Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-06-27

1 )
Department of Labor reveals the
highly significant fact that the ma
| jority of women who filled men 5
| jobs during the war will continue
| to hold them.
This is cause for rejoicing among
| women, all over the world. 1t
means financial independence, great
er opportunities-and political equal
ity. And with the latter great bless
! ing will come many needed reforms.
! The school teacher entrusted with
| the education and training of future
citizens may hope for salary equal
at least, to that of the elevator girl.
We may then hope to clean up
! the milk situation and thereby re-
! duce infant mortality, as the women
! political equality, and we may be
able to reduce the staggering il
literacy figures brought out by the
draft.
In the meantime, between eleven
and twelve million in the United
| States are holding down jobs, "
| gone on record as saying they
shall keep. Now, these women
would not be human If they did not
swagger just a bit over their pros
perity-it is so new, such an over
whelming bit of luck to so many of
them.
A year or two ago. many of these
, workers from more prosperous mid
die class homes deliberately dissi-
pated their energies in killing time.
They went in for aimless shopping
and purposeless calling because
they knew no better. But the war
reformed them, and showed them
the dignity and joy of labor.
Labor and Education
1t is impossible for a woman to
earn her living without getting at
the same time an education in eco
nomics. The word may sound for
bidding and uninteresting at first
but when she grasps that it has to
do with her pay envelope and the
number of hours she has to work
for it, she learns the meaning of
that word.
And she learns other things too,
namely, that the position of a
working woman without a vote is
very much like the plight of a
tailor without shears. She learns
this from working conditions about
her, and all of the dear old anti
suffrage dowagers cannot persuade
her to the contrary.
III THESE -dpluly HOQeTn
times when women, over night, shift
their occupation from stay-at-home
daughters to breadwinners, there are
one or two highly valuable tips" to
be remembered. One is, please try
to remain feminine during office
hours; and another is, please do not
be fearful, and another, don't over
emphasize your sex, and lastly,
tackle your office job as man
tackles his.
In regard to being feminine, please
do not imagine because that wonder
full pay envelope-with all it implies
is waiting for you that you shall
shove along faster to the goal of pro-
motion by assuming a masculine de-
meanor.
On the contrary, if you bang and
bounce, use Language" and dis
pose of yourself in a chair like a
contortionist, you will put every
man in the office on his guard
against you You will convey the
impression of poaching on mascu-
line preserves, and you will have to
be twice as clever and efficient as
if you remained where you belong,
on your own side of the fence.
The Girl-urchin with her slang and
her vehemence may be a novelty
for a while, but we weary of this
kind of innovation six days out of
seven, and long for something more
restful. Every man but the veriest
curmudgeon-is willing to give a
girl a chance, but he does not feel
under any special obligation in re-
gard to the office tomboy.
Almost as offensive as the office
tomboy is the girl who takes to
tears as a duck to water. No one
dares to make a Legitimate sugges-
tion in regard to office work or
discipline for fear that Miss Smith
will be unable to control her
riparian rights. Her tears have an
alarming way of dividing the office
into camps-those who make her
vets and draws fight it out, while
Miss Smith looks on. either dry
eyed or fearful. according to
taste" as the cookbook says.
Now the OfficeFreshet has got to
have talents way beyond the aver
age to hold her job. She is too sug-
gestive of shipwrecks. life-pre-
servers and other terrifying things
to be a success. She keeps lively for
d while, but she has way of disap-
pearing on the tidal wave of her own
tears.
No Sex in Work
The sensible girl who gets pro-
NOTED from one position to another
is she who realizes that there is no
sex in work. She tackles her job as
a man does his. and depends on good
work to get a raise in salary, and
eschews the flowery paths of ro-
nance. Making eyes instead of know
ing how to spell may help for a
while. but it does not help in the long
run.
Little Fluffy Ruffles with her wiles
and guile is an unmitigated nuisance
round an office where real work Is
done. 1t is like having INT about
unlabeled. No one really settles
down to work till the dangerous com
bustible is removed. And usually the
arst To assist in the renanual g. -