The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-11-17
SERVANTS WAGES.
A Plan Which Would Improve tho Con.
ditiOn Of Both Mistress and Maid.

A Plan Which Would Improve tho Con.
dition Of Both Mistress and Maid.
1t must be admitted that all dealings
with female house servants are in.
trusted to women They. then. are re-
sponsible for the prices paid for the
work they have to offer; and it is
equally clear that they are paying for
it at ratio with which nothing else in
the labor market is comparable. Are
female servants scarce? Certainly not.
Look at the crowded benches in our
so-called Intelligence Heaven save
the mark!) Offices" glance at the long
line of steerage passengers Is they de-
file into Castle Garden from the
crowded decks Of our emigrant ships.
Hundreds Of women and girls are
Fastening to our shores from every
part Of Europe. asking for places in
our Kitchens Is 1t that most of these
are ignorant and valueless to the
housekeepsr who must have skilled Ia
Dor? No. Ignorant most of them
certainly are; yet the Irish girl who, II
employed in Dublin. would consider
herself we'll paid for her labor by fl0.
or at most El2. per annum. no sooner
presses her foot upon American soil
than she demands $500
More than any class Of women in the
world. If We except the indolent Assist.
ic. do American women need servants
We have not the robust frame nor the
sturdy strength of the British matron
or the German Haustrau. Our climate
is exhausting. our lives are varied and
excited. our frames are slight and our
nerves weak. We can do much with
our heads-much planning and think
ing, much arranging and directing. To
supplement this we need the strong
arms, the tireless backs Of the peas.
ant women of the Old World. II we
were wise and sensible enough to pay
them moderately but fairly, to make
them dress suitably and live plainly,
in every case where We now
can have but one pair of hands
to assist in the :.housebold work,
while we make shift to do the
rest, we might have two. Yes. there
is no question that il the maid-of-all-
work, who now receives sixteen dollars
per month. and is fed "like one, of the
family" were to receive the same
wages that an English housekeeper
would pay. to eat what English SER
wants are given to eat instead of our
broils and roasts and dainty luxuries
in the way of desserts. the jaded fe-
male head of our smaller American
households would find that she could
'keep two girls" without adding dol.
lar to her yearly expenses.
| And why can not this be donee Ii
it not . positive wrong that it should
not be donep The poor Of Europe are
crowding to our shores. demanding
work. and there is none for them; beg.
ging for food and shelter. and suffering
misery and lapsing into sin for want
of decent homes and honest labor. Are
not our women blind to their duty in
giving one what is abundant for two,
in keeping up an unnatural and I'M
reasonable scale of prices for the ben
eft of a fewp We have not waited fol
our employees to press the boycott upon
us; we have boycotted ourselves,
Without reason, without outside press
ure, in defiance of common sense, and
to their detriment and ours, We insist
upon state of affairs that is SARCASM
upon our judgment and convincing
proof that. whatever we may attain b
in the future, men are very right yet
in saying that we lack business knowl.
edge and capacity, and show ourselves
singularly unintelligent in regard b
the conduct Of sfairs.-Atldntic.