The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-01-28
HOUSEMAIDS
In THIS COUNTRY
They Take No Pride in Look
ing Neat at Their Work.
Look Upon Caps and Black Frocks
IA Badges of Servitude and Would
Rather Wear Shabby Finery.

who boards to the woman who keeps
house. that the wearing of caps is
confined 20 housemaid soubrettes on
the stage. There's scarcely a home /
know of where the upstairs girl wears
cap. Why don't you housekeepers
make a point of that sort Of thing?
/ IL gives so much style to maids get
up"
"Humph,4 shifted TIE woman who
knows the ms and outs of housekeep-
ing. Just you try managing servants
for year or so, and you'll back down
in good many of your domestic serv-
ice theories. DO YOU know what it
means to cajOle a maid into putting
on caps? White or black. she's pretty
certain to have rooted aversion 10
any kind of headpiece. When engag-
ing a housemaid experience has taught
you to approach the subject In an IN
sinuating way Usually you DeSlh'
Mary. I would like, that is, VIII you
-er-wear a cap" or sometimes you
make up your mind to take a bold
stand and say: You will wear cap,
of course"
Then Mary skies of. She has new
CT worn caps Doesn't like them. Has
a vague idea that they represent some
special indignity toward her class.
You cuaX-Mary is stubborn. You ar
gue-Mary is unconyinced. and if you
are firm in your insistence Mary calm
ly concludes that the place won't
suit.
When you know the girl To be ca
pable as waitress and in other lines
of work you feel that ii would be rank
folly To let a bit Of frilled muslin and
lace cut of your chances of securing
good servant. so YOU waive the ques-
ton of caps. sigh over your departing
hopes of adding this touch of Sentlliiy
To- your establishment. and allow Mary
To settle down To her duties-capless"
There's no doubt about il, says Dor
othy Maddox, the everyday American
housemaid. unlike the universally trim
little person who in England holds this
position. is pretty slovenly looking
individual. The housekeeper upon this
side Of the water generally has to pick
her servants from the riff-ran Of wage
workers. Unless she belongs to that
set where the very refinement of ser
vice is exacted. and, what is Of more
Importance. we'll paid for. she must
content herself with bringing into her
house the uncertain products of the
intelligence office or the girl" whom
ia, milkman or maTketman has men
toned is looking for a place.
This gin usually comes with
heterogeneous assortment Of blowsy
shirt waists and tacky looking skirts.
Her apron supply is scanty. She seems
% think that her needs stop short i'm
the possession of couple of ginghams
and one or two ftimsy muslin aprons.
Now. ii this maids services lie about
the house and in the dininS-room, her
Untidy aspect is a continual cross to
the mistress. Let however. the sub /
iect Of conventional housemaid's uni
form be preached. and the girl is as re-
sentful as If requested To put on con-
Wet garb. Maybe she viii compromise I
on costumes of pink or blue chintz, but
the ail-black froCk is a badge Of serYi-
tude which Bridget or Chloe simply
Mil not assume
As 10 caps. isn't il something of a
hurlesque. anyhow. to cap maid who
streets about in a shabby maroon cloth /.
skirt, a dingy waist trimmed with pas
sementerle and aprons which look as
if they might have been used to swish
of an occasional rim OF dust from the .
furniture
There's no use talking. front door
impressions certainly do influence our .
opinions of a house and its inmates
We cliticise a houSekeeper. yes even .
those of us in whom domestic expert
enCe should inspire more charity. by
the appearance of the servant who car
Ties our card upstairs. Let her look .
sloppy. Mistress either careless or ig-
noranL" We conclude little appreciat-
ing, perhaps how many pangs Of dis
may and ckagrin that mistress may
have felt as she caught a glimpse over
the banisters of her taWdy maid try
ing ON a dingy white apron over
eiueham one while on her way to an
SWer the bell
But what is to be done? Most wo-
men are too busy coaching their ser
wants i'm the details Of practical house
work 10 have any time TO spare for
their wardrobes. and those
mi stresses who have gotten hold of
already well trained consider
themselves so fortunate that the cook
might go about in plush and the house
maid in tinsel and tarlatan and dread
IF their leaving would stifle the fam
ilys objections.