The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-09-24
HER POINT OF VIEW.

we taken to following the Bible
injunction with regard to servants"
remarked one of the brightest and
most cultured ladies of this city, the
other dav.
Dear me! have you?' exclaimed
all her listeners interested at once.
'Do tell us how you manage. Is it
success? We all want to try it,
"Oh, it's this way" she replied. 'I
say in the morning to one come" and
she cometh. At night l say TO her
'go!' and she goeth. The next day /
say to another come and she COM
eth. At night she goeth likewise. The
same is repeated with variations in
the personnel of the girls through the
week. / cant exactly recommend 1T,
but simply call attention to the meth
cd as having an orthodox precedent"
The others laughed at the descrip-
ton and looked sympathetic as il they
could relate experiences too. Then
they fell to wondering why it is that,
secure competent help in this city.
Everyone recalled visits made to
friends in other towns where so
smoothly ran the wheels of the domes-
tic machinery that nobody could see
them so round, much less feel the vi
bration. There were housemaids who
stayed for many years. There were
COOKS whose long residence gave them
ptab Ia Af aya1
spect in the household although that
signifies little" exclaimed a vivacious
young woman who had troubles of her
own. Don't we always offer adula-
ton to our cook. Don't we all meta
phorically fall down in her presence
and bump our heads on the floor thrice,
after the manner of the heather Chi
nee, in order to appease her inexplic-
able temper, and doesn't she walk off
some day when a dinner party is on
hand, or doesn't she choose to bury a
mythical grandmother every few
weeks just the same? Years and
years in the family indeed"
people in Scranton do not pay
enough wages to their domestics." au-
thoritatively declared an opUlent ell
derly listener. Don't thev, thought"
CALCULATED a little person in the COR
ner of the Veranda. II have neigh
Dor who pays entirely too much. What
ever ! give my waitress, she goes two
dollars better and gets her, The num-
ber of girls I've trained for that wo-
man. comes right in my kitchen, too,
and makes the bargain, but it is al
ways a satisfaction to me to know that
Mrs. l.. across the street will raise
her and secure the maid in the end"
1t is an odd thing that women who
are really good conscientious creatures
and who go to church twice on Sunday
and always put their heads down a
long while when they first enter the
pew, have little scruples about en-
ploying underhand means to lure de-
sirable servants from the homes OF
other women who are not infrequently
their friends or even relatives. They
seem to go on the principle that actu-
ates them in giving references of maids
who have left their employ. 1t ap-
pears to be unusual to have the exact
truth told in these matters. A cook
who had excellent references was re-
Gently engaged by a lady who kept
I her four days, during which time she
was found three times in a condition
described by the head of the house as
roaring drunk" Really the orly ref
ence worth row of pins is that of
honesty when 1t may be depended up
on, which often 1t may not.
When one comes to consider the
question, however. 1t isn't SO much