Evening star., 1938-04-03
AIR HOSTESS MUST MEET HIGH IDEALS
Candidate Nurse With Charm
to Popularity of IinesProblems Are Solved
Needs Unaiing knowledge.

wears a hostess hat has plenty Of grey
matter in it.
MISS BROOKS herself is a veteran
steWardess with three years of
service. Now the wife of William
Lester, veteran flyer in charge of in
strument training for American, she
no longer rides the airways but lee
lures IN the steWardess school and
assists with selecting candidates.
All prospective steWardesSes are in
terviewed by Miss Brooks, Mr.. Wilson
and Mr.. Kessler, who seldom disagree
on their fitness for the work. Together
they have evolved a science of select
Ing hostesses SO thorough that only
three or four girls accepted for train
ing IN the past six months have failed
TO complete the course
It's technique based upon the last
word in psychological findings al
though Mr.. Kessler, who might from
appearance and manner be a prac-
ticing psychiatrist, disclaims any spe-
clal training in the subject.
This is the routine:
Written applications flock in, and
the most likely candidates are sent an
airline pass and asked to report at
Chicago to be interviewed.
Privileged to sit in on such an in
tervieW between a girl who wants to
be a stewardess and Mr.. Kessler. this
reporter watched a very nice young
woman dispose, probably forever, of
her chances to be one. 1t took re-
straint to keep from prompting her as
she sent her hearts desire glimmering
with answers like these:
Question. What would YOU saw if a
passenger told you that your airline
was the "lousiest" in the country?
Answer. Id ask him why he was
riding on it.
@. Have you ever been engagedo
A. Yes, once.
@. Are you through with men?
A. Yes. (This answer never fools
any one.)
@. What does your mother think of
you being an airline stewardess?
A. She objects
@. Why do you want to be one?
A. Oh, expect I want to bat
around bit and see the world.
livery detail of the applicants ap-
pearance is noted on a form de-
signed to guide the interviewer-espe-
cially her clothes, posture, figure, hair
dress. complexion, fingernails and
shoes.
And questions like these are asked:
What would you do about a drunken
person on the ship annoying pas
sengers? If a man jumped out of the
plane? II a passenger slashed his
wrists? If passenger made ad-
vances? Do you think flying is dam
gerous?
They are even asked about the
magazines they read, and what sports
they like
It's against girl to be an only
child. Married women don't even get
an interview. Divorces are frowned
upon-they haven't gotten along
with at least one person.
After being interviewed, the girl is
sent home and she either receives a
notice to report for the opening of
school or never receives one. Schools
are announced at about the rate of
six year.
Scores of wholly unsuitable appli-
cations used to be received, accord
ing to Miss Brooks, but today it is the
practice Of all the major airlines to
send employees to hospitals to lecture,
explaining qualifications for the work.
Publicity about romances of the air.
ways is thought to have attracted
previously, applications from many
young women of the romantic type,
incapable Of keeping their minds on
the comfort of passengers, regardless
OF age or sex.
Today the young women summoned
for the course might be called ideal
American girls-charming, intelli-
gent, poised and pretty. Every now
and then an application arrives with
the information that the girl has
taken nursing training SO that she
might be eligible for a hostess job.
Reporting at school headquarters at
the airport, they are given a physical
examination virtually as rigid as that
taken by pilots. After a few days in