Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-03-08
A HOUSEWIFE UNION.
AN ORGANIZATION FOR IMPROVING
DOMESTIC SERVICE.

. yexatious Ouestion-Their Interest
ing System Of Giving Prizes-German
Servants Who Are Veterans.
A meeting was held not long ago in the
city hall by the Housewife
Union Of Berlin for the purpose Of publicly
servants Of the members for
years Of faithful service. The rewards
we're handsome silver pin, with the in
itials Of the union and the words, Reward |
for faithful service" an engraved certlh-
cate, a copy of the unions cookbook and |
sum Of money, determined by the time Of
service.
The Housewife union is one OF the most |
energetic women's organizations in Ger
many. In Berlin its influence stretches |
out over every branch Of household work, |
and every industry pertaining thereto. 1t
was founded by Frau Lima MOrgenstern.
The idea of encouraging faithful domestic |
service by public reward is also an eman-
alton from her brain. In the first years OF
its existence the committee on prizes had
hard work to make both ends meet. But
public interest in the experiment grew
each year, and now, thanks to gifts and
legacies, this branch of the union is self
supporting and almost out of debt.
To be entitled to prize, woman must
serve at least five years in the same house
hold, after which time she receives the pin
and the certificate. She receives after ten
years in the same family the cookbook
and ten marks in gold: after twenty years
she gets twenty marks, and after thirty
years in the same household thirty marks
is the sum given. She may receive a Ger
tain prize every five years if she wishes,
the only necessary condition being that
her employer, If not member of the
union, must pay two years membership
fee and small sum toward the prize.
The council hall used for the annual
meeting was filled to overfowing with an
interested crowd of women, man here
and there looking and probably feeling
very much out of place In the front row
sat from twenty to thirty servants Of all
ages dressed Ia their best and fully appre
ciative of the Importance of the occasion
The meeting was opened by the president
of the union. Frau Morgenstern, a short,
stout woman, with white hair and a bright,
kindly face. After brief resume of the
| minutes of the last meeting the president
smoke of the purpose of prize giving, the
hone of improying the class of domestic
servants by encouraging long and faithful
attention to dutv and the attennt to re.
store something of the natriarchal relations
Of servant and employer in former days.
when the servant was one of the family
taking n personal pride and interest in the
welfare of the household.
She then smoke to the servants. empha
sizing the GOOD their examnle must do tn
many of their class, and contrasting the
security of their position with the lot of
the factory hand and the shongirl The
employer came in for a little of the praise
as well. Frau Morpenstern rightly giving
the housewife her due share of Importance
in making and the keeping of good sery.
ants. Then the list of those to be reward.
ed was read. and the women came forward
one by one to receive the prizes.
The first name announced was that of a
working housekeeper. who had served fifty
wears in the same place OUTLYING two gen.
erations, and now in her old age cared fol-
as one of the family. The announcement
evoked n storm of applause. and the audi
ence was much disappointed when told
that this faithful creature was too old tc
nato tha ;o,,rra,, sror, hor d;s.o,'t
i trtrh hpFtNa nd hat hon. l,,,I g.,
,,ordod ~ har 'O'
Next on tho list cano a,otbor lborso
keeper. whose term of service had IasteC
as years. tbo, n cool, of IN yaars, .a,,,;c, :,
the same household another of % and nm
other of o6 All lived in country towns
NOT far distant and from, one who was nm
able 10 be nresent n Ietter of thanks vra,
read aloud Then came six women aIl ot
whom had served % vears in Families ir
Berlin. then one. who sbad served for ..
vears. -anotter for % nnotber for % SOW
eraI for o0 fonr from II 70 % wears and
seven whose term Of service lasted from !
10 t5 wears T,ventv-eiobt in all we're ra
warded the maioritv having servad 70,
more than 20 wears in the same family
| Several had received prizes five wears he
fore and several were from families vbare
fellow servants had been rewarded within
the last few wears.
At the preyious meeting forty.
women were rewarded. and ths.numhe,
of prizes given has seldom been below
twenty.
Touching stories Of fidelity in pisfortuno
.l(.,.S aUn,-. ".tachment horn of nride and in
F3.srest in the employer ian,ilv wara fold
1 and it was hard to believe, in lning
that we were in the latter half of NineA r
teenth century aud in the heart OF great
city. They recalled other quartebf the
globe where two or three wometsnno,
meet for social chat without hpwiny
tales to narrate OF incompetent 'ip.n of
the hardships of housekeeping angling
for the time when modern ingerS will
invent a mechanical substitute that
necessary eyil-tbe domestic serv ~
Ihe Housewives union was Jnized !
ABOUT eighteen or twenty years az the =
housewives OF Berlin Tor concerftfort
aealns' the unnecessarily high r de n
niaHueu oy tne PurNeyors OF tharious