The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-04-25
Dorothy Dix Talks
BY DOROTHY DIX
Worlds Highest Paid Woman Writer.
The Difference.

The business woman is always
thinking of her work. Consciously or
subconsciously it is always with her,
and she is eternally trying to learn
more about it. If she isl a stenog-
rapher she gets more and more accur-
ate day by day. She takes on herself
more and More duties until the time
comes when she has all the strings of
the office in her hands, and her en-
ployer turns as naturally to ask her
the details of every transaction, or
where certain papers are, as he does
to ask his wife at home where he will
finds his collars or the tack hammer.
If she is a salesgirl, she studied her
line of goods until she knows every
thing about it, and she makes herself
SO agreeable to her customers, and
takes So much trouble to find them
what they want, that the time soon
comes when fat old ladies with big
pocketbooks will wait half an hour
to have that nice Miss Smith wait on
them.
The working girl has no interest
whatever in her occupation, except to
get her pay envelope on Saturday
night. She doesn't know anything
about it. Whenever her boss COM
plains about the mistakes she makes,
she calls him an old crouch, and cries,
or gets mad. according to her tenn
permanent, but it never occurs to her
to improve the quality of her service.
Her ipterest in life lies outside of
her sphere of labor. She gets thru
the morning as best she can, waiting
for the noon hour in which she can
call up some gentleman friend" or
else wait for him to call her up. Even
during working hours she is mumbling
to the girl next to her what "he said'
and IT said" and "she said" or tell
inc !,
had with some swell fella'' the night
before. and she has to be detached
from these fascinating "reminiscences
before she can give her half-hearted
attention to the letter she is trying to
write, or the customer who desires to
buy her wares.
The business woman is willing to
pay the price of success. She knows
that for women, as well as for men,
success comes high, and it must be
bought not only with labor, but with
faithfulness, and loyalty, and reIia-
bility. Therefore, she is ne time
server. Office hours mean nothing to
her, for her work ends when the days
labor is accomplished and her desk
cleared. She comes early and goes
late. She does faithfully and we'll
every task that falls into her hands
so that her harassed employer does
not have to go over her work to catch
up her mistakes. She does not babble
of her FIRMS affairs. The souls of
those above her rest in peace when
she is on the job, because they know
that it will be done properly and
promptly.
The working girl begrudges every
minute that she gives to her en-
ployer. She should worry whether
her work is done well or ill. 1t is
nothing in her young life if she bills
a shipment of goods that was destined
for Portland, Maine, to Portland. Ore
gon, and if she gets fired for incom-
petence, she doesn't care. She can
get another cheap job somewhere else.
She doesn't want to work anyhow.
and she's only doing it while she's
trying to hunt down a man to work
for her.
The number of business women is
very small. and they are very well
paid, and in great demand, because
when a woman gives her mind. and
her heart, and her interest to business.
she develops a. superlative talent, for
it. But there are many working girls
who earn little, because they are
worth little.
Every woman who starts out to earn
her living, decides for herself to which
class she will belong