The Washington herald., 1915-10-13
WITHOUT REGARD TO SEX.

George, OF Philadelphia, takes up hel
work in this city as the first woman
secretary to Commissioner. She is
to be in the service of Commissioner
Oliver P. Newman, who, when asked
to comment on his selection of q
woman for such position, said that
the decision had been made without
regard to sex, (which should not be
a handicap to the appointment or ad-
vancement Of any woman"
Good for Commissioner Newman
There is nothing so satisfying to the
conscientious, sane-minded woman in
business as the conviction that she
is being treated and judged as hu-
man individual, regardless of sex.
1t is a curious fact that in certain
lines of work the disadvantage of be-
ing woman is made much more ap-
parent than in others. At a voca-
tional conference of college women
in business, held a few years ago,
this point was Interestingly shown,
through the observation and expert
ence of women employed in various
fields of work.
Among the vocations in which a
woman's work was judged to a large
extent on its own merits were vari-
Gus sorts of scientific research. Ap-
parently most of the women whose
work called for advanced laboratory
investigation knew nothing OF the
annoyance that comes from being
kept back simply because of sex. In
philanthropic and sociological work
the same thing held true and to a
growing extent in educational lines.
The field of work in which the dis
ability OF sex was most apparent was
in strictly business lines. In finan-
cial undertakings, in banks or bro
kerages, insurance Offices, or any of
the offices where large numbers of
young women were employed to, do
poorly paid routine work this dis
ability was not only apparent but
it was positively rubbed in In
many cases it had created feeling
of bitterness and resentment on the
part OF the women OF real ability and
ambition there employed.
The conclusion that was to be
drawn from these reports was this:
That though men are inclined to put
women in business at disadvantage
on account of their Sex through nat
ural prejudice, they are usually open
to gradual change OF opinion. The
professions where this adverse senti-
mcnt is strongest arc the professions
where cheap unskilled woman's labor
is employed, in distinction to we'll
paid trained mems labor. The results
show an enormous difference in
quality. and the analytical observer
naturally assumes that women are
inferior.
On the other hand, in the fields
" here no adverse sentiment exists,
Imcr hav" never had a chance to as
>ociatc poor work with woman's
W ork.
The moral is very obvious: Make
your work as good as the men you
work with and they will soon remove
the handicap OF scx.
What do YOU think ui the propo-
sition put to the New York public |
Libraries TO bar works of fiction from
their shelves? The idea is that the |
public funds should not be spent for |
but the educational, in |
structive sort OF book. There arc
two sides to the argument.
Ida V. Simonton, an African ex-
plorer recently returned to this coun-
Try, who is now engaged in suffrage
speech making. observes that even
in "Darkest Africa" the women vote,
going to the polls-or whatever the |
Jungle counterpart may be-with |
their babes on their shoulders.
"The idea being" sarcastically re
marks our anti-suffrage acquaintance
that we should go back to the un-
civilized manners of savages."
Really it is rather good argu-
nent for either side.