Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-05-15
WHIMSICAL SERVANT GIRLS.
r,,.,r Characteristtcs Explained in an
Employment Office,

GhATNcNcEAnhiOh - VA
Employment Office,
1r,a recent strike of the servant girls in
towns along the Hudson river has
soor followed by an Unprecedented rush
" ,itchen workers to the several employ
',ont bureaus, says the New York Mail
ID Fxnress, The applicants for situa-
ms are not only from the ranks OF the
u.oiters. but represent those who are un-
80 aDout the May moving, when ladies
s,or change servants and residences to-
sV Tine place am in now" said one of
,Ao anpllcants to the proprietor of an up
.nwn agency the other day. "Is good
lace but the missus is gOln to move, and
p 1avhe Pll be the only thing left. | have
bnen and cleaned the new house, and now
.Sot that is done, 1t may be that my ser
zee will not be required any longer. was
,arvad this way once before, and l don't
nj IN be caught in the same trap again.
V;saa some people think a new broom in
new house does better work than an old
Another applicant said she made it a
milo never to move to new house, as she
had found that after undergoing the extra
eyertion of moving and cleaning the new
rIsce she was always laid up, and, then,
because she could not work for a few days,
Che was discharged. A third said that
sbe had been dissatisfied with her place
gar a long time. She wanted to go into
tho country for the summer, where she
could get better wages, and she maze
,.moving day" the excuse for quitting her
LOST Mace, Though the bookings are nu-
merous, wages are high, and the supply
of good servants is much less than the
demand. The faults Of girls VINO go out
40 service are many. Good servant girls,
however, have everything in their hands,
and wien family get good girl they will
do their utmost to keep her.
"A great fault with some otherwise ex-
cellent servants is that they will drink
occasOnallv," said an employment agent
10 one Of his customers. "ThOse that fail
most IN this respect are the cooks.
Another fault of servant girls is their pre-
dlectiOn for gossiping, which they carry
10 such an extent that they soon degen-
crate into veritable scandal-mongers. Es-
pecially is this true OF lady's maids and
upstairs girls or chambermaids. Some
ladies' try to Offset THIS habit of gossiping
on the part Of their servants by over
INDUCING them. This is mistake. If
servant witnesses a scene IN a house that
would not be creditable to the family if
known to the public, there is no more Ell
fective way of giving the tact publicity
than to attempt to silence thai servants
tongue by being Overlndulgent. 1t is well
10 be kind to servant, but it is folly to be
overland. 1t makes them too independent.
This is the trouble we have with the Ger
man girls. They make good servants, put
when appreciation is shown by the grant
ing Of favOrs they finally expect more lib
critics than their employers can give. The
newly arrived German girl, however, Will
70 fal,o yrv-l-
in tal0T's shop. The English, Irish and
Scotch girls make the best servants. They
appear to be more dOmesticated than the
German girls. American girls seldom
seek the kitchen as a means Of livelihood.
Wnen they do, they make inferior SER
wants, because t3ey invariably believe
they are as good as their mistress. Thew
seldom give satisfaction. They prefer TO
work in the shops, 80 they can have their
evenings to themselves.
Il have found, too, that there are quite
as many ladies unit to manage servants
as there are servants unit to serve
family. Then, again, much trouble arises
from the fact that many ladies' leave their
husbands or brothers to do the engaging
Of servants. Newly-made wives, who
look upon all servants as slovens or i'm
pudent hussles, seldom get good girls to
engage with them. Servant girls need
never strike to maintain their rights. To
good servant a mistress will cOncede
everything, and, when she finds such a
helper, she does well to dose. The wonder
TO me is that girls will continue to 20 into
shops and stores for sucn wages as thew
now receive, when cooks can get from SIS
TO $50 per month, chambermaids and
Mattresses from SI2 to SIS, and nurse girls
from S. to Sl2, in addition to their board.
Females VINO are tidy, honest and civil
need never want for employment or a
home"