Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-30

taEa. the comforts OF cneeTlul nome.
the society OF q bright and happy wife
and the delights of well spread table 10
which he might invite those OF hi:
friends who were less fortunate than
n,msplf. One who was presumed to
claim these blessings as his own an
.vrred the sigh with q smile of derision
uAh. yes.'' said he, what joys are
m.nel The well spread table, what a
llp.srd reality! You see, new maid-of-
sn-work every ten days assures TO me
This luxury, while my vile Is worried
day IN and day ont with the tasks SO
yrpt, hrdly performed by them. l am
har-assed with complaints of the imper-
thence of this one, the dishonesty of
that one. the wastpfulness, untidiness or
curpIrssness of others until wish home +,
wife and all were something rnheard of.
The boarding house, with its inevitable
hash and cold coffee, ia one of the de-
Iirhtful spots of earth, and all because
of the incompeteucv of servants!'
rhe attention Of societies as well as of
individuals is being called TO this evil !,
an evil viii, h is growing. A good girl
who Is competent 10 do housework, who
lakes interest or pride IN her work, is
hard 10 find.
The classes of 'SS and 'S9 of Vassar
have sent out papers to the housewives
and servants all over the country asking
questions for the purpose of gather ng
statistics and Information which may
suggest the causrs OF the trouble and aid
IL finding a remedy. The editor has
been privileged in being allowed TO see
one of these papers with the answers of
a buuspkreuer who declares that her ex-
riruce differs hut little from that OF her
neighLors. We give these answers US
she has them.
/. Length of time you have been
housrkeepingl Four years.
. Total number of domestic servants
employed during that lime? Twenty
five.
). Length of time without servants?
Two months.
Z. length OF time you have boarded?
MI months.
). Number of persons in your family?
Three.
9. Name any special privileges granted
your servants--surh as single rooms, use
OF sitting room, etc. Each servant has
Ind q single room and the dining room
has been free to them for their COM
pany. one afternoon in the week and
Sunday afternoon are their own.
:. Have you paid, as a rule, higher or
lower ages this year than last year?
With almost every new servant the wages
have been increased, until the demand
thev now make Is sonnet ing startling
Here We md one who has been house
keeping for three years, subtracting the
pine or ten months of boarding, and
what q record! Twenty-Five girls in
ihirty-seven months. or about three
RIrls every four aud half months! Woe
belidp US! What life is ours, initiating
a new maid Almost every MONTH No
woman who reads this column can testify
TO any pleasure derived from sthe task
But this is not all. Every day the same
directions have 10 be given, and every
dGy records the same failure in the per-
formanCe of these duties.
Wherein lies the fault and where the
In the paper sent to the servants occur
these questions:
Why do you choose homework as your
regular employment
What reasons can you give why more |
women DO not choose housework as q |
regular employment?
Would you give up homework II YOU |
,OulG find another occupation that would |
pay you as we'll?
The paper in question contained these
answers: 81 do not choose homework,
but can find nothing else TO do that
pays as well when count the cost of
BOARD in other employments.
more women do not choose Homework
Is regular employment because they
AVE no regular homes. Their work
lever ends and they have to work Sum
lag as on nnv other day. And because
girl who does homework is not con-
idered as good as other people.
al certainly should give up homework
could ind another occupation that
would pay me as wellI'
Thus answers the servant: We have
eard one servant say she would not
york for Mrs. S.-she changes girls too
Item, or Mrs. W.-she has an adver-
lssment in the paper so often she must
e hard TO please. And so it goes.
While it Is deplorably true that girls
h) take an interest in their work, who
re able and competent, who are to be
expended upon TO stay when guests ar
I've, yes, who can even brOil beef
leak, are woefully few and far between,
III not partly the fault of the careless
r the indolrnt housekeeper?
One husband mildly suggested to his
lie that il the women would show a
tile more backbone, as he expressed it,
nd less dependence, the question would
solved. If it were thoroughly under
GOD that woman would do the house,
orK herself rather than submit to poor
'rvice, our girls would hesitate TO
lange places so often, realizing that as
uch would be demanded OF them at one
ace as at another. Alas! we fear the .
rongest back bone and the firmest
'rves could not endure the months of
lal which would interviews before this
10 should De accom- plIshed. House
-epers sre every here looking for the
dividual or individuals who shall lead
EN- from darkness into light, aud the
terrence of this one coming under the
lior's notice is no doubt the experience
many. Still there is = fixed conviction
i that If there was more uuanimity OF
ton among housekeepers, IL she could
induced 10 present a solid front against ,
close phalanx of those In domestic
rFice there would be mitigation of
= evils for which there is just cause to !.
hplain. These columns are open for
v female Moses who will lead the
'men of Israel out of wilderness, out |
which WORKOUT pilgrims are essaying =
escape.
Chat on Fashion. &