Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-23
VOCATIONAL CONFERENCE
BB|NGs NOTED SPEAKERS
Opening OF Professions to Women
Is Discussed From Many
Angles.
IMPORTANCE or sALEsMANsIp
Speakers Dwell ON Need for Expert
Training, SO That Each Woman in
Business May BE Able to DO Some
Ono Thing Well.

.
has carried more Significance to women
O! the South has ever been held In
Richnond than that which IL now in
session IN tie auditorium OF the Jeffer-
son Hotel. where distinguished women
from all over the country have come
TO talk to the women of Richmond
and through them to the women OF the
whole South--of what women are
doing in various lines of work for
which they are peculiarly fitted.
That many OF the lines OF work have
heretofore been regarded as belonging
peculiarly to the male of the species
only goes TO prove the potential abil-
ity Of women 10 accomplish any task to
which they set themselves.
DIR. Orie Latham Hatcher. president
or the Virginia Bureau Of Vacations for
Women. presided at the opening sea
sion yesterday. Miss Hatcher spoke Of
the special Significance Of this profess
sional conference, which dinercntiates
1t from the usual educational and voca-
tional conferences in the South. She
said that while tho South was very
conservative. the traditions OF the past
were being gradually merged into the
new point OF view. and the conference
was designed to help toward the solu-
ton OF problems which. while not
created by the war. had been accen-
tuatcd by war conditions.
MISS WALLACE: TELLS
OF NEED FOR TRAINING
Miss Wallace said. in beginning her
talk. hat she was thrilled with the
idea OF being bacI. in the South. since
only once before had her exile been
broken
Business demands results first and
foremost" declared Miss Wallace, and
In the women no geek positions in the
business world business demands pre-
me cI,.l1t ,,ri
women in business with certain de-
gree of skcDticism.
The woman who can 10 any one
thing unusually we'll" said Miss wal
lace. usually finds that the road TO
success. for efficiency is nothing but
Courage and common sense"
The speaker discussed at length The
opportunitles offered In stcnography.
library work and filing for women. and
emphasized the need for perfect me-
chanical work. since while the mind
WAS chained to imperfect work. even
though an understudy 10 a master
mind. one could not hope for better
thinEr
The great thing for us TO rcmem-
her" went on MISS Wallace lis that
the barriers ARE coming down at last.
She said that one great trouble with
women In business Was that they could
not acquire, the big. inpcrsonal point
of view toward their work. The age
long tendency to serve size declared.
WAS carried too literally into the bust
ness relation. and she quoted the e%-
PRECISION OF womans attitude toward
her firm as often "a wolish wifehood."
1--WE women must think in terms of
to-day" said Miss Wallace. We must
catch the spirit or the times-gct in
step--sincc all human activities tend
toward self-dcv clopment.' Salaries and
long hours were also discussed, and
how poisc and control resulted from
the ability to keep ahead Of ones work.
Mr.. Thalhiuer or Thalhirer Bros
department store. made splendid talk
from the employers point OF view
relative 10 women seeking employ
mcnt In department stores, and Of the
growing demand for educated women
10 Till Responsible positions In stores as
buyers. heads OF departments, floor SUI
pcrintendonts Advertising and OF the
advantages Of such work
sALEsNtNsHIr EXrERTS
TELL. or THEIR WORK
Miss Helen Norton, who instructs
several classes IN salcSnanship in va :
rious department stores. and Is in
struc,or in salesrlanShip in John Mar
shall High School followed Mr.. Thai
hmcr in the explanation of salesman
ship as a vocation. and the wider vision
OF salesmanshiD as an ART which she
was trying 10 give many young people.
Miss Inc2 kjclstrom, educational Sec
rotary in Miller x Rhoads, gave an il
Illuminating talk Of the true inward
ness" OF the matter Of efficiency as
related to the sales force Of a depart
ment store. and OF the many problems
involved. She explained her work most
entertainments and showed how closely
it was correlated with every phase OF
activity in tho store.
Richmond features as yet no women
lawyers" but Richmond people who
heard Miss Helen Mccormick relate her
experience in advertising would gladly
adopt Miss Mccormick for the re-
maindcr of her natural life. Miss
Helen Mccormick is assisting prosecut-
4 ing attorney OF Brooklyn. She is also
State factory inspector of New York
State. In addition she is young and
attractive and possessed of the inde-
Enable quality which for lack OF a bet
ter term is called personal magnetism.
Her experience in carrying out q
unique scheme ITO put Ringhamton on
the map" in New York State was not
only instructive, but amusing and en-
pertaining as well. Her address closed
the morning program yesterday.
SWEET HRiAR COLLEGE
SENDS LARGE DELEGATION
Dr. Emilio w. McVca president of
Sweet Briar College, presided at the
afternoon session. Sweet I1rinr sent n
representative delegation to the con-
ference. Besides Miss McNca, there
were Miss II. +. Suierall, professor OF
psychology: Miss T.. l.. Smith. profess
sor OF economics and history; Miss Neal,
Miss Eleanor Smith Miss YivionDO
I Rarkelow, Miss G. Sewer, Miss l.. Case.
Miss c. Marshalsl. Miss u. Gilmore,
Miss ID. NJ Gilmore, Miss Nision. Miss
Solitt, Miss Helen Johnson. Miss Abra-
hams, Miss Wallave. Miss Lowman.
Miss q. Barrett and Miss Isabel Wood.
Noting that the second section OF
the afternoon program would hc de-
voted to art and music. Miss McVca
said that IL was q phase brought about
! by the war that all human activities
seemed bound together i'm Il reawalicn-
ing and rcvivication permeated hy n
i vast spiritual influence. This was cspe-
cially true of The Y. NJ. c. A. and the
hol