The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1894-06-16
LET SERVANTS SLEEP OUT.
suesestion Made by p writer In ~ r.,
Eilsh Review.

Some time ago n lady wrote
lengthy article for one of the English
reviews in which she set forth a new
idea about servants, and from the nj,
with which she SET it, forth / fancy she
considered that the ycxed question
was virtually settled. Her plan was to
let all The household servants sleep
out--that is, To have their homes any.
where but in the houses where they
worked. BY this means they would
feel an independence Unever thought
they were lacking in that feeling), and
they would be regarded as laborers OF
us employees rather than us servants.
What u delightful plan that would bel
AS few servants have any homes in
the towns where they arc at service il
would be q nice thing for them TO be
lodging about "promis-cus like" and
not getting to their lodgings till all
hours. | doubt if any respectable
servant would act upon such a sugees-
ton. On the other hand, how very
pleasant for the employer! Say that
the ervant is a child's nurse or lndy's
maid, would she be absolvcd from her
duties at curfew, and would the mis-
tress' hair have to go u%nbrushcd that
the maid might 20 OFF to her lodgings
II enjoy her sleeping hours of indie
pendenoeP If one lives In Il Ike Now
York fiat there may be more breathing
room left il the "slavev" goes to her
home at night, but after all it is only a
makeslift way. A good mistress has
the interests of her ervants at heart,
and she wants them to be n part of her
hRnSnIln1V not fhn t,u ..-..
miserable tenement-house to bring
back dirt and diseases in their cloth
ing. J
The trouble in this country lies with
the mistress more than with tho maid.
Ii women formed themselves into a
protective league and declined TO take
incompetent servants they would solve
tho knotty problem much sooner than
by theorizing about it. AS the matter
now stands ] may discharge my cook
today for incompetency and my next
door neiglbor will take her tomorrow
and never dream of coming to nc for
D reference. Not only will she take
her for q cook, but if she happens to
have a cook and be in need of Il child's
nurse, she will install this entirely
ignorant girl (ut what aye. l wonder,
20 female servants cease to be girls?)
In that Office and be quite satisfied to
sntrust her tender offspring to her UNI
trained care. As for trained servants,
they arc rare in this country. A"girl"
Will be cook, laundress, chambel1naid,
waitress, or child's nurse, according to
the vacancy to be filed, or according
to her own sweet whim. 1t is very
different in Europe. There a servant
Is trained for the particular branch OF
her profession that she chooses upon
entering.
The strange part of it is that the un-
skilled servant asks and usually gets
as high wages rs her more skillful fell
low-craftswoman. The question of
money does not seem to be conditional
upon tho service rendered., but upon
the assurance of the servant in her de-
mands. AS | have said before, it is the
mistress more than the maids who are
at fault. Suppose that one housewife
refuses TO give an incompetent servant
a good recommendation, and the other
housewife refuses to take one without
a good recommendation, that would
simplify matters at once. But not only
doe one I'M give a good recon-
mendatlon to u poor servant, but ten
to n the new mistress never reads it
and would scorn to trouble herself bv
seeking II personal interview with the
ex-mistress. Recommendations are
80 constituencies nowadays that l sup
pose it makes but little difference
whether n servant has one or not.
have long ceased TO pnt any faith in
them, and have Furthermore learned
to read between the lines and lay to
heart the things that are unsaid quite
rs much as those that are said.-M. Y.
Kec0IiLe1