The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-23
MISTRESS AND THE MAID.
BIG DEBATE IN A WOMAN'S CLUB
ON SERVANT GIRLS.

ON SERVANT GIRLS
How a Flower Garden of Bonnets
Was Made to Sway and Rustic on
Its Stems-Wil the "Vassar Cues
lions" so.ve a Most Perplexing
PrOolemP
(Copurigbtl
NEW YoRK. March 23.-Miss Lucy NJ
| Salmon, who is Professor Of History in Vas
sar College, has face Of no.ably sweet.
serene, wholesome intelligence, with broad
forehead and smooth blonde hair. She
talked to big woman's club, which includes
many weil-known literary women, one day
last week on domestic Service" with
especial reference TO the ''Vassar questions"
which, as many hoasekeepers throughout
the country know, have been scattered
broadcast in the hope that the answers when
collated may supply reliable statistics bear
| ing on the ever perplexing servant girl
problem" which is so vexatious in the
| country because all the girls are drawn
| off to the city, which is 50 trying
in the city because all the girls go into the
| factories, which is so insOlubls in the south
because there is no for eign element, and so
annoying in the north because we haven't
| the negro, which drives one to despair in the
east because all the girls 90 west, which re-
| duces one to frenzy in the west because all
| the girls stay east. which makes California
| a purgatory because of the Chinese. which is
| 80 bad everywhere except in California be-
| cause we have to exist without Chinese aid,
and which brings gray nairs and wrinkles
| prematurely to one woman in every twelve.
| Miss Salmon told her hearers that when
a ass. Arstr II boo
| girl, whom She doesa'J noed again until Oc-
| tober, SlS a month to come back to her in
| the fall, while Mrs. B. discharges her girl in
| April and offers Mrs. AS girl so per
month at the close of the summer vacation,
as she can very well afford to do, having
! been for the warm season under no wage
| expense at all; when Mrs. {. pays full
wages TO a 15-year-old girl because the girl
has a mother dependent on her. although
sac does only half work and does not do it
well; when Mrs. ID. pays one wage to girl
| who is expected to make desserts, give
| table service and do chamber work, and
| Mrs E. pays the same, although she does
| her own fine cooking, exac5s no table
service, ana requires her daughter
| to attend to the chambers; when
| Mr. f., for lack of competent native "help,"
| goes to Castle Garden and employs a green
horn not three days in the country, at high
| figure, to be the sole attendant on his wife,
| VINO Is I'LL luNdllu, dnu llNc cuIiuFeu on Cn6lI
| journey to Kansas City, while Miss G., who
has a genius for housework, teaches school,
| in spite of the fact that cooks in eastern
cities receive "a so per week on an average,
which, plus s. to be added on account of
board and wa hing, makes larger sum
| than the average salary of school ma'ams in
| Philadelphia or Buffalo. When all these
| things are matters of everyday experience
it is not merely a succession of personal an-
noyauces which is in question, but number
of economic principles
Tnen the whole flower garden of bonnets
swayed aud nodded on its stems, and there
| went around smile and a rustic until you
would have thought brisk spring breeze
had found its way in at the window, and in
another minute would hutter the wings of
the jeweled butterflies aud swallows and
| scatter the rose petals in the suns hine.
Then a silence fell. "There may be a
good time coming" broke in little woman,
blithely, my cook reads Ruskin.n
''And mine came upstairs yesterday to
borrow my TennySon. She had got into a
dispute with the second girl over something
in 'Locksley Hail."
81 beleve,n said q recently married
woman, that all the trouble comes from
not having definite agreements with girls.
Suppose it were to be set down Oh paper
just what was to be done, What should be
received for it, how many hours work
day should be expected, and what should be
the arrangement as to free time" There
was a blush and a quaver at speaking
right out in a meeting"
Gan you set any hours when there are
children" 1t was still, small voice and
the bride sank back in her chair.
when l was ia England last summer
said tall woman with dark hair and three
glowing roses pinned on her gown, 81
opened my eyes to see the servants file in
for evening prayers. My hostess had house
in London of ordinary size, her husband and
one child made up the family and they did
not entertain; but there was the cook and
the kitchen maid, the parlor maid and the
chambermaid, the nursery maid, the butler,
the second man, the coachman, the foot
man and general utility boy. They strung
along one whole side of the room. And yet
there was no washing done in the house,
even the servants wash was sent outside
and all the bread was had from the bakers.
The highest wage paid was $50 a year, the
lowest $40. 1t all seemed very cumbrous
but the machinery worked beautifully"
1.-The English have just as much trouble
as We do" spoke out a rosy woman in a
little velvet bonnet with a bride under her
dmOling chin. "I'Ve been a good deal in
England, and nearly always in such a way
as to enter into the family life, I'd | know
that our trials are only theirs right over
again, except, indeed, that our cooks don't
get drunk 50 often as theirs, and Just be-
cause we have fewer servants we have less
trouble in keeping peace in the family.
Besides, the expense of feeding sucl retinues
is something enormous, and more than
counterbalances the lowness of wages, or
would 90 so If the English, as incomes
shrink, didn't more and more closely follow
continental customs ana put locks on the
sugar bowls and decree that butter is never
to be used in the servants hall on a day
when there is bacon"
81 never felt so much drawn toward
Mrs. Carlyle" said q small slight woman
who has written a novel, ''as when read of
her tribulations with her maids"
, 81 think the thing that is most needed
! said digniied, low-voiced woman who has
!; kept house for twenty years, sis better
understanding on the part of housekeepers
of the work they are requiring. A good
) many women expect to see everything done
at once, they haven't the least idea of how
much time to allow for each item. Now,
when l wanted to know how 10 it ought
} to take to sweep and dust my room, shut
} myself in and timed myself while did it
/ carefully. Then | had basis to go on in
planning a schedule for another perso1."
!, tits very necessary" added another ma
) tron, ito know how To do everything your
self: your servants respect YOU so much