New-York tribune., 1910-07-24
BREAKING AWAY
Women Seek Waas of
Escape from Teaching.

Ihere seems TO De a great desire aunor,
college women TO break away from, ~.
profession of teaching The Barnard ur,d,,-
ates. under the direction OF Mrs. H.1-v
Wise Miller, are struggling with the n-oh
lem, and the Wellesley graduating c,,.,
this year appointed committee n t,o,,-.
irto the professional intentions OF the c,,..
and suggest occupations other than f.,c,.
ing TO those who did not feel dfvinely ca,rAs
to devote themselves TO the instruction a.
youth But the largest effort OF the kir6
is probably the one initiated about s,,
months ago by the Women's EducationaI
and Industrial Union Of Boston. Une.-
the auspices of this organization an ar
pointment bureau was organized under n.
direction of Miss Laura Drake Gill fo.
merly dean of Barnard College. its purpos.
being to steer college women VINO Do ~,
wish to teach into other professions. And
experience has shown that there is lars.
field for such work.
The first step OF this appointment b,1r.s,
was TO send out a circular letter to tsa
five women's colleges in New England. SET
ting forth the purpose of the bureau and
offering its services to any OF the prospec
tive graduates who might wish To avoid
the traditional rut Of the 80 who an
DEODOrTl0n
still wished to teach.
This calling seems TO them and that
families more sheltered nfe'' explains
Miss Gill, and the demand Is orsanfzcs
as unhappily IS very far from being the
case in other lines Of work Besides the
position of teacher is freely offered them.
while other positions open to them very re-
luctantly. For instance. have verv
good bank teller now on my books, but so
far have sought in vain for a house th,.
will give her chance"
To those girls who refuse TO abando,
teaching, Miss Gill suggests the fullest pos
siole equipment for the profession She
points out that course at Teachers Col
lege, at Chicago. Columbia or New YORK
University will make a difference OF $500
year in their salary from the very start
This advice, she says, has been in many
cases very gratefully accepted
During the last four months 100 college
girls have talked personally with Miss Gill.
either at her little office in BoyIston stree,
or at the colleges she visited early in the
spring. Most of these girls were still in
college, and others had been at home for
period and had just awakened to the
fact that they needed work to I'LL their
lives Still others had tried teaching and
had found il unsatisfactory This last class
Miss Gill found the most difficult to deal
with, but she tried to direct the attention
of those who consulted her to something
more satisfactory toward which they could
work while going on with the teaching
Fer instance. she said to a girl who had
been teaching English in high school but
who. from playing a little at the making
of arts and crafts jewelry had come to
feel that she wanted 10 teach that: NY
child, you don't know enough 10 teach arts
and crafts at a school: but I'll get YOU a
chance to teach your jewelry-nlak king at a
summer camp, and in the fall you can
organize some arts and crafts teaching on
saturday mornings in your own community
and from the extra money thus earned take
more lessons yourself in this work Mean
time, re-engage a teacher Of English in
that high school that wants you for an
other year,
That's one kind of transition Quite a
number of women are making the clerical
transition by the utilization of the long
summer recess for professional advance
ment- They will learn typewriting and
stenography this summer. take A minor
business place the next and finally learn
the methods OF teaching commercial sub
jects- At the end of that time they will
be worth 800 year more than they are
now. OF the undergraduates and graduates
who have not yet tried their wings 50 per
cent needed only a little advice They re-
quired to be told what the chances were
in their preferred lines and how 10 prepare
for the work Only about 10 per cent need
ed help in finding a place These were
helped on a business basis a certain per-
centage of their first years salary being
asked compensation
Some of the unusua; places that Miss
Gill has secured include those OF real
estate agent and an art cultivator" 70 50
between the art museum and the schools,
and by means of photographs and casts
inspire love of art in the souls Of the
school children.