Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-08
WALL STREET GIRL WORKERS

Slowed away with some of Wall
streets large banking and brokerage
establishments are number of capable
young women engaged in an occupation
entirely new to women. We REFER 10
that position in which the librarian not
only stands ready to look up any in
formation she is asked for in the
weighty volumes of statistics, legal de-
cisions, financial and commercial re-
norris. but in which she acts as press
clipping bureau Of one, going over all
the daily papers, trade journals weekly
and monthly periodicals and chipping
items of value to the lbary. This work
requires not only an unusual degree OF
accuracy, but n memory trained to nun
dreds of details The position is very
we'll paid one, however and one that
brings a woman face to tace with the
commercial problems that are every
day making history
That such Undermining work in no way
detracts from the bank librarians s
womanliness-tha threadbare objection
to such radical departures for woman
is the firm opinion Of Miss Florence
spencer who judges from several years
of experience and observation.
IT picture such woman" she eX-
plains, "as simply radiating nervous
energy, severe in dress, doing away
with all the feminine fripperies that l
love, and meeting men in good fell
low kind of way instead of keeping
alive their admiration for the sex along
accepted lines.
"WeI, 1 have found that type Of
woman in Wall street. meet her
quite frequently; we lunch together; we
go uptown together; we have some out
side interests and many that are
bounded by the boundaries or the
street.
But on the other hand, have found
a type of woman whose work is even
more important and who is the absolute
opposite in every respect of the type l
mention. This second woman is small
and quiet, kind of mouselike in her
ways looking up in a sort of fright
ened, shy manner if anyone speaks TO
her suddenly, and scurrying away just
as fast as she can from observation.
Yet the woman I have in mind has for
fifteen years been in charge of the
statistical records of a very important
brokerage firm. She is recognized
authority and her services, according
TO the statement of one of the financial
magnates at its head, cannot be estl-
mated in dollars and cents.
"Women in other business parts OF
New York Are really just themselves,
and they are as varied in type as are
the women whose lives are bounded by
domestic rules or those who are COM
monty known as society women, anu
two extremes I have mentioned have
between them a whole lot of interest
Ing personalities. so different that to
saw that a woman looks like a bus1-
ness or a professional woman has no
more real definition to it than to say
that she looks a domestic or social
woman.
"The same advance along the right
lines is noticeable in the dress of the
wall street woman. 1t used to be that
a woman either went to the extreme or
wearing foolish utilities to business for
fear she would look the part or adopted
an aggressive masculine cut TO her
clothes for fear she wouldn't.
"She loves femininities Of costume
too we'll to deprive herself of them
when she can we'll afford to wear the
best of the kind.
IT am also much impressed by her
conversational reserve-I don't mean in
protecting the interests of the house
with which she is connected by refusing
to chatter of it's doings-but in more
general sense. The business woman of
New York always seems to be on her
Guard, even When she is with her best
friend. But this quality, If a masculine
one. is far from being a deplorable one y