The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1912-09-29
DOMESTIC ARCHITECTURE
OFFERS CHANCE TO WOMEN
The Demand for the Feminine Sex in This Work
Comes from Those Who Are Disguised With
Inconpeniences of Man-made Houses.

[ spirit in the project OF a trades school
for women, which is to be located at
Winfield. L !.
Men successful in this line Of work
| object to women In the field on the
ground OF their physical handicaps.
winch objection was recently answered
by successful woman architect in New
York, who remarked that she shouldn't
feel justified in doing or being anything
II she couldn't reach a point where she
could employ man to represent her in
|. any portion OF her work which she for
any reason, could not do herself.
There isn't a man in the world at the
head OF a big business who accom-
plishes every detail Of that business
himself He directs his establishment,
but he employs many other people to do
such portions Of the work connected
with his business as he either can't do
or don't want to do.
Thus far architectural establishments
have not encouraged woman to enter the
field. whether through prejudice or 9th
erwise II Is hard TO say, but the way IL
now open and woman IS so particu-
larly fitted to specialize in domestic
architecture that her success in this
field seems pretty well assured.
Must Have Ideas.
There are two qualifications essential
to her achievement OF a position worth
while in this vocation. The one is ideas
and good taste. The other is keen ex-
ecutive ability.
Every girl learns in early childhood
what constitutes comfort and beauty in
a home. She sees her mother arrange
the furniture. and as soon as she begins
to feel the first dawn OF womanhood she
begins experimenting in her own bed
room to obtain artistic effects and Sc
cure for herself greater comfort so that
she grows up with a practical knowl-
edge Of house arrangement which will
serve her well should she decide to take
up the designing and building OF domi-
Giles for other women as a life work.
Given taste and talent in the right d.
rection a woman has a bigger chance
in the field OF architecture than in al
most any other line of work of which l
know.
New York woman who is Office
manager for big firm Of architects in
Madison Square in talking OF architec-
ture for women told an interesting lit
tie story Of her own experience
She was stenographer for her present
firm, earning SIS per week, when one
day II suddenly dawned upon her that
the man who sat near her working on
plans received a salary Of $50. Then and
there she made up her mind that she
could do his work as easily as she
could do her own IL she learned how
She had a talk with her employer and
he gave her the chance with the result
that she crossed from stenographer
over TO plans and specifications, and
has climbed from that to the position
OF Office manager for the firm.
Retnrds Her own Progress
1t is only womans own attitude to-
ward her work and herself in that work
that retards her progress in the bust
ness world. She is too prone to accept
mans estimate of her ability to accom-
plish creative work and fears TO launch
out on the sea OF actual effort because
somebody tells her that a woman is not
fitted for this. that, or the other line
of work
Men architects say that because the
climbing OF a ladder makes the average
woman dizzy architecture is not a suit
able profession for women. Miss Ethel
NJ. Charles. \. K. l. B. A. a woman
architect well known in London. in
speaking before the British Association
Of Architects, answered the above OBJ
lection to woman in the work by citing
as an example Sir Christopher Wren.
who in his early career was drawn TO
the top OF the buildings he was con-
structing in a basket.
But l like the New York .woman's idea
better. for there is no real need of an
architect going in person to the top of
his building II he Tor she' has a capa-
BILE man in his service for this sort OF
work.
The point brought out by the president
Of the Master Builders Association of
New York in his advocacy of women
in the vocation of domestic architecture
Is her peculiar understanding of the
needs and desires of other women in
the matter of a home. which fact alone
gives her the advantage over a man in
residences