The age-herald., 1898-03-08
The Duty of Housekeepers
 in the Matter of References
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 Dorothy Maddox. in the Philadelphia h. quirer, gives this wholesome advice on the subject of furnishing worthless servants with recommendations, which secure for them good homes. She says:
 In this second article on domestic ser vice the fault, most prominently shown when discussing the subject, is feminine duplicty in giving references. No greater exhibition of moral cowardice ever appears amongst us Cowardce is largely responsi- ble for the eternal shifting going on in our households
 If women were perfectly honest with each other a time would come when incapable servants would understand that to utter worthlessness would be meted out the punishment it justly deserves. The irate servant, who switches into the kitchen one week and out of it the next, with perfect indifference to the trouble she Is causing, would stop to think before she would allow her ugly disposition to rob her of home.
 The incompetent cook who protests that she knows it all would hesitate to pledge herself to the performance of that most delicate of tasks, cooking
 l consider no form of lying more per- nicious than this one of furnishing false characters Sometimes the crime is com mitted because harassed mistress is anx- ious to get rid of a disreputable girl" with as little fuss possible; sometimes the slurring over of faults is the result of soft heartedness. Think of it! The woman who has been well nigh driven crazy hates to be hard on a poor working girl and reasons that somebody else may be able to put up with Jane's or Marys or Rates ways" It is a soft-headedness that would pass on an apology of a servant in this fashion.
 Deliberately giving a false reference is unfair to the servants really anxious to do their duty. What encouragement is it to cook, chambermaid and waitress, straining every nerve to please, to continue this line of conduct when they girls noted for unworthiness being boosted into the places that they would be glad to fill as they should be filed
 Why should a servant exert herself to secure a good reference when she finds the undeserving cared for? l have heard many reasons assigned for this double dealing. One woman urges that she hates to be mixed up in broil. She shuts her mouth and congratuates herself on her wisdom. Frequently nothing is more misleading than silence. In fact, such policy is a mean form of pusillanimity.
 When reference is asked for there should be no hedging, but the straightest of straight answers given. Not long ago a dear old Quakeress called on me for ref erence. I plainly stated facts. "The cook in question did we'll in most things, said "but she will keep any household in which she lives in turbulent state all the time. In fact" laughingly added, "she reminded me of a COW that gives a good pail of milk and then deliberately kicks it over.''
 The dear little lady thanked me most heartily for my frankness and wound up her thanks with: "I am glad to meet one woman honest enough to tell the truth about servant that has been dismissed for bad conduct. I could not consider such servant for a moment; l must have har- mony in my Kitchen
 Can we not reform? Will women not be perfectly loyal to each other rather than to hopeless baggage of girl? Will mis- tresses not follow the golden rule in this matter of giving references? Until we re- solve that nothing shall tempt us to swerve from the truth we need not hope for inn provement in our domestic arrangements.
 Be honest with each other. We have so much to gain by playing fair. If every housekeeper able to employ a servant would make up her mind to furnish a reference only to the deserving maid we should in time see different class of women seeking places.
 Remember that lodging the question with a written reference is all wrong. The most hardened creatures looking for work are hiding their misdemeanors behind a few pen scratches. The assurance with which they produce written reference shows that we cannot expect reform from them To the mistress and not to the maid we must look for relief from the present dis couragng situation.