The colored American., 1902-05-10
ART OF STENOGRAPHY,
Lucrative Calling Offering Ad-
vantag geous Opportunities to
Women Some Object Lessons.
rosr B. EVANS, CHICAGO, ILL.

.-.rrI,es along this line which are open
- an persons, irrespective of color,
.l~Irob Civil Service examinations, and
,b,. present large demand for capable
..cIgr3phers on account of the recent
.srrir6rial acquisitions of the United
States.
While this is an oppOrtune time for
,.o,,ng men to find employment in this
line Il is also a field, wherein our wo-
men NAV find remuneratlVe positions.
Men are very largely employed in the
government service, the courts and pub
Ic bindings, but private offices and
mercantile houses, almost without eX-
r-oti0n. employ women. | believe this
~ he largely due to the fact that women
NAV be employed so much cheaper than
,hr men. while on the other hand many
nrrfrr women owing to their neatness
and because they are often better quail
frd for work of this kind.
4 good common school education,
with special ability in spelling and
grammar. is requisite to take course
IN ,tenography While studying short
hand and typewriting the best results
will be obtained by going at IT with a
determination that you will learn as
ouicklv as it is possible to do and at the
same time learn it well. From three to
SIX months is necessary, the time being
governed largely by the adaptability of
the student. This will mean an outlay
Of from $40 to SIS. After finishing the
prescribed course the next step is to find
employment. 1t is very much better for
one 10 accept the first position at a small
salary. if necessary, in order to get ex-
prrience, as after the first year or two
a young stenographer is better qualified
10 demand a fair salary Beginners are
usually paid seven and eight dollars per
week. ten dollars per week is the aver
age pay, while those with long expert |
rnce and especially good qualifications
command twelve, fifteen, eighteen and |
twenty dollars per week Surely it is |
we'll worth the time of our girls 10 learn |
business such as this which is OBJ |
tanned at a small expenditure and in |
which they may earn almost, or as much |
a, many men of our color are receiving
for more laboriouS work at very much |
longer hours.
Most Of our young people fear that |
their color will bar them from good pO-
SItionS, and while we always have the |
color prejudice to contend with more or |
less that is part of the battle we must
hght in lifting up this race of ours. Yet
the majority of people, in the North, |
at least. stake more upon merit than the |
pigment Of the skin. On the other hand |
many Of our cOlored professional and
business men are so situated as 70 en-
p-oy stenographer, and their prefer |
tnce OF course, IS a cOlored girl.
There are few lawyers, even with a |
practice ever so small, who do not find |
necessary to employ a stenOgrapher. |
Oten times in a law office there is not /
enough work to keep girl busy, or the /
salary may not seem enough to her, and |
she IS permitted to do work for others in |
Ae building. Perhaps the amount paid /
E each one may be very small, but in
.he aggregate the girl makes a fair liv-
-s. For instance, a stenographer may
3 serve hye different ofices,~ making on
8 ~ average s. per week from each one,
aus easily receiving SIS per week for
her services.
B CouTt reporting, while arduous and
I!ng TO women, is also quite remune-
.-''r very often enough being earned |
!. one OF two days to cover any def
~'-y there may be the balance of the
.l,N In the larger cities the court re-
5%-..1TS % nave an association which gov
'Is ". iae scale of prices.
we have two colored girls in Chi
s' VINO have made excellent reputa-
--> as court reporters
, '-gTe arc perhaps half dozen young
r- .eu women in Chicago who occupy
--.1oH> OF trust. and are honoring the
.-N>sloh OI StenOgraDhY by cOnSCien- |