The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-03-12
WHEN SERVANTS
TALK TOGETHER
Usually a Tyrannical Yoke Is
Fixed Upon Mistresses.
The Fra of Old Family Servants
Gone and New Ones RENDER Life
Upstairs Miserable.

There are two classes of women envy.
writes Dorothy Maddox-the women who
are spared the iniiction of managing
their servants and the women who have
no servants to manage.
Great wealth gives the one class a go
between in the shape of the hOusekeeper,
the other class. never having known the
luxury Of having others to toll for them.
| escapes the eternal friction that the pres
ence of a servant or servants in the house
is sure to bring.
Where the evil must be met it is the
general opinion of housekeepers that a
single utility woman is to be preferred
to second girl" The instant two heads
are put together there is trouble. and
naturally. for we are all high and low,
rich and poor. strangely alike in our fem
mime desire to secure a sympathetic ear.
The cook Is only human. She has
grievance real or imaginary and she con-
ides II to the housemaid. saying more.
no doubt, in the heat of the moment than
she intended. The hOusemaid listens. and
concludes she is under the rule of a ty-
rant of a mistress.
Or the case is reversed. There Is a,
great deal Of gratuitous advice given be
low stairs. The chambermaid Is anxious
to please. and the Independent cook calls
her fool for being so conscientious, or
the cook is a good-natured soul. and her
companion being a tartar. tries soon as
possible to arouse in the pleasant cook
some little show of spirit.
IL has always been so, and will be to
the end of time. Two women brought
into family together may pull together
or they may pull apart, but upon one
thing they are united. They will talk
over the mistress md her family down 10
the infant in the cradle, and the talking
is always done in a vicious way.
No amount of kindness ever seems to
shame either maid into silence. There is
no idea of honor when the question of
keeping silent is concerned The average
servant considers herself an aggrieved
party through her entire career She
works because she needs the dollars and
cents not from any motive of duty.
There is no heart in her work. Now.
we women all know what that means.
And yet how can we expect much inter-
est shown US from set of shifting be-
ings here today and gone tomorrow.
With the old family servants. and they
are well-nigh extinct. il was quite an
other matter. They grew into the inter
ests of the family. taking much pride
in everything and everybody 9s II they
were rightful owners of the home and its
belongings.
We expect entirely too much from the
uneducated class looking for employment.
We ask for brains in our kitchens. We
deplOre the want of self-sustained diplO-
macy that can only be given where the
person has been cultured to a degree
which clashes at once with the mental
duties TO be performed by cook or house
maid.
The ahsurdity of our claims cannot be
refuted We should look at the servant
question from cOmmonsense standpoint
If we need brains in our house service
we must stand prepared TO pay for them
Four dollars a week will not buy them
Many women pay but the paltry sum Of
50. and are enraged because the poor soul
working for this mere pittance refuses
to do general housewOrk-
Without doubt the present position
Of domestic helper is one that savors of
extreme servility. II Is barren Of sin
gle social aspiration. The hours are all
wrong. the pay is poor. the duties are
too many. change must be made. In
til il is. We mistresSes will rest under
yoke which will grow heavier and heavi-
er as time goes on.