Middletown transcript., 1873-01-11
From Woods HcsseAsid Aayazise.
ONE CAUSE OF TROUBLE.
NJ GAIL HAMILTON.

as much subject TO the laws Of supply
and demand rs are those Of mason and
employer. or Of merchant and customer.
Both arc moreover human beings. nctuat-
ed by tho self-same motives, imprcssiblc
BY the same signet, curbcd or encouraged
by the same influence. Neither mistress
nor maid may be aware Of these facts,
but they are just as much controlled By
them as it they intellgcn,ly recognized
them. Kathleen never heard word Of
political economy in her lifo. She knows
nothing whatever Of trade laws. She
never analysed her mind or It's workings
But she charges twenty cents an hour for
her scrubbing, while other women charge
twelve and fifteen cents And she gets L.
She lives in Country village, where she
is the only floating woman of-all-work,
and she is not qaitc equal to the demand
Consequently she is always in demand
and can dictate terms. If you choose not
to pay her twenty cents m hour, you can
let her alone; but there is no one else to
whom you can have recourse. and the
chances are that you would rather pay her
price than do her work In larger villa
ges and in cities there is more compen-
ton. IL enc woman will not work for
fifteen cents another will Some grumble
because women pay so low n price to
women but neither man nor woman is
bound to pay more than its market price
for anything. Philanthropy may--mus,
found its operation on natural LAYS. lf
it attempts to intcrmeddlc with them, or
TO subyeri them. i, is on the wrong track
Some grumblc because Kathleen charges
high rates. but Kathleen has thorough
right, is Thoroughly business like and sa-
gacious in ayaiGng herself Of her monopo-
ly. II shc becomes unreasonable, her
vaulting ambition will oerleap itself, aud
the too much enduring public will bring
in riyal-bu, tha, is for Kathleen 10
decide. and she is wholly right in making
hay while the sun shinc. She is pract.
cally logician ns uncrring and as con.
elusive Us Adam Smith II she could
pass competitive examination in the
. Wealth OF Nations" she could not shape
her course any more in accordance with
right reason. Christianity 10 good thing.
aud philanthropy is good thiag, but log
ic is inexerable.
When American housewives complain
Of the incompetence of their servants,
thsy complain not without cause. Poor
servants are the rule and good servants
are the exception And so long rs our
system Il house-seryice remains rs i, is,
50 long will this b. tile case. Our serv-
ants are puor bccouse we do not insi-,
I. tin. L. l.
domestic management is framed and fitted
to make incompetent servants. or at least
TO keep them incompetent Ii women
would determine that they would have
none but good servants, they would yery
soon have good servants. Even one wo-
man can do something in this matter, but
all women could do everything As
things are. woman who wants a servant
takes the best she can get. and puts up
with her as long as she can Then her
neighbor takes her and does tho same
thing. Both pay the girl tho same wages
which third neighbor pays to an efficient
aud excellent servant We have no posi-
tive requirements, no routine Of recon.
mendalion, no tariff of prices. The SER
wants, ignoran. ard earnest. combine aud
announce The misiresses intelligent bu,
inert, complain and-submit
Servants ought to be good, because
godliness is great gain; but so long as
We. their superiors, need all sorts OF in-
huences besides the excellence Of virtue
to make Us yiftuous, why should we think
it strange that these weaker brethren
should noed them too 2 Ii we so rcgu-
late e-or suffer TO be regulated-our houses
that a servant shall be just as we'll oil in
deceit and un,idiness and uniaithfulness
as in their opposi,es, We are singularly
credulous If We believe they will be any
thing but untidy aud unfaithful. It takes
twice rs long TO polish spoon or goblet
as it does to dry ii and most servants
need some further incentive than the mere
delight Of doing it.
Suppose now women could be brought
to the point Of agreeing once for al that
they will no loager retain poor servants.
Meihnks hear the cry of lismay going
up from thousand households, in ex-
pectation already dismantlei. How can
the mother Of many children dispense
! even with the partial help which, small
as 1t is. keeps her from sinking under her
burden But are women utterly incapa-
bic Of efccting organization Onc NO.
man can accomplish little, because, il she
dismisses her maid, neighbor imme-
diately takes her. But suppose tho wo-
men Of city should organize. who could
stand against them? The men organize
for political and other purposes. and with
tremendous power. Why cannot city
be thoroughly canvasscd, by districts, by
wards. BY streets as may be? Why can
not all the women who hire assistance be
assembled and addressed and enlisted !?
The women who sell assistance might be
similarly or simultaneously assembled.
There il no natural hostility between the
two. They ought to be friendly aud SYM
pathetic. II they are not 30, they should
be made SO. They should DO informed of
their relations and their duties. Surely
so,,,o ce our fc,nalo On .stcrs coulj eron. "a