The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-11-10

were learned by a little tour Of in
vestigauon prompted by the announce
ment that one OF Chicago's largest de-
partment stores has adopted a system
of censorship over its saleswomen.
She is an official woman censor,
whose duty is to pass among the wom-
en- employees in the emporium, sug-
gest notifications, and when neees-
sary to enforce them.
Beneath the more materially tact
full cognomen of ''matron," in the
New York department stores all the
functions OF the Chicago "Sensor" are
fulfilled. In practically every depart
ment store in New York there is
somewhere q kindly faced woman
whose duty it is to curb sartoricai
high spirits and antics.
In one of the city's largest stores
the dress Of $50 girls, ranging in age
from fifteen years indefinitely up
ward, Is supervised by a woman of
discrimination, who is trained nurse
| and student Of social problems. In a
white pique uniform and with gen.
eral air of "mothering," 1t was plain
that tact of this particular "Matron-
| Censor" invariably carried her se-
curely across the thin ice Of pride
which often surrounds girlish heart
With q little gesture of despair the
uniformed matron proclaimed her
chief difficulty in regulating the dress
of the girls in her charge.
"It Is their hair!" she sighed. TT
Is so hard to get woman to change
| the manner of dressing her hair, and
1t is so hard to make these girls un-
derstand that the hair Of business
woman should be neatly and plainly
arranged. In all else the girls are
easy to lead.
There are SO many different ways
of making a suggestion. There are
250 girls here, and l know every one
| of them personally. I like every one
of them, and one does not resent a
suggestion from a friend that Is OBJ
viously for ones own welfare.
"In this store we have three rules
that we enforce particularly. We will
not permit girl to chew gum. There
are signs In all the departments de-
voted to employees which read:
Employees who find 1t necessary
to chew gum during business hours
will kindly seek employment else
where
I'VE insist that the girls dress their
hair simply, and we will not tolerate
the use of cosmetics"
In another big department store, a
keen, quick business woman assists
the man in charge of the department
which employs the saleswomen.
"The moment l see girls natural
taste in dress can tell what sort Of a
business woman she is going to make" !"
this clothes censor affirmed. "Of
course, the girls sometimes make
minor mistakes after they get here
too much jewelry, or something OF
that kind but usually hint is sum
cient. l speak to them because I
think woman can broach such sub
ject more tactfully.
These absurdly tight dresses that
are now the fashion have given US
some trouble. We cannot have girls
behind the counters in costumes that
conspicuously and vulgarly display
the lines Of the figure. Most of the
girls, though, wear aprons, and these
do much to counteract the clinging
gowns"
Practically all the department
stores in this city allow the saleswom-
en- in their employ to purchase from
them with a discount varying from 8
to 10 per cent. Also many OF the
stores permit reasonable purchase
the amount to be subsequently taken
in small instalments from the sales.
woman's salary. Other stores have q
mutual loan association, where a girl
in need of dress or suit may borrow
the money to buy it without payment
of interest. Several of the higher
grade stores supply the saleswomen
in the garment departments with one
good black dress each year.
Few of the saleswomen are married
and the demand among the shops u
fnr tha woman who lives at homo.