The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-10-11
Women and
Their Needs
Offer Jobs
Special Training Called
for in Comparatively
New Field.
BY MARY MARGARET MCBRIDE

BY MARY MARGARET MCBRIDE
MA service stan Correspondent
NEW YORK, Oct. 11.-Making
~ sure that the American house
wife gets exactly what she wants is
a comparatively new job for the girl
graduate that perhaps sounds SIM
pier than it turns out > be.
Tor 1t takes special lining
plenty Of intelligence and lots Of
industry Women already ere max
ing great successes at it, though
f.. example, Ella Bu rs Myers, one
OF the country's highest-poWered
women executives and her entire
staff a General Foods Turning out
contentcd customers is a big-time
occupaU-1.
We are branch of the aver
Using department, or perhaps it Is
Tore accurate to say e we are a
link between the copy writer and
the alcsm Mrs Iycrs '0ins.
Out Pr Icts
We examine the product with as
nearly as possible the critical eye Of
the ultir purchaser. Our staff
OF home economies experts tries it
out, not IN kitchens that have all
the latest Improvements, ut under
condit res such as any woman
might meet-from the one in tiny
Manhattan apartment to her dis
tant sister on a great middle west
ern farm
We arc in constant touch with
this woman, wherever she is, be-
cause we answer the letters she
sends the company to ask specific
que lions about the product More
over. we select housewives at ran
dom and invite them to make their
own tests in their home kitchen
and Thea to tell us what they think
Some Of our best Improvements
have come as a direct result Of this
"HundrcG5 of experiments may be
made . improve texture and flavor
or to lessen by a few minutes the
time required to use it. Packing
methods come j., for microscopic
scrutiny, too, and finally We COM
par our experiences with the
claims made by the advertising de
partment to make sure that the
purchaser will get exactly what we
say she will
Trained in Chcmi-try
A varied training is required of
the girl graduate who might hope to
get job in the department of
company Offering consumer service.
\ The technical experts on Mrs.
MYERS staff have taken the h1me
ecoDOmi g course of accredited col
leges. They have thorough
grounding in chemistry, particularly
in physical chemistry, which is in
Crcasingly imp ant in . Il pr Of
food work
Their technical education has
been supplanted by practical expert
ence. According to Mrs. Myers, the
girl entering such field should
learn to shop for her own home,
study markets, and the preparation
Of food for the ami table.
Il cOnsid-r that the experience
iiAt EtlS do a. HNhNt llOlllt .IiA'll>l u a
ton ag~~. is especially good back
ground for our kind Of work" Mrs
r7yors suggests,
Il also think it is well for every
woman the - 10 matter what
occupation she c. $, to know
e>-~--~ar'-y and t. lg. Ono
needs it nearly everywhere. And
F,D,-
eXp~o--'~g ones ~-'' ,'--~ly if not
eloaucntly.
THE modern young woman is less
likely than the professional woman
of the past, perhaps to make the
great mistake Of considering her
education finished just because she
has left college The thing to do is
{ to go on learning wherever one is.
Go on with economies and pSy-
CholOgy especially.
Take a leaf out Of the book Of
the best professional men. Keep up
with the times. And cultivate the
ability to get ON with people You're
stymied at the beginning unless you
have that. There is no time in a
busy generation to bother with
difficult employees"
Worked in Advertising
Mrs. Myers, small, blue eyed,
dark-haired, attractive, is native
of Grand Rapids, Mich. She took a
degree in journalism from the Uni
verSity of Illinois, was an honor
student, has a masters degree. too,
and took course in social work at
the Carnegie Institute of Tech
nolOgy.
She earned her living, or part of
it. even in college days. and when
she came to New York ten years
ago, entered the advertising bust
ness
She served an apprenticeship in
the advertising department of a big
department store, and later went to
an advertising agency.
She entered her present Job really
to set A specialized knowledge of
food. since she realized it was one
Of the most important items adver-
tised She meant to so back into
advertising proper, but the new field
held her,
There Is no better training for
advertising than general college
training with emphasis on eco
nomics and psychology" Mrs Myers
declared After that, it is up TO
the individual to make her career"