The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-01-24
WHO'S CHARLES L. BRAOE2
We quote the Bulletin as follows:

thus:
No young woman who can use her needle
need make shirts for twenty-five cents" or
''walk the streets homeless and helpless"
Why is Charles l.. Brace one of the
best qualified authorities in this matter?
Rut we will follow him little further;
maybe we shall see for Ourself:
Numberless families in city and country re-
Quire seamstresses and nurses; they are willing
10 pay high wages, give them comfortable
rooms, take care of them when SICK, etc. but
the trouble j., the "unirained girl cursed with
beauty" is too proud 10 live "at service ana
thinks il more respectable TO take in sewing,
which means an attic-rOOm ana a ru>h-llshti
no fire and little food. Let uS have done win
this nonsense about driving girls 10 n llie OF
shame. There j. plenty Of work by whlch un-
married women could earn an honest living II
they are willing 10 do IL JnlortnsInately, me me
false idea that there is something disreputable
in the word servant and not "nnluSt wages, Op-
preston" etc, Is the true reason that able-oOd-
led women are hopeless. And when the Tempt
er assures her she can eNade me cuIse' IN
the sweat OF thy brow thou shalt eat lhy
bread,r let her not blame Others II she yielded
10 the temptation.
We are perfectly willing to eoneede
that there is much good sense in the
above, and yet the man who wrote and
the men who quote it have no more
real idea of what household service in
aristocratic families really is than they
have of the intuition aud self-respeet Of
women brought up with the idea of
liberty and independence III a so-called
land of freedom, who are denied equal
opportunities with themselves in the
race of life.
We lately visited at the house of n
wealthy friend, who has all her life been
accustomed to servants. The door-bell
was answered by a modest, plainly
dressed, intelligent and dainty appear
ing woman, who proved to be maid-of-
all-work in the mansion at n salary of
thirty dollars per month. Admiring
the cheerful order and easy-going COM
plication of the household machinery,
we were answered by the hostess:
az am not pleased with Sarah. She is
too high-toned for a servant"
'Tndeedl l think she is very genteel
and respectable"
''That is the great difficulty. She's 4
jewel of housekeeper, but a stranger
would take her for mistress in the house
hold"
81 guess not; you gave me no intro
duction to her; and when you addressed
her it was by a tap at the bell and 'Sa-
rah, do this, or that I should judge
her to be a wife and mother, who is en-
titled to the appellation Mrs. or Mad
am"
''She is n widow with four children,
WHO live in a room up town, where she
has to go every night. wish 1 had 4
servant whom other folks had no claims
upon.n
'But can't see what right you or
can have to an especial body servant.
We have perfect right to hire such SER
rice as we need, or can afford, but we
have no right to an individual claim
upon the bodies of our employees. It's
no wonder women do not like household
service. They are made to feel con-
tinually the social degradation of their
position"
"Well, they're out of luck" said our
friend, lightly drumming the piano as
she spoke, and showing by yawn that
she was ready TO change the subject
In the afternoon our skillas dress-makel
was called into requisition, and We
found ourself alone with the house
keeper, while our friend entertained
callers in the parlor.
"Do you like living out at service, -
we asked, kindly.
"No, indeed" was the emphatic an
swer; 'Td rather keep myself and chill
dren on bread and water and be indie
pendent. To be spoken to rs Sarah
and treated as a vassal isn't very pleas
ant to the widow of a once wealthy
merchant. 1 don't complain; / don't
mind labor, but Pm going to leave thi:
position Of slavery and try to get WORK
with my needle"
There it is, all in a nutshell, Charlie:
/. Brace. And so far from you being
tone Of the best qualified authorities, u
you don't know anything about diving
at service" Try it once. Why, you
wouldn't stand it a week, sir.
Women who hire servants make the
word scrUdnt "disreputable," because
theylook upon the refined and intelligent
women who are placed in their homes
with the same degree of naughty SUI
periority which they bestow upon the
most ignorant Chinaman. Free labor
alone is exalting, and the labor Of dis
enfranchised classes is always degrad-
ing. There is 10 more exacting tyrant
extant than the mistress of n house
hold who is herself q subordinate. 1t is
also too true that women at household
service are as effectually ostracised from
good society rs are women in brotheIs
and as long as the first half starves hel
family on the wages of her calling, and
the other rolls in luxury from the wage.
of hers, do not blame the weakest il
they sometimes yield to temptation.
No, Mr.. Charles L. Brace, you are moi
"well qualified authority" The true
reason that "able-bOdied women are
! hopeless" is because the tens of thous-
ands of married women who labor al
their days without remuneration de
! grade household labor below the call
ing of the wanton who commands pay
for her professional services. Help tC
cnfrdRchise irOmdn, sir! Demand FOL
her equal opportunities with yourself tC
make laws for her individual and finan
cial protection, and she will then pro