Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-06


operative housekeeping will be our alter
native. and It remains to be seen whether
we shall be subservient TO the present
situation or adopt more practical plans
by a mutual interchange of ideas upon
this vexing problem. A. S. r.
The hiring and retaining OF servants
has become difficult question through
out the whole country. Texas being
comparatively new state, it is expected
that the lack of servants would be
greater than in older states. The nat
ural inclination of girls to marry and
the greater opportunity for doing so in
newly settled countries explains TO n
great extent their scarcity. / have in
the last five years employed eight or ten
white girls, every one of them has mar
ried or were engaged. The scarcity ere
ated by this and other causes naturally
leads to demand for higher wages.
AS supply and demand regulate prices
according to their relative propositions,
l think employers ought to recognize the
fact that this entities good servants to
high wages, and they should be willing
to apply this principle TO domestic SER
vice. By paying better wages to SER
more quickly than in any other way the
desired effect, namely: To increase the
supply of servants. After the demand
has been met wages will, by tie action
OF this same rule, fall to a lower figure.
would suggest further that employers
could by Offering premium of say 500
for four years OF faithful service or some
similar inducement, would increase the
qualities of faithfulness among them.
aud in short may say, that think that
the only solution of the servant question
is the establishment of mutually of
interest between mistress aud mad.
F. B.
In reply 10 your question, ''why this
almost universal cry of incompetent,
inefficient servants, - l Will say that if
there existed that intelligent apprecie-
ton of the subject of domestic service on
the purt of servant as well as house
keeper as is manifest Ill other concerns
which we dignity more important ~
than housekeeping, ! cannot help but
think that it would be way out or the
slough OF despond i'll which Fort Worth
hOusekeepers ind themselves.
In any commercial business, even in
those employments i'll W ich the en-
ployes are as class uneducated, each
one knows and feels that the labOrer TO
be worthy OF his hire must perform well
the service demanded Of him or he will
lose his "hire, - and his place will be
readily flied from an army of willing,
competent men wiser than he. It is an
exactiuE, overwhelming, grinding en-
ployer only who must supply places made
vacant in his business from the list of
those who have failed everywhere else.
Amy one of the class who go out to do
mestio service has sufficient intelligence
understand this or can certainly
receive the inculcau0u of this
principle, and ] think that house,
keepers should tram their servants in the
routine of their work, instruct them
when deficient in the proper execution
OF their duties, and instill into their
minds that work must be well done and
that servant who changes her home
often runs the risk of beng considered
unsatisfactory.
This plan if carried out by only one,
two or even dozen will, think, avail
tut little, and in order that any real
benefit can follow it the ladies of city
or community must be of one mind on
the subject. Certainly an organizing
that would lead to unauinity of action
on the part of housekeepers who desire
TO have good service rendered For what
ever wages are Just, might secure per-
mauence and capability that would give
comfort al home and satisfaction 10 the
employe aud the employer.
A. j. l..