Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-12-02
TELLS GIRLS TO TAKE
TIME in PREPARATION
If They Want to Make Good
StGnOgfapherS.

Dear Niece Joan: OF course I'm
glad it's to be be stenography and
typewriting, both because | started
that way, and because l believe there
will always be a great call for first
class stenographers. What you say you
have heard about the field being crowd
ed is all very true. TIE field is
crowded-most fields are-aut rs
member this. niece, the hill lent. And
that's where | expect you to be.
] don't happen to be acquainted with
either of the two schools you speak of,
but when you say that one of them
offers to make you a good stenographe,
in three months, that settles it. /
don't want an introduction to tina
one.
Never lose sight, niece. of the fact
that you can't get something for moth
ing in this world, and you'll have an
axiom that will fit, in love, and bust
ness, and good many other relations
of life.
Your specific training is to be your
stock in trade, and if you pay little in
time and money for it, you must ex-
pect it to be inferior, just as a. shop
keepers would be if he didn't pay
standard prices
The most hindeFing haste you can
possibly make is in preparation for
work.
had stenographer once who came
from one of those schools and after a
few weeks, instead of dismisslng hor
on some pretext as her four previous
employers had, | told her the truth
and said that | would lend her a hum
dred dollars and give her a position
when she was ready for it, if she
would start in all over again and really
learn the business. She is one of nv
best stenographers today, but she
wasted year making haste too fasl.
OF course | know you are anxious 10
get to work and earn money, but it's
the race to the tortoise every tlme
when preparation is TIE rack track.
You think Pm lucky, niece, because
| make better money than most of the
men who started out when / did, but
if it doesn't sound too much like self
glor fication your aunt would like 10
tell you it wasn't all luck.
When | started in to be a stenog-
rapher | was in as tight a place finan-
cially as anyone could be and then A
bit tighter. l had to borrow the mon
ey to take the course, and / can tell
you it took deal of courage to Dor
row 500 and spend eight months,
when some schools were Offering tic
do it for $50 in three months.
One of my girl friends took the
shorter course and tried to persuade
me, and | don't think I'll ever forget
how felt when she began earning Ter
IS week while I was still paying ont
money
How i used to envy her the pretty
new clothes she kept buying. The
only new thing l had that winter was
five dollar coat, the buying of which
was such an event in my life that the
whole family went in to help me Sc
leet it.
can tell you her eight dollars a
week looked like a fortune to me
then.
But, somehow. the twelve dollars
she is earning today doesn't.
You see, niece, you are getting Just
what you asked for-my honest op.n-
ion
I wonder if YOU are like most people
who only ask your advice in the hope
that you will take the responsibility
off their shoulders by advising them
to do what they want, but know isn't
best
How about it
Your plain speaking but affectionate
Old Aunt. RUTH CAMERON.