Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-04


wv of several million people, and
when holding the jobs they
have Is the problem in the
lives of several million more, and when
getting a still better job is always oc-
cupying the minds of every one who is
ambitious, can think of nothing that
could be more helpful than to talk with
people who not only have jobs but who
have come up all the way from the bot
tom to the top
Many schools and colleges are now
inviting business leaders, both men and
women, to give talks to the students
upon conditions In business and the re-
quirementS for success. These talks are
particularly helpful If the speaker has
wide and sympathetic understanding
Of a large number Of jobs on the one
hand and Of human nature and human
needs on the other. It was for these
reasons that spent an afternoon talk
ing with Mary Dillon in order to give
her ideas to The Stars readers-for she
began as a junior clerk with a great
public utilities organization in 1908, Just
young girl out Of high school, and has
never been without a job since, not
w1thstandtng many panicS and hard
times such as we are going through
now, or even worse. Today she Is presi-
dent and general manager Of the COM
pany, and has been for the last 10
years.
Mis- Dillon Listed High.
When Miss Dillon began the company
had 30 employees and 1900 patrons; 1t
now has 500 employees and 10000 pa
irons and besides carries on q large
campaign Of public education in its
lines of service. Since Miss Dillon has
been intimately associated with all this
development and has been an inf1uen-
tial factor in 1t, what she has to say,
especially to young women in business,
cannot but be extremely helpful. AS to
what other women, competent to judge,
think Of her place among women, it
should be stated that Miss Ida Tarbell.
in her carefully selected list Of the 20
greatest and most useful women in
America today, not only includes Miss
Dillon, but that Miss Dillon is one Of
the only two women in business listed
in this roster Of genuine distinction.
This leads you to say, Of course, "Oll,
well, she has succeeded Just because
she is an extraordinary woman; the
ordinary woman could not do what she
has doneP'
Miss Dillon does not think so. She
thinks her succesS-for we are bound to
call such a record a record of genuine
succesS-has been partly due to favor
able circumstances, which she told me
frankly she did not believe come to
every woman, however well qualified
she may be. Secondly, however, she
aScrtbes much Of her advancement to
some very definite principles that she
adopted when she came as a girl TO
the company-pr principles that she has
held to ever since and Is still putting
into practice.
IF a woman wants to succeed In
business" Miss Dillon said to me, there
are some things she must do that apply
| to both men and women, and perhaps
one or two things that just now apply to
the woman in business but which In
time may disappear. 1t seems amusing
to me to see those lists they get I'm of
the 10 or 20 greatest women in America
and the like. It will soon become such
commonplace thing for women to
succeed IS presidents and general man.
ayers and occupy top positions in busi-
ness and In the professions that it
won't make news.
| ut Is the unusual that makes news,
Of course. And u seems to me such q