New-York tribune., 1905-07-21
THE VISITING SECRETARY.
Good One Is Rare, Says an Authority
Right Qualifications.

A firm which secures all sorts OF places for
self-supporting women says that the most dffl-
cult sort OF employe to find Is a good visiting
secretary
There is an immense amount Of visiting Sec
retaTy work to be done in New-York at certain
times Of the year" said one of the firm "and 1t
is going steadily To increase as rich women
grasp the idea that there is no more reason why
they should write their own letters than sweep
their own floors. There is large number Of
women who do not wish to keep a secretary
permanently who want to come in at in
tervaIs. Some let their correspondence accumu-
late. and send for a secretary when the heap
gets too big. Others, who like to keep it done
up on time, have one drop in for hour every
morning, leaving the letters and notes Of the
mornings mail with a memorandum OF the reply.
Many women pay bills only once a month. The
bills lie unopened until the end of the month
Then the visiting secretary comes in. looks them
over LoI duplicates ano errors. asks the woman
II she bought the things. and makes out the
checks. very simple variety OF arithmetic is
required for this, but good many girls who
want 10 be visiting secretaries haven't got il
"One would think this simple work for
any ordinarily educated woman. but IL is difficult
10 get any one who can do II properly The girl
who has had some money and lost il thinks of
visiting secretary work the first form OF
money earning. She thinks because she has
Deen out herself answered invitations Of her
own and written her own letters that she IS
competent TO do IL for any else. But her
form and style Of letter writing are rarely good
enough for the really fashionable woman. They
aren't up to the mark Then, ordinarily she has
no accuracy; she forgets to date her letters and
worst Of all, she doesn't know how to COMPOSE
letter She cannot express her own ideas ad-
eqUately and clearly. Ny first test for an ap-
pllcant for visiting secretary work is to tell her
TO go home and write note telling me what
she wants, and IL is surprising how few can
write an application that sets forth their own
wishes In q way to command attention Even
such work this that seems unprofessionaL
needs professional training
Then there are occasionally business men who
want a visiting secretary sent to tn cir homes in
the evening, and that requires stiu more busi-
ness knowledge. Then during the social season
there is enormous mass OF directing of IN
vitations to be done. That IS Of course, more
mechanical yet ii is surprising how particular
some people are about il.
TT is a curious thing TO me that for all such
work women prefer young girls to older women.
II Is the general tendency in New York among
men and women employers alike. I can't under
stand It, for the Older people, other things being
equal have the more experience. and young
people do such dreadful things in getting their
experience. But II is a fact that a young woman
Is preferred to an older
1T is necessary that the visiting secretary
should be q lady as well a competent cor
| respondent In fact, all our emplOyes are either
field for the 'betwixt and between class
The visiting secretary is wanted only in the
social season, and that, in New York, is getting
/ shorter and shorter every year. People go to
Palm Beach almost before they come back 10
town. l think II viii be eventually in New
York as II is London. The people who form
society VIII 1--we In their country homes and
come to New-Yor only temporarily. The real
homes OF the families will cease to be in the
city. Even in the little time we have been in
the work. numbers Of people who used to have
New York houses open several months in the
! year have given that up entirely and go TO a
hotel when they come to town"