The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-05-04

Some time ago business called me to
the Eastern Provinces, and, on my ar
rival, found the little town, the place
of my destination, in regular turmoil
of excitement, because q newly-ap-
pointed minister had dared to preach
open rebellion of servants against their
masters. Upon inquiry, it turned out
that all this reverend gentleman had
advocated was kind treatment, enough
to eat, and q warm bed to sleep in, for
which unreasonable demands he was
hauled over the Goals and torn to pieces
by the evil tongues of all the old women
Of both sexes the little town could boast
of. Their number was not small by any
means, i can assure you. One gentle
man especially, high Government
official, in receipt of comfortable sal
airy of four thousand thalers year, was
loud, Above all others, in his denuncia-
tons of the unlucky pastor who, in his
zeal to do right, had made such an un-
propiti)us entry in the zeal for popular
favor.
WHY" cried this worthy function
airy, at is simply absurd; servants have
bettered themselves fully sixty per cent.
since 1 was boy, and it seems there is
no end to their pretensions. Formerly
cook used to get twenty-four thalers
year, now it is thirty-six."
"Let me see; how much is that in
American money!"
81 don't know
He was quite right. Fashionable So
ciety here is profoundly ignorant on
American subjects. They know that
the United States Is a good place to
send their bad boys to; but beyond this
all is darkness and blissful ignorance.
Having gone through a severe process
of mental arithmetic by computing
every one of those precious thalers into
groschen pfennings, and these again into
Uncle Sans money, / came to the con-
clusiOn that the wages of a German cook
were 1854 1-2 year.
"Of course" continued my authori-
ty, ''these are cooks who know their
business as well as our lasts. House
maids get less, and nurses, who take
care of our children, least"
MAY l ask. please, what you pay
such nursep"
''About eighteen thalers year,
''That means little over three cents
dayP'
Il am ignorant of the value of Amer
lean money.
"In Helena, Montana, in Portland,
Oregon, and, in fact, throughout the
entire golden Northwest, they pay an
ordinary servant-girl thirty dollars a
month, besides board and lodging"
'How much is that in our money!"
Zone hundred and twenty-five marks
month"
.4Iushr'
A neatly-dressed servant girl APP
preached us, all smiles, with tray, on
which she carried some cups of tea,
sugar-bowl, several flagons of cut glass
containing choice brandies to flavor the
tea with, and an assortment of cakes.
When we had helped ourselves the girl
proceeded to the next group, for it is
the custom at all evening parties in
Germany that tea precedes supper,
which is partaken of by the gentlemen
hat in hand and standin' We re-
sumed our conversation.
"You don't say sou
II can assure YOU"
Thirty dollars a month";" That is
fearfulr'
"Those are only ordinary wages; a
cook gets fifty"
"Fiftyr'
"Yes; and SO does a cowboy and a
laundress; or, what is pretty much the
same, Chinaman."
Il am perfectly amazed"
"Well you may be"
He stood silent for a moment, then
said in whisper:
"My dear, sir, will you do me very
great favor?"
"With all my heart"
you will not be offended by my re-
quest?''
"By no means"
"Well, then, don't tell us anything
more about America"
Here is the whole emigration ques-
ton in a nutshell. The German supper
ten" want to keep their cheap labor.
Moreover, they want to keep their labor
cheap, and for this reason they are deaf
to all reasonable demands, and do not
want to know anything about the home
of the brave and the land of the free,
where labor finds its true reward, and
honest laborers are respected by every
body.
A family in tolerably easy circum-
=