Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-29
AMBITIOUS GIRLS
WOMEN WHO work ALL DAY AND
sTuDY.AT NIGHT.
From the New York s .

Ambition centeFs.M what I call them, :.
said the principal ii xdhe of the three even
ing high schools fat unInen in New York
city. with very few exceptions the girls
who attend the schools five nights week
work during the day in offices. stores and
factories. Their hodrs are long Most of
them are tired in the evening, but they
come here just the same determined to
learn the things essential to- getting on in
the world. They are girls who are willing
to sacrifice good deal of comfort and
pleasure to their aspirations.
The classes In stenography are the
largest. The majority of their members
already have places+as stenographers. but
they have been maassaware by employers.
painfully in some eases that their tram
seribing or spelling or English is not up
to the mark, SO they come here to increase
their proficiency. The other night one
bright girl told nae. with a suspicion of
tears. that her employer had discharged
her because she couldn't SPELL but mad
said that If she would learn he would take
her back She told me that her weakness
always had been spelling. but that she had
made up her mind, to overcome it, think
she will.
Would Be Buyers.
"A great many, efsthe girls are studying
languages, French, German or Spanish,
with view to using them commercially.
Nest of those from department stores take
French. 1t being their ambition to become
buyers for the house, and thus go to Paris
to purchase stock. One girl. who Is quite
pretty. but has a strong business head. Is
studying bookkeeping and commercial
forms. with view of taking charge of a.
grain and feed business. 1t belongs to her
father. She is in the Office now as stenog-
rapher and general assistant. but eventual
L. t<.I. fS,6, . hxrC nr,d
from what know OF her, think she will
do it WE'LL
Arithmetic and algebra are not subjects
over which women ordinarily grow enthu-
siastic, but several hundreds of my stu
dents are graphing with them braveIy
every night. These are the ones who are
preparing for the regents or the civil serv-
ice xamina ton. Chemistry would seem to
IS we'll filed every evening. Most of the
girls to be found in it have their eyes turn
ed toward trained nursing. and to make
their equipment as thorough as possible
are starting in at the foundation of the
science of medicine
Training Schools.
Some of them are already in training
schools and a few are graduate nurses who
attend cur classes when they can. Most of
the prospective nurses also take an hour
every evening in PHYSIOLOGY. Besides this
commercial and scientific instruction, we
have a class devoted, TO Shakespeare and
other great writers. epd this is one of the
Nest popular of au In it the chief aim
is for culture rathey than practical utility.
and yet there areh factory girls among the
members.
The essays that the girls are required to
write have develoYenss ome pronounced lit
erary ability. Onestudent. as matter OF
fact has had STORIES published; but she still
earns her livingias stenographer. Girls
in dressmakefs Sheps who expect to follow
this calling themselves attend our drawing
classes. Teachers add other professional
We men spend two hours an evening here on
the languages. Our students vary in age
from the young gfrlA If the gray-haired wo-
man. They represent many walks In life,
but all of them are working hard to inn
prove themselves JJ i