The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-18

A very pitiful case has been record
ed recently in the New York papers
ofoa chorus girl who had to pawn her
automobile to live. How it does wiring
the heart to think of a young woman
other standing in society getting along
absolutely without an automobile
which had been given her by an ad-
mirer who doubtless realized she
should not be without one for mo-
ment.
1t is told of her that when she went
into the shop, having just stepped out
of her machine which stood painting
at the door in charge of a chauffeur,
her hands were covered with rings, her
furS and other garments were rich, but
she evidently saw the teeth Of the grim
wolf not far away and decided to part
even with a necessity to obtain bread.
The accommodating gentleman in
charge of the shop, gave a haSty look
at the auto and then handed out $500
to the poor but proud young woman
This sum, she averred, would enable
her to live until she went out with
some company soon to start, for she
was to receive $25 a week and it would
take her but short time to save out
of that the hundreds loaned her by the
kindly pawn gentleman.
AS an example of real thrift this
cannot go unnoted. I believe she also
took care of her mother out of the same
amount. 1t is easy to see what Won
derful young woman she is. Talk about
business; can any man show a record
like that?
But the original proposition is still
to be faced. A chorus lady without an
automobile on cold day in cold
world. in cold room and mayhap
cold bird for supper.
Apropos perhaps, of this, is the fol-
lowing letter which reached the depart
ment just as I happened to come across
the remarkable story of the chorus
lady:
Dear Marie: Why not talk a little on
the subject of labor and wages? There
are many people who are expert in their
work, and yet they receive a mere pit
tance as compensation. One can always
hear that good work is ever in demand"
and yet / have in mind one instance of a
young lady Stenographer, who is Wen ed
ucated. neat, accurate and quick about
her work and yet she is still grinding
away at the same salary with which she
started. She has tried to get other po-
sitions paying more money, but has been
unsuccessful. Surely in her four years of
service she had become more valuable to
her employer than she could have been in
the beginning Why, then is she not paid
in proportion to her usefulness? Can you
solve this problem? L cannot. Sincerely,
Neither can 1. If / could / should
probably not be here, but be president
of something. The only thing l can
think of is that there seems to be a
prejudice against stenographers who
can spell, judging by the letters some of
them send out. If some bright man or
woman could invent a typewriter which
spelled correctly and automatically, the
thing would be done. But you will no
tice that typewriters are SO Influenced
by the persons who use them they re-
fleet accurately their minds. Now the
young woman who wrote the above let
ter not only spells we'll, but writes a
charming hand and uses note paper
which has delicious scent The only
thing / can do is to call her attention
to the ups and downs of life as reported
in the newspapers. Mrs. Chadwick will
stand for the ups, and the lady who
was so straitened as to be obliged to
pawn her auto represents the downs.
Real merit and good spelling go beg
ging, while a sort of get-there quality
seems to be the only thing necessary
for success. Hard working women the
country over have been somewhat dis
couraged since the successful career of
Sister Chadwick has been published
and it is said that some gentlemen who
have been temporarily retired to Still
water tainted when they heard of it.
The guileless sisters who work for so
much per week sighed when they read
of the magnificence of Mrs. G. and of
her jewels, horses and automobiles.
Which latter reminds me of that poor
chorus girl; let us hope that six hun
dred gave her a good dinner and a
ring