It is hard to imagine that there was a time when women were thought of as pretty much worthless. Then again, after doing some online reading about how proper women should be subservient to their husbands, I believe that there are men who would gladly send women back into the dark ages.
THE ONLY WOMAN NIGHT CLERK IN THE WORLD
The only woman nigh clerk in the world is Mrs. Holden Friberg. And she is the first to hold such a position.
That the hotel is the Martha Washington does not detract from its significance.
This “only exclusive woman hotel” has confined service behind the desk almost wholly to men. It has been somewhat disconcerting to both men and women coming to the hotel for the first time to find men behind the desk, so universally has Martha Washington been acclaimed a progressive woman enterprise.
While the hotel company is made up almost wholly of women stockholders, yet it has never had the courage to intrust the hotel management to a woman!
Girl bellhops was the hotel’s original innovation. When assistance was required behind the desk in the distribution of mail, a bell girl was summoned. From their ranks at length came the first woman mail clerk.
She was followed by a woman day clerk borrowed from the manager’s personal clerical service.
It was from the mail desk that Mrs. Friberg broke into her present unique position, supplanting the oldest man employee.
Aside from welcoming and speeding guests — for midnight often brings in many ocean travelers — Mrs. Friberg checks up the hotel books every night, accounting for the occupant of every room.
Source: (1911, December 01). The only woman night clerk in the world. The Day Book, p. 18.
