St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-11-23

perhaps an account OF our policy
may prove helpful to others placed
in somewhat the same situation.
We live in Southern Kentucky, in
rich agricultural district, where the
only dependence for domestic help is
the negro. Now, negroes make the best
house servants in the world when they
have mind to work, but unfortunately
they do not continue in that way of
thinking very long at time.
Only the direSt necessity, as IMPLIES
ant family relations or the absence of
any place they can call home. will COM
pei the women to go out to work, and
then it is for short time only, until
they can make little money to buy
two competent girls for cooking, dining
room service and chamber work.
the milking and laundry departments
being otherwise provided for; but in
order to keep two girls with US all the
time we are obliged to hire four. The
two most efficient being engaged by the
year, with the proviso that if they get
sick, wish to go away on visit, OF to
stop and rest awhile. we will let them
off and call in the other two, who, how
ever, are at liberty to work elsewhere
of a particularly industrious dis
position. they seem amply con-
tent with what employment we are
able to give them, of course
receiving wages only during the time
they are actually employed. So far this
has proved an excellent arrangement
Whenever we find one of the girls be-
coming disaffected. which is shown by a
neglect of her work and an Indifference
as to whether it gives satisfaction or
not, we ask if she would not like to stop
a 1,,,1t axx-hi 10 obi
fectly free to do so. If she has grown
tired of regular work, she usually says
she is sick. Negroes, as rule, are very
proud of invalidlSm, and boast of their
incurable diseases with as much pride
as we do of our health.
This plan we find much preferable to
the old way of letting them go on do
ing their work worse and worse, until
finally our patience is worn threadbare
and we are obliged to dismiss them,
when the girls go away with such I'M
pleasant thoughts associated with the
place that they never wish to return.
But if checked in time, before they
''wear out" they are pretty sure to re-
turn after a week or two, as glad to
see us all and as pleased to get back as
child after visit. This interval also
gives them chance to spend their earn
ings and to see little hard living
among the negroes who will not work.
For although most of the young and
middle-aged negroes in this section
have acquired some education, yet they
are very slow to learn the value of
money. They are a supplemented,
trusting people, and when one does get
little ahead he generally lends it to
others who are too lazy to work, and
that is the last he ever sees of it. Per-
haps this is the reason why they set SO
little value upon money, knowing that
it seldom brings them anything beyond
the mere necessaries of life-food and
clothing. High wages are no induce
| ment to them when necessarily accom-
panied by regular and efficient service.
they much prefer moderate pay, mod
crate work. and plenty Of time to do
| it in.
Negroes are decidedly averse to rising
| early; they hate cold weather; they en-
| joy having all abundance of good things
| to eat, and at night, after their work is
done, they love to gather around big
wood fire and be sociable together. We
| allow our girls one afternoon in the
| week, and usually the whole of Sunday
after the mornings work is finished. our
| Sunday dinner being cooked ON Satur-
| day or ON Sunday morning, when part
| of it is left in warm oven, tea, of
course. being always cold. We have al
ways discouraged visiting on Sun