The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-05

It Isn't Lifted
Copyrighted 1887
Nvw YORK, March. 3.-Why the boycott
on houseworks
a girl of American parentage never goes
,,,+ IN service. The Irish-American or the
German American of tine second generation
almost never engages herself as domestic.
One hundred Englishwomen, 80 the telegraph
..rs assisted to emigrate and conveyed to
San Francisco in search of work, have
advertised in the paper of that city for
nositions as clerks. seamstresses, govern
esses. anything but servants.
Why does everybody more than three
months from Castle Garden hate the worde
Why should not young women of ordinary
intelligence and education find commfort-
chile homess better wages and shorter hours
in orr families than behind the counter or
at the factorys
II occurred to me some few days since to
make a personal investigation. | went out
70 service myself. / knew no other way in
which to test the fortunes, the peace of
mind or disquietude of such an American
Girl as had supposed who should cast her
lot in the Eldorado Of homework in an
average family.
The headline ''Help wanted-Femalesn as
sumed sudden Importance in my eyes, l
scanned it pretty carefully for two or three
DAYS in succession, but reached most of the
Dossible situations which | looked up an
hour or two after they were filled.
On my final quest | fell in on a warm
spring-like morning with slender, pale
faced rather pretty girl bound in the same
direction with myself. We were on a quiet,
eminently respectable uptown street whose
numbers, owing to rapid building and
recent changes, were somewhat confused.
Can you tell me which way to find No.
p she asked me-
started. 1t was the house of which l
was in search. had not expected to meet
a competitor of just this order ON such an
Grand.
We ran up the steps together. Front
steps, of course. She took the lead and |
followed in her train. She asked for the
lady of the house. / waited in the back
ground till the interview began. She did
not want the vacant place of the second
girl" On that point she at once relieved
my mind. she was a needle woman, and
had come to begin a weeks engagement on
the spring wardrobes of madame and the
little misses.
That settled the mistress of the establish
ment turned to me. Why had l not rung at
the basement door?
To be sure. 1t was a mistake for me to
presume on my recently scraped acquaint-
ance with the seamstress. We belonged to
different orders of being. l had much to
larn i'll my new position in society. After
ali the lower door is much more easily
accessible than the long brownstone fight.
Did | understand the work could | wait
at table; was I a good chambermaid; of
course one evening out a fortnight would
do; did l object TO the country in summer;
was l fond of children? [ had anticipated
the stock questions and had conned prepos-
eessing answers. The rub came later.
Il advertised for a German girl; you are
not GermanF
NO, am American"
Have you ever lived out"
No, but l should like homework better
than the shop"
1T would be a comfort to have girl
that knew something. but you would be
sure to be uppish. My second girl wears
cap and apron"
If the work is honorable, I'd as lief wear
its livery"
You go bring in the ash can and sift the
ashes. If see you do that I'll know whether
you suit"
mad mind to say hadn't nv working
clothes on, but was bent on securing my
toothold and allowed myself to be intro
duced to the ash can and its contents with
out comment
This was the announcement made on my
return.
mo men i'll my kitchen. That's under
stood. And not too many women 1 sent
away my other girl because her sister was
always hanging round. You can have
company once week or so, of course.
don't want to be hard on girl that's little
different from the run of girls, but there's
cook; you'll have to come under the same
rules she doesn
This was SAID warningly and a little dep
recatingl y too. 1t seemed to me that my
future mistress was laudably bent on max
ing me see things at the start in their proper
colors, and aS this was the very object was
bent on accomplishing | was the more fixed
on staying. 1t was agreed after some further
parley that in consideration of the fact
that little company was expected that
evening. | should remain and put the house
in order for their reception, the question of
any permanent engagement being left in
allegiance until night or the next morning.
II employed | should come into receipt OF
$l2 a month.
1t was about at this stage of proceedings
that was shown to my room. No, our
room. | was to share it with the cook,
strong featured German girl with a satur-
nine face who looked as if she carried the
responsibilities of creation on her shoulders.
You will come down presently to your
bath, my mistress said, as l turned to go.
'BathF queried.
Yes / never admit a servant to my
house without she takes bath before she
does stroke of work. There's DO knowing
what disease they may bring"
shrugged my shoulders as ran up stairs.
w here was the seamstress' path? Or was it
servants only who were supposed to need
the Introductory formula of prison or insane
asylum The room was bare but comfort
able enough, and shut the door to laugh.
'Leef the door open when you como
down" said the cook as she ushered me i'll.
What's that forP'
"Oh, the lady, she wishes it open always
that she may look in TO see if it ees clean"
She was gone and | looked round.
chair, a small table, a worn carpet, unre-
heved walls, this was my sanctum when my
work was done. A worse sanctum many
people have been contented with il it had
been sanctum at all. But must go halves
IN 1t with a stranger, and never shut my
door or pine for halves privacy. One might
as well live in a phalanstery and be done
with it.
j did some conscientious sweeping that
day. My shoulders thought the exercise
little too conscientious, but the busting and
arranging of two bric-a-brac burdened
parlors was work SO much more tedious
and wearisome that they forgot their first
complaint. At lunch time the mistress OF
the establishment was plainly satisfied with
me. She walked through the rooms where
1.l ~..al VstnrQr