The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-02-01

Chinese Cooks.
The Presidential question, the Indian ques-
tion, and the Farmers Alliance question are all
being discussed by the men of Washington, but
the question that is nearest to every woman's
heart is the servant girl question. Not long
ago there appeared in the columns of New
York newspaper the following announcement:
sAnd now servant girl society has been Or
ganized in Gotham for the protection of mis-
tress and maid. The society demands that each
servant on leaving her mistress shall leave be-
hind her reference of character The refer
ence shall state whether the mistress has been
mild tempered or severe, liberal or prudent
subject to company or not, etc. The mistress
also gives reference. In this way both parties
are suited neither is imposed upon, and the
world wags harmoniously on''
The fact is that the relations of mistress and
servant rapidly changing. The servants
gain in power every day, and they seem to also
gain in inefficiency and ignorance. One-hal
the talk Of Washington society, blush to say
1t, relates to servants, and the ladies here are
discussing whether it might not be possible to
bring about reform in the education of their
servants and in the rules respecting them. The
question of colored servants versus white
servants is an important one where about one
third OF the population is made up of negroes,
and find general desire among the leading
ladies of the land that schools for the training
of servants should be established here and
throughout the country. / have spent this
week in interviewing some of our most noted
ladies on the servant girl question. I have
taken the experienced housekeepers among our
statements wives, and 1 find that every woman
has her own ideas on the subject and that many
of them are good ones.
WHAT THE WIFE OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR
THINKS.
One Of my first visits was to Mrs. Proctor,
the wife of the Secretary of War, who will this
winter assume her rightful position among the
ladies of the Cabinet as well as at the head of
her household which she was last season COM
PEELED to resign to her neice, Mrs. Carey, and
her daughter, on account of her devotion to her
invalid son. Mrs. Proctor said: "I have had
very little, if any, experience in housekeeping
in Washington, Mrs. Carey having last winter
entirely relieved of all responsibility In that
respect, as in others, 30 that am hardly quail
fled to give judgment in regard to the class of
service in the District of Columbia With the
exception of my cook and waiter, both of whom
are colored, have brought with me from New
England most OF my help. Last year had an
Irish maid and laundress, but this season have
secured young Swiss girl from among the
workmen's families on my husbands quarry
estates in Vermont. ! find the Swiss to be a
most thrifty, hard-working class. This girl will
perform the duties of maid, and | have 80 far
found that servants among the Swiss seem to
possess an innate adaptability and quickness of
perception that is largely in their favor above
others. You would be surprised to know how
ambitious the lower classes among the race are
to make for themselves home and community
in America Their only drawback to the sue
cesstul accomplishment of the desire is the fact
that they have as yet few churches established
in our midst Being a clannish community, they
lind 1t difficult to mingle with strangers at their
worship they are growing in number, espe-
claily in the New England States, and the
country about shows the benefit of their steady
industry. Judging from the complaints that
hear on all sides of the difficulty of obtaining
good servants, am of the opinion that it
would be as well to organize society for the
lwhile attending schooD to devote an hour or so
OF each day to learning to cook, make beds, set
table properly, or any of the other accom-
plishments by which they expect to earn their
living"
MRS. SECRETARY MOBILES TROUBLES.
Mrs Noble says she has good reason since
her arrival in Washington to pray for a re-
formation among the colored servants of the
District. She is unfortunately compelled to
employ six, and finds the truth of Mrs. Stowe's
assertion that "a multitude of servants is like
roast at every fire, they must needs each be
attended to-" and one invariably gets In the
way OF another. sin fact" she said with
sigh Of resignation, 81 find them great re-
sponsibility but very necessary eyil.'
"Can you notpropose some remedy ?" asked.
"The only remedy can suggest would be
the organization of some charitable society for
the early training of the working class, where
complete initiation into the various aVocations
by which they hope to gain livelihood will be
the end sought after"
MRS. RUsK ADVOCATES COOKING SCHOOLS.
Mrs. Rusk, wife of the genial Secretary OF
Agriculture, considers herself very fortunate in
having secured the well-trained white servants
brought from Wisconsin by Mrs. ex-Postmaster
General Villas, thereby escaping the usual dis
eouragements experienced by many newly-ar-
rived Washington housekeepers. In discussing
the subject Mrs. Rusk spoke approyingly of
the established cooking schools in Wisconsin
and Illinois, to which many ladies are in the
habit OF sending their servants for regular hours
OF tuition This branch of education Is also