The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-01
OUR SERVANT GIRLS.
Views Of Noted Men and Women
on the Subject.
MRS. STANFoRDS CHINESE COOKS.
Mrs. Senator Sherman's Practical Ideas
Education Of Servants in the West
A Curious Story of Mrs, Hayes.

WASHINGTON, Jan. &c., 1891. SPECIAL
Correspondence of THE HERALD. The
Presidential question, the Indian question
and the Farmers Alliance question are ali
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
announcements:
And now servant girl society has been
organized in Gotham for the protection of
mistress and maid. The society demands
that each servant on leaving her mistress
shall leave behind her reference OF ''char-
acter." The reference 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 ways tremendously on
The fact is that the relations of mistress
and servant are rapidly changing. The
servants gain in power every day and they
seem to also gain in ineniciency and ignor-
ance. One half the talk Of Washington
society, blush to say it, relates to SER
wants, and the ladies here are discussing
whether it might not be- possible to bring
about reform in the education OF their
servants ana in the rules respecting them.
The question Of colored servants versus
white servants is al Important one where
about third CT the population IS made
up OF negroes. and / find a general desire
Id sc ~ d.
schools for the training of servants should
be established here and throughout the
country. l have spent this week in inter
viewing some Of our most noted ladies on
the servant girl question. [ have taken the
experienced house keepers among our
statesmen'S wives, and 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. Proc
tor, the wife Of the secretary of war; who
will this winter assume her rightful posi-
ton among the ladies of the Cabinet as well
as at the head of her household, which she
was last season compelled to resign to her
neice, Mrs. Carey, and her daughter on &C
count of her devotion to her invalid son.
Mrs Proctor said: 81 have had very little
if any experience in housekeeping in Wash
ington, Mrs. Carey having last winter en-
tirely relieved me Of all responsibility in
that respect, as in others, So that / am
hardly qualified 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 l have
secured young Swiss girl from among the
workmen's families on my husbands quarry
estates in Vermont. / find the Swiss to be
most thrifty, hard working class. This
girl will perform the duties of maid, and
have so far found that servants among the
Swiss seem to possess an mate 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 a home and a community in
America. Their only drawback to the sue
cessful accomplishment of the desire is the
fact that they have es yet few churches
established in our midst Being a clannish
community they find it difficult to mingle
with strangers al their worship. They are
growing in number, especially 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 a society for the
training of servants who might be induced
while attending school to devote an hour
or so each day to learning to cook, make
beds, set table properly, or any of the
other accomplishments by which they ex :
pect to earn their living.''
MRS. SECRETARY MOBILES TROUBLES.
Mrs. Noble says she has good reason
since her arrival in Washington to pray for
g.. r.
OF the District. She is unfortunately COM
PEELED to employ six, and finds the truth in
Mrs. Stoves assertion that "a multitude
or servants is like roast at every fire. they
must needs each be attended to-, and one
invariably gets in the way of another. ''In
fact" she said with sigh of resignation,
Il find them a great responsibility, but a
very necessary evil"
'Can you not propose some renedy?n ]
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.n
MRS. RUsk ADVOCATES COOKING SCHOOLS.
Mrs. Rusk, wife of the genial secretary
OF agriculture, considers herself very for.
tunate in having secured the well trained
white servants brought from Wisconsin BY
Mrs. eX-Postmaster- General Villas, thereby
escaping the usual discouragements exper-
fenced by many newly arrived Washington
housekeepers. In discussing the subject
Mrs. Rusk spoke approvingly OF the estab-
hShed cooking schools in Wisconsin anC
Illinois, TO which many ladies are in the
habit of sending their servants for regular
hours Of tuition. This branch OF education
is also considered an important adjunct OF
m Ira6rr trio oil hnnlu
and girls are carefully instructed in the
various trades, including those of cooks
housemaids and mattresses. Such children
SO instructed yearly find ready employment
and seldom fail OF giving satisfaction to the
employer. & good mistress is more apt to
secure good service if she has practical
understanding of housewifery, and is care
full to personally instruct her help in each
particular duty. l do not doubt but wha,
me organization of some such a school il
our midst would very soon repay the efforts
OF those interested and prove an undeniabls
blessing to the community at large.
MRS. sHERMAN's IDEAS
Mrs. Senator Sherman thinks the mos
efficient remedy for the present poor ser
vice and dishonesty among those employed
would be the organization of a training
school in conjunction with the colored pub
lie schools OF the District. She tells me
that for nearly twenty years she has lac
the same cook. a typical old Virginia darkey
whom she secured at the close of the wal
and who, according to the custom of all
southern households in ante-bellum DAYS
was instructed almost from infancy in the
essential rudiments of her art. ''Unfortu-
nately,n continued she. ''old Fanny has al
length grown incapacitated for active worl
and l am compelled to employ younger
woman. have been busy all the week in
itiatlng the new cook, but am thankful te
hava ACCOMPLISHED the worst mart of thf