Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-09
A BARMAID.s REGISTRY.
Engiand's Most Charming Damsels and How
and Why They Get There.

| and Why They Get There.
| From the London Telegraph.
You ring the bell at the side door, which II
opened by . spring latch, and walk in. You
are not received by the customary Hebrew
agent To your surprise an extremely lady.
Ike, evidently well-educated girl accosts you
| Looking around you notice that ON the wslll
are nailed at least 200 photographs of more
or less presentable young women. Some are
In 1ackets-sealskin jackets-with large watch
chains. Some are in rugged imitation fur gar
ments; some are in outre jackets Of some
diaphanous form Of grenadine. For moment
you sit still, gazing, and thinking perchance
what the futures may be Of these young people
| in the labor market. You are now talking
| In the outer Office to the barmaids' agents
secretary, female secretary, a smart, very
pretty girl Of eighteen or thereabout She
herself has had 9 hard struggle to hold her own
| In these hard times, when the woman's labor
| market il such . very bad market indeed.
| Clever, bright and authoritative, even she can
not count upon earning more than fifteen shill-
| bar service? You learn that q good-looking
| girl, without any experience whatever, can
earn her eight shillings q week, with all her
board and lodging found; by no means a bad
start In Life, for, be 1t known. at the west end
millinery many girls on beginning work have
to pay twenty pounds premium, and only re-
ceive i've shillings per week at the end of three
months, after gaining q haphazard knowledge
| OF the business.
In fact, the registry secretary has known
many such cases. She was herself a mlliner's
model or mantle block. After having paid q
twenty-pound premium for three months, it
was offered to her that if she suited she was to
receive the large salary Of seven shillings and
not including any other meal but full tea.
She tells you. too, that in the bar business,
suPposing girl comes up from the country
and country girl, as . rule, possesses q very
considerable amount Of average shrewdness,
after having served in the bar Of the Red Lion
for month or so-she can always obtain in
London an engagement varying from
eight shlllings to ten shillings q week;
but then it will be quite understood that the
country girl does not in the least possess the
| simplicity Of her sister heroine Of the trauspo-
mine dramatists The BARNARD. to be very sue
cessful. must possess the true genius Of COM
mon sense, united with o curious, nay even
facetious, desire to please. The best type Of
girl even earns from twelve to sixteen shillings
month when in the PARKWAY country town,
and when she comes up to London and sits in
the registry room, surrounded by photographs
OF celebrities either male or female, she knows
perfectly well that her own good looks and her
own common sense are always in the market
equal to at least twelve to fourteen shillingsper
week.
A handsome young woman Of decidedly
town" aspects enters the room. She ia healthy
and bright spoken, and in the most business
IKE manner possible puts down two half
crowns IS security for her good intentions.
The secretary to the agency asks her what she
wants She does not want a berth in Q refresh
ment bar; she does not want one in a theater
refreshment bar. What she wants is a good
old-fashioned hotel. She knows full well that
mere sne Will meet with sundry customers
gwen to missing ten-minute-to-six suburban
trains-liberal-minded gentlemen Who after
an early evening Of whisky-and- water,
viii be always ready to make small
presents In the way Of gloves, or flowers, or
strawberries. or what not. And this is why bar
NE ls so attractive that it is recruited from
girls who have been in the millinery line or
the boot closing, and trust to their good looks
Again, the barmaid has by far the most favor
able chances OF success in the matrimonial
market At the leading refreshment bars in
London 1t Is surprising to learn the number of
girls who marry men, sometimes middle-aged.
sometimes very young, and sometimes very
elderly, and more often so than not, who are
perfectly capable of giving them comfortable
nome or even handsome settlements.
But now in comes a young woman dressed in
respectable black. She has Joined the profess
SION with an ambition far beyond that of ac-
ceptlng orders for the play, or flowers or pairs
OF gloves, or sundry small personal ornaments.
Sne accepts her situation only as a stepping
stone to better fortune and knows yery we'll
indeed that her position there can never lead
her to more than f45 q year. She may obtain
deputy manageress position at theater bar
at IL shillings week. Yet even this is as
nothing compared with the alternative of
good marriage, or, in default $500 for breach Of
promise.
As to the class Of girls from which the bar
maids OF London are principally drawn it is
mixed indeed. Many belong to families which
have been in the public line" for generation
upon generation. These, however, are by no
means most popular with their employers.
lheir knowledge Of trade customs is in MANY
respects great deal too accurate. Rests in
the day are duly insisted upon; all bar clean
Ing must be left to the potman; Sunday even
ings must never be overlooked and nothing
under a ten days holiday at the seaside will
satsiy. And all the time, be it understood.
putting aside the market value of shire wdness
and quickness, there is really very little tech
nical knowledge required in the bar trade. A
good memory for positions Of things
ana readiness at reckoning are, after
al, qualities to be met with in most
girls in other ways of life. OF course. Won are
told the hours are long-say from half-past 8
In the morning until IL at night. But then. be
IL remembered, the BARNARD has at all times
good, substantial meals, far better than are
given to the assistant at the draper's Diapers
enough why 30 you are not todd are close folk.
while publicans, especially sporting publicans.
are generally freehanded. And even If the
hours are long it must be borne ir mind that
par work ID FAR from being monotonous, Some
thing Is always going forward; there is ALWAYS
something to enliven, though occasionally it
might, perchance, be just well left alone As
to the future-the middle age or the old age of
the barwoman-it Is no worse than that of
women in other callings. Good looks and
youth have their value everywhere and espe-
cially In the present day. A few years ago,
you are told, in respectable old businesses.
staid-looking woman verging OF middle age
was preferred to good looking smart girl.
The term, O respectable house was sufficient in
itself to draw custom. Nowadays such houses
are never supposed to possess any special at
traction.
As othe temptations Detailing the bar girl.
they are but little greater than those to be mel
with by any kind Of shop girl. The barmaid, too,
"always knows her way about better than
other girls, if she makes slip it is really her
own fault. Possibly the worst feature of bar
life is that, even as government service is sup
posed to, it thoroughly units a girl for taking
up anything else. The gaslights Of the bar are
like the footlights Of the stage-once enjoyed,
there II never any cheerful separation
from them. The life, of course, is at
tractive from the power given to attract Yet
considering the number of girls engaged
in the business and the strange company thew
are daily thrown in with, it is seldom indeed
that they come to grief. The number of youths
who ruin themselves for barmaids is also.
after all very limited. The modern would-b be
young man about town is q shrewd and careful
person, who can, as a rule, take care Of himself
and has the sense to keep his hands from his
masters till or petty cash. His gifts are gem
orally limited to pair of not too expensive