The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-27
Copyright, 1881


fora she was a wife expressed her disgust
a.. tbe women who continually talked
about their servants but after her mar
riaee. when she was in the midst of a dis
cussion of this never ending subject and
reminded by a friend of her former re-
marks said: 81 wonder that they talk
.f,,+ ANYTHING else" The business man
.cgaring a clerk pays him for certain work
and exDects him to be capable of doing
that work He needs a competent book
lesner. Numbers appear to apply for the
sfraation. Each tells of his experience,
bic abilitv. and offers his references. The
business man engages that one who seems
10 be most competent, most healthy and
about whom the best words are said by
o. former employer. who gives a reasona-
HE excuse for having dismissed him from
his employ. That man expects that in
few DAYS his bookkeeper will have learned
the special methods of the establishment
and he +. competent workman. He knows
that he would not dare to pose as a first
class bookkeeper unless he was one. He
understands that a business man does
NOT write a reference for an employe I'M
less II is deserved, and the employer
would think the world was coming TO an
end if. at the end of the first day, the
man engaged to keep the books announc-
cd that he did not know very much about
them. but that he was very good at put
ting corks in cologne bottles.
But that is the sort of treatment that
comes to the mistress of a house She is
anxious for first class cook. The cook
appears, either in an aswer to an adVer-
tisement from an employment agency or
through some friend. She presents her
recommendation. It is written evidently
by d lady and according to it this woman
has all the virtues and is a perfectly COM
petent cook. Her first dinner is an abso-
Lutte failure The meat is cooked to death,
while water potatoes, greasy vegetables
and heavy pastry constitute the menu.
The mistress signs. After dinner she has
little talk with her new employe, only
10 discover that where she lived before
she did not do the cooking, Gust helped
around the house" but she wanted to be
cook and Mrs. Moutmorenci Brown
was so kind hearted that she gave me
recommend as one" My friend, what
right has Mrs Montmorenci Brown to tell
an absolute untruth on paper? Yet this
to you or to me, brought by some one
desiring to literally live with US.
A we'll known woman who would have
been Mortified, for she was especially con-
spicuous in church work, at being told
that she was a sinner committed a crime
of the deepest dye which sire excused
on the ground of feeling sorry for the
girl" To a waitress who had been caught
stealing money she gave a recommended
ton for honesty From the next house
hold which this girl entered she stole
more than money. She took magnificent
silver, wonderful jewels, fine pieces of
brca-brac, and handed them over to her
sweetheart to pawn. while she disappear
ed When the detectives looked up her
references which her mistress should
have DONE they discovered that this lady,
knowing her to be a thief. had yet allow
ed her TO go into other homes as an hon
est girl As a woman to a woman, as a
housekeeper to housekeeper, have the
strength of mind TO give nothing but an
honest recommendation to the servant
Who leaves you or whom you discharge.
And never fail to date your reference for
girl who may be honest to-day may be
thief next year. while she who may
nave been sweet and pure and good while
with you may be depraved in six months
time.
Each Of us, as we enter the little place
mat means home, whether it be a tiny
house or a small flat in some great city,
IS overlooking with hope about the woman
Who' while we employ her, will yet help
make the house home. Each Of us means
10 be good to her, and each OF US wants
10 make her happy How does she meet
Inls desire on the part of the mistress?
Inc average servant regards the average
mistress as her natural enemy. Kindness
hhe considers as nothing more than her
right Sympathy she suspects, and graf
nude Is something unknown to her. oh,
know there have been faithful servants
ana there are good servants, but once in
awhile the mistress has a right to speak,
especially now, when the papers and jour
hais are overlooking with articles from the
side of the employed You and 1, who en-
gage one girl, arrange for her a comfort
able bedroom. There is chest in 1t
which contains a sufficient number of
sheets, pilloWcases and towels especially
dedicated to this room. You allow your
maid time enough to put her room in or
der, and you beg of her when she gets up
10 throw the bedclothes off the bed open
the window and let the fresh air in. Per-
maps this is done once, perhaps three times,
buJ after that it is considered a waste Of
ume by the mistress of the kitchen, and
You soon learn that the linen on that bed
would never be changed If you did not take
some of your valuable time and insist up
on it.
You have often thought how miserable
!" must be to eat from an untdy table to
use soled dishes or to have scraps repre-
sent your bill of fare. So in one of the
h'chen cupboards there are cups, saucers
enf plates and all the necessary dishes in
pain white ware and with them some
small tablecloths for the use Of Jane and
'o add to her comfort. on her arrival you
SHOW her these articles meant to make life
p.easanter for her, and as you explain
lhe'r use you notice that look, half OF
s.orn, half of disgust, comes over her face
nat first night Jane spreads the little
table in the kitchen and eats her dinner
after civilized fashion, but this never
happens again. She is too lazy to care
ABOUT being dainty, and she would rather
'tt little now and little then, standing
or sitting, as she fancies, and not be both
cred with being, as she puts it, 80 awtul
PARTICULAR" A fit of crying? OF course
you have had It, We all have had IL. we
nave all arranged comfortable bedrooms