The sun., 1909-05-02
A SOCIAL HELPER IN SUMMER
WORK THAT ENABLES ONE
GIRL TO STUDY IN WINTER.


body to Keep Track OF Their Engage
ments-Tact and Good Sense I'm.
portant Requirements for the Work.
my earnings amounted to 500 month
last summer, with all expenses paid
declared young woman who is paying
her way through a special course Of study
in New York. Il acted as social secretary
to several women who did lot Of enter
tanning at q summer resort.
There are women who entertain only
during the summer. During the winter
they live in hotels in the large Northern
cities or fit here and there among the
winter resorts. They accept invitations
which in the summer In their own homes
they pay back in various ways.
"Those are the women who have need
Of a social secretary to help them keep
things moving at their summer homes.
Several of them have told me that they
know their need and when they can get
the right woman they are willing to pay
her well for her service
when I began in the business, which
was three summers ago, ] had only one
client. She paid my expenses in board
ing house at a convenient walking dis
tance from her cottage, and went to her
every morning. directed, sometimes
wrote. her invitations and stamped and
mailed them with my own hands. She
was most particular on that point
Her engagement book had to be gone
over every morning and a card giving
her Engagements for each hour turned
over to her maid, whose business it was
to see that the proper costumes were
ready and that she left the house at the
right time. Besides this, there were
multitude OF little things that L had to
see to, such as examining her bills and
mailing checks, writing letters to her
relatives and personal friends. and send
| ing daily telegram to her husband, who
was abroad the larger part OF that
summer.
Toward the beginning OF my second
month a neighbor Of my first client
engaged my services for the after
moons. This more than doubled my
salary. Though I had expected this
to take up all my time and keep me very
busy indeed. before the end Of the season
| had systemstized my work to such
an extent that was sure could take the
work Of third hostess and still have time
| to get the benefits Of the resort
Il spoke Of the matter to both my cli-
ents and proposed that another season
they should share my time and expense
with some one Of their friends. each to
pay third Of my board and a third OF my
salary. which I put at 500 month. My
reason for doing this rather than securing
a third employer myself was that ] was
sure unles they were consulted they would
feel injured. perhaps think that ! was
| taking some of the time that belonged to
them. and would make it difficult for me TO
keep my hours with the third woman.
mo. was not compelled to work eve
nings under this srran cement any oftener
than ! had the first year You zee one Of
the advantages OF having three friends as
my patrons was that they never gave en-
tertainments on the same day, When
ever ] had to stay little longer at one
house getting ont invitations l was quite
sure that there would be nothing OF the
sort at either Of the other houses:
Another advantage was that they were
nearly always invited TO the same places.
which made it much easier to write ou t
their engagement cards. ! think very
often the three cards Mi ight have read ex-
actly alike had ii not been that one woman |
none The woman with the children often !
had additional engagements at entertain |
ments which were given especially for the !
AT the house where the children were
there was no housekeeper, and on that
account my duties included snperintend-
ing the preparations for entertainments.
In doing this was kept evenings some
times as late as O'Clock.
Another occasion that sometimes kept
me after my regular work hours was the
failure Of r. dinner guest at the last mo-
ment to put in an appearance. l was
occasion that had to fill an empty dinner
chair had no suitable dinner gown. My
client hostess very promptly presented ,
me with a gown that she bad never worn
and had her maid alter It to fit me.
THAT Was the first dinner dress I had
ever had in my life and am sure few girls
with a dozen for each season get more
from the entire number than
/ derived from that one. As know how
to sew pretty we'll it was easy for me to
alter the waist each time in such manner
as to make a casual observer fancy had
a different gown. On one occasion even
the woman who gave 1t to me did not
recognize it.
This cleverness with my needle did not
prove exclusively a blessing as in one
household it added to my. duties to the
extent Of consulting with the French
maid on her mistresss costume. This
TnlRnt eaSlly UdNt lSu ~ ptiuk
on to assist the maid in making alterations
at times when there seemed less impor-
tant things to do. 1t took all my tact to
steer clear of this rock.
Il have been asked by other girls work
ing their way through college how I
managed to master all the little ins and
outs Of social etiquette when l had come
direct to New York from village in the
South Though had never t-'u to
formal dinner in my life had been taught
TO conduct myself properly at table.
That knowledge, together with listening
to the conversation Of the man who had
taken me in until l discovered subject
about which / could talk that would
interest him was all that | found neces-
sary. As to the knowledge necessary
to perform the duties Of secretary didn't
find 1t very difficult to acquire.
.For the first month devoted myself
exclusively to my work. following direc-
tions to the letter except on one or two
occasions when my own common sense
told me there had been some misappre-
hension. In these few instances there
was nothing to do but 60 for further
instructions, explaining the situation
TO my employer 1t seems to me that
a woman OF refinement and sufficient edu-
cation to enter a college can, by using the
same amount of brains that she devotee
TO her books, undertake the duties of