, 1874-01-04
rue SERVANT-QUESTl0N AGAIN
Wages Of Domestic Help.
xr;axv from the Standpoint of a
Mistress.

4NoT
e,s.bils 10 1iquidate. coal to furnish, food to
lido, and all the manifold expenses Of living
r meet, or are they the young Indies who con-
s.scend to enter your house and do that portion
- tba NECESSARY labor which they may not find
~ ~ mnch trouble. We fancy we see the maEcu-
,;.a ~ nortion Of tho community shrug their
.toulders sud eHclslm: 80
n,,vArS TIE sEEyAST-91RL QUESTION!
,..,sr. to ba no end to it, them 7" No, gen.
.1.,nen not until the thing is fairly understood; !;
~ mill some Of the evils Of it are abated not
-.t1 women learn that there is a certain
..,ornt Of e1tortion in the wages they are forced
- nav. Essy-going men and shoddy women are
- tba bottom Of it. 1t is these latter that the
s,a,tar portion Of the community have to thank
for The {act that they are either forced into
+hin1-rste boarding houses, or, it they do
et,;ra to make home Of their own, tho wives
-. oh1i7ed to wear. 3hemselves out in vain
s,des7or to be all things in all places.
"a know the housekeepcr by nature and edu-
.,t;on will be ready to take up arus against rs
md battle for the broom, the dust-paa, and the
er1bbine-brush. But, my dear Madame,
We ARE NOT ALL HousEKEEPEns,
born. Exc poets, nor made by judicious training,
1;ta some Of yourselves. It takes years to be-
coms perfect in the art Of housekeeping, and,
rith al due respect for your prejudices, it would
tste an eternity for some Of us to learn to tol-
er.te its disgusting details: Raw meat to
handle greasy dish-water to put our hands in,
,nd uuclean floors to scrub. Call it squeamish-
,ess. cali it aGectation il sou like, call it what
mn vii, the fact that it exists with very many
II Us proves the necessity Of remedy.
When the world is properly balanced, and each
NJ rs does the thing best suited to her, then, no
doubt, ne ehould all be satisfied; but, until it
does. we must try and arrange matters ns com-
fndaby 90 We can for all. Tic pseudo-philan-
throoist would annihilate us if he could, We sup
rose. because ne dare assert that servants
wages
= ARE TOO HIGH.
Va s8ais your indignant missiles, but w'e stick
to our text. They are too high for the large
us5ozity Of the community who need help to
rs-. "Gzind the face Of the poor, will you?
Deft.ud the hard-working girl of her hard
earned wages, while you play tho lady?" de-
CLAIMS the theorist who has never taken any
rsctical view of the subject, or the Office seeker
Who wants poltic.! catchword. No there is
no. sny wrong in the natter, but there is a loud
cr; for Justice to ourselves. Our servants have
rade q Law unto themselves. and they Will not
ser7e you for less than from 93 to IS a week A
fresh arrival, Who .
CANNOT SPEAK WORD OF ENGLISH,
usy condescend to come and be nuisance, and
learn new tongue gratis, for the trif1o Of 50
week; but she is not q desirable acqul sition to
person not graduate Of a deaf and dumb asylum,
c1 born Harlequin CT Columbine. We can't all
ba ers, ed from the first institution, and there
dun 3H3l.
ters' education in the pantomime and variety
xay; 50 the non-Engl glsh-speaklng help Is apt to
grove very undesirable hindrance. 1t does not
matter to the rich man, who cau afford us many
servants IS he needs or wiahes, and Who can also
pay them laGishly; but it does very much matter
to the poor man, OF the one in moderate clrcum-
Stances, who has only limited income to supply
III the wants OF q family
ne think it may be fairly conceded that
THE AVERAGE INCOME
viii not exceed 81, 900 or $780, In fact, We
believe the Lesser eum more likely to approach
ths general average than the greater. But we
vii take the larger sum for Cur estimate, and
suppose that, on this amount, man must sup
port = family Of four,-hinself, wife, and
Two children. These children must have
ca1e,- and that mothers care. They
%ust be clothed fed End md kept Ieai Slean
any girl enter such household for less than
$3.50 or "a a week. Very doubtful! II you
don't belieye it, advertise and try. Granted,
however, that she does condescend to relieve
you Of tho washing, ironing. end portion OF
the cooking, for the amauer sum,
HOW DOES THE ACCOUNT STAND
So far Us our observation goes,-and it has
been extended over many cities and through
many grades Of society,-the general servant is
housed as comfortably, has as good d bed, and
the same food, as her employers. Espe-
ciaE is this the case with those whose income ia
pFo "a faf aff1 n4f
class OF wants are supplied, then. to the servant
as they are to the rest Of the family. In ad-
dhon to this, she has, Mt s3.5 weeE, the sum
Of sl82 year in cash with which to provide
herself clothing, amusement, or to do what
she wi1 With. It might naturally be supposed
thst her employers ought to have the samo
amount allowed them for like purposes. Grant
ing it to husband and wife, with half the allow
ancs for "lttle blue ehoes" and other requi-
Gtes for the juniors, and what ia the sum total,
including Miss Helps allowance? Only s728
5ear. Il Communism is the order Of tie day, is
na1y more than fair that the mistress
SHOULD HAVE AS MUCH
- the maid does to spend on herself and that
the little ones should have half the sum? 1t Is
naturally supposed that the mistress may have
eertsin expenses in regard to her outer aaoIn-
ing which the maid is not obliged to copy, but
Ehich, unfortunately, she frequently burlesques::
70 will suppose this to be admitted, then; and
That from the average income Of 81 200 is to be
sabtracted 9728 cash, to place the members Of q
household upon the same footing in regard
70 pecuniary advantages as the ser
Mnt they employ. Our hard-worklng father
o. the family has left the magnificent sum OF
s4i2 to meet an other expenses with. House.
rent sone will take at least $500 OF this, and
ihen you have just 3172 to buy food, light, and
aae With. What is the result? You mnst pay
tae glll Or your wife must be slave to house.
;no,a-dntiea, grow old, careworD, and finally die
IN hArness.
a, IT Is PLAINLY TO BE SEEN
snss neither you nor she Gun have as much
money IS your servant to spend on yourselves.
ION ION must wear your overcoat until 1t is thread
pafe, md you feel shabby, mean, and de-
Mafal2ed4 and want to slink into alleys
20 by-wa5s. You hurry to- the
otnce; ron work early and late at your ledger;
y jon rush to the store and importune Gus
@aet1 to buy your goods, because, perhaps,
!vus place depends upon your success as sales
Msn You once had literary and esthetic tastes.
1ae5 are glimed out Of you, and you feel mean
taa melancholy at home and grow impudent or
tnaossfsisnt y abroad. You are being ground III
Nt comestic mill into microscopic atom OF
,s'. ,ySs original high-thoughted, braVe-breasted
r. AND HoW ABOUT TIE WIFE
ass Washes and turns her old alpaca she mends
sao makes; she returniahes her last winters
osilaes, osl and accedes to eyery c1amorous demand
- H. aes hep for more leisure: more wages, and