The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-07-22
En- Chat
The Officious Official.
BY RUTH CAMERON.

"All public institutions, I here as
sert, should have as their employees
only people who are courteous, pleas
ant and kind. One of the greatest
hardships of poverty is to be obliged
to face the autocratic marrinets who
seem to guard the dOOrWayS of all such
organizations. There is something de-
teStable and offensive in The frozen,
impatient and often insulting manner
of the men and women who occupy
little positions of authority like these.
and before whom poor working girls,
and L suppose, men, must go
The above IS an extract from the
life story of a girl who left her home
with only ten dollars in her pocket and
with little education, and who, after
many ViciSSitudes, became successful
author.
In the course of her adventures she
went to Chicago without any knOwl-
edge of the city, and having been told
of one of the homes for girls. tried to
get a room there. She had money to
pay for it, but was at first refused,
because she had no written character
and knew no one in the city from
whom she could get one. Eventually
she was admitted, but only after an
unpleasant controversy with an official
such as she described. Afterwards
she saw other girls turned away for
lack of money or credentials.
The story is supposed to be perfect
ly true. *r 1-l va-',-
can well believe that her eXper-
fence with the disagreeable official is
solid autobiography. [ have long had
it in my mind to write something
along this line and have hesitated for
fear my own experience might be un-
usual and hence unfair to tell about.
But it is evident that others have had
similar experiences
remember woman i'll charge OF
an exchange where women's products
are sold. / went there one day to buy.
NV order was not large, but 1 meant
to go again if l were pleased. When
she heard my small order This woman
treated me so Slightingly, so impa-
tiently that 1 never cared to go again.
This is one of several experiences
I hope l am not actuated by 4
grudge. There is nothing, to' my mind,
smaller than tC let a sense of personal
injury prejudice one against worthy
cause and L do not mean to write in
that spirit.
But 1 do think the people who con-
duct such philanthropleS need warn
ing. Altogether too often the existence
of such positions is used as an OPP
portunity to find a comfortable berth
! for the protege of some wealthy pa
/ iron. These are often gentlewomen In
reduced circumstances who are not
! trained for any other occupation
! Oftentimes such women are hopelessly
| out of sympathy with the class they
| are supposed to- serve. They fee
themselves creatures of another world
and they patronize, irritate and an
tagonize those whom they are paid tc
/ help.
1t seems to me that people in sucf
positions should be carefully watched
and either taught sympathy and rea
helpfulness or asked to find employ
ment where they cannot do so mucf
harm. 1 believe some system shoul6
be followed like that whereby TIE
| telephone company makes sure of the
courtesy of its employees-that is b,
having an inspector put in calls anc
see if they are answered courteously
OF course 1 know that there art
many fine and helpful women in sucf
| positions and they are automatically
excepted from this condemnation.