The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-03-16
TWICE A WEEK. 81 so A YEAR

! in the vain hope each time that the
change may be for the better.
Unrest Among Stenographers.
People outside of the city hear
about the constant demand for stem
ographers in New York; if they could
catch a glimpse Of the hundreds OF
unemployed women who throng the
office Of one typewriter company ev-
cry morning they might change their
minds about this. Perhaps one cause
Of the prevalent opinion that stenog-
raphers are very much in demand
here is the fact that there is constant
unrest in the stenographic world.
The workers are continually leav-
ing their places and seeking else
where, only to repeat the performance
when the new place has, in its turn,
become unbearable: 1t might be in
teresting to know why this is so.
A fact to be noted first Of all in re-
gard to this phenomenon is that it IS
not the careless, incompetent and un-
educated stenographers who are con-
tinually eddying about in this un-
settled way, but the superior class Of
workers, the educated, conscientious,
Intelligent, thoughtful women, who
make it a point to know their busi-
ness and are there to perform it. This
is the class Of women who do keep
their places.
This, too. is the class of women
who after a time become anxious to
get out Of stenography and the busi-
ness world altogether, and get into
some other line Of work that will take
/ them as far away from it as possible.
The main reasons for this are as fol-
lows.
Low Pay; Careless Employers.
First Of all, as have said, it is ex-
tremely difficult to get place that
pays any sort Of respectable salary.
The little eighteen-year-old New York
girl who lives with her parents finds
it about all she can do to dress and
buy lunches ana car fare, on. the
isalary- that is paid her. What then
is the girl to do who is entirety de-
pendent upon herself, and has to
paw for board and lodging at New
York rates?
The superior woman stenographer
hears that there is great call for
educated and conscientious workers
in New York and she hastens here
only to find that her class is entirely
swamped by the Overwhelming num-
bers of illiterate and often careless
and empty-headed young girls, most
of them having homes in the city, who
are clad to work for S6, 81 and SS a
week.
She finds, moreover, that the aver
aue New York business man IS not
penetrating enough to distinguish be-
tween her and the members OF this
Halter class; and that even IT he did
he would not be inclined to give her
any preference, as he himself is usual
ly most sadly lacking in education; !;
and since he does not know enough to
use good English himself, or write a
properly constructed letter, he can
scarcely be expected to know whether
his stenographer does so or not.
What. he requires is rapldlty, the
ability, in fact, to do two person $
work. and if the applicant is very
rapid, both in her stenography and
her typewriting, she may perhaps get
business position that is fairly re-
munerative. But unfortunately many
such business positions are accompa-
MED by grave disadvantages.
Lower Pay; Better Surroundings.
The office is probably noisy and
dirty and constantly invaded by men
who smoke vile tobacco, wear their
hats, trangress every rule Of grammar;
and plentifully sprinkle their conver-
sation with slang and profanity. II
they have occasion to address her they
do so in an offhand, impersonal way
as though she were a machine put
there for general use, or IN a person
al way that is infinitely more oftens-
i've.
On the other hand. if our stenog-
rapher finds that she cannot stand
this atmosphere, and takes place IN