New-York tribune., 1905-02-26
COLLEGE WOMEN IN BUSINESS.
Greater Freedom Than Teaching Affords
Possibilities for Service.

| college Women in the Business World" an
| article contributed by alumna to a current maga-
zine in one of the large colleges for women.
tains much sound sense For the college graduate
who does not want teach or do library work, or
| be missionary or even an author, for the grad
uate who has energy and enthusiasm. common sense
and ambition, there is chance w;h the people who
manufacture, and buy, and sell. But let her be
willing to live far from the land dreams. for here
she will have to face squarely solid unromantic
| facts of life" is the writer's preface.
In nearly every establishment there are places
| which filed more efficiently By women than by
men. comments this college graduJte of experience,
| because women in general are L.ss restless than
L en- more painstakng and accurate, willing to be
burdened with Details and more conscientious Col
lege training emphasizes these traits in a woman
and in addition, renders her capable and de-
pendabe than her unframed sister while her men
tai hexibility and willingness to assume RESPONSE
bility are particularly valuable 10 her employer
Business positions for women invariably mean
office work. In accepting such place. therefore II
is well to remember that the sphere of ones actv
ity is very definitely limited; the four walls
the same desk the same people around you day
after day; long hours. from $50 in the morning
TO or at night. perhaps no free Saturday after
moons. few holidays and short vacations. Afternoon
teas. receptions and daytime jollties are irpossi-
bic. Calls must be made In the evening or not at
all. Tramps Into the country left to the pre-
carious weather of a Sunday afternoon. Time is
marked out with stern defniteness.
But there IS compensation: this daytime
slavery means liberty at night. When you close
your desk at o'clock and hurry off to dinner.
business is behind you till the next morning. You
may I'LL your evenings with parties and theatres
with reading or studying, with Settlement clubs
mission schools. prayer meetings: but these are
elective and not required. A business position
with its freedom from night work, should enable
q woman to grow strong physically. More than
girl leaves college with little reserve strength
and many a serious breakdown might be avoided
II college graduates would choose work which could
be done In the daytime.
There is a great deal of clerical and routine
work connected with every situation but no am
bilious woman will be content to be mere ma
chine Originality commands good price in these
days. and were 81 not true that there is room for
development and expression Of personality in bust
ness, men and women with souls would better keep
out of II.
Business positions need Of energy. fore
sight and ability to grasp situation quickly and
respond wisely. Tact in meeting people is worth
q great deal; grace to live with people is just
essential. To work day after day with men
and women of training and tastes quite different
from your own, but natures just as human. and
to have the machinery running pleasantly
smoothly. requires than a superficial cour-
tesy; 1t requires fine fellow-feeing. a hearty
comradeship which forbds familiarity and yet
friends.
for bieinass % noejtioT ol pi M S
FOR the possibility of losing caste because you earn
your living behind brick walls, with Il gilded sign
over the door and pateglass windows on the street
floor? 1t is true that you pretty sure to find
few people vino have no use for you because you
a business woman. But depends on
the woman, not on her calling. whether or not she
finds place with the people really worth knowing.
The careless rating of superficial people small
consequence TO the woman who estimates life at its
real worth, and the few closed doors but shut one
out into finer, larger world.
There are thousands and thousands OF women
and girls who work in factories stores and offices
To be a working woman in something of the same
way, with hours approXimating theirs, to know
more intimately their difficulties and problems and
pleasures give influence with working
women which means large possibilities for service
When ones life Is brought close to other lives in
the bond or a common work or a mutual purpose il
may be true after all, that not far from the solid
unromantic facts of real life lies land of dreams
and Ideals - ~