The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-04-26
THE ESGLIsH BARNARD

Smafoan VINO i1aS Lived In Enela, /,
Takes Up the cudgsls In Her Bebarf
"The British barmaid is NM,
misunderstood" said recentlv =
American who has spent year
England, and, according to his own
story, is, or ought to be, an author
ity on the subject. "Just as En-,
lishmen, after a few weeks stav in
this country, write book full Of ar.
rors about Americas most cherished
institutions, SO American summer
visitors to England bring home, i'm.
pressions about what is apparently
a bulwark of the British throne that
are equally false, if not equally ma
licious. The American visitor an.
parently concludes that a woman
must be no better than she ought TO
be if she is barmaid. His reason.
ing, presumably, is based on what
ne has seen or heard OF the pretty
waiter girls in the concert saloons
which fiourished here a score or
more years ago. No woman who
works in drinking place frequent
ed by men can be respectable. in his
opinion. His opinion is strengthen.
ed by the fact that in this country
respectable women do not 90 to sa.
looms.
Now, an English or Irish or
Scotch girl becomes a barmaid lust
as girls here become shopwomen
She prefers it to being servant. for
the pay, although small, is more.
and, while the hours are even lon
ger, she is freer and, at any rate.
sees more of whit she considers life
There is no moro reason for consid.
ering barmaida disreputable, as a
rule, than for SO considering shop
girls. The presence of men, which
is apparently basis for that opin-
ion, is reason for the opposite. A
barmatd often regards every Gus
toner who is not too much above or
below her socially as a possible hus
band, nnd the prospect of matrimony
keeps her well behaved. She has
thus not only reason for choosing
her career which the shopgirl lacks,
but also an additional reason for re-
manning vjrtuous.
"Of course there are disreputable
barmaids just as there are disrepu-
table shopgirls, just as there are dis
reputable countesses. am not ac
quainted with countesses or with
shopgirls, but have known no END
of barInaids, and not one whom /
cultivated was evidently otherwise
than respectable. The few of whom
/ had my doubts ! did not cultivate.
With one barmaid | went once to
church, with another / correspond
ed. She wrote fashionable hand,
and her letters were as correctly |
spelled as a Vassar girls.
Americans, reasoning from the |
language used in a saloon here, ar
que that barmaid couldn't live in
such environment and remain a
good woman. Her sense of modesty |
would become SO blunted that a
moral downfall would follow. They
forget that the presence of the bar
maid chastens the conversation of
the customers of an English public
house. I've heard cabman reproved
by a barroom companion with, "A
lidy ears wot you say, for using the
adjective bloody word which
with us contains more association
with the Spaniards in Cuba than
with impropriety or profanity.
The English objection to bar
maids is temperance one. They
say that the presence of barmaids
encourages drinking and that men
irink more than they otherwise
would or should in order to enjoy
he society of the fair divinities of
public houses. They may be right.
am not IN position to meet this
argument. New York Sun.