The Washington herald., 1906-10-22
WANT HOMELY GIRLS
Demand for Them in En-
plOyment Agencies.
PRETTY ONES HAVE A SHOW
Neatness and Efficiency often Play a
Greater Part la Getting Positions
ferences of Opinion Among Men as
TO Beauty in stenOgrapher.

From the Chicago Chronicle
Several young men were sitting !n a
downtown restaurant the other day. They
were slipping their coffee and one Of them (
remarked upon the artistic surroundings. I
Yes" volunteered one of the men, this
is a pretty place. The decorations are IN
good taste. the menu is excellent. and the /
cooking IS all that can be desired but
look at the cashier
The only thing they need I'm this res
taurant." said another young fellow. az
ter he had taken a good, square look AZ
the cashier. is a gOOd-lOoking woman
there al the desk. II seems to me that
a pretty cashier IS indispensable"
And this brings up the question as 20
whether the pretty girls chances for get /
ting work are any better than those OF .
the plain or the homeIy one. Investiga-
ton among employers OF girls in several
Of the big concerns Of Chicago brings out
the fact that pretty girls are desired only
/ in certain lines of business. In others the
plain girl is on an equal footing with the
pretty girl. and il transpires that hOmely
girls are in demand in some quarters.
When it comes to the stage, one Of the
! first requirements is beauty. Prettiness
Of face and trimness of figure are prime
requisites. The young woman who has
I these TO recommend her has her path
streWn with roses. But the girl who goes
/ to the average employment agency and
attempts to get a position win ind that
/ personal pulchritude is not at all neces- I
sary II is quite necessary, however, that
she should be neat, bright, and alert.
Cashiers Sometimes HOmeIy.
/ It may be a surprise 10 some people. but
lit is fact nevertheless that some men
I put IN orders for homely girls This is
often the case with men who are looking
/ for cashiers or for stenographers. There
lare other men. however. who prefer pretty
girls, and they are not at all bashful about
saying 50.
/ A. B. Nyman. manager Of local mer-
/ camille agency says that he gets specific
orders for homely girls. 1T all depends
upon who is hiring. he says. some men
want pretty employees and some DO not
/ There are men who come 10 me for cash
| icrs and for stenOgrabheTs who insist that
they shall be pretty. but on the other
hand. I get specific orders for homely
girls.
As general thing. though ! don't be-
question. II a girl is neat and efficient
that is about all there is TO H. IT is the
same way with men. If they are neat
lquick. and have ability there is TO trouble
at all in placing them.
/ A good many people get the idea thai
IaIi a pretty girl has TO do is 10 apply for
a position and she gets il az once. But
there is something else BESIDES beauty in
the question In these days of hard com
mon sense and strict business principles
the only thing that counts is ability. Sen
timent cuts very little figure. People are
not looking for the artistic side; they
want utility.
1t viii be seen, then, that in the employ
ment Office very little attention is paid O.
mere beauty. II a girl is pretty and clever
well, that is another matter. II she only
has beauty TO recommend her. IL Is not
the best reference she can bring. No one
has been able TO give a satisfactory an
sWer TO the question as 10 Why some men
want homely girls. Different opinions
have been advanced and SEINE of them
may be correct ones.
Keeping Out of Temptation.
There is the Jealous wife 70 take into
consideration" said one man who was
discussing the situation. 1T is quite likely
that this is the reason why some men
insist upon having homely stenographers.
/ There have been many jokes about the
= after, but it is safe TO say that i'm real
life the matter is no joke There have
also been some spicy scandals aired in the
public press from time 10 time in which
pretty sten0graphers have figured and
tits is another reason why homely girls
are in demand. There are some men. Of
course, who when they pray. Lead US not
iaJo temptation, do their part and steer
clear OF temptation There are others who
pray the prayer and then plunge headlOng
irto danger
But. there are other men who have the
artistic temperament They want their Of
fee furniture 20 be handsome and they
wont handsome people about them. a
prettz. sten0grapher is as necessary as
pretty pictures on the walls or handsome
rugs on the floor, These men want every
thing IN keeping These are the men who,
when they send to an employment agency
specify that they must have pretty girls
al once. When il comes TO the matter Of
cashiers there are some employers who
think pTettiness means increased business
and so they are looking for pretty faces
and trim figures. There are others. on
the contrary. who think pretty girls are
Inclined to be frivolous and Eighty. They
fear the cashiers viii be flirting instead
of attending to business. They are of the
opinion that about as soon as the pretty
cashier becomes of any value to the firm
she has been snapped up by some likely
tuung man and is married. This is one of
the drawbacks to the pretty cashier.
Pretty Girls to Sell Cigars.
It is noticeable. however. that girls who
are employed at cigar counters are all
pretty In the hotels and little stands
where they preside may nearly always be
found g number Of young men who hang
around like bees about a flower Hotel
men know that a pretty face will attract
men That is why they select pretty girls
for such places The man who is staying
in the hotel sees a charming girl At the
cigar counter He thinks he must smoke
right away. When he buys his cigar il
gives him an opportunity to talk with
the girl
Perhaps there is a dice box there and
he takes q few chances i'm that matter as
it proiongs the interview And thus the
p1ftty girl draws custom. But there are
rot many such positions open and when
girl once gets in such a place she usual
~ remains Tor some time. Many girls are
DESTROYS of getting such places and they
throng the employment agencies for that
purpose. Some of them have ability, but