The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-08-25
EQUIPMENT OF
BUSINESS GIRLS
A Fair Education. commen Sense
and Good Health Are Among
The Chief Essentials Fer Per.
nanenk Success.
~ KRIS do MT aowaday9 eft
. support them. IL families

Through school or college. she h'oks
about fog some work 30 occupy hss
! time and provide hes With an tuOms.
This is y good things foe II vita make
| her self reliant and self rcS,.stinc
Many If the tsagedes Of middle Efs
are the women suddenly threwu on
their own gesoNrcss and absolutely
helpless. Had they learned to take
! care Of themselves when younger they
might have been able 20 face the world
with q measure OF calmness. Middle
age is not the time to leaSn business
OF profession. and the fact that s1cep-
tionaf women have got on only means
that they have attained q measure OF
the success they might have bad with
an earlier start.
Even when girl has q good home
and there is no special need for hep to
be self supporting the training that she
will get In her business life will be
useful. Not all women have a taste
for housekeeping, and when they have
not 1t Is just as useless to insist on
their devoting themselves to 1t as to
piano playing. They should learn the
elements Of the art In order that they
may direct the affairs Of their own
households properly.
It would be a good thing II no girl
were permitted to enter the business
world before she Is eighteen. She is
not strong enough and her judgment
and character are not sufficiently form
ed for her to be thus thrown on her
own resources. Unfortunately many
girls are forced to 60 out and add to
the family income as soon as they are
through grammar school.
Poorly equipped. It is only the bright
er and more ambitious who can hope
to advance. and for them only the
cheaper grades Of work are open They
may enter factories or stores, and Of
these two the latter is the preferable
choice, not because there is more dig
but because fl girl has more opportuni
ties to rise as q saleswoman than as a
factory worker She may start as a
cashgirl or as wrapper, but she may
aspire to be foreign buyer Of big de-
partment If she has the right sort of
business ability. Some Of the best paid
department store buyers in the coun
try began in the humblest positions
and worked their way up. While
working their way. however. they did
not neglect to supplement their edu
cation with everything that would help
them in business. One bright woman
studied French because she wished
some day to be the stores Paris buyer.
and another took up designing and
dressmaking because she wished to be
head of the suit department.. where she
was then only saleswoman.
In every case the young girl who
goes into the business world will find
that knowledge is power If she ever
expects to have her measure of power
she must get knowledge. The woman
who whines about never having had a
chance" is invariably the one who
hasn't really tried.
Stenography is a useful opening for
young woman because 1t gives her a
chance to learn business under the tu-
telage Of experts and to know that
business in its ms and outs as no other
employee is able to know It, Women
who have branched out into business
for themselves have, as a rule, served
an apprenticeship of this sort. A ste
nographer should have good gen.
eral knowledge Of grammar and must |
understand spelling and punctuating
che m hnrn fn hn1
ton. The plums In the stenographic
world are few, but the girl who can !
take dictation In one or more foreign |
languages is valuable The stenogra-
pliers In the government employ and |
court reporters are well paid.
The college Girl. as a. rule. enters a
profession. She may be a lawyer. a
doctor, an artist. writer or go In for
work via the college set
Element. Unless she has been very
well educated it is not worth while
for any girl to expect to do well in a
profession, nor need she expect to earn
much at first.
The girl who wishes to establish a
business Of her own, whether 1t is the
opening OF shop or an Office, should
earn its principles by first working in
4 successful business of that kind car
lied on by some one else. A millinery
shop. fancy work store. a tea room
/ dressmaking establishment, notion
store, a fine laundry. delicatessen
shop and confectionery or bakery
ire all lines In which women are espe-
tally suited to succeed.
The craftswoman after attending
me of the schools which give training
long this line will know whether she
wishes to design gowns or wall paper.
whether she wishes to carve or paint
Above all, the girl who expects to
ook for work this fall should decide
q something that is congenial and
hen equip herself for it as well as she
an .-.@ y
One Of the best equipments Is good
ealth. No weaklings have much
nance In the business world. but no
Dung woman need be q weakling IL