The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-04-05
HRRD AND IN Rl09-
LAND.

LAND.
Dinereucee I'm the Treatment, Their
Work and Their Wages Why
English Servants do not Like
America
In recent article cOndemnatOry Of
walls to servants, New York c0ntemp-
Orary alluded to the low rate of remun-
eratiOn or domestic service in England
as being an excuse which could not be
pleaded here eor ''tipping'' practice.
Wages there do not it IS true average
nearly 50 high as they do here, but they
are higher there than in any other
European country, and the wages Of
upper servants and Of cooks would COM
pare favorably even with those here.
Besides this, 1t is fair to add that the
condition of servants in gentlemen .
families there is for the most part decid-
edly superiof to that in houses Of the
same class here. A significant proof Of
this Is found in the fact that good Eng
lish servants, with the exception of
groO,ns, rarely care to come here. We
have Irish, Germans, Swedes, and Itali-
ans in plenty, but few English. A
wealthy New Yorker who imports his
man servants direct from England, af-
ter most careful inquiry as to character,
can rarely get them to stay more than
couple Of years. They miss what are to
them the joys Of life.
There is in fact no doubt that an Eng
lish man servant coming here, while lie
gains in money loses in all else. In the
first place duties are usually exacted
from him which in England are per-
formed by women, and which he de-
spises as women's work. He il expect
ed tn sweep u room aud wash dO0rsteps,
tasks from which his soul re-
coils. Then he has to do twice as
much work rs he would have to do at
home; for the first timing which an
Englishmen notices in an American
household, even Of the wcalthiest grade
is what seems to him the extrsortlinari-
" small number of servants, and the cm
of many rich men are when taken n lit
going to leave letter Of introduction ut
the house of very fashionable million
naire in Madison square, rang twice be-
fore the door was opened by a dirty drab
of char woman, who imprinted her
sOapsudsy autograph on his card, whilst
she lett him standing in the passage, to
his Indignation and amaZcment. Nor IL
this 80 an extreme q case as many might
imagine. 4 lady living in the wcalthiest
and most fashionable New York society
says that in half the houses on Fifth nv
enue, If she should chance to call ON q
,,on-visiting day, the establishment
would probably bc in this sort of disha-
billie.
Pecp'e who would in England
kecY :: least dozen servants, her. have
! four, or ut most six, and the work is
very ant to fall very heavily, when much
company Is Kept, on stngle.handed
man servant; lie is continually inter
rupted and taken Off his work. To a
man busy in plate-cleaning it is serious
grievance to have to slip on his coat and
answer a bell every ten minutes; still
worse to be sent out on messages. \ SER
want thus interrupted cannot come t0
the door looking rs neat and trim as SER
wants look in good London houses. A
iirst-ratc servant in England would not
stay week in Il l,o,,se where he had to
endure this sort of thing. Servants in
good English houses are treated with far
greater consideration III this and many
other r. poets. They live quite ~ we'll
if not better than ser !ants here, and
enjoy more opportunities for TAX
ing ''Outings." In proximity to the
,, fashionable squares are snug little pub,
lie houses with cosey gli.tcrimg bars.
These arc the special evening )launts Ot
the "Jean,ses,' and they enjoy them
selves Just a. much as their masters d.
at the club-play cards, smoke their
pipcs, cat tripc and onions, washed down
with "NN." and discuss the events o!
the day. The solitary English waiter
on Fifth avenue MISSES sadly such jolly
good fellowshil,s, and turning with de-
Si&leri,lm to the cllcery evenings he spent
over pcwters Of '''arf and 'arf," ut the
"Ad,nir,l Vernon, in GrOSvcnor News,
browns his dulness in solitary drains.
AS for the women, they are still more
creatures of habit. and care even less for
high wages. apart from comfort or asso-
citation. Very few ot them would under
take the combination of duties (leina md
ell in most American households. \
cock with any just claims to Il know
ledge Of cookery would, unless the fam
i!y were exceeetlin.ly small, Ike aghast
ut the i.laa ot having no kitchen maid,
whilst she would give warning OH the
spot If expected t" assist III the family
washing, which, unless a laundry matt!
bc kept, is almost invariably put out.
Many persons here are so much given
to grunnll;ng about servants, that it Is
a. well to point out that there is another
side to the question. We are to" AIT t"
regard high wages aS Il compensation for
everything. Many excellent servants
prefer comfortable, h",l,elike place,
with n,oderate wages and sympathetic
treatment. to one without III" latter,
Though carrying arm"rc lib raj rch'nn-
er,tioll.-1Nc Aim. ricun.
Truenlan Vine. who drives the Boz..-
man stage from Big Timber to Cages,
came near being killed last week togcth-
cr with two passengers, says the CouI-
son Post AS he was driving up the
steep hill bordering Sweet Grass canon
his horses gave out and stopped, where
upon the driver attempted to apply the
brake but for some reason was unable
., to do 50, and consequently the csEac;,
and III rses backed over the precipice.
into the deep canon belw. Fortunately
pine tree about twenty-five feet from
the brink checked their progress. and