The sun., 1897-10-03
SIZE WORKS.
That 10 the Way the servant Girl Solves the
Problem In Germany.

Problem In Germany.
"Thev have solved the servant.glrl problem
In Germany" said n New Yorker who returned
awcek ago with his family from tho Continent
to wrostle with that samo problem in a subur.
ban town. II need not go into the details Of all
/ saw in German family economy during my
year abroad to convince you of this. I would
not even try TO explain tho way in which the
Germans have done ii, but can give an illus.
tration or two OF the results as saw them.
"We first went to live in n boarding house in
brunswick. II was very fashionable boarding
house. for Americans only and tho prices would
bring Joy to the heart OF oven New York city
landlady There were eight hoardcrs besides
my wife and myself. There were tho fat her and
mother Of the family aud three grown daugh.
tcrs. We lived in villa with garden attach.
ment and n very imposing entrance adorned
with metal that needed polishing daily. For
the work OF this whole big house and household
there was just ono servant, who received
just five marks or Sl.25 week for her
services. She not only cooked all tho meals
polished all the door knobs. made up all tho
rooms and washed all the clothes. but she cut
the grass in tho garden. trimmed the grape
vines, scrubbed tho fence, and weeded the
walks. Sho rose at 4:30 every morning, more.
over, and blacked all the boots Her hours OF
and she had just ono day off a month.
"When VIC rst went to the boarding house
noticed that after each dinner the Herr Papa
went through queer performance. He would
mash down two potatoes on plate cut two
slices OF meat and lay them on the potato. add
a spoonful of each vegetable to the heap, and
crown the collection with thick unbuttercd
chunk Of black bread. I thought he must have
week or hat rge e o 6e i"r
for which the dish was prepared. Then /
learned TINT tho hodee,podge was the servant
girls allowance. She was permitted to clear
the plate, but not n mouthful more was hers
From what l observed afterward ] concluded
have had dire results. Tho Herr Papa certainly
would have had an sroplcctic fl: the Frau
Mamma probably would have torn her hair and
burst on th" spot the moment she heard such a
request: The consciousness Of such possibilities
| evidently WAS what deferred the girl from ask.
ing for more. All the time was in the board
ing house she worked her eighteen hours day
with three portions of coffee and black bread
and the hodge podge have described her
n, One day last My we made trip into the
nTrT Mountains ali we e. went Ts asa big German
beer, and our wraps with us. That Is, the serv:
ant girl carried them witt us; She had strapped
been packed with ham, sausage, bread, beer.
shop. On top of tho provisions were packed the
| wraps. Loaded with the two bushels OF miscel-
lany, the servant girl brought u u the rear OF our
| procession through brunswick and was showed
| into n seatlcss fnurthclass car. The rest of us
| got into second-class car. and away we spun TO
| the foot Of the IiarZ Mountains
" Now. not wanting the reputation OF long
distance liar. shall not tell you all the wonders
| performed by that servant girl on that picnic
| tramp suffice IL to say tbnt she was with the
| procession. up hill and down dale. climbing
| ROCKS and sliding down the steep places. We
| began trRmping up the mountains at $50 and
| at IL o'clock my wife and were so tired that
| we took to ponies, but the servant girl with
| her wicker conc OF dcllcatessen didn't turn
hair, When dinner came she got only
| When supper came, she got only a bottle
| of beer and black bread. Yet, when II was
| all over she stood up in her fourth class car
while the rest Of MS dOzcd on our second class
seats. She walked home unComplainingly be-
| hind us and the next day not a boot was un-
| tahlishment. She did not become suddenly lame
or weak. or get "A call to go at once to her sick
sister or receive notice OF the funeral of an aunt
or uncle-n short, none Of those things thai har-
row the souls OF American servant girls with
regularity. turned up to disturb her industry.
She simply worked on.
And that l. what they all do-work put their
money in the bank. and get married. Outside
| OF marriage. | couldn't see that anything was
| likely TO move the German servant girl to give
notice. Every girl has her book in which are
recorded all the changes which the ordinary
The entries nre made by her successive mis-.
| tresscs. and she is never eng gcd without her
having shown her book. girl who started out
In n city with book recording semi monthly
ch7ngcs throughout the whole OF her working
career would h We no chance of finding employ
mcnt on the face of the whole German empire.
That may be one reason for the idylliC condi.
tions that have described