Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-03-04
AMBITIOUS GIRLS
Women Who Work All Day and Study
at Niuht.

I
"AmbitiOus centers is what | cal
them," said the principal of one of the
three evening high schools for women
Z. In New York city. with very few
exceptions the girls who attend the
schools five nights a week work dur
ing the day in offices, stores and fac
tories. Their hours are long Most
of them are tired in the evening but
they come here just the same determin-
ed to learn the things essential TO get
ting on in the world. They are girls
who are willing to sacrifice good deal
of comfort and pleasure to their aspira-
tions.
The classes in sten0graphy are the
largest. The ma jority of the mem bers
ALREADY have places as stenographers,
but they have been made aware by
employers, painfully in some cases,
that their transcribipg 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
me, with suspicion of tears, that her |
employer had discharged her because
she souldn't spell, but had 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.
"a great many of the girls are study
ing languages. French, German or
Spanish, with view to using them
commercially. Most of those from de.
partment stores take French, it being
their ambition to become buyers for the
house, and thus 60 to Paris to purchase
stock. One girl, who is quite pretty,
but has strong business head, is study
ing bookkeeping and commercial form
with view of taking charge of a
grain and feed business. 1t belongs to
her father. She is in the Office now a {
and general assistant,
but eventually she expects to conduct
it herself, and, from what l know of t
her, think she will do it WELL
Arithmetic and algebra are not sub e
jects over which women ordinarily '
grow enthusiastic, but several hun
1reds of my students are graphing n
with them bravely every night. They P
are the ones who are preparing for the e
regents or the civil service examina- f
ion. Chemistry would seem to be no +
more interesting, but our laboratory i
s well filled every evening. Most of .
,he girls to be found in it have their t
yes turned toward trained nursing, b
Ind to make their equipment as thor i
'ugh as possible are starting in at the =
oundation of the science of medicine. G
Some of them are already in train &
ng schools, and & few are graduated y
nurses who attend our classes when l
hey can. Most of the prospective e
lnrses also take an hour every even &
ng in physiology. Besides this COM
nerclal and scientific Instruction, we d
ave class devoted to Shakespeare tt
md other great writers, and this is one II
# the most popular of all. In it the I
hief aim is for culture rather than
PRACTICAL utility, and yet there are fac. T,
ory girls among the members. lc
"The essays that the girls are requir- G.
d to write have developed some pro A
tounced literary ability. One stu T
lent, as matter of fact, has had p
tories published: but she still earns D
er living as stenographer Girls in q
ressmakers' shops who expect to fol- T
0w this calling themselves attend our r,
rawing classes. Teachers and other N
professional women spend two hours n
n evening here on the languages. Our
tudents vary in age from the young
irl to the gray haired woman. They
epresent many walks in life, but all 80
f them are working hard to improve II
New York Sun. -