The Indianapolis times., 1930-11-26
TALKING
IT OVER
BY JOE WILLIAMS

ATEW YORK, Nov. 26.-I suppose
~ this is as good a day as any
TO tear into these letters from the
customers and get them out Of the
way-the letters, not the customers,
Of course.
Possibly due to nv southern bringing up.
which places no great stress on enterprise.
! employ the delayed wing back 7-2-2
formation IN taking care Of my eorre-
spoudenee. with the result that at about
this time Of the year I come across lot
~ stun touching upon the erratic work
~ the Yankee pitching star that should
have been used last June.
n
OF course. what ought to have is
secretary. Practically everybody has
secretary these DAYS. Indeed statistics
for the fiscal year show there are almost
as many e-presidepts in modern business
ss there arc secretaries.
FROM time 10 time I have suggested the
need Of such assistance to the editor,
pointing out that after all am just
great big over-groWn boy with loose
immature conception Of executive detail,
and that II had some one TO give me
hand ! would he able TO do much better
work. even if I had 10 stsv in the office
until far in the night.
n
But invariably these suggestions have
provoked remarks Of an imperunent cnar-
II was all ] could do to hold myself IN
check count ten. and consider the source
n
DUE to the influence on the
~ screen of cheap literature,
fantasy seems to have grown up in
business that secretaries are dan
gerous-particularly blonde secre-
taries-and when a man, grown
weary of drudgery, petitions assist
snce he is looked upon with mixed
feelings of an. Isemer} and sus-
pioion.
supuose this is whv SO many captains
of industry make it point 70 employ only
male secretaries. Or it NAV he that they
do not have great deal of faith in them
selves and are forever burdened with a
Treudian fear that along about o'clock
in the afternoon while in the middle of
niauant communication to BIotz. Blotz and
RIotz. they will suddenly decide to call it a
day. turn 70 Miss Elliott and say. "how
about going over TO Tony's for little
cocktsil?''
Naturally, ! car. see where such praac-
there is ALWAYS the possibility that Miss
Elliott would turn out to be one OF those
sn old fashioned high ball and switch to
side car or a silver flzz and IN ,prac-
tically no time you would have her hang
ing on your shoulder calling you Popsy Fop.
Also there is the danger that the lady
will not esteem you very highly even as an
office superior and In accepting the invi-
tstion she may he merely doing so as sell
fish gesture calculated to increase the di-
mensions of her pay check.
q
A DMITTEDLY, efficiency ought
IA to be the chief consideration.
If I get a letter in June from
a Brooklyn reader about what a
lousy manager Wilbert Robinson is
or to be precise, my Brooklyn read
er, it is perfectly absurd to allow it
TO go unanswered until November,
vet it. must be said to my credit that
when this happens, as frequently 1t
Goes. I am inconsolable, and no fit
company for man or beast. l go
around for days in heavy melan-.
choly lamenting my slothfulness and
wondering what is going to become
of me, and why I was ever put on
this earth to Breathe the same air
as the Bruce BartonS, the Baron
Golfers and the Grover Whalens.
CORRESPONDENTS who write imploring my
orinionS in such weighty matters as the
efficacy of the lateral pass as compared
with the flying wedge of my time in the
SOS at dear old Backwash do not adopt
lust attitude when on failing TO receive
prompt reply they grimIy resolve never to
write to that bird Williams again"
All. II they only knew how much more
roignantlv J suffer than they II lsn
thing. The trouble is the editor should
give mo 2 blonde-I mean, secretary.
Il
That's why even today, when planned
10 tear into those letters and get them all
cleaned up. I am stu as far away from
the job ss was last June.
ROOtb Mon0od