The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-12
The Servant Girl Problem.

the mag zines and newspapers. but the one
which interests the women the most receives
the asst attention, and that is the servant
| girl problem. There are very few house
wives, especially in the cities, whose bur-
dens are not greatly increased by servant
| girls, and to whom an acceptable solution
of the servant girl problem wolld not give
| genuine satisfaction. Trustworthy, good
tempered and thoroughly competent serv-
ant girls are SO scarce that housewives who
succeed in getting them regard themselves
as particularly fortunate, and find as much
pleasure in telling their friends out their
prizes as parents do in having their babies
exhibit their accomplishments.
The great majority OF servant girls are
incompetent, aud OF those who are com
pstent many are either impu1ent, careless
or unreliable. Their lot, it is true. IS not
always as pleasant as it might bs made by
their employers, and it may be that they
would strive to do better if they were
| treated with a little more consideration,
but the fact tast they are not always dealt
| with kindly and justly does not excuse their
shortcomings. The truth is the most Of
them have had no training for the duties
required of them, aud do not make any
! effort to qualify themselves for their work.
They seem 10 have an idea that by marriage
or otherwise they will soon be relieved of
servant girl drudgery, or that if they lose
their places they will have no trouble to get
others.
In Philadelphia the ladies have formed a
Housewives League. their object being to
protect themselves against incompetent,
improper, impertinent and untrustworthy
servants. They intend TO make it impossi-
BILE for such servants to get employment.
They think the course they have adopted VIII
force servant girls to strive to give satisfac-
ton, and to prepare themselves for the per-
Torrance of household duties. SO confident
are they that they have found the solution
of the servant girl problem that they think
of making the league a national one, so that
housewives in ali cities can have the benefit
OF it. They propose to employ agents
to keep the league informed respecting
the associations, qualifications and habits of
servant girls, SO that the desirable ones will
always be sure of employment and the in
compent and drunken ones will not be able
to get desirable places anywhere. They
also intend to establish schools where girls
may be trained to cook and do all other
kinds Of household work. and where good
servants can fad a refuge when they are
temporarily out of employment.
1t is apparent that the Philadelphia
league has a big undertaking on its hands,
with the chances of success against it. A y
effort, however, to improve servant girls Is
a commendable one and should be encour-
aged. If the league succeeds In doing what
it purposes it will receive the heartfelt
thanks of housewives in all parts Of the
country.
1t is said that the best servant girls in
this country are found in New York where
very large number of English, German,
French and Scandinavian girls are now
employed. Girls of those nationalties are
drawn to that city by the high wages paid
there for good service. They are Industrious
quick to learn and trustworthy. They
have not found their way to other cities as
yet in appreciable members, but they will,
perhaps, eventually.
Here in the south the servant girls are.
No I" AuAOg NShOtSOs tAui Us u Cletoo llbul6 can
be said in their behalf. And the worst of
it is they show no Improvement Those of
to-day are much inferior to those of slavery
days. Very little dependence can be put
in them and they take no pride in their
work. AS rule they are incom-
petent and shiftless. 1t takes two or
three of them to do what one ought
do, and what they do is not well
done. When they are not in the
streets or attending some OF the numerous
meetings of their race they are waiting
anxiously for the time when they can get
away from their work. And the colored
cooks think it is their privilege to feed all
their relations at the expense of their en-
ployers. A colored cook in the south is not
luxury, and yet is very expensive.
OF course there are good servants among
the colored girls, bat the number is not
large, and is becoming smaller. 1t would
be good thing if housewives in the south
should form league, not so much with the
view of getting rid of worthless servants,
as for providing ways for training girls for
the performance of household duties.