Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-08
3 ERocKs AND ERlLLs FOR The BUSINESS WOMAN
Consideration Of
Capital, Indicating Correctness and Prosperity
Frorh New York ever ling

start private practice, specializing in
nervous ailments,
at was great fun in Vienna" she
went on, warming TO her subject,
where I was the only woman student
In the class, to watch the European at
titude toward me. took good care to
look as well as I could, even In the
dissectlng room, and gave much
thought to becoming frocks for gala
occasions. At fret the men were un-
friendly, but In the end had their
respect and liking. You know, to my
mind, II is a distinct duty 10 show the
world that rye not grown into an
oddly, and consequently rather over.
do than underdo the frivolous"
That she is not the exception can be
corroborated by any one who knows
the younger generation Of women ply
sicians. One New York doctor, with.
large and steadily growing practice,
makes special study of artistic dress
ing, and II Is n delight to the eye, as
we'll as healing to the body, to see
her enter sick-room. Not strictly
beautiful, she Is so gentle OF manner,
so soft of speech, and so becomingly
gowned that her very presence Is q
tonic.
"I wonder II she knows that brown ir
her color?" asked the brother of one
of her patients. as she left the apart
ment in brown broadcoth and seal
skin. Undoubtedly she did, and just
as undoubtedly she guessed that the
gown had something to do with her
being summoned to attend that same
brother, by his own special request,
some weeks later.
The truth of the matter is that the
eternal feminine" persists, despite new
departures and changed conditions.
And the eternal feminine" runs to
pretty frocks. and becoming hats, and
takes keen interest in fashion, plates,
no matter what the occupation of the
wearer When the doctor or lawyer,
teacher or business woman, fails to love
pretty things, and scorns frills and
furbelows, then, and not until then,
will pessimists need to worry about the
disappearance of the "womanly
woman"
Even those who affect the tailor
made. do not despise cut and fit. If
the critical observer who watched the
young lawyer at the club luncheon had
| commented upon the costume in detail,
she would have admitted that the black
serge was built on correct lines, and
was not ready made, and that the hat
and shoes were of the best. Indeed,
the women who dress in this extreme
fashion, in Difference to what they con-
are often as truly illustrative of the
eternal feminine" as their critics.
They put time and thought into the
purchase of their severe garments;
they demand quality and precision of
fit and make up in neatness what they
may lack in grace. The writer has in
mind two charming women of the
passing generation, who, until falling
health forced them to retire, conducted
a successful private school, and were
power in their own community. Their
inclination. religious training and pro-
fession, all led them to choose plain
clothes, and yet, unostentatiously
dressed as they were, the purchase of
those same clothes entailed more anx-
ious moments than the most empty
headed dame of their acquaintance
spent upon a whole seasons outfit
Should their winter suits be dark blue
or black. of broadcloth or serge. was a
matter of prolonged discussion, and one
faculty meeting resolved itself into a
committee of ways and means to de-
termine, through the greater expert
ence of the younger teacher whether
| their new furS ought to be Persian
lamb or black lynx. 1t was a rare de-
| light to watch the elder of the two
| gravely revolve before you to ask your
opinion of her newest gown, which, to
all intents, might, have been a replica
| of its predecessor.
The business woman of today knows
| the value of clothes as an asset in her
occupation. 1t is nonsense to suppose
that a man regards the woman in busi-
ness as he would her masculine coun-
| terpart. Refinement of manner, dig
nity and grace of bearing, becoming
| and appropriate clothes, are distinct
| factors in conducting business transac-
| tions. Other women, as well. are in
fiuenced by them; they indicate pros
perity and tip the scales in favor of the
women who possess them. 1t has
taken the professional and business
women many years to discover what the
actress knew instinctively but now
| that she has walked up, she is not doing
| things by halves.
1t was extremely enlightening to hear
| two teachers planning to open a pri-
vate school, sinking their little capital
in a do die" attempt to make it a
success financially. There was COM
| paratively little said of educational