The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-05-29
THE MISTRESS AND
MAID PROBLEM
Plans for Improving the Quality OF Our
Domestic Service.
TRAINED SCHOOLS FOR SERVANTS
Much Can BE Accomplished by Them,
but 1t Is ms Necessary to Have
Trained Maids--Progress Which
Has Been Made in Various Places
Toward the Solution of This Long
PerpieYiug Prob'em.

The vexed question of domestic SER
vice is receiving a greater share of at
tention among women nowadays
though II has not yet reached the point
of making actual experiments in the
direction of reform in a concerted way
in many places. The New York branch
of the national household economic as
sociation has organized this spring for
the express purpose of dealing with
the problem of the movement begun
over dozen years ago in Chicago, and
seeks to discover some means whereby
training may be given to fit women
for domestic service The field of in
quiry mapped out by this new organi-
zatfon Is not confined to this matter of
service alone. 1t aims generally to
prompt a more scientific knowledge of
the economic value OF various foods
ana fuels; to give an intelligent un-
derstanding of correct plumbing and
drainage in dwelling houses; to deal
with the necessity for light and air,
the care of children, the securing of
skilled labor and the establishment
of schools of domestic science for that
purpose. 1t is to be feared, says the
Springfield Republican, this is too
large contract" and society will be
grateful If only the section relating to
domestic employment is studied to
some practical degree. In that de-
partment alone there is efficient op-
portunity.
The difficulties in the way of estab-
fishing a training school for servants
are almost as great as those which OBJ
struct the notion of founding one for
mistresses, yet II the one is needful
the other is desirable; there may be
some utility in the suggestion made by
a speaker, Mrs William c. Shailer
Vice-president Of the national house
hold economic association, before the
newly formed society, when she pro-
posed to send young girls to fill do
nestle position in public institutions
where they would give their work for
their training. Our institutions" she
says, ARE always from necessity con-
Quoted upon an economical scale, and
1t is not possible to have a superabur-
dance of service. Why could not the
girls in this way give additional help
that might be very acceptable, without
adding to the expense? The benefit
would be mutual" This is on the same
principle as that employed in educat-
}ng children's nurses at the baby's hos
pital.
KITCHEN SCHOOLS.
1t is too soon to calculate results, but
the experiment known in Chicago as
the kitchen garden association, which
is thorough instance of similar ex-
periments being made in other places
may be getting at the root of reform
by beginning with the children and by
seeking to make it a part of the re-
gular public school course, and so do
away with the foolish objection to
housework as degrading occupation.
The directors of this work recently
gave public exhibition of their teach
ing. and the newspaper reports are en-
thusiastic in praise of the performance.
Each class went first through a recfta-
tion-of household maXims and recipes
and proceeded then to their application;
with small utensils these little maids,
abouts50 in number, concoted the dish
es after the rules just repeated,
washed, 'made beds, swept and busted
answereds,the door, laid the table and
serve arneal of four courses composed
OF the food they had prepared and
cooked, in manner worthy of all ad-
miration. The officers of the associa-
tion hnd fhat the girls who range
from II years of age inward are much
ant sTrsted' and though some classes
'1'" pnable~ 70 meet oftener than once
Week, are'zealous to learn as fast as
'Ossible, The instruction is free, and
ext year three of the public schools
VIII try 1t as a part of regular class
work. In this direction Chicago is be-
hind several other cities in Maine,
New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Cali
rVafn a,,I
inducing a more healthy view of do
mestic service, this introduction of
kitchen work in the public schools, as
we have said, must have important
results.
COOKING SCHOOLS.
A further solution of the diHicnlt,,