New-York tribune., 1905-01-01
ETHICS IN BUSINESS.
Il Place for College Women IN Com
qnerci1L World.

eft "a 8 theory of mine" said Florence Kelley
secretary OF the National Consumers League tlat
the trained woman would work revolution N
business methods for the benefit Of the employe'
/ ana thinking especially Of college women, but not
entirely Any woman with the brains to become
the manager of a business, either her own or any
body else's has opportunity for benehtng her
own to-day not to be eQualed in any ether
line Of work.
81 am sorry to see two tendencies among women
to-day in regard TO business. In the first place.
every Industrial school, every mission school, every
church sewing class is training girls to enter the
needle trades-the most overcrowded poorly paid
and health destroying Of all tvades-in which they
all tread upon each others heels, often with no
chance 10 earn living wage.
'On the other hand, great classes OF young wom-
en- are being graduated from college every year
with the intention of entering one of two lines OF
work. either teacaing or philanthropy. These are
the two ladylike, respectable things for college
women TO do. Fortunately philanthropy has been
added profession for college women in recent
years so that they do not all now pour into the
overcrowded profession of teaching
New. would not say word against the col
lege woman in philanthropy. She is blessing
there, and great good is going to come out Of her
presence there. But I do say that any college
graduate having her living to earn. and desiring
also to do something for social betterment, would
become thousand times more valuable to the
cause OF struggling, unframed womanhood by
going behind counter and working her way to
be head Of q department than she would, for In
stance. agent of a charity organization.
LAS an example. have in mind Mrs Taylor, who
has large for the sale of the cheaper grades
Of goods in Cleveland. When the Cleveland women
organized their consumers league they never
thought of her. They examined conditions in the
fashionable stores where they were accustomed to
do their shopping. and finally met to frame
their white list. Mrs. Taylor came into the meet
ing. stranger to ALL and when the question came
up rose and said that if Inere was to be a white
list IN Cleveland she the only person who
could be on II. On investigation they found this
quite true Her regulations with regard TO her help
were far IN advance OF those Of any Of the men
merchants Of me city, in respect to hours and
conveniences. while the wages were not below. She
had put in chairs for her saleswomen OF her own
motion long before there q law to that effect
anywhere in the West, she had convenient luncheon
and rest rooms for the girls and served luncheon
at noon for her employees. where splendidly cooked
food could be had at exact cost. She kept the
srictest oversight of the morals Of the girls in her
employ.
GOOD TO HER EMPLOYEES.
Mrs. Ida Cronk. who runs the CATS Roma one
OF the fashionable restaurants OF Chicago. is an
other in point. She Is about much italian
I am. but she keeps Italian chef and her
cafe is well known. She began by running the
cheap coffee room at Hull House. when was a
resident there. and was first called TO our atten-
ton by her perfectly devoted care of little watt
who had an insane mother and broke down
under the double strain of wage-earning and
home troubles, Afterward Mrs. Cronk started into
business for herself and shs has proved that