New-York tribune., 1909-04-18
TYpIST In LONDON
american Girl Finds Salary There
Too Small to LiUe On.

7, was nv creat-ereat-great- -grandmothers tduit'
The minute she stepped foot from that oVeIloaueu
Mayhower she began to plan trip 10 ciisi"'
and +I,,s one tsut in an otherwise noble character
descended TO the fifth and sixth gehelaliohs,
may not be polite to call a desire to go 70 Ehea--
a tant but you'd feel the same way II you hap
pened to be the sixth generation FoI Seai
t,o ,cbole wears in fact-I had saved and stlh'eu'
often denying myself The pleasure OF giving "
charity and sometimes going without an Ice
cream soda, before was aote 10 hdNe'
ousIy clothes and cdrfare
-rhar 7 said TO nv relatives: Il am going to Lon
don to take a position; London doesn't know Il
vet" Then my relatives said hurlpeF oL l'i,ie ~
n nle-mostly enlarged editions of that Ola aaaSe
about the quick separation OF d looA anu IL ~
saved cash. -,
I engaged passage the same steamer with
friends who accompanied me as far as Lohoon,
Go me uncomfortably settled In a place Where l
vas to be treated as one OF the fanny 'heI "oi11
on to tie Continent
7 presented my one business letter Of Introduction
to an Eugishmsn. VINO not only gave me some
beIntul advice. but introduced me to man
from Kalamazoo. I never saw the latter again SO
he will never know how tenderiy l felt toward
biyn-not because it was he. but because ne was an
American man and ] alone in London"
The next morning I early to read the
want ads" of "a daily paper. In London 1t Is
necessary TO arise early to do this. as all situa-
tious vacant" whether male or female are ar
ranged alphabetically, according to the hrst "ord
Of the advertisement, and it may be that a typlst
Is reoured." bright shorthand clerk is required
clothing company, well established requires
shorthand clerk" and so through twelve col
umns To young lady typst required Just as
one IS amused at the American man VINO aoFer-
tises for an expert stenographer at - week SO
one smiles at the list of accomplishments re
ouired" in a London so shilling a week typist; but
the smile comes of quickly as one notes that 80
shillings is the maximum salary offered
London street changes Its name every six
blocks and the numbering is as complicated as the
hut arpTT
cealing my Baedeker map and incidentally getting
a speakng acquaintance with half OF London
splendid police force. found the ONCE OF one OF
the larceet American typewriter companies.
The room was crowded with young girls. middle
aged girls. and TO my surprise. mddle-aged men,
when nv turn came I tried 20 speak in a SOFT
low tone. but the manager looked up quickly and
said From the States?' This was foio"ed o.
other questions. and he almost saspeo "heh l
stated the salary had lef, behind Viewed at this
a,.,anca - looked large 10 me. II never did before
HER FIRST POSITION
tn. manager said he would send to do some
,.r,rorar, work for California firm. so on the
first morning of the first day on which looked for
= rosirinn 1 had one-this in the face OF every one
having told that London was oVercro"oeu WIN
,os-orbars that the English would not employ
women and were prejudiced against Americans
All the way 20 that position composed l-'oiu-Sou-
so letters my relatives
Alas, When my employer pro tenn began dictat-
t,r knew hs had never seen Code country.
to vas Irish-ostentatiously 50. He dictated D.
oracl, 6rIv indorsed." l wrote "a check or June
= T,orsa,, " and when he said 'phoned MI Brown
interpreted It as found. At o cioSN ie' ''''
80 never to return. He did not ask me TO-
:, -e,,,,red considerable courage 20 report my
failure 70 the manager Of the typewriter company.
He looked grave. but offered 10 give me- aIo'.1 ,
. t-,,I adding: we Ike Americans. Then ana
80, 80. r,ds nm NV mind that my surplus wealth
,,,,,5 he vviIIed TO the employment department OF
that firm. I also realized that London haH pee"
reached the psychological honeh'' 'Ot - %
ranhers were away their vacations anu '"e ue
80 for experienced help exceeded the supply
- ,ha rext three months l substituted In dlheI-
at o17css In the first position / could not tnlhA
or leaving the work piled on the uesA anu So SIS
,,,etairs al 4 q clock for tea ana ofeau anu
!, the second position l drank the Tea "l.0"
man in livery brought, but scalded my '4iiuhc - g.
.efor, No, TO waste any time. After that ieI' III
dianant II an employer presumed 10 uio'a " -.
time In one Office whichever one OF Iie Iou' g., So
had the least to do made the tea ana d Ne" ~
mas obliged 10 learn that the senior member "a '
g., drank China tea with milk but no sugar '''o
iInior member drank India tea with sugar o1t - ~
milk and the chief clerk took cocoa WIN
milk and sugar. The chief clerk had suCh d me
-. nv,raesfon I had supposed II was some sau
romance Of his young life. until l sa" the 0oc'A
Then ! knew the worst. .. not
THO otIouette of tea drinking, however. was not
.ho ori, thing 10 be learned in an Ensllsh ONCE
II was Impressed upon me that nrh h'lsn' 'ose "
-, g q letter were addressed 20 MI. John
| smith. instead of John Smith Esq II was
unite thrilling to have corresponding a'qu"',, -
apca with titled people, though hard 10 "ilte
on, vour lordship's most Obedient servant -nol7
than once regretted having taken 'il ee
,,onths. evening course IL spelling ana the EheSi'
language as spoken in Great Britain LOT no" - d
ooT Igrorant foreigner to know that 'Maudeen
g sn.IIed Magdalen" and st Johh IS pro-
nounced "Sinjun ,,,o
In the mean time I had left that uhcoHlioi do'e
,lace where they treated as>one or the faiiiIE
a,d ENGAGED board in pension Tor women II
was delightfully."- cosmopolitan. There was an aus
traIan girl studying for the stage pretty i''ie
puesian Jewess learning the millinery uHue' d
German stenographer and a Norwegian girl, VINO
not only spoke the languages of four countries out
was ,yaII yersed in the art and literature OF tle
! same. and there was miniature painter VINO luI-
fued nv ideals of the English gentleWonah- II
J was nv desire TO cultivate a soft knSlish voice.
| but sat down next to a French girl Just over
| Or course I had TO speak louder to her'
We had debates which would have rivalled those
of a Scotch society What surprised me was the
feeling of bitterness between the Conformsts and
| ,ha Non-Con formists. 1 believe the only reason
they do not burn each other at the stake is that
Il would not be considered good form The Ensllsh
are such sticklers for good form.
For nv part became a sermon faster, accom-