Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-11-21
A SCARCITY OF GIRLS.
The supply OF Kitchen Maids Decreasing
Tho Causes and the Homedy Proposed.
Philadelphia Rocord


The supply OF Kitchen Maids Decreasing
Tho Causes ana the Homedy Proposed.
Philadelphia Rocord.
The servant girl problem IL fast assum.
ing the form Of menace to the domestic
world, and Philadelphia matrons, carry.
Ing out the logical deduction Of the pros.
ent condition, are wondering what the
/ future has In store for them There "A
scarcity ui available Kitchen help, as
shown by visit to the employment
Offices, and the worst feature Of the mat.
ter In that In addition TO the compat atigely
small number Of domestics In the city la
supply the demand there is wofn scar.
! city of those servants that are capable and
willing TO DO general homework. A gen.
tleman who has acted as an employment
agent IN connection with other buslness
for thirty'llye years past said conc
great trouble experienced In these days ia
the Discrimination Of applicants to do gen
eral work. Nine out VI ten girls who
come here want positions us chamber.
maids or some special work about
house, They Will have nothing TO do with
cooking or washing, but want their meals
prepared Tor them and their laundry done
by Others. Things are growing worse all
7 WIZ Nlluts Az = upb llkN INC iiN uu1 tMltu
girl VINO received from 81 20 10 Sl.76
per week was entirely coutented, know
now TO cook, wash aud bake, and gave
satisfaction TO hor mistress. Nowadays
they want some light work, AZ iar away
from the Kitchen az posslDlc ana wages
ranging from S8 90 10 $500 per week"
Complaints have been heard from the
heads of small families, who say that al
though The work TO be done would not
keep one servant busy, aud would allow
her ample leisure, the average girl cannot
be Induced 10 accept q position where she
has To do the washing The mntrOn Of
the New Century Guild To- Working
Women, who ls thoroughly converHant
with the servant question, said IN dis.
GUESSING the matter that II some remedy
be not found people VIII eventually have
10 give up housekeeping II unable to do
their own work, good girls are becoming
ACGrCer every day. she spid 'there are
servants to be- had, but the majority Of
them are utterly. worthless. They have
TO be taught the most ordinary duties, and,
70 add 20 the annoyance, about the time
they have learned something they become
too impairment TO be tolerated, or
get married, or leave 20 get situations at
higher wages, and the mlsircss has 10
commence all over again unless she Ia
able 10 procure that rare blessing, a com.
potent servant "
GLOW do you account for the present
condition OF thingsi"
"There are several causes. On0is that
our American girls have imbbcd the be,
llei that TO be q servant girl IA not 're
Specialize They abhor the idea Of being
shut up Ia a Kitchen They would rather
NJ I'm "a ..l IusH ans
clerkship in n store ut starvation wages
and pay their board. They believe that
the position OF servant casts stigma upon
them In some unexplained manner, and, al
though u competent domestic can COR
mand double the wages OF the shop girl
ana Is much better on as u general thing
In the matter OF her surroundings, the poo
eitlou IL looked upon as anything but de-
s,rabo, Another cause Ia tho lesAoning
Of the foreign contingent. Girls from the
old country, many Of them, strike out for
the West and marry as soon M they can,
They do not remain IN the large Eastern
centers, ~ formerly, aud those who are
lrft behind amount 10 very little. They
are ignorant and Incompetent
"Probably the gravest cause is the fact
that our girls In America are not taught
70 do any one thing well. They grow up
with the idea Of marriage, aud from girl
hood TO wliehood adopt the easiest
method OF existence. They have no heart
in their work 10 IL only make-ahift
wlJh them. The result OF all tois cannot ,
help but be endless irritation and annoy
auce. AZ matters are now, cOlored
female help IL about the most desirable
Que great advantage IN tho colored girl Is |
that she does not consider hcrHcli nbsvo
H.. L.. lass AZ. ataa
aud easily directed. TO be sure, there
are unpleasant things TO overcome. IN
many cases, owing so their lack Of moral |
discipline, colorcd girls have not the
strlctest notions Of honesty, and some Of |
tnoir personal habits arc not tho most |
cennly These have 20 be corrected
Where you ind competent colOrod girl,
however, you have domestic treasure.
She thoroughly understands cookery, and
does not object 20 perform the WORK for
which she has been employed"
"Wh0t would you suggest as a rem.
cdy2"
'That perents teach their daughters or
have them taught how TO do some one
thing well. Too little attention Is paid
TO the giriB. Mothers think they are
fortunate In marrying OF their grown'up
though the latter may not know
how 90 cook n beofstegk or make bed
Even II a girl have never 10 go out to
wor or earn her own living II IL an nc
10 understand how 10 man
age her own household affairs. II her
means allow her 70 have servants after
marriage che will not be at a loss 70 man
age them properly, knowing herself how
the work should be done. Our social sys-
ten ought 80 70 regulate or reform itself
as 10 Danish forever the unwhOlesome
idea that work IN the Kitchen In diahonora'
Die, and 10 encourage the telief that a
Rir loses none Of hor Tospeetabllity by
performing well an honest task. Ia Ger
many tccy have an excellent system,
The daughters Of the wcalthiest aud best
families are, at certain age, placed IN
tho homes Of others and serve a regular
apprenticeship OF year becoming inmil'
lar with every household duty They con