Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-06-14
WORK AND EQUALITY
By GRACE HOGE.

There goes Viola!" the little stem
ographer whispered excitedly to her
visitor, as she watched a girl hurry
Ing to the elevator. Every fond pa
rent with preconceived ideas as to the
way to bring up a family ought to
meet viola's father!
"Viola Is rather stylishly fixed up
for a business woman on Monday at
ternoon, isn't she? Well, she's got s
right to be, for she's her papa's secre-
tary, and she's going to be married
and is most sumptuously entertained
almost daily! Yes, Ill tell You about
her.
"You know Mr.. Gray. her father.
has been talking to me about his
daughter ever since I came to work
for this firm. He says ought to feel
proud OF my place-my work In the
worlu, and SO forth. Then he'd always
end up by declaring that Viola wasn't
to be a parasite and that she was q
child after his own heart. She be-
lieved in woman's work and equality,
and all that, and when she'd finished
college she was going to do something
worth while!
Finally Viola graduated. ! forget
how many years over and above the
first four it took her to get through,
but her father called them post-gradu-
ate years, and no one else cared.
when Viola failed to find q pub
- - - NUh
a year to write, and when she didn't
take to social settlement work or
woman's movements, papa got nerv-
GUS for her to get into something. but
none Of the ordinary pursuits, It
seemed, appealed to little Viola!
FINALLY told him that thought
she'd make good stenographer. I as.
sured him that it took brains and ed
ucation and capacity to compete with
most Of us, and it was such fruitful
feld--Ho few in It! Well, he took 1t
all in-never suspected for a moment
that there was sarcasm in my sugges-
ton. So Viola took the training!
!: mr.. Gray was in the clouds during
those months. He devoted four-fifths
Of his time to telling me what new IA
cilities for high-grade Office work Viola
was going to bring when she arrived
for he would have her for his pri-
vate secretary They planned things
at home, he said.
"Well, got alarmed and began real
" to work to earn my salary, for
didn't dare let Viola come into the Of
fee and prove more satisfactory than
u. a..
Before Viola arrived to go to work,
not only I, but the whole office force
knew Just how clever Viola was. Wed
all seen Viola when sheShad come to
call on papa, and Jimmy, the Office
boy, who hadn't realized who she was,
discovered that he resembled nothing
else so much as just plain atmos'
phere! She sailed past us all Into
his inner off1ce-and then little later
she sailed right out again without
glancing around.
$50 when Mr.. Gray came In late
one morning with Viola and intro
duced her to us all before usherine
her into his private Office we were
prepared for the chilly reception we
got from her. We lost none OF oul
curiosity to see what happened.
"She relieved me of all her fathers
work, and was rather glad. for he'd
been getting to be nuisance-keeptne
me there hours over one letter talking
about Viola.
"Well, one night Jimmy called me
over and let me see a letter he wal
sealing. It was sort Of kid finished
all over, from nearly every word hay
ing been erased. and it was rather
mussy affair for us to send out
but it had Viola's initials and her t.
TIERS signature at the foot.
"One morning Mr.. Gray came dowr
alone to the Office and he called me II
for dictation. He had pile of letters
a foot high, and we just were buried
in work. There were letters q weel
old--important ones. Then I could
see the connection between Mr.. Gray's
increasing crows feet and the ligh'
mails he had been getting out. Viols
wasn't up to the work.
| "Things got worse and worse. Mr.
Gray got to calling me in for dictatior
oftener, and finally he confided to me
that Viola hadn't found her vocation
yet. But she was engaged to nice
young man, and he thought marriage
would round her out and complete
her life.
"Then last week I found him al
bumped up at his desk when I an
swered his bell. /: I asked him what
was the matter. and he couldn't con
ceal it any more. TITS Viola he said
she says she loves her work and she
isn't going. to let marriage separate
her from 1t. She's made the young
man. promise that he'll let her stay
and help me. She knows what think
Of women's work in the world and she
refuses to disappoint me! All I car
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