The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-02-08
BUSINESS BREVITY.

Restriction Of Conversation 10 Mat
ter I'm Hand Not Pleasant, but
From the Sew YORK E7culug sun.
II is most difficult 20 accustom oneself
to business brevity. There is something
so meager. almost poverty-sticken. about
restricting the conversation TO the bust
ness in hand. II does not seem cordial
And then TO stop just as you have begun
20 Ike your business associate-no, no.
never can one cease 20 feel that there is
something very unsatisfactory about bust
ness methods. The man may be a busy
magnate. but that is no reason why one
should be curt with him. He is probably
a father as well. and perhaps lover OF
dogs. At any rate, make an effort 10
End out. When the six minutes have
passed which IL took % settle the matter
you called to see him about, ask how
his children are. and II he thinks there
viii be any skating this winter There
is no need OF being sUrly Just because
business has been touched upon. One
can always say. How is your wife's
cold?" or THE price Of meat is going
up. isn't it?"-sOmething folksy and nice.
Even men IN swivel chairs must have
"a human side and although one scowls
and banks while business is under dis
cussion. It being we'll understood that
this IS the way to give the Impressions
that one is cleaT-headed hurried. and
keen. when business has been pushed
aside it is so against all a woman's in
stincts to leave abruptly One wants 10
settle back and murmur, What an aw-
full tie you're wearing" or Don't you
think French opera Is being overdone?"
When you call a Dusy woman up on the
telephone to ask for an appointment at
10 o'clock, and she says and you say
very well. and she rings off, you feel so
peculiarly dashed. Sort Of cut of in your
prime. The appointment was the only
thing you had to ask her about. but how
could she be sure Of that This ringing
off suddenly leaves so little margin for
the unexpected. Who can tell If she had
waited you might have thought Of some
thing else 10 say? And then you feel
perfectly friendly toward the person, and
though you have not seen her vet. you
rather like her voice II may be that
she likes yours, II would do no harm to
ask her, but pleasant amenities are out
Of the question with every one ringing
off in this Choleric manner
Try as she will to accustom herself 10
the ways OF the business world, a women
continues to feel distressinEly abbrevi-
ated, eiiminative. condensed. expurgated.
II one is naturally a six-volume novel. K
Is no light matter to act like footnote.
And very often one can think Of much
nicer things 10 talk about than the mat
ter in hand. 1t has brought you together.
That is enough. Why bother with Il
further? While you were in the outer
office you evolved a convuising theory on
travel. Why not discuss that? Why this
passion for relevancy? II hampers one,
It ties one down, and all the time there
IS the disagTeeable sensation OF being
pushed from behind 1t IS not at all
soothing. This thinking quickly, speaking
quickly, acting quickly and always to
the point, It will just end in the business
women stopping one day. turning flercely
about. and addressing the air behind
them with, Jaw. stop yer pushin'; there
isn't any real hurry As for us, we have
got to be irrelevant or bust"