Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 241, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 October 1914 — Page 3

TEACHES SYSTEM TO "THE SYSTEM"

Mary Shapiro, the Remarkable Business Housekeeper of Wall Street. ITS EFFICIENCY ENGINEER Bhe Telle employers How to Minimise Their Office Expenses and Get Better Results—Some Unique Employments.

By RICHARD BPILLANE.

'Wall street has something entirely new, a business housekeeper. She calls herselt a visiting secretary, but visits ing or business housekeeper more nearly defines her work. In the home of “The System” shq is teaching system. She is a scientific office woman. When a firm or a corporation finds its office force does .not work well, or that expenses are out of all proportion to the results achieved, she straightens things out What the efficiency engineer who goes into a factory and, after careful study, reports to the manufacturer what must be done to check waste, she does for tlfia banker, the broker, the lawyer and the mining man. No Job is too big for her, and no Job too small. She has been in Wall street long enough to know Its needs and has had experience enough to know how to meet those needs. The business housekeeper is Mary Z. Shapiro. She went to the street when die was a slip of a girl. She hi less than thirty now, but she says it seems as if she has been in the financial district for ages. Most of the stenographers down town or up town are most happy when they have the least to do. They chatter and gossip and watch the clock rather than think of ways and means by which they may serve their employers or improve

"You Disorganise Your Office Fores by Your Interference With Their Work."

their minds. Occasionally there is one that is different Miss Shapiro was different.'‘She was earnest, ambitious and eager to learn. She wanted to have her full share of the innocent pleasures of life, but downtown meant business to her. As she wanted to go ahead in the world she could not see wherein be doing Justice to herself if she did not learn everything she could about business. Learned Something Eveqy Day. What education she has she got in the schools of New York. A good pupil can learn a lot In the schools of New York. There is a lot more that can be learned after leaving schooL This girl stenographer learned something every day. She studied her employer’s business, studied the methods by which things were done and retained all the knowledge she obtained. She was not content merely to transcribe the notes of her employer’s letters. Whenever she could make herself useful at any other work, she was eager to do it. First of all, she wanted to he a first-class stenographer. The more difficult the dictation the better she liked it Within two years she could write so fast stenographically and so accurately that site was the pride of the office. ' It la all very well to he a first-clan, stenographer, hat stenography has its limitations. She could not hope to get! more than $26 or S3O a week, regardless of how expert she became. She wanted to fit herself for something better. She had, an idea that if she became'well grounded to business she could fit herself'for some really good position. The New York university has a department of commerce, accounts and finance which la designed to equip students for the greatest usefulness in business. Miss Shapiro went to the university and Mitered this department. She studied oom-

meree and accounts and finance with the deepest interest She has a wonderfully acute mind. The study fascinated her. When she was graduated she had learned as much as her teachers could impart to her. She wanted to be thorough so she was not content to work In only one branch of Wall street’s business. She took various employments simply with the idea -of getting experience and knowledge. She worked for a banker and she worked for a broker; then she worked-for a lawyer, then she worked for a mining man. Too Good for Clerkship. A clever young woman learns faster than a clever young man, and has a better grasp of detail. -The men Misa Shapiro worked for were delighted with her services. They would have been happy to have retained herns a clerk. But «he did not wish to remain a clerk. She had a finer- mind than some of the men she worked for, and a better grasp-of business. Sbe thought she might aspire to some official position, like secretary or assistant secretary to a corporation. She knew she had executive ability, and with her skill at accounts and her fine grasp of correspondence and general business she knew she could give good service. Men who knew her capabilities- praised her highly, and declared she was one of the. brightest young women they ever had found In the business field. Praise is very pleasant, bat when there w&s a vacancy in a secretarial position, and Miss Shapiro applied for It, those who had the awarding of the position hemmed and hawed. They would like to give it to her, they acknowledged' but It never would do. They had to' have a man, they laid. To have a woman in an official position would be unconventional, justness is bound by convention. Sotoe day it-may be different, bht that day is still distant. Became Efficiency Engineer. Miss Shapiro had hopes of attaining her ambition after a while, but as time went on and she saw no change, she began to think of other ways and means of improving her condition. Sbe kept her eyes open all the while. She studied offices and she studied business. She saw a lot of waste and she

Studied how to eliminate it in all its phases. Bhe studied the -problem in the light of affording a broader field In which to use her energies. When she was satisfied that there was an opportunity for her to employ her talents to the best advantage, she branched out for herself. She became a Wall street efficiency engineer. Wall street is.made up of a mass of businesses, big and little. There are some concerns jthat employ hundreds of men-and women. There are some that employ a dozen or two. There are some that are made up of a man, a boy, and an apology for a stenographer. Some of these businesses are welljorganized. The majority are not Inanimate machinery works more accurately and more regularly than animated. It is a rare business manager who gets the best possible results oflt of his office force. One day Wall street was surprised to receive an announcement from Mlss Shapiro that she was ready to assist business houses to reduce their office expenses snd st the same time maintain the highest standard of efficiency. These results she would obtain by studying their needs carefully and applying the most practical plans and suggestions. Some of the men who received her announcement threw It in the waste basket. To some of the others It gave an Idea. They were not satisfied with the manner inwhlch their offices were being conducted. Expenses were high, but somehow they did not manage to get their work handled satisfactorily. They eent for the yoqpg woman. They acknowledged they did not know; what was. wrong, but were willing to have tiie source of the trouble discovered for them, and were ready, to pay well tor it New eyes are better than old. Sometime* a person Is too dose to an ob-

THE EVENING REPUBLICAN, RENSSELAER, IND.

Jeet, or has been dose to ft toe loag to »ee it in the proper light. One big broker who employed Miss Shapiro acknowledged that his expenses were altogether too large, but he could not see for the life of him how he could reduce them. Miss Shapiro over Mb books and studied his case for a day. Then she startled him by explanation so simple that he almost was ashamed of himself. The broker had offices large enough for a concern that did twice or three-times the business. His lease was>pbout to expire. She pointed out how, by a rearrangement, he would have plenty of room with half the space. She consolidated the work of some of the clerkß, readjusted the whole establishment, and got her pay. One day of study on her part meant the saving of Beveral thousands of dollars a year to that broker. Not only that, Sqt it brought about a better constitution in the whole establishment. The broker thinks she Urn wonder. Sample of Her Work. A very rich and good man of Wall street sent for her. He could not understand why it was he never could get the service out of his clerks that other men seemed to get He paid them well and showed every consider ation for them, yet, somehow, they lagged in their duties. The man is very charitable. When appeals are made to him to aid he wants to be sure that what money he gives is well bestowed. His employes have a great affection for him and do their best to please him. „ _ ■ ~ Miss Shapiro studied this office and then surprised the kindly gentleman by telling him that the trouble was with him. “You send this clerk and that clerk out,” she said, “to Investigate cases of charity, and you disorganize your office force by your interference with their work.” Then she gave a list of the number of hours this clerk and that clyrk had been absent. The number of hours the clerk had been absent did not measure the real extent of the interference in the office routine. Pour hours’ absence in one day sometimes meant f?be actual loss of the whole day’s service of that particular worker, and incidentally It tied up the work of other clerks whose duties were dependent upon that particular person. Usually the person sent on the philanthropic errand had the direction of several other clerks and they were idle by reason of his absence. The kindly gentleman frowned and said he did not Bee how to remedy the trouble. He knows now. Miss Shapiro has taken over a large part of the werk connected with the charity cases. £ . ... ; ' ■ A lawyer with a big staff had been subjected to no end of embarrassment. He never seemed able to have things done to his satisfaction. He paid .out a lot of money, hut it was no use. It did not take Miss Shapiro long to find the answer. It was cheap help. The lawyer had a chronic objection to paying decent wages. He had a lot of incompetents, and paid more for them than he would for a smaller number of employes who would 'do his work In first class shape. It was not pleasant for him to be informed of the truth, but Miss Shapiro had been In lawyers’ offices long enough to make him understand how far below the average his employes were In grade and he commissioned her to reorganize his force. He has a good office staff now. It costs less than the old one and he Is getting excellent service. He Is cured of the idea that what is cheap Is profitable. Elimination of Waste. These cases are merely typical. Oo* casionally the trouble In an office is due to a well-intentioned but poorlyqualified managing clerk. Miss Shapiro studies each case just as a scientist studies a subject. The symptoms of disorder in an office are as apparent to her as the symptoms of an ailing person who comes before a physician tor examination. Once the trouble is located, there is no difficulty in, applying the remedy. One of her greatest values is to the elimination of waste. She knows pretty well what' supplies anofflee should use, whether it be a bank, brokerage house, a lawyer’s office or a mining engineer’s. She knows, too, the costs -of supplies. When she goes over the accounts it -does not take her long to tell if too much money is being spent, and what would be a reasonable amount to expend. The' range of her work la remarkable. Some of her employments are ; unique. She has a sort of emergency clearing house. In some small estab lishments the whole office Is throw# out of gear if the one stenographer or the one clerk employed is 11L Miss Shapiro is prepared on a moment’s notice to supply a stenographer trained in legal work for or one trained in brokerage business to a broker, or one trained in mining affairs to a miner. It la the same, too, in regard to a clerk. As the business housekeeper of Wall street it would seem that she would have plenty to do. But it is the busy person who always has time to do something additional. With all the calls she has upon her time in tha financial district she, somehow, finds opportunity, not only to act as secretary of the Federation Settlement house, but to take part in the activities of that great institution. Usually the highly capable business woman Is sharp-featured, crabbed in manner and dowdy in dress. Miss Shapiro is feminine to her finger tips, wonderfully attractive in feature and. in addition, is one of the best dressed women down town. (Copyright, Ml 4, by the Newspa per Syndicate)

WIT and HUMOR

NOT QUALIFIED AS MUSICIAN

Sambo Declined Place on Band Because He Couldn’t Even Carry a Tune on a Mouth Organ. The conversation in the lobby of a Washington hotel the other night turned to charitable work, when Congressman'. William P. Borland of Missouri was reminded of an incident along that line. Some time ago Sambo Smith was watching the development of a watermelon vine in his garden on the outskirts of a southern city, when the esteemed Washington Snow rambled down the road and became a part of the immediate scenery. “Mistah Smith,” began the esteemed Snow, trailing his way across the garden, “I hab come to see yo’ on Borne ’ponhtant bizness.” -“Yes, sah,” agreeably answered Sambo. “What kin Ido fo’ yo’, Mistah Snow?” “We am gittin’ up a mission band, Mistah Smith,” impressively replied the other, “an’ we would like yo’ tor Jlne.” “Say, Mistah Snow,” broadly smiled Sambo, “yo’ make me laugh like great happiness! Yo’ know berry well dat I kain’t eben carry a tune on a mauf organ.”—Philadelphia Telegraph.

Dying, Egypt, Dying.

“Cleopatra, my Egyptian deity, why is the local train from Rome to Cairo like a poor baseball league?” / “Antony, my easy Mark, I confess I know not!” “Ah, Cleo, the local train from Rome to Cairo is like a poor baseball league because, Cleo, because of its many short stops!” Fanfare. Bus. Cleopatra reaches for favorite asp.—Harvard Lampoon.

Not Worth Mentioning.

Snooker (fiercely)—Your fowls have been over the 1 wall and scratched my garden. v . Chanks (coolly)—Well, there’s nothing extraordinary in that. It’s their nature to scratch. Now, if your garden were to come over the wall and scratch my fowls, it would be extraordinary, and something worth communicating.—Pearson’s Weekly.

What Next?

The following, overheard on the subway, is offered to our readers without prejudice: - “The women are now Importuning President Wilson to establish a woman’s independence day. Great Caesar! Are they never satisfied? They already have 366 such days.”—New York Post.

Financial Finesse.

“Has Burroughs paid you that $5 he owes you?” “Yes; and say, that fellow Is a born financier.” “What do you mean?" “lie paid the $5 in the morning and established confidence to such a degree that he borrowed ten that afternoon.”

WORKS BOTH WAYS.

Wiggs—Courtesy helps business. Woggs—Yes, and good business makes a man feel a heap more polite, too.

How It Happened.

“How did the accidents happen?” asked the sympathetic friend. “Well, ril tell you,” replied the man on crutches. “The automobile was going pretty fast and all of a sudden we struck a wet place on the asphalt and there was a noise and the doctor said: “He’ll be able to be around to about four weeks.”

No Consistency.

"I don't understand George,” said the bride. “How so?” “He told me to sweeten his coffee .with a smile, which I did. And then he went and put In two lumps of sugar, anyhow."

HOW HOPP LOST HIS MONEY

Thrills and Joys Experienced by Amateur Stock Gambler Are Related by Railroad Man. Stuart C. Leake, the railroad man, who spends much of his time traveling between Richmond, Va., and New York, has all sorts of friends and acquaintances. One of these is a man named Hopp. “Hopp,” said Leake, one day in Philadelphia, “what have you been doing with yourself?” “The biggest thing I’ve done,” explained Hopp, “was to experience the joys of stock gambling. Take it from me, I’m some gambler to stocks.” Leake asked him to tell the merry story. “I had saved up $1,000,” Hopp narrated, “and I decided to take a shot at the market. I picked out the stock on which f knew I could make a lot of money. I decided to buy, and I took ten shares. “Over in the corner of the bucket shop was a telegraph operator, and I could hear the instrument saying, ’Hopp’s got a thousand! Hopp’s got a thousand!' That sounded good to me. It was an omen of victory. Pretty soon a cold shiver ran down my spine, and then ran up again. The instrument began to say, ‘Take It away from Hopp! Take It awa/from Hopp!’ Talk about thrills ahd excitement! I was beginning with ’em right away. “To make & long story short —do you get me? —that stock dropped eleven points in about fifty minutes. They took it away from Hopp.”—Popular Magazine.

MUST BE.

First Passenger—Beg pardon, but my name is Baggs. Second Passenger—Baggs! Baggs! I once knew a man named Sax. Any relation of yours?

Cracking a Joke.

A popular suburbanite, who Is also a ready wit, told some children in the neighborhood that as there were English walnuts on his place, he was going to invite them to his Nutty Castle, where he would furnish the expense of entertainment. “If your house is named Nutty Castle,” said one of the children, “what are you called?” “Oh, I am the doughnut,” answered the entertainer.

Promoting Cheer.

“Did you get any encouragement from the eminent official on whom you called?” •. “Yes, sir,” replied the spokesman of the delegation; “he was right encouraging. He called attention to the fact that it’s a pleasant day today, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised if it was Just as pleasant tomorrow.”

Handicapped.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself,” said the sheriff. “Trying to hold up a train to the hope of getting a few hundred dollars.” “I know It!” said the train robber. “But I had to work fast. I didn't have time ip get hold of the directors and make them help me to hold up the stockholders.”

Costume.

'T’ve bought a silk hat and a frock ooat,” said the man who has decided to run for office, “but somehow 1 don’t look like a regular statesman.” “Let me look at you,” exclaimed his wife. “I thought -so! Men don’t know how to dress themselves. Rub that hat the wrong way and put on a lay-down collar and a black bow tie.”

Fitness.

“Do you think the natives of the Philippines are capable of establishing a government?” “To a certain extent. You put a bolo to the hands of a healthy Moro and turn him loose on an unarmed community and the way he’ll turn in and govern will surprise you.”

Dividing Up the Day.

“A man should have eight hours for recreation and then take the remainder of the day for work and sleep.” “Perhaps. It depends on the kind of work you select. Sometimes a man goes after his recreation so violently that he gets too nervous to work or sleep.”

A Quandary.

“A great many of the people out our way think that you ought to come out and say something,” said the adviser. “Yes,” replied Senator Sorghum; “and if I do say something just as many people will say that I ought to have kept atilL”

Greeting the Doc.

“Roman gladiators used to address the emperor thus: ‘We who are about to die salute you!”’ *T feel like using the singular number of that salutation every time I climb into a dentist’s chair.”

The Walk of the Chinch

Br REV. WILLIAM EVANS. D.D.

DiinW <1 B*k Comm

TEXT—“One God and Father of mU. who is above all, and through all, and la you all.” Ephesians 4:8.

church, which should be characterized by unity (4:l-16Ju aeocond, the ' walk of the individual Christian, which should be a walk of purity (4:17-6:21); third, tha walk of the family, which should ba characterized by loving submission and service (6:22-6:9). The difference between the two main divisions of this epistle may be stated, thus: to the first, the church is presented as an organism which God alone sees; to the second the church is set forth as an organization such as God would have the world see. Looking now for a moment at the church as characterized by unity, we notice three trios of unities. First there are those specific virtues which secure and maintain the peace and unity of the church: they are lowliness, meekness, long-suffering and forbearance, and love. The lowly man is one who is not * always clamoring for his rights bat is willing at times and where occasion requires to yield those rights for the welfare of others; he is, in other words, the man of humble and lowly spirit. Where this spirit is found to any church, unity prevails; its absence means friction. The meek man is the man who thinks as little of his personal claims as the humble man does -of his personal merits; he gladly gives place to others and is willing to take the lowest room. How many seeds of strife and roots of bitterness would be destroyed if this mind were in us all. Self-importance and love of office, and a craving for applause and leading places, mars the unity and peace of the church. * -The long-suffering man is he who is not harsh or censorious or Impatient in his dealings with those who are weaker than.himself and who have not yet reached his attainment. He is forbearing with the weaknesses and faults pf others and does not cease to love or Interest himself to'his neighbor, even though he has faults and weaknesses. There Is next presented to us those fundamental unities on which the unity of the church is based, namely, one body, one spirit, one hope; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God over all, through all, in aIL The church Is one body. Thin In the teaching of Scripture. At the time of his conversion every believer was baptized by the .holy spirit into the body of Jesus Christ. One spirit, the holy spirit, permeates all its members. Indeed, only spirit-quickened men belong to the real church which is the body of Jesus Christ. There Is one hope of onr calling, that is, friendship with Christ who is the one object and inspiration of pur hope; one object, to realize, likeness to Christ; one prize to win, the crown of life. Are we not totog to the same heaven, and looking for the same Lord? The oneness of aim of believers makes unity and fellowship a glorious reality. Then the church Is- to reality one, and church unity is really a fact. There may be many denominations, yet one body; many stars, and one sjpr differing from another to glory, yet one radiant sky; many regiments, each Its own uniform and colors, but one great army; many folds, bat one flock; many creeds,' but one faith; many accents, but oae common language; many ways of doing things, but one motive. Here then is a true unseen unity which binds together all believers to the Lord Jesus Christ, and shall we say that an outer unity of organization is impossible? Who will dare say that? We would be sorry to see the handwriting of the church affixed to such a conclusion. Shall we deem impossible an enterprise which secular societies are accomplishing every day? Tell it not in Gath, publish it hot in Ascalon, that a unity which the order of freemasonry and the brotherhood of locomotive engineers have succeeded to attaining by voluntary effort and under no stronger force than sympathy and a sense of common need—that such n unity has been declared impossible to the church of Jesus Christ! The vision may come. If it tarry, let us watt for It, but meanwhile let us rest assured of one thing, that the real church of Jesus Christ is one body, is permeated by one spirit, and has one hope of Imp railing. ■

The Epistle to the Ephesians falls into two divisions: The High Calling and Glory of the Church (ch. 1-3), and The Practical Walk of* the Church in View of this High Calling (ch. 4-6). We are now considering the secon d divis i. 03 which may no summed up in three ways: First, the walk of the