The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-01
Dedpration As A Voc ation
 For Girls
by BETH MILvAINE

N H1ECOnAllNV IS ohe oi .hoso U"si nesses which inspire in the un trained girl ! vast confidence 1T her ability to succsed. The source oi Inspiration Is, l think, the fact tna, woman,s natural habitat is the home and
 her natural gift the making of that Rome beautiful.
 I | grant that every &oman has taste of a sort, but most make a distinctly localized appeal, while "a few others X have a universal taste Shat wins It's way to every ones appNpval. These latter make the successful fnterior dec orators.
 Decorating is both a business and an art, and manages to combine the most difficult features of each. The busi- ness end of it has to be concealed De- meath velvet glove, and the artistry must be wrapped about firm core or 2 financial soundness.
 Let me tell you about girl l know, ' who, several years ago, decided she was cut out for an interior decorator and now has her own shops. This IS no ideal portrait, but the kind of girl who lands the open job and stays put until her employer has as much con fidence in her ability as she has her self.
 Georgia had had four years of high j. school to begin with. After that she worked a year in . department store, going to art school at night, gettlng a taste of the charms of making beau tiful homes and surer than ever of her chosen profession. The next year she spent all her time at art school where the problems that she would meet in actual work were anticipated and solu- tions suggested. She also learned fur niture periods, actually drawing rep resentative specimens, and Tn snort time could accurately place any varia, fions of. the major types. No speclal talent for drawing was necessary, as she had none; just discerning eye and steady hand.
 Her color sense was trained there to a fine point of sensitiveness. She learned to combine colors for a desired effect, bizarre, perhaps, or subdued, or brilliant. In a twinkling of an eye she could put her finger on a wrong color note and whisk in its place harmoniz- ing shade. Color had taken on person Z yality for her and she learned to work with it as delicately as with piece .of cobweb lace.
 .A Her department store training in practical salesmanship was the best Bort of training she could possibly have had. Art schools are only just reallz- ling it's importance and are introducing courses and lectures on this essential point. Besides knowing what's beau tiful, a decorator must know how to sell it. Girls who have had practical experience somewhere in selling com bined with specific training in house decorating make the best fitted be- \ ginners.
 N My purpose is not to discourage en- fhusiasts from adopting interior deco rating as a profession, but to direct thefs efforts toward acquiring prelim- inarR practical equipment. They would scoff at the idea of hanging out law yer's shingle with only a high school education. Decorating is as special ized a field and calls for as specialized training. Lean years of trying to build on a sand foundation can be spared if this is understood at the beginning.
 On the authority of one of New York's most successful decorators, I say, "Ap- prentice yourself to the best and most reliable firm you can, regardless of salary. They are on the outlook for well l-grounded girls like you, in spite of what unemployment pessimists may say. For a girl who comes with her Atools in her head and in her hands, there is always place at the bot tom"
 Shops differ like everything else, but I'm safe in saying she will be initi- ated into the business as shopper. She will have to match shades and qualities of fabrics against customers coming for consultation; she will have to SCOUT the market for a mate to a singular candlestick which has struck a clients fancy; she will have to keep a hawks eye on auction sales lest a valuable piece of pottery or old tapestry slip through her hands. When in the shop she will wait on the other decorators, quote prices, display furniture, and be an intelligent background. In this way she will soak up a precious inside experience which fits on and builds up her previous theoretical training.
 In time, as the manager sees her taste and judgment can be trusted, she will be given a client of her own to handle, and in proportion to her sue cess awarded more clients. As she be- gins to feel her own value and has proved it to her employer, she should insist on sharing in a percentage of her profits, and arrange, if possible, that she be sent abroad. This serves as a sort of degree of Bachelor of the Decorating Arts, besides filling in the gaps with intimate acquaintance with the arts most authentic sources.