Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-01-21
College Women
In the Commercial World.

In the Commercial World.
1T is a theory of mine,'' said Florence
Kelley, secretary of the National Con-
sumers' league that the trained woman
would work revolution in business
methods for the benefit of the employe.
l am thinking especially of college wom-
en-, but not entirely. Any woman with
the brains to become the manager of "A
business, either her own or anybody
'elses, has an opportunity for benetiting
her own sex today not to be eCualled i'll
any other line of work.
Il am sorry to see two tendencies
among women today in regard to bust
ness. In the first place, every industrial
school, every mission school, every
church sewing class is training girls to
enter the needle trades-the most over
crowded, poorly paid and health destroy
ing of all trades-in which they all tread
upon each others heels, often with no
chance to earn a living wage.
NOn the other hand, great classes of
young women are being graduated from
college every year with the intention of
entering one or two lines of work, either
teaching or philanthropy. These are the
two ladylike, respectable things for col
lege women to do. Fortunately philan-
thropy has been added as Il profession for
college women in recent years, so that
they do not all now pour into the over
crowded profession OF teaching.
Now, | would not say one word
against the college woman in philan-
thropy. She is a blessing there. and
great good Is going to { me out of her
presence there. But | do say that any
college graduate having her living to
earn, and desiring also to do something
Tor social betterment, would become
thousand times more valuable to the
cause OF struggling, unframed woman
hood by going behind counter and
working her way to be head Of depart
ment than she would for instance, as
agent Of charity organization.
AS an example, / have IN mind Mrs.
Taylor, who has a large store for the
sale of the cheaper grades of goods III
Cleveland. When the Cleveland women
organized their consumers, league they
never thought of her. They examined
conditions in the fashionable stores,
where they were accustomed to do their
own shopping, and finally met to frame
their white list. Mrs. Taylor came into
the meeting, a stranger to all, and when
the question came up rose and said that
II there was TO be a white list in Cleye-
land she was the only person vino could
be on it, On investigation they found
this quite true. Her regulations with re-
gard to her help were far in advance to
the city, in respect to hours and con
venicnces. while the wages We're not be-
low She had put in chairs for her sales
women of her own motion long before
there was a law to that effect anywhere
IN the west. She had convenient lunch
con and rest rooms for the girls, anu
served a luncheon at noon for her en-
ploYes, where splendidly cooked food
could be had ut extra cost. She kept the
strictest oversight of the morals of the
girls in her employ.
Recently a side door into business has
in ba
Sition Of social secretary. The most
Iotabie success in this line, / think, IS
that of Miss Hirscnler, in a large Boston
store. When Miss Hirschler went in
she said she could DO nothing until she
learned the business of each department
She took the cloak department first, AMI
stayed with it until she learned just what
was necessary to sell cloak. She
learned the stock and the methods. Then
she took another department, and so went
through the store. At the end Of her APP
premiership, if 4 complaint was made
either by or against a woman OF girl IN
that store she knew the rights of both
sides. 1t has come to the point that no
woman or girl is either discharged or en-
ployed at that store without Miss Hirsch-
Ter having the last word. Her employers
have implicit confidence in her Judgment
and sense of justice, by reason of the add
ed smoothneSs of the running gear of The
of help employed has risen so high that
they do not take on any girl now who
has not finished the grades. | know two
gddy girls who went to night school all
one winter in order to finish the grades
and get taken on at this store.
Now this is a fine thing. but why
should the trained woman be confined to
this one position in stores! | want to see
women college graduates at the head of de-
partmepts in our great store. | think il
would work a revolution in methods. For
one thing, there is bitter complaint among
shop girls as to partiality and favOritisIn
on the part of male heads of departments.
That's a subject into which it is perhaps
not safe to probe too deeply; but it would
all he done away with under women
heads of departments. Any institution in
which, aS a rule, all the youngest and
most foolish employees are girls. and all
the responsible and well paid positions
are virtually closed to women, is sure to
develop low standard Of competence
and ambition on the 'iart of the women.
What incentire.iS mere for them 10 rise
That fay0rite axiom of business, there :
always room at the top is not true of
women in the commercial world. Bat 50
II vas when women went into the cduca-
tlonal world. No responsible or well paid
position was open to them. When women
of trained intelligence begin To make their
way into the commercial world, they Will
make their way to the top.
Now rs to the daughters of rich men
who here and there are devotiug them
selves to social betterment. or who
through a desire for independence ere GU
.ng into money earning careers. / think
'hey could find no better field for activity
than in the commercial world. One good
Hoorwalkcr or division superintendent
from that class eolld do more good than
any dozen ordinary phIlanthTUpic work
ers. They could DO good. because they
would take ideals with them and ideal,
can i've In the business world The sue.
cess Of many who have held them. prove,
that, moreover. such women. with Socia
and family hacking behind them could
publish abuses and demand reforms in q
way 10 ordinary working woman could