The Washington times., 1919-03-21
Learning New
Ways
By Eleanor Gilbert.

u NE Of the interesting myster-
les about some otherwise in
- ,teIIigent women is their
horror Of learning something new.
i have seen women who maine
tanned that they had to havea job
at once or starve. And yet when
: informed that they would be ex-.
pected TO use some familiar tool
or system they hurriedly declined.
Take the case Of some office
women. know a girl who was Of
fered. a better job than the one she
had been holding for many years.
She wanted to get out, felt she was
in a rut, hated the old work be-
cause she had done the same thing
so long that it was intolerably
monotonous.
Yet, when she discovered. that in,
her new pob she would be. expected
to use a certain type Of machine
instead Of doing the work by hand,
she CURLY declined. No, she wasn't
used to doing II that way, and she
would either do II her way or re-.
fuse the job. And she refused il.
know many cases OF girls who.
wouldn't take a job because they
were used to the lOose-leaf system
and they didn't want to handle
cards, or were used to handle cards
and wouldn't touch any loose-leaf
system on earth. And, oh; the in
Vulnerable lady typists who know
one particular machine, and neither
80
prevail upon them to as much as
try any other machine.
"Oh, no, 1 can't work the Green
machine-Pm used to the Brown
typewriter" Sometimes they point
out to you the multitudinOus de-
fects of the Green typewriter so as
to support their prejudice. Some
times they won't bother Offering
reason. They simply never nave
used any other machine, and don't
care to try now.
Ofscourse, when there was a LABOR
shortage in so many INDUSTRIES
during the war, employers were
compelled. wilIy-nilly, to respect
these prejudfces. stupid as they
might be. If the lady wasn't USED
to. the system, the system would
have to go. But now there's a DIFF
ferent attitude on the, part of en-
blowers. and many pernicketty OBJ
seekers will have to adjust to 1t.
sI.abor-saving appliances are the
order of the day. They are mani
foId and sometimes intricate. But
there's no use Directing to them
Improved methods should not be
opposed by the intelligent business
woman. Far better to throw aside
her obstinate objection and be-
come expert in the thing she OBJ
iects to.
This tendency to oppose new
methods is often given as a rea-
son by business men who pay low
wages to beginners. They claim
that a beginner, knowing nothing,
is eager to learn everything new.
Il can teach her my ways without
man explains it, OF course, some
times this reason" is mere camou-'
fIage-the real reason for accept
ing the beginner is because she
costs less per week.
But there are enough cases where
il is so-where managers get dis
couraged trying to explain new
methods to women and men who
simply won't learn. They cling to
their old habits of work and noun
tains won't move them. That's an
autiquated attitude toward work,
and no one can progress with this
point of view,
Better be one jump ahead OF pro-
gressiVe ideas than the employer.
Better famiIiariZe yourself with
new methods and machines and
maintain an oper-mindedness about
everything new and different in
business. Thats the secret Of be-
ing a live wire" and perenniany
young abeHt work.