The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-02-17
THE SERVANT QUESTION.
The Nexsd Problem Spreading Anew In
America and England.

The Nensd Problem Spreading Anew In
America and England.
The servant-glrl question Is again
engrossing attention 10th in the East
and in England, saws the san Fran
cisco Argonaut. The revelations OF
Elizabeth l.. Banks. an An erican
newspaper woman who went out TO
service in | ondon aud then related
her experience 10 the apers, are read
with avidity. In New YORK, Miss
Kate Gannett Wells is ~lecturing
mothers OF families. whom she holds
responsible for the Inconvenience Of
modern serN ant'gir ism. In both
countries the trouble * that the line
between mistre,s aud servant is not
drawn with sufficient distinctness;
the relative duties OF each are too
vaguely defined; the mistress is al
ways complaining OF the encroach-
ments OF the domestic. and the later
Is r~esenting the selfish thoughtless-
ness OF her employer. The servant
says that the mistress does not seem
TO remember that cook and house
made have feelings; the mistress
walls that her servants have no aztec.
tion for her. Over, and above all this,
the question OF wages is an %unceasing
source OF friction. The market value
OF a trained servant is constantly
rising. The mistress thinks she is
badly treated when a $ rvanJ whom
she has trained demands an advance
in consequence OF the training.
In this city, John Chinaman has
elbowed the servant-girl out OF the
kitchen, 10 the advantage of the en-
ployer. He Is not so Quarrelsome rs
the Irish girl, o so im%pertinent, and
he does his work better. lie has his
draw bacEs. lie will not stand inter
ference, and he thoroughly under
stands that his relation with his
master is a business relation, into
which sentiment does not enter. He
will leave a house where he has served
for ten or twelve years without "A
pang: whenever a Geary law, or other
similar enactment, reduces the sup
ply OF house-servantS he will insist
on an advance of wages with "A child
like and bland smile but with iron
firmness. He is a master Of econo-
mics But his morals do not require
looking after, and he is almost in
variabiy honest
In the East, the handling OF the
servant girl question has suffered
from English example. In the old
days, the servants were helps and
dined at the family table. Their
footing resembled that OF the Wallets
in Moliere's comedies, wno were con
tidants and advisers OF their masters
But with the influx Of English man
ners, new relations between the mis-
tress and maid were imported. Helps
became servants, and dined In the
kitchen. Thus far no harm was done.
The house-maid could % have felt
at home in the family circle, nor
could the remarks she injected into
the general conversation have been
improving. But the mistresses of
American households went further,
and seemed TO desire TO ignore the ex-
istence OF the maid, except as an in
strument OF service. They avoided
recognizing her in the mornings and
only addressed her to give her an
order. This vas a wholly unneces-
sary slight to the girl. IL va En-
gllsh. An Englishman will call and
dine at a house for years, and never
by word or look recognize the ex-
istence of the man who for all that
time has opened the front-door for
him OF changed his plate at the table.
The En2lishman's idea is that he be-
longs to "A different order Of created
beings from the butler and the foot
man, and that his self-respect would
suffer II he addressed them except on
official business. Thdckeray hit of
the notion when he tells OF an En-
glish Duke, who Icing addressed In
a crowd by a stranger, beckoned TO
his Aide de-camp TO answer the re-
mark.
1t does not seem that the spheres
would crumble II American ladies
admitted by word and act that their
servants are human beings. Their
soc al position might survive in luir-
ing about their health when they are
i'll. But mistress OF a household
Will uiiuo Ullc ucIICuO VI h'hubN?o IL
she breaks down altogether the on
ventional barrier between mistress
and maid. A servant who is placed
on a footing Of absolute equality
with her mistress will not perform
good work, and wDen IL becomes
necessary TO exercise authority, the
attempt will involve a Cuarrel
shipping Moiasses in Bulk.
Almost all the molasses which
comes from Cuba 10 the United