The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-11

~ nOftunities-BOw Pay ana HaTu Work
WI 4iH R~uIe-Causes Of Unrest Among
cra9eenOSFaphers-Are women Beginning
4 10 KeEret Their Plunge Into Business?
WRITTEN BY N OF THEM.
From seven until nine In the morning you
say sse them, In the streets, on the surface
cara, the elevated, the subway, everywhere
Ia, fact, these photographers Of New York.
Thsy crowd out OF the down town elevated
and subway stations in great throngs,
md, Fastening feverishly along through
the narrow, crowded streets, are finally
Npeke1 in by the yawning doors OF the
enormous buildings that lower at each
other across the dirt and tumult OF the
street.
From five to seven at night they are again
nsen, pouring out Of the great doors,
0Rowding into the stations, hanging to straps
IN the trains and cars; until at last the bust
moss traffic subsidies and they disappear,
enfy to turn up again on the following
morning at the accustomed place and
oifne, They are OF all types and nationalities,
young and old, pretty and plain, stylish
md shabby. gay and sombre. There is
Che tall. stvlishly dressed, attractive girl,
and again the wary. faded middle aged
< woman VINO mas lOSV ipl youVh /"
6srvice.
.MANY WOMEN ATTRACTED TO NEW
Rceat number Of these women are, OF
tourss, native New Workers; but there is a
large and constantly growing percentage OF
women from the West and the South, most
Of. them photographers, who leave their
hQsnes. 10 they have any, and come here TO
Nav York, attracted by the rlmors OF big
salaries and great opportunities that are
totbe found here. Are there such, wonder,
and IL sa. how are they obtained?
"A girl comes hare, say from one OF the
Western towns. to look for work as stenog-
rRpher. First of all she has to get a room
andaFrangs for board.
asShs discovers that the very lowest rate
Tor which shs can get board and room is
81 a week, and il she takes a room without
board it will cost her not less thar 81 a
week, IL it i fit to live in. Perhaps II her
reserve stock of money is very small she
decides that she cannot pay So, and instead
takes a room Of the size Of a large packing
case opening on an airshaft, or lighted
only by a stv!ight. There will not be room
In this box for anything more than a couch
bed, n dresser and her trunk, and they are
q tight At,
This nav and uneHDected environment
so-hewhot depresses her at first, but she
fesls quits cert lin that it will be only TEN
porlry. Htving unDlcSed her trunk and
disoos,i OF h,r belongings as well as pos
sible in this limited solce, shs starts out
to look for some of the great oppportu-
mites
TRICKS OF AGENCIES.
On rs1dinZ over thu Advertising columns
Of tn, papsrs sh3 fin IL thers ara whole
columns of "stenographers wanted" and
also VIII Die columns of stenographers who
want work. She thinks this rather strange,
but does not allow her mind to dwell too
much on the stenographers who want work
and turns her whole attention to the people
who want stenographers.
Most of these advertisers require an
answer by letter. She writes a carefully
penned and worded reply to a promising
advertisement that reads sonewhat like
this: splendid position for educated, re-
fined young woman stenographer-liberal
salary to right person
In reply shs receives a postal card asking
her to call at So and Sos agency, whittier
ehe at once betakes herself, hoping that
this may prove to be something good.
Arrived thsre she finds that tbs agent has
only a So place Vacant, but is expecting a
splendid opening TO occur shortly with a
well known firm.
II she will pay 81 as a registration fee the
agent will consider himself under a per-
sonaI oblig ition to find her just such a place
as sho desires, and shs must come in again
tomorrow sure. When she has gone the
agent sste to work to concoct another ad-
vertisenent, this time intended for the
sSituations Wanted" columns. This new
advertisement will read somewhat after
this fashion:
refined. educated and thoroughly experienced
eexpeHSe%ees, wants p%osito" With hrst class ir'i.
Node nate salary TO start ! .
THE LUCK.
This probably catches the eye Of somebody
IN search Of a e~tenographer; then the agent
tries to bring the two together. II he sue
oeeds In getting them to come to an agree
rasnt the result Is that the girl takes a place
Ii a much smaller salary than she had
been willing to work for, and has to pay
the proceeds Of her first weeks work to the
agent who has been OF such service to her.
Hhe does not succeed, the girl gets no work
aad tries again, probably paying 81 TO an
other agent or to several other agents.
Occasionally. Of course, a girl who comes
q stranger to the city is lucky enough to
drop into a well paying place, but such
miccess is rare. The usual experience Is
one Of long hunting, answering advertise
nents and calling on agencies; working
Cd crowded, noisy Offices for SO or 81 a
week. not being able to get something
better, and either staying on there and
degenerating into a mere typewriting
drudge, or constantly changing about in
the vain hope each time that the change
may be for the better.
UNREST AMONG sTENooRAPHERs.
People outside Of the city hear about
the constant demand for stenographers
In New York; II they could catch a glimpse
Of the hundreds Of unemployed women
xho throng the Office Of one typewriter
company every morning they might change
heir minds about this Perhaps one cause
Of the prevalent opinion that stenographers
are very much in demand here is the fact
hat there is constant unrest In the steno-
0ranhic world.