The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-07-09


in Paris and in London. I had a
musical education and life gave me
many opportunities to know good
music and brought me in touch with
men and women of the musical
world.
"Once in Paris on the fourth of July
some of the members of the Amer
can colony celebrate at the home of
a friend of mine, with whom was
spending the week end. | was then
working on the Figaro. We got up
an operetta, using familiar score,
and writing English words to the
music. directed it and it was a won
derful success, and then it seemed to
me that my big opportunity came to
me. One of the guests was a IA
nous musical manager and he offer
ed me good salary to travel with
his company and assist in staging
his operas. For a year / travelled
all over the world with this company.
Eventually I became their advance
and publicity agent. But the life was
too hard and broke down under the
strain.
''Then I became connected with
woman's magazine, as fashion ex-
| pert. My business was to know all
about clothes. After a while clothes,
too, became nightmare, and again
I went to a sanitarium.
i am at work again now, with
wide opportunity and a fairly good
salary, but the fight is fierce. The
competition is so great in the city,
the pace is so rapid, that it takes iron
nerves to endure the test.
II come to work at nine and work
often until two o'clock at night. /
am tired. My only desire is to get
away from the noise and hurry of the
city and rest and rest and rest"
/ That is the side of the picture pre-
sented by the woman who is physical
ly worn out and mentally discourag-
ed.
/ One Sunday afternoon I drove along
Sheridan road with two newspaper
women, one of whom was driving her
own car, paid for from her own bank
account, earned doing special fea-
ture work on the Chicago newspapers.
The other newspaper woman was the
editor of a department in the Chi
cago Herald, and also social secre-
tary of one of the big hotels of Chi
cago. With us was her husband, also
connected with a Chicago newspa-
per.
These women had an entirely diff
ferent story to tell. They declared
that the work was hard and mre-
hitting, as it is anywhere in the
world, if it brings success, but that
it has large compensations. One of
these women had earned more than
three hundred dollars that month,
with her salary and feature work.
They were brave and bright and hap
py. They declared that the big city
was the place to win success, and
that it had great opportunities for
those willing to work, and who had
something to give the world.
Neither of these women was en-
tirely dependent on her own efforts.
Both were happily married, but one
; felt, in talking to them of their work,
that they had not made good be-
cause of this, but because it was in
. them to make good. That no mat
ter where they might have been
placed, in the city, or the small town,
they would have commanded atten-
ton for the simple reason that they
were fitted to their work.
! Later these came to me an oppor-
tunity to meet number of other wo-
. men earning their living in various
=. ways. There were newspaper women
musicians, artists, lawyers, insurance
r women, architects, there were other
: women who didn't have. to work for a
/ living, but who were working day in
and :~day out in social service and
/ other avenues of philanthropy, anC
{ there were some women who were
nod doing work of any kind, women
' of great wealth, who liked to meet
( with these women who did things
t worth while, and who lent their influ-
f ence and their wealth to help raise
|. the standard Of living.
!. At the woman's club where / met
E these women, I found that the atmos,
Y phere was not so different from the
q woman's club in the small town. They
n were interested in much the sam,
e things suffrage or anti-suffrage, so
e cial betterment, music art, children
s home, clothes-even bridge.
o And the lesson seemed to &c
b from meeting many women and find
n ing out what life meant to then
5 was, that life is, in spite Of Youth
e doubt, vastly what we make it. Tha
/, we may find success and hoppines
t in the big city, if our lines have fal
v len there. And we may find failur
n there. That what looks like success
). som a+irons Il fai1TIra and What mo.