The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-24
FOR FEMININE READERS
AN OLD HOUSEKEEPER'S ADVICE IN
THE ART OF KEEPING SERVANTS.
How 1t Happens that Women Are
Called Mean in Money Matters
Newest Fancy Work.

A--
There there, there" said Mr.. Golden
Wedding. Don't cry, little grille My wife
will settle this servant girl question for you
in ten minutes. She knows all about how
to get good servants, and how to keep them.
too. Why, our cook has been with us TWEEN
ty-one. years and our maid eleven and my
two grooms have been with us time out of
mind. Poor little woman! Listen to what
my wife has to say, and she'll help you over
this place."
"Of course 1 WILL" said the gentle Mrs.
Golden Wedding, as the story is told by a
writer in the New York Sun. 'Ive had fifty
years experience at housekeeping. my dear.
and with never fewer than four servants,
so you can reap the benefit of my expert
ence. I've watched your management of
your servants and you make the mistake
that nine of ten women, old and young,
make. I've felt sorry for you and wanted
to help you, but feared lest you'd think that
I might better be attending to my own
affairs. To get back to the mistake that 1
referred to- For the first five years of my
married life my kitchen was a kaleidoscope
of cooks. / changed SO often and the other
servants came and went with the same fire.
quency, and then 1 learned how to deal with
them. I had German girls, Irish girls,
American girls, Swedes, negroes, and what
not in that time, and their ages varied
from sweet sixteen to sere sixty. got
them through advertisements and employ
ment bureaus mostly, and 1 wouldn't dream
of getting girl that way now.
WHAT! exclaimed the young house
keeper. II should feel myself lost if didn't
have at least one or two advertisements to
write each month and didn't pay several
dollars into the treasury of these servant
exchanges"
Quit it, said the old woman emphatic
ally. when you want a cook go to the
cook of a neighbor or friend, one who has
been in her place a long time, and ask her
to recommend a friend. When you want a
waitress go to a girl that you know to be a
good waitress and ask her to do the same.
Their friends almost sure to be women
of the same character and capablity, and
in this way you are apt to get excellent
girls. You can't judge servant that you
secure through an exchange or an adver-
tisement by her recommendations, for
housekeepers often give servants fine
send-off to get rid of them in peace. Long
ago l was guilty of doing this myself, but
wouldn't dream of doing sucn thing now.
LAS soon as you get a servant show her
your way of doing things. Don't expect her
to learn everything in one lesson. Make UP
your mind to go over the same ground
again and again IL necessary, and by no
means allow yourself to instruct her in a
fault-finding spirit or a spirit of reproof
Teach her as a workman teaches an APP
prentice and you'll find her eager enough
to learn. Above all, if you want to keep your
servants after you've trained them don t
make their lives a burden by seeing that
they, mind their business; see that you
mind your own"
There. now," calculated June Bride
groom. lighting cigarette and smiling
triumphantly, I told you sou
You didn't do anything of the kind. You
only grunted," retorted his wife, But
tell me just what you mean by minding
my business as far as my servants are
concerned" turning her attention again to
Simply this" said she of large expert
ence. THE average woman takes too much
interest in the affairs of her servants. She
wants to know what church they go to,
where they spend their evenings out, who
their visitors are, what time they get in,
when they go out, all about their relatives,
what they do with their wages, and thou
sand other things. Servants are human be-
ings and they resent this. Any living crea-
ture who earns living, even if it is a
starvation living, acquires the spirit of in
dependence, and we should respect this in
| our servants. If you'll learn to treat your
servants exactly as your husband treats the
employees in his office, Your domestic
troubles will end at once. Men have no
trouble in retaining porters, clerks, cashiers,
bookkeepers and stenographers in their em-
ploy for a lifetime. What we women must
learn is to treat our servant girls as bust
ness women, and our grooms, and garden
ers, and furnace men as business men. Sup
pose your husband asked the men in his Of
flee the questions about their doingS and
goingS and comingS that you ask your serV-
ants. He wouldn't have a boy or man left
in his employ in a weeks time If they had
any sef-respect, and ] know they have. 1t
Is because the average woman will not let
her servant be independent that she cannot
keep her. After | learned to do this / had
no more trouble
but 1 thought it was the right thing to
look out for the moral and spiritual well
being of ones servants protested the
young wife, land I've been so conscientious
about that"
Its a great mistake. Take an interest
in your servants, advised Mrs. Golden
Wedding, but don't harasS them with their
souls salvation and such things. As / said,
learn to mind your own business; that's the
keynote of success in getting along with
servants. I've followed this plan forty-five
years and shall follow it until I'm planted.
NV girls come and go as their work per-
mits; they spend their evenings where they
please, have what company they want and
spend their wages as they see nit. [ never
! ask them a question except about their
work but they voluntarily tell me from
day to day of their pleasures and disap-
pointments, of their friends and relatives,
and SO on. They are satisfied because they
know that when their work is done their
private life is their own, that they have Sc
cured the reward of bread winning
woman, independence. You try my plan, for
I know it works to perfection. and don't
forget to mind your own business
II shall certainly try your way" said the
young woman, smiling happily once more.
Forgive me, dearie," said her husband,
stroking her hair.
''Forgive your she repeated. why,
what for? 1t was all my fault entirely, and
I'm sure you do know all about managing
servants and at this Mr.. and Mrs Golden
Wedding exchanged an understanding