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 tions and is able to give the copy the "air" of the model hat, she will command from $15 to $25 per week, according to the size of the shop and city in which she works.

Step number five makes her the autocrat of the shop—the trimmer. Now she originates her own designs and commands as high as $75 a week. The woman who reaches this point is in line for the position of buyer, which, with many establishments, represents semi-annual trips to Paris. The girl who combines with her practical knowledge of the trade a natural commercial instinct, or the knowledge of what to buy and how much, can name her own salary.

This sort of woman seldom has difficulty in securing financial backing, if she desires to open a shop of her own. In fact, there is no limit to the commercial possibilities which her trade opens up. But it must be borne in mind that fully five years of patient, conscientious work, together with intelligent observation and strict attention to the commercial end of the trade or merchandising are required to place a woman in this independent and assured position.

"Is there no way by which I can escape this irksome apprenticeship? Are there no schools where millinery is taught?"

These question come from every point of the compass, for the average American girl has begun to believe that anything and everything can