Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1897-09-23
THE ENGLISH BARNARD.
Her Temptations are Great and She
Frequently Falls.

Frequently Falls.
Robert p. Porter in Mail and EX-
press: The British barmaid stands
alone. She is as much recognized as
an English institution as the church or
the house of lords. She numbers, in
London, $4,000 strong. She is al
ways young and generally pretty. Yet,
for all this, the barmaid is by no
means well treated. She is the
pariah of the public house, the out
cast of respectable society, the re-
jected of the philanthropist and the
parish visitor. There are no associa-
lions for the benefit of the harmaid.
! There are no Bible classes, no prayer
meetings, no special services for her.
Every woman who works for Ler liv-
ing-from the shop" sewer, who
earns her sevenpence day, to the
swell saleswoman, who pockets her
fourteen shillings week.-Mrs. a
sneer for the barmaid, and between
her and her antipode, the British
matron, there yawns a gulf SO wide
that it is never spanned.
There must be superstition to the
effect that barmaids have no souls,
for no attempt is made by any religi-
GUS body to reach or to save them.
The $4,000 women employed in pour
| ing liquor down the huge threats of
thirsty London are young and good
/ looking. The first requisite demanded
OF the barmaid is that she shall be
pretty, and the second is that she shall
not be under 16 or over 80, though
many publicans and sinners draw the
! line at 25 years of age. Her popular
name is Polly. Polly, as rule, has a
skin wholesome in its pink and white
ness, and not averse to little dimples.
A thick crop of curly hair is cut close
to her head, and her eyes, be they
black or blue, are sure to be fine.
Polly's poorest feature is her mouth,
| for it is coarsely cut, and only the
redness of her lips and her splendid
teeth make one forgive the glimpse of
her gums when she laughs. A black
dress, white collar and a coquettish
apron give an air of refinement and
neatness not always native
1t is taken for granted that Polly
must be light of foot and deft of hand.
| She must be honest in money matters
and good-tempered. Above ALL she
must not be squeamish. TO the gild
ed youth of Great Britain the barmaid
! is a special joy, a creation for his
benefit, and he is quick to pick out the
prettiest one behind the bar. There
she is chained to her place as securely
as if to a log He can stare at her as
long as he likes. He can say bad words
to her and she dare not resent it, be-
cause he has ordered a brandy and
soda. Then he tells her stale joke
or compliments her in the coarsest Of
terms. interlarded with frequent
my dears," and she has to smile and
look as if she liked it, by the by
she comes to like it, and that's where
the mischief begins. What tries Polly
most, though, is to hear two OF her
patrons discussing with much JUNCTION
and not a little profanity her good
points," exactly as If she were horse
and deaf at that AS she stands be-
hind the long white counter or bar of
marble with its shining pumps, its
pyramid of sweets. fruits, cakes and
sandwiches, rosy, tidy and alert, hand
ing over hard-boiled eggs, buns, cheese
cakes, cold sausage and sliced ham,
she is not an unpleasing picture, and
one always to be'found at the railway
refreshment rooms and better class of
public houses, pastry cooks and
theater cafes.
1t would be hateful and unjust to
think that the barmaids under the
heads enumerated We're all whited
sepulchers. Many Of them are the
daughters of small farmers, and more
of country inn keepers. Some have
come from the house o. the village
schoolmaster, and others from the vii
lage parsonage-good, honest girls,
decently reared and driven to this
resource to make living. The great
ambition of respectable barmaid is to
get a place in one of the refreshment
hotels or restaurants managed by a
famous firm who employ thousands OF
women in this capacity. and will not
take girl without some sort of a
recommendation. Here the hours are
long and the pay small, but the girls
are under the charge Of managress.
who keeps an eye on them, and they