The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-23
NEW HOUSEWIFE SOCIETY.
Eastern Organization Which Deserves to
he Emulated in Chicago.

The housekeeper who lives in New
York is a fortunate woman, for the Ger
man Housewives society of New York is
an organization that has gone into the
business of creating a servant girl who
knows her profession and is able TO cook,
sweep, wash. iron and wait at table.
The idea that this is a pipe dream
and that the evolution of a person who
can really do these things, and after
learning TO do them does not apply for a
seat in heaven and let it go at that, has
never occurred to the German House
wives society. The organization is COM
posed of persons whose character is indi-
Gated in the name they give themselves.
Any one can belong to it on payment of
the modest sum of $3.50.
Every member of the society has. in
return for the payment of her dues the
privilege of calling at the office and ask
ing for servant girl. If they have one
on hand the member gets her; If they
have not. the member and her husband
continue to light their own fires and cook
their own beefsteaks as before until the
society catches some new material.
The society keeps long register of
worthy servant girls. They are provided
with proper references and are known
and youched for by some member of the
society. When they are in needy circum-
stances and cannot get IA job, although
ii is hard to imagine one of the angels
described in the organizations schedule
being without work, the society provides
for them to the best of its ability II
they become sick the society has a physi-
clan at it's disposal. who goes to see them
and prescribe. He is accompanied by
caddy, carrying a box of standard medi,
cines.
One of the most enticing rules of the So
ciety is that servants are awarded prem
iums from its treasury for continuous
member, provided the servants behavior
is good. If she can keep a place for two
years she gets $40; for three years. SIS:
for five years. s2j. and for ten years $50.
OF course these terms of service are al
most impossible to New York servant
girl. who would rather that the prizes
We're so fixed that she got $40 premium
for staying two days and $50 premium
for remaining ten days. These prizes go
only TO such servants as do their work
under the auspices of the society.
Servants who repeatedly show them
selves refractory, who Intentionally neg
lect their work, entertain too many po-
lcemen and alleged cousins or in other
ways give their employers just cause for
complaint will not again be recommend
ed by the society and lose all chance of
winning the premiums and other advanr-
ages that it offers.
On the other hand, members of the So
ciety who are unjust to their servants and
who refuse to redress a wrong to which
their attention has been called in for
NAL way by an officer of the organiza ton
are dropped from membership. Com
plants of both employers and servants
must be presented to the society In writ
ing. In cases where the employer or the
servant who has any kick" to make
cannot write she may dictate her griev-
ance to the secretary. who will take them
down in short hand and submit them
If a mistress has to complain that the
cook burned the steak or gave away a
turkey TO the policeman on the beat an
investigation of the matter is held at once
by the officers. At these sessions every
one is sworn. Everyone talks at once and
everything is mixed up. The president
hears the evidence and renders a deci-
sion that is absolutely binding on both
parties. there being no court of appeals
nor anything of that sort.
The sessions. ii is asserted, are among
the most amusing that ever occur in New
York. Funny charges are made by both
employer and employe. Some of the SER
wants have an idea that they should pass
their entire time al the Investigations
conducted by the society, Some mis-
tresses think the same way ana make
three or four charges a day against their
hapless dOmestics
Mrs Leo Rosenberg j. the president of
the society. which has been in existence
four years. She conducts Investigations
every now and then, in which the most Sc
rious accusations are made againS. both
mistress and maid. The hearings are con-
Quoted at l2j East Fifty-ninth street. in
two languages. English and German.
Sometimes neither party knows either
Language. but speaks a dialect of Hun
gartan or Swedish in which case several
Interpreters are needed. II is said that
the hearings Very much resemble "A lola
or a Dreyfus trial in Paris but that the
Judgments are ALWAYS just. One unfor-
tunate point about the verdiCts. however,
Is that neither party ever takes the
slightest notice OF them. both being liable
to expulsion from the society for disobe-
dience.-Chicago Chronicle