Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-04-11
What 1t Means 10 Be Colored
In The Country's Capital

/ students lHG auLuOIlLlGo nave dSNAoCA
| to exclude them altogether.
| Some time ago young woman who
/ had already attracted some attention
/ in the literary world by her volume Of
short stories answered an advertise
ment which appeared in Washington
newspaper, which called for the serV-
ices of a skilled stenographer and ex-
pert typewriter. 1t 81 unnecessary 20
state the reasons why young woman
whose literary ability was so great as
that possessed by the one referred to
should decide to earn money in this
way. The applicants were requested
to send specimens of their work and
answer certain questions concerning
their experience and their speed before
they called in person. In reply to ner
application the young colored woman,
who, by the way, is very fair and at
tractive indeed, received a letter from
the firm stating that her references
and experience were the most salts
factory that had been sent and re-
questing her to call. When she pre-
scented herself there was some doubt
in the mind Of the man to whom She
was directed concerning her facial
pedigree, so he asked her point blank
whether she was cOlored or white
When she confessed the truth tie
merchant expressed great sorrow AID
deep regret that he could not avail
himself Of the services of so competent
a person, but frankly admitted that
employing a colored woman in his cs-
Enlistment in any except mental
position was simply out Of the ques
ton.
Another young friend had an eT-
perienCe which, for some reasons, was
still more disheartening and bitter
than the one just mentioned. In order
to secure lucrative employment she
left Washington and went to New
York There she worked her way up
in one Of the largest dry goods stores
till she was placed as saleswoman il
the cloak department. Tired of being
separated from her family she deciOe /
| to return to Washington, feeling sure
| that, with her experience and her fine
recommendation from the New York
| firm, she could easily secure employ
ment. Nor was she Oyerconhdent, for
! the proprietor Of one of the largest
! dry goods stores in her native city was
| glad to secure the services of a young
woman who brought such hearty ere
! dentials from New York She had not
| been in this store very long, however,
! before she called upon me one day
and asked me to intercede with the
/ proprietor in her behalf, saying that
she had been discharged that after
noon because it had been discovered
that she was cOIOred. When l called
upon my yOung friends employer he
made no effort to avoid the issue, as
| feared he would. He did not say he
had discharged the young saleSWOnian
because she had not given satisfaction,
as he might easily have done. On
| the contrary he admitted without the
slightest hesitation that the young
woman he had just discharged was one
Of the best clerks he had ever had.
In the cloak department. where she
had been assigned she had been a
| brilliant success, he said. But can
not keep Miss Smith in my employ"
| he concluded. Are you not master
Of your own stOre?" l yentured to en-
quire. The proprietor of this store
was Jew, and l felt that it was par
! tiSl11 10, ,1y yn1
| bloOded for the representative CT one
| oppressed and prosecuted race to zeal
so harshly and unjustly with a mem
! Der of another. | had intended 10
make this point when I decided to in
| terCede for my young friend, but
when / thought how a reference to the
| persecution of his own race would
wound his feelings, the words froze
on my lips. when I first heard you"
| friend was COlOred," he explained, Il
did not believe it and said so to the
clerks who made the statement Fin
ally the girls who had been most pro-
nOunCed in their opposition to work
ing in a store with a colored girl,
came to me in a body and threatened
to strike Strike away said I, your
places will be easily filed Then
| they started on another tack. Delega-
ton after delegation began to file down
to my office, some Of the women my
very best customers. to protest against
my employing a colOred girl. More
over, they threatened to boycott my
store if I did not discharge her 1T
once. Then it became a question Of
bread and butter and l yielded to the
| Observation-Disclosures all. Now" said he
concluding, if l lived in a great cos
mopolitan city like New York, I should
| do as pleased, and refuse to dis
charge a girl simply because she was
| cOlored." But I thought of a similar
incident that happened in New York.
remembered that a colored woman.
as fair as lily and as beautiful as a
Madonna, who was the head sales
woman in a large department store in
| New York. had been discharged after
she had held this position for years.
| when the proprietor accidentally dis
covered that a fatal drop Of African
blood was percolating somewhere
| through her veins.
Not only can colored women secure
no employment in the Washington