Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-07
LITTLE TALKS BY
BEATRICE FAIRFAX

| NiiliSoSI anu Tie
hats of her nieces, her heart and her
spirit would undoubtedly perish.
Entitled to Rights
For every human being is entitled
10 a lew constitutional rights. And
work. and the fruits thereof, are
among them. But why should a
woman who has been trained in a
difficult and honorable profession
cast aside the results of years of
study and experience, and do instead
work that is distinctly inferior and
for which neither thanks nor money
! is given?
| And the common sense answer is,
| there is no reason at all. If there
were children, and the mothers
presence were required in the home.
that would be a different matter. And
if the husband were i'll, and it be-
came necessary for her to nurse him,
that too, would be something else.
But that a trained woman, capable
of earning an excellent salary, should
| hide her talents in a dish cloth and
devote her gifts to a surly partner
who was not even thankful for hay-
I ing his chops broiled by a cook cap
able of earning $125 a month, is very
poor economy, to say the least.
The present arrangement is that
the colored elevator girl, in her
hours of ease, broils the chops for
both husband and wife. She also
does what sweeping and busting the
nat requires, and the stenographer-
wife pays her by the hours. And the
gentleman pays the butcher and calls
on high Heaven to regard his plight,
and the mad Bolshevism of his wife,
and the topsy-turvy condition of the
world. generally speaking!
Yet he was never happy when his
WIFE broiled his chops, and he sell
dom spoke to her, even to say Good
morning And he never offered to
replace these mocking f1owered hats
of the debutante nieces by anything
suitable for woman of forty.
No, he took 1t all as a matter of
course. but now that these condi-
tions have passed, he groans and
sighs and talks about the Good old
DAYS"
In the meantime, the woman who
describes herself as dead for fifteen
years." is very pleasantly conscious
of having had a resurrection. The
Deople with whom she works-old
business associates, some of them
are very agreeable and good humor-
ed. and she enjoys Immensely the
I''loiIlSbl''t W l1P ONCE. Ine nfTn
| is we'll thought of and prosperous.
and very square with its emnloves
! The office is "fairlv alive with the
| tingle of success. and vet the people
orc all pleasant and courteous, and
7 love nv work"
We hope this lady. having found
her niche in life after much bind
and fruitless cropping, will cling to
1t as a limpet to a rock. 1t is ever
| agreeable for an outsider to dwell
on all the rejuvenating little enter
prises that open to her-the ticket
for the concert or theater, the new
book. and a self-respecting hat, ut
terly unlike the beflowered cart
wheels of the young nieces.
However, I should not be surprised
If she tried on one of those hats now,
to find they were not at all incon-
gruous. Congenial work and self
respect have doubtless worked their
customary miracle in her prematur-
lily old face. Besides it's feeling YOU
have to wear someone's discarded
hat. years too young for you, that
makes the tragic misfit so apparent
If you have the wherewithal to buy
suitable hat, doubtless the insult
able one will prove becoming-and
that's just hoy contrary women are
For any woman to imagine that it
is up to her" to resign her job, now
that the war is over-because she is
not a mans pure Quixoticism. AS
human being she is entitled to her
place In the sun, the same as a man
is entitled to his. And nothing could
be a more mistaken policy than for
woman to go about her work. with
the deprecatins air of an interloper.
She is entitled to work. and draw
ADEQUATE wages for her services.
whether she happens to be married
or single.
The question is. not whether a
stenographer. bookkeeper, typist or
street car conductor is = man or
woman, married or single, but how
capable and efficient an employee?
And if the women who entered in
dustry, as n war measure, are inclin-
ed to feel they are unwelcome guests
at the party-here are a few consol-
ing things for them to remember.
Next year, 12,500,00O women will
cast their vote for President-and
their choice is more than likely to
land their candidate in the White
House.
The power of women in the 1920
Presidential election will be more
than twice as great as 1t was in the
election of 1916-since which time
eleven States have extended Presi-
Dental suffrage to women-includ-
ing New York.
So really. aside from a desire to
personally abase one self, there is
no reason at all whv women should
not hold on to their Jobs, nd feel
quite comfortably entitled to them,
thank YOU