St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-10
THE BRITISH BARMAID.
Apparently Not Badly so Abused
as Has Been Supposed.

Inere IS IN reality no reason why bar
maids should be a less respectable situation
than that Of any other class of working
women, says the Pail Mall Gazette. In the
low public houses and country inns. indeed,
where barmaid is kept the situation is
different, but il is mostly girls from a very
low class who enter such a situation, while
the great majority of young girls who serve
IN restaurants and refreshment bars come
from the middle class. They are generally
the daughters of tradespeOple, railway Off
Gals and restaurantkeepers, and are, in the
social scale. considered one degree below the
young ladies who teach in elementary
schools and hold places as nursery gov
erneSSes.
A girl who wishes to take a situation as
barmaid should not be under Is years old.
On applying for place she is required TO
produce one or two references as 10 her re-
speetabilitY. She has then to pass short
examination in writing and simple arithme-
tic, her proficiency in the latter being one of
the chief requirements The examination
satisfactorily passed, she is engaged on a
months trial, during which time she earns
nothing beside her board and lodging. If.
at the end Of the month, she has satisfied
her employers, she is permanently engaged
and begins her work at once. 1 should,
perhaps, say here that this manner of train
ing is only adopted in establishments where
large numbers Of baTmaids are kept, while
in small places the rules and regulations are
less strict What the work consists of need
hardly be explained, for it is apparent 10
everybody who casts glance at a public
bar. Besides serving the customers, the
barmaid has no duties but those of keeping
her department neat and tidy. But al
ffnHu D. %
very easy to provide hungry visitors with
refreshments, the attentive, civil young
lady must nevertheless have a keen eye To
business.
The hours of work can hardly be fixed.
At some refreshmeut bars, such as, for in
stance. those at large railway stations, work
begins very early in the morning; ut others.
again, very late hours are kept; but, rs a
rule. nine to ten hours a day, with the usual
Intervals for meals, make up the working
day. One evening week is generally free,
aud one Sunday every month. The wages
vary from shillings 10 10 shillings week.
There is no doubt that only strong
and healthy girls can be successful in this
kind OF emplOyment-in which they are
exposed to draughts and cold. The mOnOt-
Ony and drudgery many women of which
so complain in their work. are entirely alb
sent from the barmaid's life. The tempta-
tons TO which she is said to be exposed,
though they are not altogether fictitious,
are exaggerated-a steady girl finding no
difficulty in keeping a proper distance be-
tween herself and her customers without
becoming rude. and girl with tendency
10 Irritation being rs 4 rule, no good bust
ness woman. and therefore apt to be dis
charged. To many girls the buStling, hur-
rying life, the new faces, and the many
topics discussed in her hearing are of great
attraction, and as a rule barmaids are not a
discontinued class of women. After they
have served for some years they may, If
they do not marry, which, however. they
often do, aspire to the post of restaurant
manager, who has the supervision of the
establishment. As such they earn from 20
shillings upward week, and if at the head
of large restaurant they are sure to be able
to put up some savings Many woman
who has begun life as barmaid has, as
hotel keeper, later on made little fortune,
and if she has any power of organization
and understands housekeeping. no woman
with small capital to begin with will find
it difficult TO make a good living in this