THE OFFICE GIRL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 291, 28 August 1918, Page 6

THE OFFICE GIRL

AND THE BRUTE'S LITTLE JOKE

(By "Wi.")

Women and Scotsmen are popularly alleged to lmvo no sense of humour. For the defenco it is contended thai) since women view things differently from men, it follows that their sense of humour is tuned to a different conception of what wo call a joke; and that the Scotsman's sense of humour is so subtle and keen that he scorna to relax his countenance to do honour to tho feeble "wut" of tho English or the eccentric exuberance of the Irisbu Judge for yourselves— Some time ago one who signed himself "H.K.M.," wrolo something in the "Woekly Scotsman" abojit the office girl. It was a funny articlc, designedly funny, written, I assume, as a small contribution to the gaiety of nations. The Dominion, on the other side of tho world, passed on the joke to its readers. The Smile spread. Some- offico chiefs, whoso sense of humour apparently has kept them human, cut tho article out, framed it, and hung it up so that all might see and smile. But in ono city office, at least, tho joko fell flat. The girls didn't like it. Ia fact, they put their fair heads together and wroto to The Dominion about it,, seriously, strongly, with scorn. In "tho beginning, I put forward thai proposition—not mine, ladies, not minei —that women wero alleged to have no sense of humour. It would have been more proper to have put it that women can't take a joke. In that particular office the girls declined to take "H.R.M." as a joke. Palpably, they wero as mad as a mcat-a'xo. I wonder what these girls would have said had they been employed in another offico that 1 know of, where some hardy, joker had stuck this up: "0, women in our hours of ease Uncertain, coy, and hard to please. Wo do not think it quite the cheeseThat you should worls in offices." Of course, it was a joke, something to brightp up a dull corner of a dull world. Since, ladies, you have sweetlycon descended to work in the same offico with him you call The Brute, the said. Brute must be given time for the new situation to sink in. He has to become accustomed to the decorative aspects of the new dispensation—flowers on his-, desk, the frou-frou of skirts, the faint; odours of perfumery. He has to expunge from his office vocabulary certain weird words which in a sterner epoch wero his safety-valves in moments of tension. And now you want to deprive him of his little joke I _ The girls who wrote to The Dominion 1 signed themselves "Wage Earners by Necessity." Good luck to them. We take off our hats to them. We cheerfully make room for them.. We acknowledge their efficiency, their punctuality. We gladly greet them in the morning, and sigh regretfully when five o'clock comes.-

But we will never, 110 never, give lip our little joke.