San Antonio Express. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 117, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 27, 1913 Page: 29 of 67
sixty seven pages : ill. ; page 22 x 17 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
1
Y AMD GENERAL NEW
Jprftll
■ If* V
1 n | §tk .Sin
tin Ik • Mi** [BI T
f(0Kr
k H AN
ill |L a '?,H
1S1
♦
V
5=?V>i.
mm
L/i
fi'
I "
Telc^rdph Operator* IVever P ivulfyContenfrs of Wc
im.
#v
r.', •
EE!
CAN A woman keep a sec*et? The question has been asked throughout
the ages, and somehow there has grown up a tradition that she cannot.
In spite of the tradition, however, men who are in a position to know declare
that there are hundreds of women right here in San Antonio who not only can
keep secrets, but who actually do keep them. Indeed keeping secrets is one
of the chief featurs of their daily occupations.
"They keep secrets better than men!" declares W. W. Vaughan, commer-
cial division superintendent of the Southwestern Telephone and Telegraph
Company. And surely Mr. Vaughan ought to know.
The eld saw to the effect that the three quickest modes of communication
are "telegraph, telephone and tell-a-woman" may be based on a myth, after
all, at least with respect to the third mode, if what these men say is true.
And it must be admitted that their declaraions are backed up by facts which
form part of the warp and woof of every-day business routine.
Who «urt«d the stery that thsy cannot lng to do with tha question. It In simply
keep lerrala. anyway? 'J'ho belief Is an
eld out', t» bit Hurt!. Ku): this as an 9S"
lu which things arit not tak«n Ut b« neces-
sarily true Just because they sre ancient
J was Pickens. was It not, who rejected
the proverbisi "deado»>3 of the doornail" •<
lie tiH/jirded the opinion that a coffin nail
that ttin average woman placed tn a posi-
tion of public trust, foals Hie responsibility
of bar position and rises to Urn demand* of
tlie situation. It is a mailer of honor ant
not of money, It is character and not
uMritiy a calculating sense of self Interest.
What Is true of tb« telephone girl is
wan about the deadeat piece of ironmong- also true of a large number of other woui
ery he knew of, and who will have the en in different callings in San Autonlo, It
temerity to dispute it in favor of the door- is particularly trua of the woman tele,
nail, simply because the expression "dead (:repii oiw-rtttor, In the case of ttvi !*le-
sh a doornail" la as old as the language} phone girl, she is usually too busy to glv.i
Way it not be Just the same with regard any attention to what people are saying
to woman and tha keeping of o secret'/ over the wire. But the telegraph operator
May it not be that tha atory Ju&t grew must read and understand thoroughly the
up and came t» b« believed without there message before slia can send U. She must
being the least basis for it? At any rate understand thoroughly any message she is
there are men who insiat that this is tha redeltlng over the wires And yet very
.- st, few men hesitate tn send the most per-
"If women did not keep secrets,'' de-
clares one such man, "It would be lm-
sonal telegrams on that account. There
Is a tacit understanding on the pari of
possible to do business in modern life. If *>'« who use the telegraph to any
th« old aiiorn ever had any basis In fact
It has not today, Facts can't be blinked,
and no man need go more than a block lu
this city to find women who carry locked
degree that the operator, even though
she be a woman, never repeals the con-
tents of any message.
Newspaper men In particular hare
AND you think a woman cannot
respect a confidence? Right
here in San Antonio demoralization
of business interests, social promi-
nence and newspaper "beats" would
surely follow immediately if wom-
en could not keep secrets. Take,
for example, the telephone girl! Do
you suppose she will put you In on
the line that you may hear conver-
sation ruinous to the Interests of
those who are speaking? Will she
tell the trusting husband the num-
ber his wife called after the mati-
nee? Will she repeat the secret
of tomorrow's msrket to an outside
concern?
NO, the telephone girl Is an exam-
ple of women who keep aecreta.
Recently Iwo plays, "At the Switch-
board" and "The Woman," hare been
wriiien about tha character and action
of the hello girl, Then there la the
private secretary, the social aecretary,
Ihe telegraph operator in the big hotel,
I lie trained nurse, the woman physi-
cian. i
All those women who keep secrets
are to be found in ihe everyday Ufa
of San Antonio, anil, as long aa thay
remain employed, it can be positively
said thai tlicy are making good for
1 lie big corporation has no further
place for a girl who lets bnslness
secrets leak, Yes, women do respect
confidence!.
would upset things
up in their breasts great big secrets the ample opportunity to test his. It often
htppens that exclusive news Is sent over
the wire* from special correspondents to
their papers. Sometimes the operator
who sends or receive* the message hap-
pens to be a woman. This character of
telling of which
generally."
As a matter of fact vary few people take
seriously the statement that women can't
keep secrets. Witness, for example, with
wnat absolute confidence the average man ullw" osua"y *erjr important, of a kind
will hold a confidential talk over the tele- tlMt »oul11 natural!* Induce « person "to
phone, never hesitating because of the b« bating to ««" « " »» to »P™k- And
knowledge that It Is possible for the girl tipre »re <* «"» '"«r-
of doing this Just aa much aa men.'1
A little Incident which occurred recent-
ly will give an idea ef Juat to what ex-
tent this ability to keep seeretB la some-
times carried. A certain lady who hart
to undergo an operation In which ether
\fie1lo Crr/s -Chdmpton Secrtt Xecperj
jf /• $ "•
*
acter that they are negligible. No corre-
spondent harbors any fear that hia "bent"
will filter to a rival paper through the
operator, even in Instances whore the oper-
ator Is a woman.
Telephone girls and telegraph opera-
tors, however, do not by any means ex-
„. ... . „ . haust the list of woman who are dallv
confidence that no one but the person for M ,n „piT(,tp Thpr„
whom the telegram I. intended will ever numbOTle„a oth(,,.„ Htenographe
know of its contents. Them drop Into this secretaries
at the switchboard to overhear everjr word.
And why? Is it not because he is abso-
lutely certain that even If she does ac-
cident] y hear something important she will
not repeat it? Also soe how this same
average man will entrust to a woman tele-
graph operator a message with the certain
Plan for an Elastic Currency
$ $ $
Proposed By Money Student
$ $ $ $
$
tVJ
rs, prl-
physidans,
average man's private office and see him tm|np(, nlllw6i anfl manyi majly
there dictate to his stenographer con
f 1 dent in 1 bualnees letters, never for a min
are continually coming into possession
of facta that ought not be repeated, and
ute dreaming that the girl will tell her there Is no complaint that women be-
elosest friends or relatives anything about tray such trusts more often than men.
Ms business. If thin average man in the Indeed, if here is uny difference, a wo-
laast believed that a woman could not keep mun Is less liable to repeat things of
• secret, would he do these things?
A CLASSIC EXAMPLE.
The "hello girl" is a classic example of
the woman who Is keeping secrets all the business" men"fln(l"lt' necessary to
trust their stenographers and private
Texan proposes, in reducing cost
of living and promoting general
welfare, a currency reform which
will give the people what they want
—plenty of good, cheap, circulating
money. Expose of plan shows in-
terest reduction to 3 per cent.
this character than a man Is.
ESSENTIAL TO BUSINESS.
It is hardly necessary to point out how
time. She Is the city's champion secret-
keeper. And alls knows all of the city a BecretHr|P!) wUh information upon which
l secrets But does she tell them? She does depends a ureat deal. In the offices of
net! If la easier for the proverbial camel rtllroad officials, real estate men, burn-
to go through the eye of a needle than for nesn men of various kinds, public offl-
one to extract from the girl at the switch- clala, profeasional men and practically
board anything she has gleaned from the every class of men who do business of
wires. This Is so notoriously true that the any kind where It Is necessary to keep
jdaywrights are seizing upon It as uui- certain things secret while they axe be-
terial for "situations." Two plnys are lug "put through," there will be found
holding the boards at present, and are women who dre trusted absolutely and
carrylng^tonvlctlon acroaa the footlights, wll° "wer betray these trusts. There is
the action of which is based entirely on the abundant testimony, If one wishes to
presumption that a telephone girl will not 'ool< ^or "■ l,la' lhr statement Is true
divulge even the name of a person who has
thill "It would be Impossible to carry on
lllflllav SICH IUV I.UliO Ui H IDVU " HV
. .» .i . . Mivlnoss If women could not keep sec-
spoken over the telephone, to parties who t y
bare do right to the Information. When re,s
a fact la made the pivotal point of a popu-
lar play It means that It Is one that Is
generally accepted by the public mind.
It cannot be argued that the telephone
"During five years of experience with
girls at Mraughon College," declares 0.
W. Karthmann, one of the owners ef
Druughon's Practical Huslnehs College,
I liuve never known of a case of one
girl Is an exception to the rule, nor that it our nudonts who lias gone out to take
is her salary that Induces her to develop a a p0H|t|O|, stenographer or private
capacity to keep secrets which she would suroisry to fall to make good because
not naturally possess. For the telephone vbf could not keep a secret. We Itnprcsj
girl Is fairly repre^enlative of Ihe irvcrairi* (in all our students the necessity of keep-
woman And the testimony nf thn.e who Ink their employer's business to thein-
know her best is tbat h«r salary has notb selves, and llnd that girls aia capable
(By James Fitzgerald.)
WE are assured by President Wllsoa
that when the tariff bill now before
Congress shall have been disposed of he
will be ready to take up the question of
currency reform. For Information of the
recommendations he will mako we must
wait until he communicates them to Con-
gress. Various plans have been pre-
sented to make the currency system more
elastlo to meet the demand for money
when niost urgent—during crop-moving
time—when all branches of Industry are
at a high pitch of efficiency, so that In
the movement of crops to market and In
the passage of the finished products of
mill, mine and factory into the hands of
Ihe consumer the fear of price deprecia-
tion on the one hand and price apprecia-
tion on the other may be wholly removed
and normal conditions prevail during such
periods.
Let me say In tha beginning that I am
no financier, which fact, however, does
not preclude or prevent me from holding
what I consider to be an original Idea or
two on the subject of currency reform
and the method by which an elastic and,
at the same time, stable currency system
may he established.
I take it lhat the advice and co-opera-
tion of the banks should be Invited to
help us evolvs a scientific currency sit-
MM
was used, asked the trained nurse who
attended her at the hospital what she
talked about while under the Influeneo
of the ether. The nu>-se smiled, but an-
swered firmly:
"We are not allowed to tell anyone
what a person savs while under ether,
not even the persona themselves."
And she did not tell. This Is only
one of the many occasions on which
the trained nurse and the woman phy-
sician are called upon to keep silent
about things which Inevitably come to
their notlne while discharging I heir du-
ties,
Here then Is s formidable array of
facts to oontrovert the old theory that
women cannot keep aecrets, They show
conclusively, not only that women can
keep secrets, hut that there are a largo
mitnhur of women in this city who ac-
tually do keep them. With the entrance
of woman into the business world many
things are being learned about her that
ware not known before, Many other
things that were believed about her hava
been shown to be not true, It would
stem that the ancient tradition of her
inability to keep a secret must now be
added to the list of "myths about
women."
'flote/ Switchtodri Secreti-
/1u>t bis HtpZ.
made as to the employment of the notes
as set forth above, the bonds upon which
said treasury notes are Issued shall be
canceled by the Government, Interest pay-
ments to be allowed for any fraction of
a year the nolea remained In active circu-
lation.
Another provision Is that the bonds
shall be sold to bona fide citizens of the
United States only and registered In the
name of the actual purchaser, the pen-
alty for failure to thus register the bonds
to be forfeiture of the interest due the
bondholder, with such other safeguards
as may be necessary to at all times keep
the notes in circulation.
What the people want In currency re-
form Is plenty of cheap, good money—*
circulating currency which, while being
elastic, would at the same time be a
stable currency, one that could not be
contracted to lower prices and enhance
credits or be expanded In the Interest of
prices as against credits—a currency
which would uperate to prevent panics,
establish a low rate of interest, reduoa
the cost of living and promote the general
prosperity,
The bonds should issue to any citizen
Who desired to Invest in them.
CHEAP INTEREST HATE.
* ii
B#;
w
, (1,1
tern—one which would at all tlmea meet
trade and commercial requirements and
prove a remedy for financial stringency
anu currency contraction just when money
is most in demand.
Various forms of assets have been sug-
gested as a base for an elastic currency—
railroad bonds, Industrial securities and
the bonds of municipalities. Objections
to all of them have been urged, and for
this reason do 1 venture the following
plan to reach the same end, though the
plan may not meet with any great favor
In certain quarters.
THE PROPOSED PLA-V
My plan is for tha Government to Issue
$100 per capita, or (10,000.000,OtO of 3 per
csnt gold bonds, to run for fifty years,
the bonds to issue upon the receipt of
gold or gold certificates at par, the
purchaser of the bonds to have the right
to deposit the same with the Treasurer of
the United States, and to take out special
Treasury notes to the par value of the
bonds deposited, these notes to be non-
taxable by munlclpalitlea, counties. States
or the National Government.
To keep the special treasury notes In
circulation—that la to say, in the chan-
nels of commerce, actively employed In
business, to prevent their being hoarded
for the sake of the 3 per cent Interest by
persons in a position to purchase the
bonds-It Is proposed that a tax of 1 per
cent per annum shall be Imposed on all
such notes kept out of circulation, and
that thirty daya prior to the date upon
which the > per cent Interest on tha
bonds purchased falls dus the holder of
the bonds shall make oath before a
notary public or any person qualified to
administer such oath that the notes taken
out against the bonds have been so
employed, and If any fals* affidavit Is
Bankers, as well as all other persons,
would be at liberty to purchase the
bonds, deposit them with the Treasurer
and receive from the Treasury special
treasury notes to the par value of the
bonds loi actual circulation, which money
he could loan to his patrons at 8 per cent,
whlcn, added to the 3 per cent he would
receive In Interest from the Government,
would be equivalent to 6 per cent on all
such loans made by him.
The bonds would be open to purchase
by farmers, manufacturers, business men
and all classes of producers.
Huy that John Smith, wearying of city
life, nas S3,000 saved up and that he wants
to purchase a 16.000 farm. With Ills sav-
ings he could purchase S3,000 of the bond;,
deposit them with the United Btates
Treasurer and take out <3,000 treasury
notes us part payment on the purchase
price of the farm, giving his note at ti per
cent for the S3.000 due; then take his deed
to the land to the bank and borrow S1.500
on It. Invest the S1.&00 in that many more
gold bonds, deposit them with tha Treas-
urer, take out another 11.600 of treasury
notes and make an additional SI,M0 pay-
ment on the land. This would reduce the
amount he would owe on the land to $1,300.
On the (4,"10 of bonds purchased to make
tha SI,600 payment on the farm he would
receive In Interest from the Government
the first year 3 per cent, or S136 against
S90 due the bank on ids 6 per cent $1,600
loan, nr.d $90 due as Interest at 0 per cent
on the $1,600 note against the land, or 1180.
The Interest he would receive from the
Government at 3 per cent on his $4,600
gold bonds, $135, would pay 75 per cent of
Ills combined Interest obligation to the
bank and the landholder, leaving him to
provide the other 25 per cent, or $46, out
of the profits of the farm, lu other words,
lie would have succeeded In reducing a
ti per cent Interest obligation on a SS.nOO
transaction to a Hi per cent Interest obli-
gation without Incurring any additional
obligation, the Interest received from the
Government providing 41'.. per cent of the
6 per n-nt due.
However, lie would still he In debt |1,S00
to the bank and $1,600 on the land, or
$3,000. and be the holder of $4,500 3 per
cent fold bonds
Say that the farm the first vear pro-
duced II.MI0 of profits after his Interest
obligations had been met, and that he
purchased another $l,(rtt of bonds (In-
creasing his bond holdings to tti,(U>), de-
fnvtt* Seoretdrg it True Co Her Title.
posited them with the Treasurer and treasury notes on the single conditio!
drew out another $l,6tw of treasury notes that the notes were to continue in aetlva
against the bonds and applied the noteB circulation, the penalty being cancellation
to the payment of the remainlug $1,600 of the bonds if this provision Were vlo-
due on the land. The farm would now lated. Under this provision, while tha
be free of incumbrance, his $6,000 bond banks would be at liberty to purchaaa
holdings guaranteeing payment of the the bonds and take out treasury notea
$1,500 he would still owe the bank. against them by depositing the bonds with
The interest on the $1,600 due the bank the Treasurer, they would be compelM.
at 6 per cent would be S9U The Interest as would all purchasers of the bonds, to
at 3 per cent which he would receive from keep the notes in circulation, and they
the Government on the $*,000 bonds would would not take out the notes unless there
amount to $1S0, a sum sufficient to pay was a demand for them to avoid canoslta-
the Interest due the bank, and still leave tlon and the tax penalty for violation of
him *90 to the good this provision.
Say that the farm produced the second ^ direct effect of the system would bo
year another Sl.aOO of profits, and that he Bn immediate lowering of the Interaat
applied the profits to the purchase of ratH on |oanB t„ 3 ppr rPl,t or a lower
more bonds: again deposited these bonds ,.ftte 0|1 collateral which men wished t«
?! JJD. ,e Treasurer and drew out another „onv;rt into cash to purchase the bonds
,of '"","r.T.r°'7 !° exchanged for treasury notes, as the
to the cancelation of his $1,500 debt to
the hank He would now be the owner of
a SUwW farm free of incumbrance and ]"nan",'
gold bonds to the amount of $7,500.
The above Illustration of the working
of the Bystem would apply to every In-
dustrial interest In the country.
3 per cent received In Interest on tha
bonds would pay the Interest on all suoh
If a $100 per capita Issue of such bond*
would be considered too great, the a«r
capita could be made $50 to start with.
The currency which forced Its way Into "J* a population of 100,1100,000, that would
circulation under this system would take ?,r„ .u.e (,)f .IWO.Ofsj.OOO Instead
the place of the National hank notes to $10,090,000,000. At the end of fifty years
lie retired on the maturitv of the bonds the Issue could be renewed and added to
deposited to secure their 'circulation in lr conditions demanded, aa there could
fact the system could lie utilized by the arise no condition to demand Government
Government to facilitate the retirement redemption of the bonds. The gold and
of the National bank circulation at Ita sold certificates paid Into the Treasury
pleasure or. when In Its tudgment, such 'or the bonds, added to the credit stand-
course would be advisable. "'g of the Government would keep
Under this system the function of pro- treasury notes at par.
vldlng the Nation with a currency clrcu- Panics would be rare occurrences, .
latlon which would be truly an elastic the power of the banks to produoe panic..
and at the same time a stable currency by hoarding currency and withdrawing It
would come to be a Government function from circulation would be destroyed. Tha
exclusively, and the ability of the Govern- system, once established, the banks would
ment to keep these treasury notea at all become what they reallv should
times at par would he beyond any ques- depositories for money for Invest
tlon, as the gold and gold certificates und credit exchanges, and the fins
paid Into the Treasury for the bonds partnership between them and the (Joy-
would do that. eminent would no longer exist.
Whether a tax should be levied to pav Such a currency system could not
the :i per cent Interest on Ihe bonds is a nlmulste industry and commerce, (
debatable question, as the Government mote development and give new life
would have no occasion to redeem treas- the energies of the people and, by
ury notes lost or utterly destroyed by HiirlnK a low interest rale, enable tit
the better to meet the burden of hl|
prices for the iiecesaarlsa of life.
Criticism of the plan for securing
country a stable, elastic currency,
Ihe Government as the exclusive
fire und flood or otherwise
8uch a system would guarantee a cheap
stable currency.
The volume of I his form of currency
which would find Its way Into circulation
would be limited by tiie ability of the of Ihe currency, is invited
jeople to usp it and purchase the bonds To do this f<»! thp peoplp would
.n conjunction with the provision that more than what the Government » A
the bonda could only b« exchanged (or tht present doing for th« National r~*
Fr
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
San Antonio Express. (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 48, No. 117, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 27, 1913, newspaper, April 27, 1913; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth432432/m1/29/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Abilene Library Consortium.