The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-05-31
MORMON WORK AMONG DOMES-
 TICS.

Said to Account for the Scarcity of Servant Girls in Some Cities. For the past three years the large cities of the east have been the scene of the labor of Mormon elders, who have sought converts to Morinonism in kitch-
 ems and at basement entrances. Great
 numbers of pamphlets have been dis
 tributed by these elders among the Wo-
 men who are included in the army of
 domestic help, A careful investigation
 has been made among those which act
 for women that come to this country
 from Protestant Europe. The result
 seems clearly to establish the fact, long
 known to many housekeepers. that
 many Swedish, Norwegian, Danish,
 German and English women have de-
 serted homework and gone to Utah.
 The exact number of proselytes cannot
 be given, of course, but those who have
 been in a position to study the matter
 declare that a very large proportion of
 the unmarried Protestant female de-
 mestic servants have been converted to
 Mormonism and taken out west.
 Recently such an exodus of this kind
 
 pers of that city declared that there
 was a famine of house servants and no relief could be obtained. Various req
 sons were assigned, and some of them were plausible enough, but what Is be- lieved to be the real one was not men
 toned. The elders Of the Mormon church might have explained the mat ter. for scores of young women went out to Utah from Chicago at one time. The conversion of these servants has gone on quietly and been managed with skill. In fact, no generals of modern times have carried on campaigns in the field with greater ability, tact and ener- gy than haVs these elders who have gathered their recruits from the kitch- ems of the land, and left the country with them secretly and silently.
 Occasionally mistress has come matters, generally printed on poor pa- per, in poorer type and rarely clean or attractive in makeup The majority of these pamphlets have had such titles as "A friendly discussion upon religious the seeming Isarmlessness of which has not tempted Investigation tracts entitled "A voice of warning and instruction to all people" have been seen in the hands of ser wants but beyond an occasional discov- cry of this kind, people generally have been in utter ignorance of the work be- ing done in the cities among servant girls by agents of the Mormon church. One observing woman who successively | hired three Swedes and received from all the same explanation, that they ! were about to be married, was amazed | to notice that the same man proved to | be the admlrer of two of her cooks. | This fact dawned upon her when he was | seen in conversation with the third ser want. He passed as a brother to the | yivc UP her place. Tnsuspicious, and I more for the comfort of her 'amily than the welfare of the help she she did not investigate the 1 'easons given her for their leaving, nor lid she seek to dissuade a girl from marrying if this reason was made the retext for departure.
 One clever woman who happened to ,e in the basement of her house alone me afternoon ansered a summons to he street door and there saw a young nan whose appearance was that of a and whose manner showed
 restraint born of inexperence in his business The woman's kitchen apron ad him to conclude that he was talking with the cook, and he whisperingly sked her if she would read a little ook he would lend her, and let him