The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1891-04-02
W0MAN'S REAL PLACE
a CONTRAST seTWEER THE epiop
GIRL AND THE SERVANT.

- SSNA hNoi 1Gl WEN fNG 6rNOs
GIRL AND THE SERVANT.
ne Former Tries % KssP Bo6y md soal
Together win Scarcely More HsasI
Thaa the Latter Gets - Psekst Moasy
The Casss % the Evil
The kitchen and nursery versus tbs
factory and store question has long en-.
gagged the attention Of women who an
devOting their lives to the improvement
Of the material condition Of their sisters.
In other words, those philanthropic per.
sons are wondering whether, after all,
the working woman has done . wis
thing by leaving the sphere which wa
peculiarly her own, with different sur
roundings, since the days Of Adam, and
invading the occupations which are, by
thsir nature, adapted 10 men.
Some opinions On this subject have TO
Gently been given. They came from wo-
men who thoroughly understand the ex-
isting conditions Of life, and their ex-
pressiOns were echoes which are heard
everywhere nowadaya The best friends,
male and female, Of the working women
arc asking the same qnestion-Why do
women put themselves under circum-
stances where they may be led 30 starya-
tion or shame when they can readily
syoid both by remaining within their
natural spheres
The answer given by q leader Of the
working women IL the only one that COW
err the question in many cases. tits the
"lady craze" The 'Isaleslady" and the
factory lady" have an ambition to
eclipse the wives and daughters Of their
employers In the matter of dress, and
they see nothing absurd In carrying out
Their purpose. And the community seems
20 agree with them.
WAGES m TWO LINES or WORK.
Careful observers say that in this mat
ter the girls act just the same a. ths
young men Of the day who crowd one an
other for clerkships, ETC., whose psy 10
q or S . week, rather than learn q trade
In which they can earn three or four
times that much. The puny little clerk
and the pale, unhealthy ''saleslsdyr think
they are gentlemen and ladies and would
be borriRed II any one offered 10 intro
duce them to the rosy, healthy servant
girl who has an account at the bank, or
to the robust mechanic who can produce
alarger roll Of bills ON Saturday evening.
Tho "lady" who sells handkerchiefs
and toilet boxes during the day for an
income Of fifty cents II the other half Of
the gentleman" who sells cuffs and col
lars for sixty or seventy cents . day.
They are the natural product Of the new
American lady and gentleman craze, and
they never realize Just what 10 means un-
les they get married. Then the gentle
man" clerk wishes he had mated with Q |
girl In domestic service who knew how
10 cook and who had little money laid |
by and the ''lady" regrets that abe did |
not devote her smiles 10 q mechanic who |
could support her. The police courts and |
the divorce courts give the culminations |
Of these stories every day In the year.
But the purpose Of this article h 10 |
give further particulars that enter into
the contrast between the women In do
nestle service and those who have flooded
mems occupations. According 10 the
most accurate statistics obtainable, the
wages Of servants in this city average, at
the lowest estimate, t15 month, besides
board, lodging snd in many cases all the
clothing needed. Perhaps e3.50 q week
might Be hxed a. the average money com
pcnsation Of all the women In domestic
service
Now, according 10 the statement Of
Mis- Ida Van Etten. Mira Creagh and
Miss Foster, the average wages Of work
ing women in stores and factories IL, at
the highest estimate, q q week.
: A COMPARISON
That Il Q half dollar difference In
wages, and that half dollar re;. rsseuts,
In comparison, the board. lodging, etc,
Of the servantS OF course, no woman
can live on fifty cents q week. It takes
her whole % 10 pay fog board and lodg-
ings " she gives anything liks proper
Dourishment 10 her body. So it amounts
20 just this: At the end Of Q week the
servant has e3.50 to lay by, whils the
''saleslady~ has not . penny.
As to Judging, the average servant has
her own little room. nicely furnished
and heated IN winter. The ''saleslady,"
II she boards, has q cold room at the top
Of the house, shared By three % forr
other unfOrtunateS The latter WORKS
on an average Of ten hours day, while
In the holiday season shs works a. much
~ sixteen hours, and never does q penny
Of extra pay reach her pocket.
The servant has no longer hours, and
she can rest during great part Of them,
and, besides. has hsr two or three ''eveu-
ines OF during the week. Her work,
on the whole, Is much lighter, and she
docs not know what fines are. II she
lalla III. in q good family, she rposives
the same cordial attention that her mis- ,
tress would, and - surrounded BY kind
attentiOns And her wages 20 On al the
time.
But how about the s.saleslady- M IN
he top Of the boarding house q sAe
Ihoald get icki Well. unless sks q !
absolutely NJ the point Of death che e
packed OF % q hospital when the tims ,
Ior which she las paid her board has ,
Expired But Ssen IL che b allowed 70
remain there till she gets wen, she ~
Iumes her wOrk with ksr trunk under !
SsadAss 10 the iAndlady. and with q ,
. her. beGyy debt staring her In The )
lscA Z Il any wonder that many . ,
god girl sssks escape froa :
'ach Troubles In the concert halle
And h is any wonder that The comfort
lbls servant girl generally ends her
ssresr q working for oshen By marry
zg n honest man and settling down II {
eomforsabls homa-Esu Y0<k Con- a
zsscasl Aass-tisz. Z