The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-28
HELPERS IN THEHOUSEHOLD
Servant Girls of Various Kinds and
Glasses, and Their Peculiar Ways.
The Difficulties Encountered by HOusekeepers
in Securing Satisfactory Domestcs-
How Some Girls Save Money.

Within the past year or so there have been
number of labor demonstrations of various kinds
in this city, the last and largest taking form in
procession that marched one Sunday. to the
Exposition grounds That demonstration was
of men exclusively. 1t was great display nu-
merically but there is branch Of industry, and
q very important one, that if all its operatives
turned out in line would make a moro moment
Gus array. Suppose the serving girls of this
city should take it into their heads to drop broom
and dust-pan and demonstrate how great would
be the procession This city of one hundred
thousand people could put in line, it Is estimated,
about 1900 serving girls-that is cooks, general
utility housemaids and hotel girls, little army.
These, by persons employing househelp. are gen.
orally divided in three classes. Irish, German
and colored. There are, of course, some of
other nationalities than those given
There are number of English,
Scotch, French, Scandinavian, and
large number of American girls, white, but the
great classes are the three given The Irish girls
are almost entirely Catholics. the German girls
are Catholic. Lutheran, or, in many cases, of no
religious sect, while the colored help is either
'tMeffods' or Baptis" The American girls don't
stay in service very long. They don't like house
work, and if they can't marry ont of it quit and
60 to work of some other kind, even at less
wages.
In the matter of 'help," as this branch of in
dustry is called it is difficult to find any two
housekeepers to agree upon any one particular
kind of girl as the sine qua non in servantgirl-
ism. This is the reason, probably, that there
are so many different kinds of girls, so that all
the various and peculiar fancies of employers
can be suited There are some ladies who have
like collectors of bugs and beetles, butterflies or
brio a-brac, and curios, and delight to tell SYM
pathizing visitors how many girls they
have had within the year, the various peculiari-
ties Of the girls and other interesting household
"reminiscences. One of these ladies told the
proprietor of an intelligence Office that she had
had eighteen girls In as many weeks, and not
one of the girls would by any means answer
The intelligence man offered to take the ladys
order for girl and send to heaven for her. It
never occurs to the employer that perhaps
something may be the matter with herself, and
that it is hardly likely that eighteen girls in
succession would all be so much out of joint
The Intelligence Offices do little or no business
hero in furnishing employment to serving girls.
Indianapolis seldom has any girls afoat, as the
demand always exceeds the supply. Extra No.
] superine serving girls are held as heirlooms in
families, and when by any shanee q family has
to give up girl, abe is not allowed TO go out
into the world to ask for q situation, hut is ten
uerly nauuea over 10 particular lauy Irlena,
who is, In all likelihood, one of twenty who have
bad their eyes on the girl for months; and the
lady who PARTS with her TO the one Of the twenty
makes nineteen former friends cut her acauaint-
Ance and ever after call her "a mean old thing
Thursday afternoon is the established half-hol-
iday for servant girls in private houses and
Thursday afternoon, we'll dressed and with spec
ulation in their eyes. they may be seen throng-
ing the dry. good stores. indianapolis servant
girls are well dressed. Their wages range from
g. rs 10 "a a week, which. as that is above their
board and washing, gives them more of show
ing, cash in hand at the end Of year, than
many men who get four times as large wages, can