Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1898-04-10
THE BARMAID'S LOT.
One Unhappy Phase OF English Industrial
Life.

Life.
Pail Mall Gazette.
find barmaids a very much nisun-
derstood class of women To the Or
binary mind barmaids are bright,
tiashy-looking women, who will serve
beer and chaff, or split Scotch and
repartee TO any man who pays the
price at public bar. They are all
ways cheerful have word and a
smile for every one, and have de-
cided penchant for peroxide" hair and
painted cheeks. The result is that
their morals are considered elastic, if
not lax, and they are subjected to both
temptation and insult. And yet these
women are voluntarily working from
102 to Ice hours per week, in bar
rooms, where steam, tobacco smoke,
fumes Of beer and spirits. and general
stencil. vie with each other for SUI
premacy. Such an atmosphere is not
conducive to the welfare of maidenly
bushes; they soon die out Of the face
of new girl and as her appearance
is a matter of no little importance,
she must resort to rogue. The per
oxide follows in the same way.
are never robust at the best of times,
undertaking work that compels them
to rise before a. N. and retire at
or after | O'Clock the next morning.
and without any appreciate chance
to rest on the Sunday, Ard yet it is
quite true. for the barmaid must be
at her post in the bar between and
in the morning. and when she is not
M yDNIT IF
| busy herself with polishing glasses.
bottles and metal taps. No seats are
| allowed behind the counters. and the
| barmaid must stand and smile, draw
| drink. and talk. and polish glasses lot
| five or six hours cOnsecutlvely before
she can rest a moment. Two hours
are allowed TO her during the middle
/ of the day. usually from l O'Clock 70
8 But at 8 she must be BACK at het
| post again. still looking pleasant
and smart, and, save for hall hour
or so for a meal. must go on with her
work until 1890 at night. when Is
| closing time. Nor is her work then
| done. The crowds of customer nave
| made the rooms piggish everything
is in disorder, and il rests with the
! barmaid to tidy up" the place beiore
| she leaves the bar Oftentlmes y +
! after / o'clock in the morning before
| she has finished her work and can go
| to bed. One would expect that alter
| six DAYS OF this the BARNARD wouid
| he allowed to rest on Sundays, or a.
! least to lie abed until opening ulhe'
| at /. But this is not the case
Even on Sundays the BARNARD must
he mn at 1870 and start work, fcf the
TO- III n
| dav affords an opportunity 1or q hiIu
| If strengthening and the Darliidlu
must nut an extra polish on the coih-
| ters and the metal taps must be maze
| 10 shine and the glasses 70 sllS'eh-
| In fact. everything has to ne put Ill
| order and the traces of the SATURDAY
nights crowd done away with. WIN
| q break Of half an hour. for breakfast,
| the morning. work gees on until y ~
when the barmaid must change her
working clothes and make herself LOOK
| attractive for the Sunday opening at L
| o'clock. Work then goes on until 5 IN
! the afternoon. when the BARNARD mas
her dinner. and may be at liberty untli
! 6 But she works from to IL O'Clock
i On Sunday nights, and the only time
| she has to herself on her day out is
from 8 to s o'clock and this only every
| other Sunday.
For thus working from l02 to 100
hour, per week the new BARNARD gets
nothing. When she has learned her
duties she thinks herself lucky TO get
from to Z shillings per week, and Il az
the end Of two years she can command
| 9 shillings a week she considers her-
self very fortunate. Out of such sums
the barmaid must dress herself ana
nav for her own was1ing, and more
often than not this pittance must be
stretched to met the needs of her peo-
pie at home.
"And yet barmaids have bad repu-
tation." one ~ icate girl told me.
Don't YOU think it too bad? 1t makes
men unwilling to marry US, and turns
| friends from us. And yet | know a
lot of girls who spend their time OFF
| in doing their own washing and iron
ing to save a little more money for
| their mothers. who perhaps depend
on them for part Of the rent Some OF
them walk miles on their Sunday off to
save bus fares. it is their only chance