The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-10-29
BUSINESS WOMEN
MUST DRESS PLAIN
(CChicago Tribune.)

There is whisper going the rounds
of business offices in which woman arr
employed that employers are getting
more fussy every day. Some of the
older women point out complainingly
that there was time when practically
all man did or said when engaging a
| woman clerk was to look at her ere
dentials and ask how much salary she
| wanted.
That was in the days when women
stenographers were almost scarce
when women typewriters were les;
plentiful than they have since become,
and when a burning desire for an in
| dependent supply of pocket money oil
not so often impel girls as soon as they
put on long dresses to apply for office
! employment.
At any rate whatever the reason, *
| seems to be true that since the supply
| of women stenographers and typewrft-
erS has grown to exceed the demand
employers are becoming more and moro
eXacting in regard to the appearance
of the young women they engage to
work for them. This is just as true OF
the large uptown dry goods stores
which employ thousands of women as
it is IN downtown Offices and whole
sale business concerns.
Demands High Linen Collars.
A young girl came out from an office
building the other day, her nose in the
air, her face flushed with Indignation.
The ideal" she exclaimed to a wait
ing friend. That horrid man told me
that he expected his clerks to wear high
linen collars and not a low neck waist.
Just as if my waist could be called low
necki"
The girl was wearing a white cotton
waist cut round at the throat and fin
ished with a narrow edging instead of
high neckband. In place of the neck
band was a string of blue beads.
Afterward in speaking of the occur
renee the unappreciative employer, who
seemed to be anything but hard-heart
ed. said:
Il am awfully tired of seeing dressed
UP clerks in this office. 1 don't mean
to have any more of them. These are
not show parlors.
THE women clerks don't have TO re-
ceive visitors nor to entertain custom
ers. Stenographers and typewriters are
here to do that work and Nothing else.
Hire Clerks to Work.
81 believe there are still offices in This
city who like to make showpiece of
the stenographer, just as there are res
taurants which employ none but eX-
ceedingly pretty cashiers; but they are
comparatively few and far between.
The great majority of business houses |
hire stenographers to work, and they |
make no distinction between men and |
women.
4. In fact. in the business world todax |
the question of sex is not considered in |
laying down rules. If woman wants to |
with man and do it success
fully she must not look for special |
privileges.
Now, in the case of dress, for in
stance. l think a woman's business
dress ought to be neat, inconspicuous
Gauzy fabrics which re-
veal the neck and arms. chains, float
ing ribbons, and flashy jewelry are Ger
tainly not appropriate accessories to a
business uniform.
Il made the discovery long ago that
the girl who is much fixed up in bust
ness hours generally works with hef
eye on the clock and puts her hat on at
least five minutes before it is time to
20, and that sort never becomes valu-
able to the employer, no matter how
smart she may be at her work
Il think it is only question of time
when the rule now in vogue in the best
Try goods stores in regard to sales
women will apply to stenographers,
.ypewriters, all women employees. In
hose stores black dresses are demand
I'd. None may wear a colored gown,
lot even the heads Of departments. In
me store the manager goes SO far as to
prohibit even a turnover collar OF blue,
pink, red, or any other bright tint.
rurnovers must be white or else none
L, foYa i,,c |
Tor SNOWY jewelry tolerated.
Yet think some businesses men are ;
-oing too far. l do not always find that
he pldinest appearing girls are the hes;
workers., or that the girl who touches |
10 her hair and wears bows in it Is {
'ound to take little or no interest in {
Ter work. Far from it.
Concentrate Mind on Work.
can almost fnfallible test 1 find is
his: When talking with an applicant,
{ she gives me her whole attention,
eeps her eyes in front of her no mat :
er who passes behind her or at her
ide, or in and out of the office, until
ur interview is over, / am satisfied
hat that girl will be able to concen- ,
rate her mind on her work. 4
What business men are looking for
women who in business hours can
ut their attention on their work and
ept it there. No other sort is of any Z
alue, no, matter what sort of regalia
he wears or what color hair she has
Il have noticed, though, that dark
aired girls are less giving to primplns 4
office hours and less flirtations and
ppear to be less taken up with outside
lterests OF their own than the
Iondes.'