The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-13
MEN AS HOUSE SERVANTS.
An Economical Problem That Is I'm
der Considerations in baltimore.

der Consideration in Baltimore.
From the Baltimore Sun.
| The manner in which women are push
! ing their way into many lines of business
| formerly worked exclusively by men sug-
| gests the problem OF how men are fitted
for work in the field of domestic labor
Man as a household servant is not en-
tirely new thing, and has been tried
with success in other places. His quail
fcations and disqualifcatons for positions
as cook or housekeeper IN a private home
are variously viewed by people who have
thought on the subject.
Dr. Jacob H. HoIander of the Johns
Hopkins University, when asked for his
views said: 1.-THE likelihood of any large
employment of men as domestics in the
average household is remote. There are,
however two directions in which it seems
a field of enjoyment will be opened. If
this difficulty in securing adequate domes-
tic service continues we may reasonably
anticipate a greater subdivision on the
forms of service and a higher remunera-
ton, especially for the more skilled forms.
On the other hand, with the continued
influx of rural jewellers and foreign work
ers to the city, we must look for more
of Industrial development.
These two facts, taken in conjunction,
make it likely that men will find a larger
place in the more skilled and better re-
munerated forms of domestic service, not
ably cooking washing and ironing, scrub
bling, cleaning, and other forms for which
muscular exertion are required
"Whether or not a man would be a bet
ter domestic than woman, or as good,
10
cellent servants, and women who have
had Chinese servants are seldom satisfied
with any other kind. There is no degra-
dalton involved In this service. Ordinari-
ly we consider the vocation of a waiter
a mental service, yet any one who has
spent a summer in New England and has
had his dinner served to him by a sturdy
collegian, under whose vest lapel nestles
a conservative fraternity pin, or had his
room put TO rights by a high-schOol teach
er, will see that this is not the work, but
the association, that degrades
ut seems 20 me that one neglected
method which would go far toward solving
the problem of securing adequate service
is the extension of the principle of Co
operation. We may be far removed from
the day in which all the houses in a block
will have their food prepared in a common
central kitchen, but 1 see no reason why
the forms of service, such as washing,
ironing, scrubbing and window washing
should not be done for a series of houses
by common help 1t is the same principle
on which number of occupants of big
office building are served by one stenogra-
pher or typewriter"
A lady, who has decided opinions on the
servant question, said: II see no reason
why man would not make as good SER
want as woman in a house, and in some
particulars l am sure he would make a
better In all the downstairs work the man
is undoubtedly superior A man with the
proper idea of cleanliness can always keep
your house cleaner than a woman. As
floor scrubber and a step cleaner the wo-
man is not to be compared with him. His
back does not get tired nor his arms give
out, and he is able to get spots and stains
out that the woman leaves simply because
she has not the strength to rub them out
In the kitchen, again, the mans
strength comes in in lifting heavy pots
on and off the stove, in carrying water and
making fires. In all matters requiring
strength or endurance in a house. and
there are not few, the man can do them
better and quicker, and, therefore. would
make the better servant.
LAS a washer of clothes, the American
man is not experienced, but believe that
he could be taught TO wash as well as any
woman, and iron, too In Baltimore there
are very few families where white man
servant in kept in the house, in fact.
know of none. There is no reason for il
except prejudices upon the part of the
man. The prejudice of the young shop
girls against cooking is no stronger than
this prejudice among American men. They
feel they are degrading themselves by be-
coming domestics and doing what is looked
upon as womens work. Besides there are
mighty few men who would not dislike the
idea Of being under the authority of a wo
man day in and day out, and have to do
as he is told by her
In the homework upstairs, think II is
doubtful whether the man would make as
good a servant as the woman. Most women
would object to having a man making
their beds up though he could probably do
1t just as well as a maid In sweeping
out the rooms a man should certainly be
able TO handle a broom better than a wo-
man, because, although there is no little
knack in sweeping, it takes strength also.
The great thing would be to teach a man
to dust properly and not break all the
ornaments and china in the house, al
though II would be difficult for him to beat
some of the girls at this game
The experience of most women who
have had men cooks in the kitchen is that
they get through their work quicker and
keep the kitchen cleaner than the female
COOK. lt ls true also that a man servant
does not think he has to do too much
work. as Is the case with female cooks
and house girls, because it come so much
easier to him. In all ways except the up-
stairs work think the man servant Is
fully capable of equaling the work of a
woman. Upstairs the dainty tread of The
housemaid about your chamber would be
missed if the heavy footsteps of a man
were substituted"
Mr.. Charles Lehman. steward of the
Mount Vernon Hotel who was formerly al
Delmonico's and also az the Waldorf-Asto-
ria in New York give his ideas of The