Evening star., 1927-10-14
SUB ROSA
Not Hard Enough.
BY MIMI.

not getting ahead in the world-that
she's not hard enough.
She's incapable Of the superb hard
boiled attitude of her friend Kate.
and she attributes the latter's sue
cess in business and love to the fact
that she's so hard she nearly rattles.
Kate is a cold-eyed, determined
young woman who started life with
chip on her shoulder and has bat
tied her way successfully through 20
years.
No one can put anything over on
her. No one even dares. Kate makes
grown men stammer with the cold
eyed fishiness OF her gaze Strong
he-men blanch when she raps out
piece OF sarcasm. She is formidable
and she has achieved much.
Kate and Cornelia work in the
same office, and while Kate has
landed mans sized job. Cornelia is
still struggling at an ordinary typlsts
job.
She works hard and long. She
takes more than her ordinary share
of labor. She listens respectfully to
advice from the lowliest Office boy to
the highest official
Though she yearns for a raise, she
lever dares to ask for one. Neither
does she dream of anything so rash
as asking for a seconds time off.
Kate, on the other hand, takes her
orders from no one. She is her own
boss now. and even the mildest sug-
gestions from people who have no
business with her affairs receive a
look of scorn and an icy retort.
When she wants a raise, she stalks
into the boss office and demands it.
She says simply: ITS about time
had a raise, Mr.. Lawson and that
seems to be that.
Evidently even the boss is much
too afraid of her to resist. He gives
her the raise and Cornelia goes on
fluttering and worrying and wishing
she had the bold, bad manners OF her
chum.
OF course, Kates social manners
aren't quite the same. She has to
disguise her hard boiled nature bit
to appeal to the boys.
But she's just as Straightforward
and businesslike when she's deailng
with them. She says briefly: Listen,
I don't want to pet, and IL you don't
like it, you'd better take me home.
No use either of us wasting ouf
time"
It seems to work pretty well. Cor
nelia never has the nerve for that
kind of speech. She wishes to good
ness boys wouldn't insist on petting.
but she's too afraid of soaring them
away forever to put up much arSu-
ment.
She-hasn't the courage to tell them
where to get off, and she puts in
lot of miserable evenings because she
lacks what she calls the hard-boiled
manner.
Kate doesn't stand any nonsense
from men at all. If they break dates.
she wants to know why, and II the
reason isn't really very good, she
gives them their walking papers.
Again, Cornelia hasn't the nerve
for that course of action. The boys
are able to wheedle her into for
giving them, whether they're in the
right or not.
Boiled down 1t simply means that
Kate has strength of character where
Cornelia is a weak minded little nsh.
No amount of hard boiled manner
would get Kate by If she didn't have
the determination and real strength
to mean what she says.
AS q matter of fact the hard-bolled
manner is not to be praised. 1t
isn't particularly becoming to any
girl. Far more is to be desired the
gentle. calm bearing which conceaIs
an iron will and q strong character.
Cornelia could get just the same
results as Kate's IL she'd only hold
her chin up and have a little self
respect.
You don't suppose any boss would
accede to KS fiat-footed demands II
he weren't convinced that she was
worth every cent she was asking Tor.
Business isn't done that way. Peo-
pie aren't really scared by brassy
hard voices and ways. But they are
scared by the iron will and deter
mination behind Kate's utterances.
Until Cornelia has the ability and
the courage and the strength TO
measure up to Kate, shss never
going to succeed as that young Wom-
an has.
And she'd better stop trying to
copy the others manner.
It's up to her to get some OF the
others courage and will power.
It isn't that Cornelia isn't hard
enough. It's that she isn't strong
enough.
Mimi will be glad to answer any inquiries
directed 10 this paper provided a stamped,
addressed envelope IS enclosed.