The Washington critic., 1888-02-25
OUR uNoIvIh SERVICE.
A Housekeeper's Plant Against One
of the Great Grievances of the Day.


of the Great Grievances of the Day
The servant question has become one
of most serious import. There is more
inconvenience, unpleasantness and even
misery caused by our lack in this respect
than any other one thing Intemperance
carries devastation and blight into the
homes ofcomparatively small class. The
ineflciency and dishonesty of our servants
invade every household. High and low,
rich and poor, wise and simple, all alike
are suffering the torture of discomfort,
uneaSness and uncertainty that ls every
body's experience, save the few who pos
sess feminine head of the family who is
physically strong enough and endowed
with executive ability sufficient to do her
own housework. But in this climate,
especially in the summer time. the Anglo
Saxon female cannot long endure the
hard word that she must perform who
keeps even with all the requirements of
modern times.
Our famous grandmothers did il, but
the homes of those grandmothers were
cut by an entirely different pattern from
ours, and the children of those grand
mothers all helped and got what educa-
ton they could in the odd moments left
But do not propose TO write an essay.
| merely set out to call the attention Of
our hotisekeepers to the necessity of some
preconcorted.eflort to rid ourselves of our
servitude to these ignorant, irresponsible
people, who are getting worse every year,
and more hopeless, seemingly, ofimprove-
ment. i do not mean TO propose any
missionary work in their behalf-the
world is full of philanthropists who can
attend to that-but simply want to sug-
| gest that something be done to make 1t
| impossible for these inefficient, dishonest,
impertinent people TO get employment so
readily. Let them see that their record
| will follow them and prevent any new
business engagements, as IL usually does
| with male workers, and think the phil
anthropist will have no missionary work
TO do.
1t is useless to recapitulate the annoy
| ances they occasion. Every housekeeper
| is familiar with their genius for shirk-
ing, breaking dishes, wasting food, lying,
stealing, and finally leaving you without
n moments warning, just as you are
about to have visitors, or housekeeping,
or the family, yourself included, sick.
They can do all this and have another
place before nightfall. If they do NOT
know of situation any other way, they
can go TO one of the employment agen-
cies and be transplanted without even the
preliminary of shaking the soil off from
their former hole. Their recommenda.
tons do no good, because employers,
glad to get rid of the nuisance themselves
will give them rather than take the
trouble to refuse. And what average dc
you suppose ever are required to give o
recommendation Our ladies are SC
afraid of their own kitchens that they
will endure years of discomfort them.
selves, and subject their families to II
also, rather than face the music, and get
along without help in preference TO ac.
cepting anythingbut real service.
five could have preconcerted effort
in this direction among sufficient mum
ber of our housekeepers to "bulP' the
servant market and these creatures would
be presented the choice between earning
their money or doing without, l think
we would have change after awhile, no
Immediately, perhaps, and in the mean
time somebody would have to soil hel
hands
BY such combination we could pre-
vent a servant who left good place
without cause or warning from getting
another without trouble. A thief would
not get one at all, and q ne er-do-wel
would have to learn to do better. Raw
hands would cease to expect the wages o
experience, and the breaker would pay
for the breakages.
This is an experience meeting. Let III
hear from the next sister; and if there il
one whe. has leisure and organizing tao
tics sufficient let her propose and carry
out meeting of the down trodden house
holders that will remedy this evil, ant
she will deserve canonization and will re
ceive the grateful thanks of Washington
public. MAGGIE SULLIVAN BURKE.
Washington, February "a.