Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-22
MURRAY'S MUSINGS.
The Servant Girl Problem serious In
New York NJ In Pittsburg-Dan Lamont
In Public and Private Lfs-Psor BARLEY

Auo SERVANT oiEt EFoUit1u h8 6erl0u9 In
New York NJ In Piusburg-Dan Lamonr
In Public and Private Lifs--Poor BARLEY
CampbelPs Little Estnte.
rFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT
WHILE the colleges Of the country have Just
turned out hundreds of young men Of
superfne mental requirements we see no efforts
for the Improvement of that class of most
serviceable and necessary people that comes
under the head of servant girls. It would be
very gratifying, to New Yorkers especially, IL
We could feel assured that several hundred
young women had just been turned out fully
equipped for the duties Of domestic life, am
not certain but they would contribute more
happiness to the world and render life more
attractive than SO many educated young gem
temen. Here in New York the servant girl
problem Is OF more importance than all of the
political or economic questions put together.
Beyond a few unimporsant alleged cooking
schools no provision has ever been adopted by
the modern philanthropist or philosopher look
ing to an Improvement in this respect. 1t is to
be doubted whether such efforts would be sue
eessful even il made. And yet 1t is a curious
thing that a question on which rests the happi-
ness of the household is almost completely
ignored. A good servant Is more rare in New
1ork to-day than good accountant, good
stenographer or a good writer. The more in
teilectual walks of life appear to be annually
more and more crowded.
II were to mention one thing which PROM
ises the greatest happiness to the greatest
number, it would be an intelligent and moder-
ately skillful class of servants. OF recent
years women have been thrust forward by cir
oumstances into the ranks of men in all bust
ness relations. There is scarcely an Office in
this vast city but where there is employed an
educated and intelligent woman in some
capacity. While this indicates an equality and
the Independence of womanhood it draws away
a CORRESPONDING number from the domestic
neid and from the taste and capacity for
domestic labor. A prominent gentleman of
means doing business for large corporation
In lower Broadway told me the other day that
his great business did not annoy him or tax his
patience half so much as his domestic affairs
These latter difficulties" he said. ''arise
from the fact that it is almost impossible to
secure harmonious organization of servants.
VI these employ seven. We have lived in
New York long time and had achieved that
almost miraculous state of domestic affairs, a
perfect household organization. when the ad-
vent OF single addition in the shape Of
maid completely overturned the work of sew
eral years. One by one my people dropped of
before we had fairly become aware of the
cause. They were we'll paid and had no COM
plants to make as to their treatment. In this
process OF disintergration 1t came out that the
one girl had succeeded in effectually demoral-
izing all of the rest within three months. Hav.
Ing discharged her we must begin over again,
1t ID the most annoying trial of domestic life"
Hsv
Drives People Out of Housekeeping.
THE experience of this gentleman is that Of
great many who employ less help and
who are less prominent In social affairs. The
small housekeeper who must depend upon a
maid of all work, and whose finances are linn
tied is the greatest sufferer. 1 have tried half
;rIa ;r, ohor Vor e
am not happy. Some of my experiences would
be amusing if they were not so awfuIly annoy
ing. Many of these girls, who are usually
sought through employment agents, have
scarcelya single qualification necessary to in
sure the happiness of small household; I
mean the requirements of plain cooking. wash
ing and ironing and other domestic duties sup
posed to be familiar to every good housewife.
A good many New Yorkers have been in the
habit of getting raw girls Immediately from
Castle Garden and teaching them patiently and
laboriously the duties required of them. Very
often, however, the result hardly justities the
trouble, for once taught they become independ-
ent, and will secure other places without warn
ing. There are circumstances where all of the
servants of single household quit work and
leave the household helpless without days
notice. Most of these girls" prefer variety
and are never satisfied to remain in any one
place any considerable length of time, and this
without regard TO treatment or pay.
think in this question alone will be found
the most potent reason why even wealthy New
Workers prefer to live in hotels and fashionable
fats where they are not annoyed by the petty
difficulties arising from the management Of
servants. In respect to qualifying herself for
the ordinary duties OF happy life a woman
differs very widely from man. There are more
places open in New York City to-day for decent,
and clever women. with good homes,
good pay and steady job than for any other
class of human workers. L presume it is the
case to lesser degree in all large cities.
Here, however, where there is abundance Of
wealth, and where money Is no object when
Our whole system Of female edu-
cation Is antagonistic to the idea of female
labor. 1t takes from the ranks Of domestsc
life and makes piano Founders, shop girls, type
writer's cashiers and so on out of the best ma
terial, and, in my opinion. without correspond
ing advantage to humanity. Judging from what
we see every day liberal education creates in
women an intense dislike to the kitchen range
and dishwater. 1t is human nature, perhaps,
and cannot be helped. 1t would seem from all
Of the importants interests involved that some
combined effort on the part of society to
domestic labor and for the devel-
opment of happier domestic life should be
made.
Money In Private Life.
DAE LAMoNT's career reminds me Of a
number of personal acquaintances who
came over to New York after the close Of the
Cleveland term. Lamont is President of q
street railway company and an officer In two or
three other big enterprises. In the same office
with him Is w. z. Whitney. late Secretary of
the Navy. In the Western National Bank to-
day met Mr.. Thomas J. Brennan, who is now
assistant cashier in that financial institution.
The bank was started by Dan Manning. Cleve-
lands Secretary of the Treasury, and with him
in the enterprise came Jordan, Cleveland's
Treasurer of the United States and until re-
Gently President of the Western National.
With Jordan came V. P. Snyder, who has since
been promoted from the Western National to
assistant cashier of the First National Bank.
Young Thomas Brennan will be remembered
by good many people as a newspaper man at
Washington for several years, both as special
and connected with the Asso-
clated Press; Tom worked for me as an assist
ant at the beginning of the Garfield tragedy,
and was very energetic hustler. He became
private secretary when the latter
was made Secretary of the Treasury and came
over to New York with him. He was private
secretary for Jordan and afterward correspond
ing clerk OF the bank. His elevation to assist
ant cashier will be received by the newspaper
men OF Washington and Cleveland, o., with
good deal of satisfaction. There are several
familiar faces behind the teller's grating in
this bank. being men who were once
lngton. They find in private life 3
wider scope for their peculiar talents and
better pay for their labor. 1 know a number
nent who are worth four or five times what
thew recaiyas no and cOuld