The Washington herald., 1918-04-01
md Ves OF Interest the Women Readers of The Herald
WOMEN'S WORK
BY DOROTHY DIX,


And command this view Of the
subject to women who, when the war
Is over. will have 10 choose between
doing mans work and women's work.
The crying need OF the day is wom-
ems work well done. and when 1t is
well done II commands exorbitant
prices.
You doubt that? Let lis begin with
the most elementary Of all feminine
occupations and consider cookery.
Women's don't like 10 cook. Most
Of them don't know how to cook. II
you advertise for q stenogTapher. a
saleswoman, and a cook, you will get
100 applications for positions before
your typewriter. or behind your coun-
ter, where you will get one applica-
ton for the position beside your kitch-
en- range.
Yet what are the relative oportunitics
for making money? The inexperi-
enced cook. the inexperienced steno-
grapher and saleswoman start out at
the same salary. but II the cook put
as much intelligent study and work
into learning her occupation as the
saleswOman does into hers before she
gets to be forewoman In a department,
or the stenographer does In hers be-
fore she gets TO the place where she
Is q private secretary, she would be
naming her own price as chef to a
millionaire.
The same thing may be said of dress
making and millinery, two other oc-
equations scorned Of the feminine sex,
yet what mans work is half so well
paid as that of the milliner and dress
maker who bring skill and brains to
their work!
Look In any fashionable shop win
dow and you can see hats marked $50,
SO and 500. the raw materials Of
which do not cost 500. but they were
put together by a woman who knew
her business, and other women were
willing-nay. glad to pay these prices
Tor good workmanship.
AS for dressmakers. any woman who
can put a gown together so Il will
pass muster In a crowd can get all
the work she can do. If she can
construct a dress that will not hike
up in the back and down in the front.
or isn't too short or too long in the
sleeves. and that doesn't have to GO
back three times for alterations before
IL 10 wear dblt at all, Sne Will De over
run with customers.
Any dressmaker who will study her
business as q profession as she would
study law or medicine and will put
into her work craftsma nship, subtlety
and thought, may be as extortionate
as she pleases. and women will cheer
fully lay down their pocket books be-
fore her and let her take what she
will
Another hagrant instance Of women's
neglected golden opportunities is to be
found in boarding houses Most wom-
en- who try keeping boarders come to
bankruptcy. This is because they do
not study it as a profession. They
practice it as sideIine, while they
lie on sofas, read novels or play
bridge.
The world is fun OF hungry, home
less, tired people, who are looking
for something good TO eat, a clean
room. and a substitute for a hearth
OF their own. and any woman who
| can supply these can coin money.
II Is a shame to women that hotal
keeping. which is just home making
on a big scale, should not be exC'u-
sively In the hands of women. and IL
VIII be when women wake W to the
TACT that their greatest advancement
| and their greatest profits are to he
found in doing women's work.
therefore, the slogan for women IT.
er the war is: Back to your own lob.
and leave mems work to men.
Copyright 1878. by the Wheeler Syndicate. Incl