The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-16
SOLVED THE SERVANT PROBLEM.
Novel scheme of a Chicago Woman
Which Satisfied Employer and EN-
plOyed.
From the Chicago Record.


From the Chicago Record.
There is at least one woman in Chicago
who has solved the question Of hOusehOA
help TO her satisfaction. and there is one
girl who feels satisfied with her position.
The wOmanin question had tried all kinds
OF help, from the raw Swedish or Irish ar
Iicie TO the clever American, who knew
Tar too much to be a good maid, and she
was IN despair. she was not exactly an in
valid, but she was rather delicate, and
she needed an assistant who could be de-
pended upon 10 look after things during
ner Illness or in her absence from home.
Then, too, she was much alone, and some
times she feltsthe need of companionship
which all childless housekeepers have eX-
perienced. lmpertinence, slackness, poor
work, and undue familiarity had been the
only results she had obtained in her ef-
forts toward elevating the freaks with
whom she labOred- Still, her faith in her
sex remained triumphant. and she was as
positive as ever that the girl she was seek
ing existed somewhere. Just how TO find
her she did not know.
Why don't you begin at the other end
OF the problem?' her husband suggested.
Seems TO me that you might find plenty
OF nice girls who would be willing to do
the work If you paid them well enough,
and who would be companionable enough,
too, if you treated them nicely"
But / should have TO make such a girl
as you speak of one of the family" she
said, obviously.
well, why not?" said the husband,
with all mans disregard of convention
ality. "A real nice girl, who would be nice
enough for you to take to and make
companion of while l am away, would
have sufficient good taste not to be in the
way when l am at home and that's what
you are afraid Of, l know. "
The wife made no answer but the fol-
lowing week she inserted an advertisement
i'm morning paper and awaited results
The advertisement read as follows:
wanted, a nice, comDanionable young
lady TO do general homework mo washingl
for family of two; must be refined and
Now. it happenedd that the very girl she
longed for saw and answered her adver-
tisement The girl had come to Chicago
more than year before, and, being I'm
trained, had taken afpOsition in a necktie
factory. BY dint 81 cons ant work she had
reached a salary of s. a week, but she had
ruined her health. To do more than live
upon her salary she found impossible, for
good board in a-refined household could
not be had for less than s. a week. Car
fare and lunches consumed another $50
and to dress upon the scanty balance
would be impossible so soon as the ward
robe which she had brought with her was
worn out She lad no, home no friends,
and nothing to fan back upon. The adver-
tisement of the woman who wanted an
exceptional household assistant suggested
new though startling idea to the girl,
who had never dreamed of working in any
kitchen save her mothers or her own.
Still, after a little hesitation, she answer
ed the advertisement.
t1eF letter pledSHQ the uOuSekeepeT VINO
had advertised. and after an interview
they were mutually pleased.
All this happened more than year ago,
and they are still pleased. The girl has
room nearly as good as that of the
mistress of the house. many of her en-
ployer's friends are her friends, and when
these friends call upon her she receives
them in the p2rlor; her employers never
dream of speaking of her to Strangers by
her first name; when her employers are
absent from home she is at liberty to
invite some one to stay with her, and she
often accompanies her employers to So
cial or church entertainments.
On the other hand, the girl does the
household work as it has never been done
before, with touches of dainty attention
which are constant surprises to her em-
ployers. She takes all the cares of house
keeping off the shoulders of her mistress,
and does not grudge the time spent in
preparing dainty meals. She does the work
in her own fashion and at Her own time,
and she does not insist upon being with
her employees at all times. Her own room
is quite pleasant enough toespend an even
ing in now and then, and she realizes that
the most delightful guest is better APP
preciated for occasional absences. She
sits with them at meals when they are
quite alone looking after the table ser
ent she prefers to wait upon them. She
prides herself upon being always neat, and
she never appears in company unlimited,
although frequently assured of her inva-
riable welcome.
Both employers and employee treat one
another with the courtesy and considera-
tlon due from one refined person to an
other, and the only cloud upon the hori-
zOn is due, to the attentions of a certain
young friend of the family, who is sup
posed to be DESTROYS of transplanting the
happy girl to a home of her own-and his
Both the girl and her employers think
they have solved the problem of household
assistance and the experiment Is certain
keeDerS