it reminded him of a
noted bishop of the Methodist Church, who
when asked what being born a second
time did for a man, replied: well, that
depends a good deal on what his first birth
did for him"
I'm other words" he went on, 1.-The bust
ness wOman's success depends more than
any one imagineS on her progenitorS. In
my opinion the most successful are those
born of parents or of a race whose lot was
a continuous struggle for the bare neces-
saries of life.
"Unde such circumstances a child usual
ly inherits a logged cOmbativeness and dis
position to ~push-traits which are extreme
ly valuable when applied to a business
career. think it is for this very reason
that the Irish woman and the American
born of Irish parents when she enters the
business world gets on so wonderfully we'll
and not only outnumbers but oftentimes
excels the women of other nationalities
working in this country.
'"ThR lQq or C1RnaGCfn1 funn % YYOipouC
woman L find is the American born of
American parents who never felt the spur
of necessity, who does not begin her bust
ness career until she is sixteen or eighteen
years old"
"Education-that is. schooling-has less to
do with a woman's success in business
than you might imagine" said the head of
another establishment which employs hum
dredS of women. Some of the women who
hold the most responsible places here can
boast or little beyond a rudimentary knOwl-
edge Of the three RS. A good education is.
of course, a help to a woman in business,
but it is not of first Importance nor is it
the secret of her success.
To my mind the keynote is ambition.
TO live In America, and especially in New
York, and not be ambitious to live we'll and
dress well, particularly to dress well, is
impossible 10 the average woman. She
can't help ii: it is in the air.
TO this end, If TO no other, she will strain
every nerve to make money. She does not
work TO save but to spend, to crafty an
ambition, at least to appear as well as the
woman far higher in the social scale.
In my experience the woman once
wealthy who, in reduced circumstances
chooses a business career is the least sat
isfactory, and l seldom or never employ
her. Her success lies rather in starting
a small business of her own, helped by
experienced employees, when she can de-
pend on her friends at the outset for GUS
tom.
Il am aware that the number of women
who have gone into trade has increased
remarkably of late and that to be in bust
moss iC hpnnunfn0 unpnnthfn~ 90 "a r
regular channels, however, / have not found
the ex-fashionable woman valuable"
The secret of success for a business
woman is early training, the more severe
the better, remarked a millionaire manu-
facturer whose business is run almost en-
tirely by women. The women l prefer
TO employ are those who began at the very
foot and have worked up step by step. for
they are bound to be useful in some cana
city because of their training. no matter
how lacking they may be in brains or edu-
cation"
Women succeed in business because of
their infinite variety" asserted another
authority in the business world. 1.-The sex
represents many varieties of temperament.
disposition. taste and originality, all of
which can be utilized in business. and
In a large concern IL is the duty of the
manager to fit each into the place where
she Will be the most valuable. The phleg-
matte and the nervous temperament are
alike needed in business.
If, however, l was Obliged to specify
the trait of all others which most often
leads to sure success | should say enthusi-
asm-some would call it optimism. 1 have
never known a woman optimistic over her
work who failed. | always recognize that
trait Immediately and I never let its nos
SCISSOR slip through my hands"
Beauty has very little to do with q
woman's success in business averred the
manager of a big department store. I'm
douotedIy a pleasing personality is an
advantage to her. but the very pretty
woman generally takes less pains TO please
either her employer or her customer than
I tho nfn rnWan
that her business career is only temnorary
and that the outcome of her charms Is a
more or less brilliant marriage.
LAS a result she is apt to fall behind In
the struggle for first place, and before Ions
may be dropped in favor of "A more earnest
If less attractive, worker"
Mans Funny Ways.