The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-23

IL was just eight years ago tnat
Ethel Green started out in the bust
ness world. She was a pretty young
girl OF sixteen, just finishing her third
year in high school when her father
became i'll and she had TO leave school
to go to work. 1t was a disappoint-
ment to both her mother and father
for they had intended to send her
through school and in their words 'to
make something of her" She was
disappointed too, but she would not
admit it. She decided that she would
enter some business just as she would
enter a. school and that she would try
to learn all about it, beginning at the
bottom.
The question which was most trou-
blesome was where could she find
work which would give her the oppor-
tunities she wanted. The two things
which presented themselves first were
a place as office girl for a doctor in
the neighborhood and that of appren-
tice to the only milliner in that end
of the town.
She took neither Of them because as
mllliner'S apprentice she would ONLY
earn fifty cents a week and carfare
and in the doctors office there seem
ed to be no future. She wanted a Job
in large concern where she thought
she would be able to learn more.
Finally she was hired as an errand
girl by the largest department store
in the city. And every Saturday night
| she brought four dollars home to add
to the ten dollars sick benefit" which
her father got each week.
Enjoys Her Work.
At the end Of year she was put in
the stock room, where she put gar
ments and material away, pinned on
price tags and did other odd Jobs con-
nected with keeping the stock in or
der, such as sewing on buttons and
mending Innings.
For this work she was paid six dol
lars week. While in the stock room
she was often called upon to sell. es-
pecially during the busy seasons or
during special sales. Ethel liked this
work and it was but a short time be-
fore she was given the bargain square
on the main floor, where each days
bargains were on sale.
| she liked the variety. One day she
would sell gloves and the next dav
/ lingerie, then perhaps perfume and
another time table linens During the
six months that she was clerk at the
bargain square she sold almost every
kind of article which the large depart
ment store handled.
She was earning twelve dollars a
week, almost all of which she gave at
home because her father was still an
invalid and doctor bills had eaten up
his small savings, and so the money
! he received from his sick benefit and
Ethels earnings was all the income
the Greens had
For the next two years Ethel clerk
ed in any department which needed
help. In this way she was learning
much moro about the business than
she ever thought she would when she
started in as an errand girl four years
before
AT the end of two years she was in
the infants wear department earning
eighteen dollars a week. She stayed
in that department longer than she ex-
pected and when the buyer left she
was given try at the place Her sal
airy as buyer was twenty-five dollars a
week
This meant that the Greens need
not worry any more about money mat.
tiers, for Mrs. Green had managed to
get along when Ethel was earning onlv
four dollars and she looked at twenty
five dollars as If it were a fortune.
Ethel had been true to her decision
which she made when she first started
to work. She took all Of her expert
ences as if they were lessons and it is
little wonder that the head of the
firm recognized in her young woman
who knew the business from every
angle" In addition to the infants
wear department she was soon made
head of the women's apparel shops
and here she again proved that she
understood the business, for her de
partment was enlarged inside of :
year and the sales were almost
doubled.
Earns $4,000 a Year.
During all of her years of work
however, she had not lost sight OF
other things and although she had
responsibilities far beyond the aver
age for one of her years she was still
a young woman with a youthful out
look.
She did not always have her nose
to- the grindstone and she enjoyed
many of the girlish pleasures which
other young women of twenty do. Per
haps that was one reason for her sue
cess-the fact that her life was not
all work and no play
At the end Of six years she was con
sidered Indispensable by the firm. II
was not only her value as a buyer
and organizer of departments, but she
built up feeling of loyalty and spirit
among the girls, especially those In
her DEPARTMENTS, which made the
store a place where girls liked to
work
At twenty-five Ethel Green besides
managing and buying for two depart
ments was doing many things which
are done by experts on employment
work, personnel, and social work or