The Savannah tribune. [volume] (Savannah [Ga.]) 1876-1960, 1886-11-27
THE DOMESTIC SER WANTS
PROBLEM

OOIH DIAinAS al q AAOH dChtIJ maui
by heads Of families, VIII CHI are
picked up and descanted upon by
certain newspapers as to the unrell
ability of servants, and that good
servants are very scarce and seems
as u class to be on a rapid decline,
Many families however lose good
ser wants on account OF the ignor-
anre of domesti, affairs of those
having the direc ion of the house
holG. There is sure to be consider
able friction between the unframed
mistress of the house and tie well
trained servant, and considerable
confusion and more dissatisfaction,
The mistress should have thor
ough knowledge OF housekeeping,
understand how to manage servants
with little or no friction and MAKE
the management of household mat
ters u pleasure instead of as nov
complained of ore of labor. This
subject il one that is attracting
attention in all cities. Some . lpers
are disposed to fix the difficulty OF
securing reliable servants IN this
section of the country on the fact
that nine tenths of them are coIorrd.
These paperS are wrong ho eiel
AS New York is undergoing the
same troubles, where ninety nine
ore hundredths of fhe servants are
white, as shown by the following
from the Tribune after speaking OF
the toiing women in the factories
whicA we produce for the nenetii
and encouragement OF women who
are compelled to maintain th4m-
selves:
"But i ia a curious fact thatwhile
thps- 100000 women are toiliug anG
halt star, ing, housekeep r. every
where are bewaiIing the difficulty
OF securing domestic servants, aod
the lass of womea dew tied to such
work find themselves 80 much
sought after that they are becoming
at once more exacting, more capri
cious, less efficient and less trust
worthy continually. 1t is notorious
that it is ha der every year to find
good house servants. The standard
Of perfo nance is falling and the
standard of wages IS using all the
time. How can these facts be rec
oLclled?"
Ut may be said that the working
woman who slave over the sewing
machine are in large proportion OF
cases wives aud mothers, and there
fore could not leave their families
and 20 into service. No doubt this
is true of a certain number, but not
we believe, of the majority, and il
it questionable whether even those
who have children could not, with
with advantage to themselves and
their families, make the change
suggested. 1t may also be objected
that few of the workingwomen
know anything of the dnties de
manded of servants. That objec-
ton, however, has no validity, for
it would be i'm possible to conceive
of deeper Ignorance than the major
| ity of the green immigrants who 90
into service bring to their work
when they begin it. Nor indeed
is the efficiency of tho e who have
had considerable experience any
thing to be proud Of, for the prob
lem which seems to absorb the
attention of most of them is how
to get the most wages for the least
work. In the ranks of the working
women starvation wages are main
tanned as much blythe competition o
their fellows seeking work as by
the competition among uIa ufactur'
ers' If this surplus population
which now presses SO feavtly upol
the women workers, could be di
verted into other channel. of indus
try, the workingwomen could Prob
ably Obtain bet er pay. But why i.
il that the manifest advantages 8i
domestic service do not attradl