The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-03
Stock Brokers, = Broadw
Opposed to Women.


"a woman is a nuisance anywhere out
side of her own home,'' said we'll known
reputable stock broker to a reporter who
called on him at his office in a lower
Broadway skyscraper the other day. He
turned slightly in his chair and glanced
furtively over his shoulder at his trim
little stenogra pher, who blushed percep-
tihly when . employer made the broad
arraignrlc a protesting. resentful ex-
preston appeared on her pretty face, and
when Mr.. Broker beheld this and laughed
lightly it changed to papabie sneer
Present company always excepted"
said the employer. as he arose and bowed
low to the young woman. Nothing at
all personal l assure you. But we've
cleaned up everything for today, haven't
we? Well. you may go II you like"
'If you like" he had said, but his in
tonation expressed his meaning palmer
than his words. and the young woman
got up quickly, slammed down the cover
of her typewriter desk, clapped her sailor
hat on her head without consulting the
glass, and stalked out of the room.
"a perfect nuisance" repeated the
broker as he stood looking at the closed
door. particularly in a brokers' office"
He thrust his hands deep into his trous-
ers pockets. walked slowly over to a win
dow, and looked vacantly out into the
northwest.
Il don't mean this stenographer," he
explained, turning quickly. I'm afraid
I've been misunderstood both by you and
by her. That girl nuisance here? Well.
1 guess not. l don't believe that girl
would be a nuisance anywhere" he said.
What 1 mean is the woman who pat
tonizes us brokers" he explained further.
They are an awful nuisance" he ex-
claimed. Entirely out of place here
yntirely," he continued. II can't imag
inc why she was endowed with the gam
ing instinct that impels her to butt in
here. Heavens, but they make me tired
every time l think of them, but our
house is rid of them. thank goodness. At
least, we have done all in our power to
discourage their patronizing us, and am
going to take particular pains to see that
my instructions that women be kept out
of our offices are carried out
Lack Business Instinct.
In the first place. a brokers' Office is
no place for a woman. The average wo-
man knows little about brokerage. Bus
mess instinct is not innate in the woman,
ordinarily speaking, and, worse than
that. sche can't learn. Tell her all you
know about stocks and market cond!
tions and practices, and the next day
she will ask you the same thing again.
Another thing: The woman who de-
sires to trade in stocks knowing nothing
of them or the business. wants the brok-
er to become her confdant to tell just
where and when to buy sell If she
makes something out of an inVestmert
made on a brokers' advice she gloats over
her shire wdness on the Street and the
broker gets no credit whatever. Should
she lose, ard every broker must go wrong
in predict ons once in awhile, then there's
the devil to pay.
Let me cite an instance. Some time
ago a woman came to me and wanted to
invest a small sum in stocks in which she
could make a pretty good profit and could
not lose. She didn't know what she
wanted except that she had been told
that she had best invest in one of three
Erie, copper or sugar.
Now, l didn't think any one of these
would be as safe as another 1 had in
mind at the time. I suggested it but she
would not listen. She he'd been told that
the three mentioned were highly desir-
able then, and wanted to know of me
merely which of the three promised the
hest. The truth is. at that particular
timo l did not think any of them very
good. l discouraged her in sugar and
suggested Erie.
" oh, Erie is too slow she replied.
Il had nothing further to say, and she
ClIected me TO put In an order lot cop
per. Within two weeks copper went
down points. A few days after the drop
this woman appeared at my office. Bolt
ing into the customers room, where there
were several traders she began to berate
me most vigorously, saying things about
how l had taken almost the last cent of
a poor woman and lost it for her
She was in an extremely bad temper,
and could not think of the transaction
reasonably. She succeeded in creating a
scene. which appeared to amuse the men
in the office considera bly,, but she told
them some awful things about me and
nv business methods which might have
done ME some hurt had not most of the
listeners been familiar with the behavior
of women who trade recklessly and lose"
bad Losers"
Brokers say that woman does not
seem to be able to realize that there is a
possibility of losing in specializing in
stocks Therefore she is what gambler
would call a bad loser" OF course.
there is an occasional woman who knows
Tho market and its sinuousities. and is
as game" as any man on the Street.
mt she is mighty scarce. The ordinary
woman speculator and trader makes an
awful fuss when she makes losing in
Vestment.
Sometimes the spectacle is ludicrous in