Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1907-01-02

Miss Brown, as we called her, is young
and resourceful. but skilled in any particu-
lar line of work, as her education has been
general She left her home a year ago
with exactly So in her pocket above the
assuming that even the poorest aspirant for
work starts upon her quest with that meagre
sum In reserve Upon reaching San Fran
cisco she Immediately inserted the follow
ing advertisement in the three leading news
papers: o,u r.....n uo,,.n not .tro,a !,
M mastrs H be
While waiting for replies Miss Brown en-
gagged lodgings at 81 per week IN one OF the
rooming houses with which na tn, the nv city
the amazingly familiar manners OF her
fellow -boarders put her on her guard against
too much friendliness II was "a way they
had out there" she was told when she
demonstrated with an extensively forward
young man.
Answers came promptly and in crafty
agreeable. Nine of the fourteen answers
offered sheltered pleasant" life in ex-
change for "companionship three young
and only one answer offered an honest. re-
spectacle occupation, which happened to be-
a manufacturing concern, where experience
was absolutely necessary. Miss Brown then
tried answering advertisements. with slight
iy better success Within the week she
obtained temporary employment IN fruit
n
deftness of touch that she soon acquired
The pay barely sufficient to cover her
current expenses. but she kept at the work
until she obtained slightly better paying
position In dental Office. All subsequent
advertisements produced more or less OBJ
jectionable answers. and many OF the wants
she answered were simply cleverly dis
guised personals" Still she kept right on
looking for work for the sake of the desired
experience. Next she obtained a position in
shoe store. where the male customers
t~.~ tn1f 49, x.,tSl Sax Ison <xxr
weeks later the opportunity came to I'LL
vacancy In telephone operating ONCE, but
Miss Brown soon discovered that the hello
girl I'm California expects no consideration
either from her employers or any Of the
men, that frequent the Offices. At the end
of three months after having tried every
form OF employment that the city afforded
except the professional branches, she left
for Chicago, with a. very unfayorable report
Of San Francisco as a field for working
women.
After Ave days hunt for profitable en-
ployment in Chicago Miss Brown obtained
a nominal position in big department
store, at a salary of SIS week. Her place
OF operation was in basement. among tin
ware. artifcially lighted and poorly venti-
lated In fact. the only means Of ventilation
consisted Of double stairway, which let
floor of the store. She left after four
weeks. and resumed her quest OF expert
ence.
For two weeks Miss Brown remained idle,
and meanwhile she lived very precariously
and walked many weary miles each day In
search OF employment. and was finally
oS asa . Seep men Pos sSar a.
During that month she spent every spare
hour in looking for other employment. and
finally secured an engagement at 2 food
demonstrating counter In department store.
Taking 1t all In all, the Chicago experience
was less unpleasant than that of San Fran
cisco. though neither was calculated to en-
courage the average working girh
The next seat of experiment was Pitts
burg, where Miss Brown had the good for
tune to obtain employment at once in
place was very unsanitary. and the locality
was literally choked with smoke from the
surrounding factories and docks. The field
did not look promising, for the only
munorative work In demand was shorthand,
which seemed to be in constant demand.
There was sprinkling of incidentals In
es. fowermakers. and Mattresses wanted here
and there about the city, but generally the
outlook was dull for the non-p professional
worker. Miss Brown tried five different oc-
equations during her stay, and managed,
by rigid economy, to pay her frugal ex-
penses and save up the So necessary for
her start in Atlanta. Her railway fare was
supplied by her father. who stood in readi-
ness to help her at pinch. of course, but
Miss brown made out somehow without re-
Atlanta offered stili fewer opportunities
than Pittsburg. and under vastly different
social circumstance The newspapers car
ried very few want advertisements, ana
character.
Finally. in despair Of obtaining other
employment, Miss Brown took a temporary
position In cotton factory. which tided
her over a hard week or two until she
found an opportunity to renew her original
quest, but she was unable to obtain any
thing better than humble sewing task
during the remainder OF her stay In the
city.
Toward the end OF May Miss Brown ar
rived in New York City q total stranger.
without references and with only So In her
pocket. She engaged a hall room in the
vicinity OF Irving Place for Sc. and I'm
mediately set about quest for employment
by answering advertisements, both In per-
SON and by letter. Many OF the adver-
tisers required previous experience in manu-
featuring lines. and others demanded refer
ences, but there were half dozen opportuni-