Evening star., 1937-05-15

In Regard
To Offices
The Attitude of a Sec.
retary Toward Her
Employer.
BY EMILY POST.

Il V~A&@
somewhere in your writings you
indicated that a woman secretary
coming into the ONCE at the begin
ming Of the day, should not speak te
her employer unless he speaks first
noes or gives her some other recogni.
ton. In other words, the rule is
according to your advice-simply re-
versed from that which governs sim.
liar conventions on the street. Will
you explain why?
Answer: 1t is not that the rule i
reversed, but that the professional at
titude Of secretary toward her EN-.
ployer is quite different from her at.
titude toward her personal acquaint-
ances. Instead Of concerning herself
with the thought Of his politeness tc
her, really eflcient secretary is con-
cerned with nothing but her efficient
usefulness to him. II he looks at heI
she naturally says Good morning.
AS matter of fact, ordinarily they
say good morning to each other simul-
taneously, but If he does not look ur
when she enters. or II he does not
greet her when he comes in, she does
not risk interrupting his thought ex-
cept to tell him somthing Of urgent
importance.
+ X X
nEAR MRS. POST: Not long age
our secretarial staff was increased
by one. This girl is very personable
and we all like her, but Of course
know her very slightly. Today each
one OF us received an invitation from
some one none OF us knows asking
us to come to a shower for her Evil
IDENTIFY she is soon to be married. We
ali think that this invitation is ar
imposition since we cannot 60 with
out taking presents. Do you think ii
would be unforgivably cruel for US
to decline. I mean, could this girl
possibly think she was being especially
nice in having given our names tc
this friend of hers? Otherwise she
would not have known about U.S.
Answer: She has really put every
one in the ONCE in most uncom.
Portable position. AS you say, whole
sale declining OF the invitation would
not be very kind-especially as she
has most probably failed to realize
that since invitations to showers are
literally 50 many requests for presents
they should not have been sent to any
but intimate friends. If she did
realize this obligation, then she i.
completely in the wrong-and ever
II she didn't, no one in the office car
be criticized for declining. Even so
they need not be rude; they can thank
her for the invitation and each give
his or her own excuse.
y
DEAR MRS. POST: Will you ex-
pain the difference between q
drawing room and living room? A
neighbor and I have had discussion
about these rooms and don't believe
either one Of us was right.
Answer-Although a drawing room
is often used as a living room and 8
living room Is even more often used
a: a drawing room, the difference is
that a drawing room Is intended
essentially for company and a living
room Is first Of all intended for the
family. We think Of typical draw
ing room as formally and rather
stif1y furnished with slender chairs
and not too comfortable wooden
framed sofas, a gentle fire burning
on a small hearth; sofas and chairs
arranged in conversational groups
and the lights selected for decoration
rather than for utility. Thought OF
living room, on the other hand, sug-
gests q big log fire and few deep
easy chairs, each with q light behind
1t, a utility table beside it, Each big
chair is perhaps not nearer than
shouting distance to other chairs and
large sofas are as comfortable tt
lie down on as to sit upon. In q
drawing room every object is solely
for ornament, and personal belongings
are always carefully put away. In
q living room traces Of family occu-
patton are Enthusiastically evident
The top Of the desk has papers
weighted down upon 1t, . book Is
lying on a sofa, the work basket open
on table, music on the piano, which
is open, and so on. Moreover, one
thinks Of dog lying on the hearth
or a cat on a chair cushion in the
living room, but pets that might have
muddy paws or get hairs on the cush-
ions have no place whatever in the
drawing room.
(Copyright, 1879