The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-10-26

But the average employer is not go
ing to pay more than $40 if he can
help 1t. He knows that his stenog-
rapher is worth $12 to SIS, but he
knows also that there are plenty of
good girls working for $40. Some of
them have people partially dependent
on their salaries. Most girls, | be-
lIeve, contribute to the family in
come. They are afraid to give up
their $40 position. Even il some one
offers them $12 they hesitate. Per-
haps they won't get on in the new
| place. You never can tell Perhaps
the change means learning an entire
| ly new business, new vocabulary,
new forms of letter writing, and a
| girl always breads that. So she stays
on and by accepting $40 lowers the
| standard"
is great deal required of high
ly-paid stenographer?"
Yes, indeed Very often she must
know at least one foreign language,
and she must always be thoroughly
trained business women as we'll as a
skilled stenographer. A man who
could do much for his employer as
$40 a week stenographer would
probably demand twice the money,
and get it. l know a young woman
| Wno Is secretary to a prominent men,
Der of the bar. She does everything
for that man aside from actually con-
Quoting his cases. Size even keeps
track of his social engagements, and
| tells him in the morning that he
mustn't forget that this is his opera
night, and he must remember that
| tomorrow night he makes an after
dinner speech. He never dictates a
letter to her. He merely reads his let
| tiers and indicates on the. margin
what the answers should be. She
writes perfect letter. She guards
him from intruders and chases away
bores. Once he was elected president
OF something. and the papers all sent
reporters to interview him. Ask
Miss White, he said, sweetly. She
knows more about me than / could
tell YOU He pays her $50 week.
She is easily worth $780,
stenographers would be driven out of
the field by the demand for such par
agons."
Unfortunately, many employers do
| not seem to perceive the. advantage of
having a paragon around. They are
bent on paying as little as pos
slble for passably good
woman The object of their
lives seems to be to get SIS woman
for So to $40. l know a law firm
which employs only beginners. at S.
and Sc week. They get the best
they can at the price, and waste no
end of time teaching them AS soon
as a girl begins to be really worth
while and demands a raise they dis
charge her. They call that economy"
The manager Of one of the largest
agencies supplying stenographers and
typewriters was inclined to agree
with the young woman in her conten-
ton that the profession was more or
less demoralized. THE supply is
much greater than the demand" he
said, but most of the superfiuous
| girls are sadly deficient in education.
The fact that there are so many in
competents works hardship on thous-
ands of intelligent girls VINO have the
mob to compete with for the first few
years. The incompetents lower
wages, of course. You have no idea
Of the depths of ignorance of the maj
GRITTY of girls turned out by the bust
| ness colleges and technical schools.
We have very simple examination
which each one of our applicants
must pass before she can register
with us. The examination consists
in taking three business letters and
tipping them. Hundreds, thousands
OF girls who have graduated from
business colleges fail to pass this ex-
animation. How did they graduate?
| give it up.
There is one side OF the matter
that should not be overlooked. There
is large class of employers who will
not pay over So week, and this class
keeps the demand for the cheap
StenOgrapher open. Have you noticed
the number of advertisements for
bright beginners?' These men are
always trying to get hold of an intel
ligent girl new in the business, who
will work cheap. AS soon as she de-
mands raise they discharge her.
This class of employers has done
more, in my opinion, to demoralize
the profession than any other agen-
cy."-New York Post.