The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-04-27 00:00:00

Ebt 20totIttribgt 00serer.

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1872.

DOMESTIC SERVANTS.

No more remarkable illustration of the deter-
mination of the employed classes to assert their
rights, or what they consider their rights, and
to protest against their wrongs, or what they
consider their wrongs, has been afforded than
has been presented by the recent meeting of
domestic servants at Dundee. Let us endeavour
impartially to consider the salient points brought
ont during the discussion. But first it may be
premised—and this we think will not be denied
—that the mistresses have for years past had
the debate on domestic service almost wholly to
themselves. That there are grievances and
wrongs on both sides cannot be disputed; but
as comparatively few servant girls can express
their grievances in writing fit for print, and as
there are thousands of ladies who can do this,
the one-sidedness of the controversy on domes-
tic service is easily accounted for. The servant
girls, however, now appear to consider that it is
high time they had their say; and we all know
that they can generally talk well on matters
which concern them (and sometimes on affairs
which don't concern them), if they cannot write
well about them. This has been proved at the
meeting alluded to, at which, we are bound to
say, some very sensible remarks were made.
The first demand was for a half-holiday weekly
and a free Sabbath every fortnight. There is
nothing unreasonable in this, and we cannot see
that domestic servants should be doomed to work
on continuously without any holidays, any more
than any hr class, and we may remind the
mistresi.es at the Saturday half-holiday is now
accorded to a large extent, if not pretty gene-
rally. Feeling, however, that in domestic ser-
vice there may be more difficulty in this matter
than there is in the counting-house or the work-
shop, the Dundee servants express their willing-
ness to confine their " direct claims" to a full
holiday once a fortnight, and probably the ma-
jority of mistresses would raise no very decided
objection to this. As to hours of labour the
servants are certainly not unreasonable. They
consider that if they rise at six and go to bed at
ten there will be suffieient time to do all the
work required of them. Truly this is a toler-
ably liberal allowance of work, though as a rule
domestic service is not very hard work, and
though the common remark that " a servant's
work Is never done "is one that cuts both ways.
With the remonstrance against unnecessary la-
bour on the Sunday, and against this labour
often being heavier than on week-days, most
people must sympathise ; and already, as is well
known, in thousands of families great efforts are
made to obviate unnecessary Sunday work. As :
to the objections to wearing a " Rag, ' except at
the expense of the mistress, and as to the latter
having no right to interfere with any dress or
jewellery that servants liked to wear so long as
they were paid for, a great deal may be said on
the other side—indeed, on both sides, and we do
not think that servants have, as a rule, very
much cause for complaint on this head. In an-
other respect the protest, manifesto, er refuom
strauce of toe servants unquestionably is not
wholly without reason; in tact there is some
sound sense in it. It was urged that it was high
time that the domestic servants should form
thetuseives into an organisation, whereby they
would be enabled to secure information not only
regarding the character of those who might be-
come their elnpioyers, but also respecting their
general temper and conduct. As the association
has been formed, it will be interesting to watch
how the servants go to work in ascertaining—
and, we presume, registeriug—the characters,
temper, and conduct of their mistresses.
Whether the servants are to be the sole judges
of the matter, or whether there is to be any tri-
bunal to Ntuich the indirect claims of the
servauts are to be referred, and whose decisions
are to be haat in regard to these delicate and
ticklish inquiries. Ihere is, however, one con-
sideration noicit way be confluent:ell to domestic
tiEEVILLILS cotouiLociug ultitatiou. The position
of toe c.ass *drive; tuottuously ; it is not only
infitteliced by the " clairaeters, temper told con-
duct" ot tn.: 'mistresses, but by those of the
servants, and an infinitude of circuaistances
which vary in different twailies. For example,
look to the difference of trostomut whit C.,ogard
to a subject welch was not alluded to at this
meeting—•• no followers ado Ntia," sod depend

upon ii- that tile cook or housemaid considers
this quite 113 important a matter as .• wearing a
evea at Old mistress's expense ! On the
whole there is no great harm in servant-girls
meeting to discuss their grievances, real or im-
aginary. on the one hand it affords an oppor
tuuity of correction where the servants are
wrong, dud it will snow the unstresses that the
cause tor complaint is not %110ily on one tilde.