Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-03-09
Their Married Life
By MABEL HERBERT URNER


Helen was surprised to find how sim
liar they were. Apparently most of
them were modelled after some speci-
men letter of application, given in
the business schools.
And yet there were distinctive
characteristics about them all. The
stationery ranged from the cheap
oluish-white paper to frivolous note
paper, tinted, initiated or even mono
grained. Helen wondered why so
few had realized the value of a good
heavy quality of plain white sta
tionery
Dear. listen to this one. Doesn't
this sound rather good?
Il feel that I am particularly fit
ted for position in a lawyers office.
as my father was an attorney in Bal
timore, Md, and l was his stenog-
rapher for number of years. I have
just come to New York and am anx-
ious to secure position here"
Yes, that sounds all right. Let's
see 1t. Perfumed, eh?" with a disap-
proving sniff. Well, we don't want
her."
Walter r. Blake-why, that's a
MANI unused Helen, glancing at the
signature of another letter. He writes
well, too. Dear, would you want a
young man stenographer?"
'Nope!" with conviction.
WHY"
Don't tend to business. Not as de-
pendable as girl"
We'll, then" triumphantly. 'if
women are as good or better workers
than men, why are they paid so much
lesS?"
Because they'll work for less"
But at that moment Helen was too
with another letter to dwell
upon the unfairness of this.
The silence of the next half hour
was broken only by the sound of the
paper knife as it ripped open the en-
velopes. Now and then one went on
the chosen pile. but most of them
Helen passed over with sigh.
See here." Warren looked up from
his paper, cant you tell by the en-
Velopes? Just open the best looking
ones, or you'll never get through"
"Oh, no-no, we must read them all.
They at least deserve a hearing.
Dear, isn't this pathetic7 A girl out
in Jersey who's willing to work for
less than S12 until she can prove her
ability'-and she spells ability with
Business College"
That's the trouble" shrugged
Warren. "fhese business schools
grind them out by the thousand
They're spelling good cooks and
houseworkers. and making blamed
poor stenographers. How many an
swers did you get last Fall when you
put that ad in for a maid?"
"Only three"
Three, Ell? And for a stenographer
get about two hundred There's
your solution for your stenographer
on starvation wages. Let some of
these girls go to cooking schools,
take some special course-say pastry
cooking. How long do you think
they'd be without a job?'
Yes. l know, dear But I can
understandable the social difference.
In an office they think they'll have a
better chance Of marrying-and after
all that's what they're hoping for"
Huh, they read these newspaper
yarns of the millionaire broker mar
rying his stenographer. Well they
stand about as much chance of that
as a SNOWFALL in''-
"Oh, here's a wonderful one. Do
listen to this:
"I am an expert stenographer and
typist- Can operate any standard ma
chine at ninety words a minute. and
can take the most rapid dictation and
transcribe my notes with absolute ac-
curacy Can also take dictation in
both French and German, and have
studied law"
Pass that up, she knows too
blamed much for SIP a week."
But on the whole most of the let
ters were modest, earnest, straight
forward applications for work. And
in spite of Warren's cynical COM
ments, the average was very high.
There were at least seventy-five let
ters from experienced stenographers
any one of whom Helen felt would be
a capable and conscientious worker.
OF these seventy-five she had Sc
lected twenty which she now pushed
toward Warren.
Great Scott, I can't see all those.
Half a dozens enough"
The selection of these final six was
the hardest of all. One by one Helen
discarded the other fourteen with
the unpleasant feeling that somehow
she was responsible for these girls
not having a chance.
Warren glanced over the chosen
six, with brief:
"All right Want to write them
now and finish up the job? Tell them
to call day after tomorrow, Thurs
day, before twelve"
But, Warren, shouldn't the let
ters be In your handwriting
what difference does that make?
They'll be glad enough to come. Here.
this form win do" and on one of the
envelopes Warren scrawled:
please call Thursday between