The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-04

men or women around 10 their customers
houses once week to wash and polish
al the windows thereof. They are mere
ly concentrating busir ess that has been
growing up In haptazsrd wav out Of the
necessities Of householders who cannot
employ sufiicient number OF servants 10
do all the work OF their households. II
may be that they can AFFORD It. but have
not room In which to house all the gar.
wants that are needed.
There are many housekeepera In Nav
York who employ from dozen to twenty
servants. When houses are built TO suit
such families. II Is customary to construct
an addition at the back OF the family
dwelling solely to accommodate the corrs
OF servants. Otherwise tie helm have IN
be crowded In top-fioor or attic rooms
more uncomfortably than the very parti-
cular upper servants OF this day will per-
nit themselves TO be cared for. Wherr
there is complete corps OF servants q
certain one is always assigned 10 care for
the windows and brasswork, il there il
any. This work In Murray Hin or C!in-
toi avenue mansion will take all this
working time OF an industrious man or
woman. The plan of thus detailing one
servant to keep necessarily going the
rounds of the windows is one that was
long ago established In the hotels. and
the trick OF initiating it In the big houses
of our rich came naturally, for such
houses must be run as systematically as
hotels.
However. every one does not have big
mansion to live In, and annex In which
TO house help. or money enough 10 keep
a complete retinue OF servants But all
who keep house do have windows. and
all windows will get dirty. Persons of
moderate means manage in various ways.
Some keep q cook. allot the upstairs work
to some member of the household, aud
send out the washing. Others, who can
afford II, keep 4 cook and an upstairs
girl, who Is also the waitress. In either
case the windows have 10 be washed, and
there Is no one to do II. IL is on this ac-
count that the custom has grown up OF
hiring a woman-usually II is a colorcd
woman-to come to the house once a
week TO do a days work at the windows
for the sum of a dollar. These women
are not all either reliable or evenly good
at their work, and these two defects are
the ones the new Misunderstanding COM
panies seek to correct. They agree to
send woman or man regularly and
promptly at a certain hour or day. TO
guarantee skillful work. and to make
use of lampblack. rubber brushes, ard
all the latest compositions and appliances
for cleaning and polishing windows until
they shine like crystal and are as trans
parent as the air.
This is distinct gain 10 the sum OF
human comfort, and II adds no new item
TO the expense OF keeping house. but II
calls attention TO the number OF such
extras which now n AXE up the cost Of
home keeping in the cities on and around
Manhattan Island. In addition TO the
window washer is the private Waterman.
WHO collects a dollar a month from every
house in font OF which he patrols at
night. Further along In the list il the
man who is called In to attend 20 the
furnace three or four times a day because
the domestics OF the kitchen refuse 20
do that work. Then there Is the steam
laundry, to which are sent the mems col
lars and cuffs and all the finer linen that
the servant who does the washing Is not
able TO do UP as It is now done by ma
chinery.
The day when a single servant with the
strength of horse and the cheerfuness
| of an angel, did all the work for an aver
age family. vanished long ago and forever.
| To-day the items of fcod clothes and
| house servants are not all that one call
| culates before setting up as a house
keeper. There are dozen extras. They
| ere all little ones, but they cost as much
| as the hire Of one servant, at least.-New
York Sun.