Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-18
THE BARMAID'S LIFE.
Wakeman Finds Nothing to Admire
in England's Liquor System.
LEADS BRITISH WOMEN TO DRINK
And Greatly Increases the Fascination of
the Saloon for Men.
RECRUITED MOSTLY FROM THE FARM
rconarsroxDENcE OF THE DrspArcu.,

rcoRRFsPoNDENCE OF THE DIsPArcB.1
LONDON. ENG, Jan. 10.-More than
nine-tenths of all the tremendous quantity
of ale, beer, wine and liquor annually con-
sumed by the men, women and children of
Great Britain is served by women. There
are nearly 200, 600 women thus engaged
every day in the year. These are, as
class. the prertiest and tidiest women in the
three Kingdoms. Whatever their relations
to society at large, they have characters
good or b ad, manners and morals, interest
ing or otherwise, and souls saved or un-
saved, though the clergy, church societies
and missionaries never seem to have
troubled themselves about the latter.
During the first hslf of the past ten years
had opportunity for frequent study of
these British barmaids. During the last
five years I have been able to closely OBJ
serve them nearly every day and evening OF
my life. AT first thought many may regard
them as hardly meriting serious consider
alton. 1t seems to me they are really worth
talking about English literature is full of
the barmaid. Prose and poetry are redolent
of her. Those rare old fellows who lived, or
rather slept, Sin chambers" and dined and
wined in public houses while making most
of the books which last. all along down
through the seventeenth and eighteenth CEN
turies, and even as near to us as the first
third of the present century, seem to have
drawn their inspiration largely from the
tap-room fount. Indeed, if we will be
wholly honest about it, English literature,
the sweetest and grandest on earth. and the
spigot have ever known close fellowship.
The Barmaid in Literature.
And even if little stress should be laid
upon the matter, we owe to the very presence
OF the barmaids of those days preservation
of the sweetest fancies, the most sparkling
huhor, the most charming situations, and a
DO mean number of the most chaste and
pathetic incidents known to ballad poetry
and fiction. This is not defensive of the
barmaid. It is merely historic CT her effect
on and presence in literature. And have
often thought because it was so; because the
public house of old and the barmaid of old
became British institutions, unconsciously
though universally grounded in the human
heart, they have survived civilization and
decay.
But it is undenlably true that because the
barmaid was long ago elevated into Brit
ish institution through literature; because
the older anv sentiment or thing. barring
the barmaid herself, is in Britain the more
endearIngly it is priced; and because your
British nobleman or workman will have his
wine or "bitter" from the hand of q tap-room
divinity whether all the world like it or
not, the prototype of the American "bar-
tender" is here unknown, and 200, 900 women
serve 20,000,000 British people with their
brews and spirits to-day. There are other
effects. such as the rapid national increase
in the consumption OF liquors; the increas-
ing power in politics and legislation of the
liquor interests; and, worse than all, the
| startling increase of liquor drinking by all
classes of British women; upon each of
which vast and sad volumes might be writ
ten. But the great host OF British barmaids
is what tine British people like and will
have; and, being accounted for, it only re-
mains to speak OF this particular class as it
individually and collectively exists.
At the Humber Inns.
Some curious facts have developed on GER
tain interesting lines in my five years. study
OF these people in England, Ireland and
Scotland. As rule. in my wanderings I
have sought the humber class OF inns for
housing; not only from motives of comfort,
but as best furnishing various and vagarous
forms of character study; inns on a par, as
nearly as can be compared, with our Ameri-
can hotels of the second class" Coming
again and again to many OF these, 1 have
secured such friendships and condolences as
gained tor me, in many instances, the agree
| able position of zone of the family with
the Inn s host and hostess. Not being fitted
by inclination or habit Tor honors in front
Of these bars, which 1 have always found
gains respect from even those vino exist by
them, reached many a snug corner within
them.
There, in the landlords or landlady's
chair OF honor and state, while apparently
reading my mail, or scanning the papers, 1
have been favored at all hours of the day
and night with pictures of life in British
"Pubs"-as the barrooms attached to inns
or restaurants are here universally called; !;
and, during their moments of rest between
customers demands, L have received IRON
British barmaids themselves innumerable
kindly, honest, and altogether womanly,
revelations as to their previous condition,
with the mode and motive of their lives.
One of the first series of careful inquiries
made was in reference to the sources of sup
ply of females for this vocation. Who we're
these bright, handsome, graceful women?
What manner of social condition was that
vut Of which they came?
Where Barmaids Come From.
I do not know whether these averages on
about 100 will hold true with 20O.0 900.
u
conjecture: Daughters of farmers, villagers
and of various employees on estates CT the
British nobility, 76O; daughters OF small
tradesmen, 214; publicans' daughters,
sisters and other female relatives, 1S7; fac
tory girls, "a; seamstresses and milliners,
SO; divorced wives, II; school mistresses. 72;
drapers' and other clerks, 80; telegraph
operators and postal employees, 8; actresses,
variety and otherwise, Is; cashiers, %; can
yassers, IA; unsuccessful singers and
music feathers, A; mission workers,
Sunday school teachers and 'Salyationists,"
81, photograph colorists and ARTISTS" gen.
eraliy, 10; ''literary" persons-8 of whom
had written poems, s pamphlets, ballads
and books, all of which had been pub
lished," the balance of whom might be
classified as "human various'-39; while 13
had been domestics; Is, scullery maids; z,
Coyernesses, and SO, as nursery maids,
originally had the moldlng OF the minds and
morals OF the British youth.
took these figures to a very noted En-
gIish thinker, leader and writer, q man
whose name is familiar one in every news
paper and household throughout the En-
glish-speaking world. He examined them
carefully; seemed lost in reflection for q
time; and gave his views regarding the
sociological study in rapidly-propounded
return questions, after our true Yankee
| fashion.
The American Representative.
"You have great many women in Amer.
| lea at the present time known as 'agitators'
| and 'reformers, have you not? And has
not each one q mission or scheme or a dI-