The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-05-13

OF Hawaiian homes lack the spirit OF in
dustry but under direction and with
proper incentives the average Hawaiian
IS willing and systematic worker
1t IS not my wish to thrust into
prominence the school in which | serve
but l speak from field OF my ex-
| perIence; | speak from this particular
held because / am more deeply interest
cd IN 1t than | have ever been in any
| other
| In no schools is there found more
| cheerful, industrious spirit than in those
| composed OF Hawaiian girls The ex-
| ertion required on the part OF the in
| stTuctOrs Is more often to prevent the
oVertaxlng OF strength by an undue pro-
| portion OF physical or mental work
rather than to correct Incidence or I'M
| Willingness.
| he boarding schools for native
| girls, with their crowded hours and full
curriculum, do not profess to send out
edch year class OF accomplished
| scholars, finished seamstresscs. expert
| waters, and hOuSckeepers models in
every particular, but they do profess to
| give much needed hep along these
| ines, and were the girls gwen faIr
| trIal by those who are deeply interested
| IN woman WORK Tor woman it Is Ger
| ealn that as great measure OF sausfac-
| Ion would be given as by the newly
| arrived Japanese and Chinese who 90
not even understand the English WORD
| tea and who require the hostess to
| convert herself into a COntoruonist be-
| loTe he Is enabled to comprehend the
| simplest duty OF waiter.
| hawaiian girls have been tried in dill
| ierent homes at different times. Alter
trial OF day or two in one home
| the girl IS dismissed with no recon-
mendat1on to carry her farther except
that she is too slow In another
nome girl whose experience has been
very limited appears offended at being
called upon to do certain piece OF
work which she deems beneath her dig
nlty Here, perhaps, is an opportunity
| ior the much needed counsel and even
reproOf, but a sharp retort and swift
dismissal is the chosen course. Again,
| III third home, girl IS called to assist
cor few days, but, during the first
| day her plumbers are too frequent, her
d1n1ab1l1ty under cenSure too eXaSperat-
| ing, and at night she is told that her
| services are not needed on the NOR
row. The mistress of the home feels
| that she is giving too much thought to
| rhe woman in her employ and not
| enough to the study Of the Social Re
form Movement and the planning OF
| SOC1alS to Save, SO advertise for a
| skilled Japanese servant and sends the
girl back into the narrow by-Street to
| a home, upstairs in little room among
the crowded Chinese tenants, not to
| become skilled IN sewing, or tidy house
Neeping and SO prepare herself for fu
cure usefulness, but to a lie which,
| though undesirable, it IS easier to sink
INTO than rise above
| am well aware that each private
home cannot be converted into a real
| training school for servants, but I am
also well aware that in many homes
where Hawaiian women are most
severely criticized for incompetence,
Japanese and Chinese servants decided
Y inferior in command OF English, in
lidiness, in natural aptitude and in
character, are borne with to a point far
beyond where fOrbearanCe ceases to be
a virtue.
1t is true that when we hire our do
nestle work done we wish it done we'll,
and with the least expenditure of
thought and patience on our own part,
but, realizing that wOman's ability
10 serve we'll III a good home is often
her salvation, and realizing, too, that
women are not born skilled seam
| stresses or home-keepers, but that they
| become SO through suggestion, dicta-
| don, persuasion, and example, what
should be woman's work for woman in
| this case? Ii every woman who en-
ployS a woman whom she feels to be
| unsatisfactory, would add to the stipu-
lated silver few more practical sug
gestions, little greater forbearance, a
deeper interest for the woman's future
welfare, little more pity for her lack
| OF skill in certain lines, and little less
self pity for a slight n1isht or an over
done steak, if this were oftener
woman's work for woman the world
over, there would be fewer ignorant,
| dlsheartened despairing women, seek
ing work and finding none, fewer
| trembling on the line between good
| and evil, fewer preferring idleness and
| sin.
The story is not unfamiliar OF the
woman who, though skilled in no line
| OF labor, was compelled to Sue for work
She was admitted to a house and given
| the family washing In her home were
no damask table covers, snowy napkins,
and delicately embroidered lunch cloths
and doilies. The iron passed rapidly to
and fro over these articles in a way
| that was positively painful to the lady
who took a pardonable pride in these
particular pieces and happened to OBJ
| serve her unframed efforts. 1t may be
of interest to note her attitude towards
the erring laundress. She stopped on
| her way and kindly gave careful les
son in proper placing, stretching and
| folding of dainty articles with a few
| suggestions as to when to iron length
| wise, when on the wrong side, etc. The
next week the delicate articles were
| again entrusted to the woman and,
| though the improvement was marked,
be argued that the lady instructed her
from selfish motives; be that as it may,
suffice it that she voluntarily took of
| her own valuable time and carefully
| emil 2htened her % the nrnner WAY