The National tribune., 1907-01-31
THE FAMILY.
ry sENoRA SARA.

sympathy in the world. At least that is
what 1 thought the other day when a
woman said she felt so sorry for Miss
Blank, who went to work at 7:30 every
morning, and never reached home be-
fore $50 p. m. Her sympathy was
enlisted merely because Miss Blank led
q busy life, not because the daily de-
mands upon her time were too great for
her strength, nor because the young lady
herself was displeased with her lot in
life because the one in question was
altogether unconscious of any good rea-
son why she should quarrel with fate.
This coincidence attitude assumed by
the indolent to the energetic aid in
dustrious is maudlin in the extreme.
One should thoroly love the girl who
works. This belief of mine is not The
result of sudden infatuation, but the
outgrowth of years of study of her char
acter under conditions when there WIS
no opportunity for special posing OF
counterfeiting qualities, which We're not
either cultivated or inherent.
This is an age when false impressions
are no longer accepted, because tfey
are handed down from past generations
with other heirlooms of more or less
doubtful value, but each particular set
of errors must be held up and publicly
denounced before there is universal
agreement that some special miSundcr-
standing is explained away. 1t chances
not infrequently that the novelist is to
blame for illusions that blind the sight
of usually farseeing people. Be that as
1t may, the working girl of the imag-
ination is wan, weary creature. who
drudges the day thru and then walks
feotsore into some poor part OF the
city, climbs three or four flights OF
rickety stairs rakeS out the embcrs of
41zO g
the mornings repast, and shivers desc
late thru the evening till sleep closes
her eyes and relieves her for time, at
least, from facing the dread realities of
existence.
This picture is as like the average
working girls experience as the middle
of a moonless December night is like
the brightness of a Midsummer noon,
and the two contrasts are not more
striking. The spirit of Independents
and the well spring of ambition, which
prompt her to go out into the world and
seek a vocation, are guarantees of her
ability TO surround herself with con-
genial circumstances. That girl seeks
clerking, typewriting, dressmaking,
school teaching or any of the other oc-
cupations now open to women does not
prove that poverty is the impelling mo-
tive. On the contrary, the most sIIc
cesSful workers come out of comfort
able homes. where the necessities and
many of the luxurieS are already pro-
yided. But girls of to-day are educated
In practical way. Problems in partial
payments and the quick accruing of in
terest on deferred notes appeal to them
directly if there is a mortgage on TIE
home, and to the others the ever-recur-
ring rent day once month is a plala
matter-of-fact domestic certainty that
takes somebody's earnings. And SO i'll
comes to pass that the discussion of
household expenditures brings about a !
train of thought which ends in q desire |
to be a moneymaker and enjoy sense
Of freedom in winning ones own way.
The girl with a good situation in the
commercial world is not creature tol
be pitied but admired and envied. She
Is CHEEKY and bright, and by contact
with humanity comes in time to de-
gree of self-possession that many a girl
has failed to find in young ladies' fiji
lshiEg school or in years of foreign
travel. She carries her head with a
graceful poise, and her easy walk is an
putgrowth of her honorable independ-
ence She works her way up in busi-
ness circles If she is the right girl in the
right place. Her affability, which may
have been assumed at first, as polite
measure, becomes in time her second
nature. Then trif1es cease to annoy her.
The professional shopper. who was at
hrst sharp thorn in her flesh. is now
no more than breath of air that
passes by unheeded-only the breeze
can't ask questions.
OF course, these things are only true
OF the girl who recognizes the impor-
tanGe and dignity of her position. The
Hippant one, who is always in search Of
"some easy place. is only a side issue
In the army of the employed. She drifts
about, drops out, and the world loses
sight Of her Meanwhile the Zealous
worker at the same counter reaches the
head of her department, or, at least, is
recognized in substantial way as d
valuable and weil-paid assistant
The ready wit and cultivated taste of
the working girl aid her in selecting
her apparel. She is in this year of the
century at her best in plain serge or
cloth taiIor-made suit with broad collar
and cuffs and demure sailor hat, n |
costume which is jaunty in spite of it
self. On the street she is quick to re-
sent real or fancied insult. She Is upl
in arms at a prolonged stare. Yet the |
man who has an eye for grace and
beauty should be excused for taking
note Of her, only let his protracted gaze
keep itself within the limits of respect
full admiration. She leaves her voca-
ton with her desk or counter, and en-
joys the full freedom of her release
is CHEEKY place. How could it be 9TH
erwise? Creature comforts abound be-
cause industry brings its own reward.
There are the latest magazines On the
table, the open piano in the parlor. the
stay-at-homes of the family tell the lit
tie happenings of the day. Congeniai
friends come in, or perhaps an evening
81 spent at the opera.
Tickets to the opera take money?
Yes. And who is better able to buy n
ticket or two tickets than the woman
who works? She does not care for
anything ordinary. The best or moth
ing is her motto. Her business life
makes her careful of outlay, and when
she spends a dollar she wants her
moneys Worth--a lesson that can be
learned of every business man the world
over. In the course of time she is able
to indulge herself in certain pieces of
furniture and bric-a-brac. and her home
takes on an added air of refinement
and comparative elegance. Meanwhile
her measure of success enlarges, and
continued effort finds her possessed of
a competency-that most enviable sit
uation which frees one from the dread
of poverty and yet does not incur the
worry and responsibility which comes
with riches.
Her social life has not been desert
without an occasional oasis, and she
may be pleased TO know that a certain
young man rs only awaiting a really
good and favorable opportunity to pro-
pose. She would rather he wouldn't