The Washington herald., 1907-09-26
FROM WOMAN'S
POINT OF VIEW

POINT OF VIEW
A man who had dispensed with the
services Of his stenographer applied for
an injunction TO keep her lips sealed. to
prevent her from betraying secrets Of
his Office 20 his business rivals. As
might be expected he failed for there
seems to be no law that can close a
wCman's mouth under such circumstan-
ces. The man must pay the penalty Of
his stupidity.
4 stenOErapher must. Of necessity. ac-
quire intimate knowledge Of her en-
ployer's business affairs. tIf she is cap
able and discreet she becomes q valuable
factor IN the business. and is worth a
handsome salary. To allow such a wo-
man TO go over 10 a competitor Is 50
uuWise that no far-sighted business man
ever permits II. The question Of salary
and privileges never bothers because
capable women are rarely exhorbitant
and their worth is easily apparent The
other kind OF worker should never be al
lowed TO secure "a footing and accumu-
late information that might prove dam
aging in unscrupulous hands
Women. as a rule. are pretty loyal to
those who pay for their services. An
occasional woman turns out 20 be dis
honest and tricky. but they only serve
TO emphasize the good points Of the
others. ! know OF a few cases where
punishment for such offenses has been
prompt and lasting. I know Of a young
girl who began in a small position at
the Office Of q struggling business man
and shared his successes AZ every step
His methods We're unique and his com
petitors tried hard 10 discover them
He found after awhile that they had
/ learned enough % block every move he
made. but DE never suspected the girl
whose salary had kept pace with his
business growth.
One day he found a positive proof OF
her dishonesty in paper she had pre-
pared and carolessly left behind In
vesJigGtiOn brought out the fact that
she was receiving a double salary Of
good proportions. and discovery put an
end 10 both, because dismissal from the
first place rendered her useless for the
purposes Of those who secreteIy bought
her services. Probably they did not trust
her sufficiently 70 hire her openly. The
girl threw away her good luck and op-
portunity turned its back upon her She
is earning a modest living and nothing
more. and she passed through some un-
"a q l4fa
cured any kind Of work. She should
/ have learned a lesson from them.
The feminine tendency 70 talk is a mat
ter of public knowledge, and It reacts
upon the sex in the way Of our financial
advancement. That and an inclination
to make sex a pretext for avoiding disa-
greeable tasks are responsible for such
remarks as the one I once heard in a
newspaper Office. An irrItated editor de-
clared that if he owned paper he would
not have a woman on the staff. and he
was reduced 10 that frame of mind by
ten feminine members of his working
force who shirked frightfully, simply be-
cause they were women.
know that his accusation is sufficient
ly sweeping as to be unjust, but you must
admit his provocati0n, and ne so far for
got his prejudice as to compliment the
executive ability of a woman who man
ages a summer hotel where guests in
variably prol0ng their stay beyond speci-
fed limits That woman knows how to
control her tongue also, for many at
NJ haarT 10 fr,e
nation that would injUre her employers.
She has also received fiattering offers 10
desert them, and that she refused to do
also, Such women are of great value to
any business enterprise. and there might
be more Of them If we could learn the
trick of appearing 20 forget everything
that does not personally concern US.
One of the finest positions in a large
and wealthy city was deliberately thrown
away by a woman who had grown up to
It and filed it to the complete satisfac-
ton Of her employers till she assumed
arrogant airs and offended a patron who
was powerful enough TO demand her dis
charge. She sank into obscurity. An
other clever woman who made an enemy
Is holding her position despite his en-
deavors 20 dislodge her because she is
invaluable and refuses TO recognize an
enemy anywhere She knows the worth
Of silence, and that Is the pivot on which
feminine success works smoothly. But
there Is no law to keep us from talking.
If we choose-we may be indiscreet and
pay the penalty.
BETTY BRADEEN.