Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-15
AS ONE WOMAN SEES 1T
The Value OF plsoursIveness In the
Conduct Of Public MeetInss--Ef-
ficlency Invariably Sacrifices
SpontanIety
BY SARAH ID. LOWRIE
TN OUR mothers young days there


l. some unsated curiosity as to how the
breadwinners of the family improved their
shining hours at "the office" or down
town. generic terms for the mysterious
regions to which men focked at 8 q. m.
and from which they returned about g 80
p. m. Now, Of course there is no curiosity,
because there is no mystery.
We have got over the delusion that be-
tween ten and five our males talk business
without cessation or that the swing doors
of their Offices constantly vibrate with
exigent employees hithering and thithering
op errands of high finance. We have got
over the delusion because SO many of us
have been on the spot of late either in the
guises of meek "stenogs" or MS naughty
private secretaries or as ingratiating Red
as vice chairmen of conservation or legal
aid or child welfare or some other league
or society or organization.
We have proved the possibility Of lis
tening over the telephone, debating to our
stenographer, glancing over our morning
cussing the price of shoes with casual
happeper- in. We know now that the
moment for high finance is after we'll
rounded luncheon and that the higher the
finance the shorter is the moment for settle
ment. In fact the veil Of the business
world has been rent in twain for this gen
Grafton Of females. And II we still worship
our males 1t is not as unknown gods.
THE women are now aware that their
l. husbands arc more than likely compar-
ing the sizes of their collars with the other
women's husbands. But the men arc not
so sure they know what their wives are
''up to- where women most do congrc
gate, viz, at committee meetings, business
lunchcons, "chins and confabs."
Yet it is perfectly obvious that If men nre
consistently men. whether they are down
Eos, .t..a~ a.,sr
women are also consistently women
wherever they occupy themselves.
Their conversation at board meetings
especially executive meetings-is just as
discursive as their early morning musings,
and great deal goes on that does not get
on their minutes that does not 60 on.
The minutes represent the secretary's
idea of what they meant to decide. She
takes the will for the deed, and they take
her will for their decision. Meanwhile, they
have exchanged ideas on many agreeable
topics, and there have been very amusing
asides that go the rounds, sub rosa, after
the days work is done.
T WAS secretary pro TEN. the other day for
L very important meeting which really
did determine tho outline of the winters
work for big and useful organization.
What went on the minutes legitimately
what did not 60 down on the minutes would
overrun this column. 1t was all of it worth
while and far more interesting than COM
pairing the sizes of our collars or the prices
of shoes.
absent -mindedly took down part of 1t
as minutes and had to Gull it out later.
This is what culed out.
The chairman of the news committee said
she had to get home early because the day
being Michaelmas the family and some
friends were to convene and soemnly eat
green goose" If you ate goose pre-
was not stated you had luck for the year.
The president said that stirring the pud
ding on Christmas she knew brought luck
that is if all the family stirred in turn.
The corresponding secretary gave more
elaborate program for luck, which included
n cake, silver dollar and a book and
which needed baby as protagonist.
That is. when baby was one year old
you put the book in the corner of the room,
the dollar in another and the cake in
third.
If the baby made for the cake it would
be fond of good living; if it crept to the
dollar it would be n money maker; II it
clutchcd the book first it would be a
student; il it made for none of these it
would be nothing in particular.
THE vice president here opined that it
L was best not to leave this life test to
an infant of twelve months why not insure
the child's full participation in all the bene.
fits Of civilization by providing that before
1t was carried downstairs it be carried up,
accompanied by a Bible, to insure good
ness, money TO insure wealth and a spoon
TO insure good digestion.
1t was unanimously decided that a baby
must always be carried upstairs first, even
though in bungalow it involved q trip to
the roof.
The subject of moving was now brought
up by member present who opined that
before entering the new house a broom, a
Bible and some salt must precede the
movers. There being no one to second this
motion it was lost. AS the subject of NOV
ing had no particular relation TO the mat
ter In hand, i. e., the program of speakers
for the next general meeting of the com
mittce, the presiding officer ruled it out of
order. and the next matter of new business
was taken up.
THE pleasing point about all this is that,
l. whereas in the old days women met to
play and had social intercourse, they now
meet for business and have social inter
course the social intercourse Is the great
thing and business does not interfere with it
either for meu in their Offices or for women
in the board meetings.
LNTHEN YOU have board meeting run by
w expert trained departmental secrc-
taries, who hand their nominal chiefs type
| written reports to read and the presiding
| officer hard and fast program with all the
motions and "firstings'' and secondings ar
ranged beforehand and everything happens
without a spontaneous gesture, then you
have an overorganized organization that
| somehow will not function like live thing
| and will bore every one but the expert,
trained departmental secretaries to finish
TT WAS Grace Dodge who invented the
| expert, trained departmental paid secre.
taries for philanthropic work on women's
boards And she caused to be built in New
| York a great, brown building to house and
train and employ them, and then scattered
them. through the Young Womens Christ
| ian Association, the length and breadth Of
| the land. 1t was a great invention, greatly
| and generously carried out by a master
mind, and it revolutionized women's phil
| anthropy into business, much to the good
of philanthropy to certain point, but be.