Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-07-05
SERVANTS AND THEIR WAGES.
The Gossip of a Labor BrOker-Fancy
Prices Paid To Good CoOks-The Scar.
city OF Trained and Skilled DOmes.
iics-Ihe Cheaper Class of Servants
and Their Habits.

Wages? Why. servants get higher wages in
Washington. / guess than in any other city in
tie country" said labor broker to a STAR re-
porter the other day as he sat in his dinay little
office assigning help TO the many servant hun
tiers who are searching for some one who will
submit 10 De boarded and lodged for a reason
able consideration. And they re harder 10 get
Good service VIII be among the lost arts in a
lew Years II things keep on as they now are.
Good servants Will BE so rare that they will be
kept q specimens. selling at fancy prices. Ma
tcTla.: On. YES. there's plenty of good material
i0F servants in the city: but il isn't properly
worked up Its spOilt in the mould and won't
take Nater- There are probably five Thousand
eOicreti women out Of employment in Washing
ten Who ought 10 make good cooks, yet there
are probably only few dozen good cooks in the
city. Why. a. high as seyfnty-flye and eighty
collars per mouth : paid the cooks in some OF
THESE handsome establishments inthe West End
High: Well, YES. it is little steep: but the
cooks have got 10 be good ones and. as I've
said. there are only few, ana they have to be
bid for
ION. yen needn't stretch Your eyes'-fto
dowdE looking co!ored girl who stood by, wait
1ng fof directions To service place. ''Y0u
Needn't stretch your eyes. You'll never get that
What can you do Nothing. aye: Thought so.
Go To No -, and yCuU get place as dish
washer.
The girl tuggeti at the belt Of her dowdy
gown and stuck her lips out on her chin. as the
"brOkcg went on. Yes those rich folks pay
some fancy prices. Now. q cooks wages used
TO BE- from seven to twelve dollars a month in n
private family. but there has got to be so few
who karw how 10 cook 10 please the rich taste
ard these folks seem TO have 20 much money
THAT they give almost any price. got q cook
for a Gentleman on / street the other day. and
re give Ler SO per month There's gentle
Z r#f,
and they range from that down. The ATTORNEY
General pays biz cook $50. That's probably the
average price in those fine houses. Then they
Keep other servants \ fUutman. a man to at
tend tue door, for from $50 to $50 besides
maids and genera. assistants for from $l2 TO
e. They mostly want white servants though
end the} must be excellent, even stylish, moth
In moderately good viii suit
Then Ia a pert mJ,iattO girl who fiounced in
ana Threw - cents OF the desk: Nurse ave?
References: Go there and Cone hack and tell
lie hCH you Ike t.. and he scratched down a
number and pocketed the half" with satisfied
sme.
"Oh, you want 10 screw me down a pep2
That's IT, Well, no. there aren't many paving
those faTcy prices. But general, EVERYDAY
wages are higher than ever before. govern
nent clerk can't get white woman to do gen.
eral homework for less than SO and 1t runs
from that upwards. ColOred run dollar or so
cheaper. but those aren't much account who
don't get IS, and they generally aren't worth
half what they get. Some OF them are terrible
crooks DO they steal? Yes; large portion OF
the cheap colored servants are 'incidentals'
"Ineldentals! Why, 1ncdentals' are those
who are not professional thieves. They steal
Incidentally anything they can lay their hands
on. and sometimes they look about and arrange
TO LEI their man in To go through the house a,
night. There aren't many real professionals
who disguise themselves as servants though
they do so sometimes. and / have done q little
,n the way OF private detective work in connec
lion with my regular business.
Most servants will take cold food and old
Clothes away at night" he continued. 1.-The,
won't work where there's nothing for them Il
take home to their men-neariy all OF them have
their men home in some alley waiting for what
they bring them The colored people live in
classes There is one class that live in th,
alleys. In Kind OF colonies. The men work IL
The summer and the women stay home. TheI
In the winter the women work and the mel
stay home. They never violate this rule Their,
are other colonies where the men never work
and there is very small class where both mel
and women work. Labor brokerage is a quee
business. Wei, yes; rather"