Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-07-01
Betty's Twilight Chat.

l have been asked by young woman.
who begS me not so discourage her, how
women obtain employment on a news
paper and where they begin. Not know
ing whether she means the mechanical
or news department | shall not be likely
to answer satisfactorily | am going
to take it for granted that she means
the news department and give my own
experience as Il fair sample of the diff
t1cultY of getting placed.
with no experience, save that obtained
IN summer correspondence ut fashion,
able watering place, | went to a large
city i'll search of the position | had fat
tered myself into believing | could easily
find. | had one letter of introduction,
which | have since learned was as good
as dozen, since such letters amount to
nothing i'll practical way. The bearers
are regarded as infections incidental to
the business of running newspapers.
| aimed high and paid my first visit to
the largest journal. The editor took my
measure pretty accurately | fancy, and
gave me some excellent advice-and
nothing more. He said that | could
earn more money by being free lance
than by tying myself down to q salary
and agreed to buy anything in news
stories that would prove acceptable to
the paper, And | was a stranger in the
city and without the experience neces-
L
felt encouraged. | had the advantage of
a modest sum of money to pay expenses
while getting located. so | tried other
papers, dropping a notch in the scale ut
every effort. | met with universal cOur-
tesy, be it said and never once was ad-
vised to seek other fields of labor.
At last | drifted into an acquaintance
that gave me an opening. Under a femi-
nine editor | secured an opportunity to
contribute social items to weekly pub
LEGATION and sometimes earned as much
as three dollars week. paying out near
ly that amount in carfares to get them.
Chance led me to the office of a daily pa
per that had just passed into the hands
of a new owner, who began cutting down
expenses, and after giving me a trial,
which | stood fairly well. he installed
me on the regular staff at the handsome
salary of SO week-and worked me
nearly into my grave. because | had ex-
pressed wish to gain experience.
| got it. Nothing but sheer obstnacy
to succeed in thing | had undertaken
against heavy odds kept me at a task
that demanded more hours greater dis
appointments and sacrifices and smaller
compensation than most any other call
ing | could have chosen. Had | my life
to live over again would make no other
choice. for | enjoy the work, but | do
rot advise any girl to take it. because it
means thP loss or 50 many things women
enjoy. This is the age of specialists and
anybody with new idea or fresh man
ner Of diSbing up an old one is sure of
a welcome. Nobody is taken On faith.
however. and the general work must be
IS good as the sample to keep one in
favor. Writing is Ike any other work
reputation counts ia the scale of com
uersatiou. There are writer's who are
living on This alone as their present
work falls far below the standard Of
present day brain work. But they draw
fancy salaries where work less known,
but Of better quality, receives small re-
wards People with regulations have
another advantage-they are always in
demand. \ single success will bring a
flock If appeals to favor and be we'll
paid for il. But. oh. the weary road to
it. save for the few who achieve fame
at a single bound! All successful per
sons will tell you that hard work is the
only sesame to good fortune. but a few
seem 10 he born 10 luck But Of this
am Sure-nobody is ever really boost
ed into anything Of permanent value.
Individual effort is the key to the situa-
ton.