The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-14
OPPORTUNITIES Of
BUSINESS WOMAN
Can Command Success
Without Sacrificing Her
Genuine Charm
(By LUCILLE ERSKINE.l


So says Miss Myra 3. Martin, who
world Of business.
\ modern miracle is the woman OF
affairs. who from nine to four sits
absorbed at her desk. dressed in q
neat, easy-ftting skirt and shirt
waist, and then goes home-or what
Is still more weird to her club
spends two hours in. primping, II
emerges for dinner with hair mar
ceIled, earrings in her ears, rings on
her fingers, buckles on her shoes n
q rose at her waist. and "ossips right
I'D trough the last course.
such q woman exists in large num-
bers, in New York. I am not unique"
laughed Miss Myra 3. Martin. when
I expressed wonder at her dual per-
sonaiity, having seen her In her Of
fec in Wall street and then in her
studio-apartnent at the National Arts
Club, Granercy Park. Il have been
doins his for twenty years. What
made me so into business"
'Tirst of all, love Of Independence.
am q New Highlander, and you know
women have always been superTluouS
there. And | do want to digreSS 4
minute to say that the great problem
Of woman entering business and pro-
f~essionaI lite, about which 50 much
sentimental untruth is hurled against
them for deserving the hearth-stcno.
etc. in reality ~esoIves itself into this:
That there is at present a greater
superiority Of women on eartn than
ever before. Nature has ceased TO
balance G books as she ought, and
women must work Or starve. A girl
is left withou an inheritance and Is
never asked in marriage-there are
many such-how al she have left
the sweet, sweet hearth-StOne, when
she has to get out and hustle to buy
the kindling to build the fire. Sup
pose in addition she has a sQuint eye
and a hare-lip-stin she must live
and find happiness in work
"Bu this isn't your case-so we
will leave her and go back to YOU"
II began by teaching-that was the
only opening for a woman then. Al
ter several years, I came to New
York Us for a large school
supply firm, and from that went into
q corporation law office and then on.
i have been secretary and manager
and have worked a great deal IN
mines which I visited personally, IN
spected myself. employed experts to
supply information l did not possess
and found ore. SO I have not blown
s~capbuhhles or induced others to do
So"
"Wha do you think are the safest
Investments for women"
We'll, I am not going to say the
trite thing that is always told them
to put their money in savings bank
deposits paying three or FOUR per
cent, or to other securities sometimes
paving even less. The rCea Of q wo-
man venturing anything or owning
anything except q handbook or Gov
eminent bonds vas not to be enter
tanned. Her taxes are just as high
as those of a man. and II costs her
two or three times as much to clothe
herself, but she has not been allow
ed to indulge in an income anywhere
near approaching what he might Sc
cure for himself from the same
amount Of capital. If she thereby OBJ
tanned greater security and certainty
as to her ncome, il might be a COM
pensation: but it is not true that n
has won that additional security for
her Investments at a1l commensurate
with their diminished return. Saw
ings banks have failed as we'll as
other institutions The number Of
New York savings banks hat have
gone under during the last thirty
years bears almost as large a proper
ton to those that remained, as the
number Of business houses that failed
bear to those hat survived. Then,
too, there have been very great losses
Of principal by the depreciation of
bonds bought at high premiums"
Recently, there has been a movement
on foot for woman's emancipation in
the matter or investing nef money,
and among the rights which she is
PREPARED to assert for the first time
is the same right to invest her money
as proftably as a man, and with as
wide q choice.
Il deny that woman IS any less ca
pabale Of exercising a wise discItmi-
nation in the matter OF investing her
money than a man. Many a MAJ
would have gone on to prosperity and
success instead of down to ruin, II he
had followed his wife's advice. Many
a sister has lost her all by ~entrusting
1T to her brother for investment, n
many q woman has succeeded n
won q fortune. If not fame, where
man have failed.
"A woman's instinct is more relia-
BILE thar a Wall street tip. and the
daau-ooofaa nra;,dioo tAot q Woman