The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1918-06-01

ed words in Miss F. C.'s letter, she
lacks experience and needs training.
1t will pay her to take a course IN the
best secretarial school within reach.
She should find out where the girls
from her own town who are holding
such positions secured their training.
No doubt, it was the success OF one
of those other girls who fired her
ambition. 1t is quite common to con-
fuse the desire to do a thing based
on its outward attractions with the
ability to do the work. However, II
| Miss F. C.'s desire for the post is keen
enough to keep her on the prior job
of training herself she has no reason
to be discouraged.
The state of mind counts for a
great deal as we are all beginning to
see. The only fatal attitude so far
as progress is concerned is to feel
and say to yourself, if not to others,
Il know just as much as she does.
I know all l need to know for that
Job" You must keep on learning and
growing if you want to go forward.
Perhaps Miss F. G. may find a sum
mer school which has a course in
~secretariaI training. That would help
some. Meanwhile, she can read a
few books along the line she sug-
gests. They will help to make clear
in her mind just what is required
To begin, she might look for "The
Ambitious Woman in Business" No
doubt, it is in the library nearest her,
Margaret c. ovens book, THE Sc
cret of Typewriting Speed" will very
likely give her some new ideas.
Presumably she does not need tc
be told that the first requirement Of
secretary is skill in stenography anC
typewriting. Modern Filing Sys
TENS and Cutting Stenographic Costs
are other technical works which viii
show her some of the things she needs
to know. Then there are others abou'
letter writing, and she should keel
something like Phyfe's 5000 Words
Sometimes Misspelled" at hand ant
read it over occasionally.
There is no better training in spell
ing and in acquiring a vocabulary
both of which are absolutely neces
sary to the successful secretary, thai
reading a page CT the dictionary ever!
day. Read it carefully. paying atten
ton to the definitions. Close you
book and write all the words you Cal
remember. Then compare the spell
ing and see if you recall the mean
ings. No doubt at first you will b,
a bit shocked at the small humble
you can remember, but keep at it reg
ularly several months and see Wha
happens. 1t sounds very simple, bu
if you keep it up it will give yol
valuable mental training in sewers
different ways.
A smal' book on business and socia
letters by J.. w. Colley, and "Lette
Writing" by Helen Cramp, are full
of suggestions and are sure to be il
the library. A little monthly peri
odical called Correct English" ma,
be found in the reading room. l
ought to be helpful.
Of course, all this sounds like
great deal of effort, but if you wan
to be a secretary you must do a lot o
preliminary work in training your
self, and training is what. f c. need
first before she even begins to Loo
for a place to file her application. A
she goes along making inquiries abou
places where courses Of training ma,
be had she will learn about method
of getting a position.
And even if she doesn't quite LAM
the one she wants, or if she finds sh
cannot manage a course at a goo,
school, the mental stimulus she viii
get by reading the dictionary and tn
books Aunt Bride has mentioned, a
well as the others they will lead he
to take up, will make her a more use
full and therefore happier woman.
Sacred Hear. r. DieU.
x j x