New-York tribune., 1900-03-17
vERTAxED NOWADAYS.

The eight hour day schedule which Mrs EN-
mons Blaine has adopted for her servants has
created much thought and discussion among the
housewives of this city and those who have been
approached shake their heads in doubt while the
majority freely declare th1t only disorder would
result from general adoption OF the system
Mrs. Gerard Bancker. secretary Of the Profess
sionai Womans League when seen By a Tribune
reporter about the eight hour system, expressed
herself follows:
The rule might work in h0ussh0ldds ad
where each one Is familiar with all kinds 10 OF no
nd vice. qns coo IN any
to have assistant or ktehenmaid, or there
one waitress might serve a family II the meals
I & rs and all 10 the people
who keep many s DO ssd so Ior not WORN
servants getting in more than eight hours OF
Take a butler. for instance; his duties light
and although his hours are long he has usually ly
nU"' has nothing to do Ir an ordinary household
where three servants kept the duties s OF 6r 5ns
is demanded Of her, and I venture .st,e to say she
The upstairs maid begins her work early ana IL
In Mrs Blaine's case the system might work ,o oHt o,
the majority of people could not POSSIBLY cornpay M
ioritvof families employ only one and
the work begins at o'clock IN the m9rnng R si,s as
snGs re st and 1f dine h @ about $50 and most them
hays mHke ong maaaz 6ou buf he is
nor hard in most cases. and where the regular
leisure time each day 1t is most unusual at the
present time TO see an overWorkeo i serESI classes
and see chances for their betterInent h IN many my
Crusade eu among ly't the household servants.
Under Mrs. Blaines regime the ordinary house HT
skilled servants 10 depend on
Miss Margaret P Pascal, Of the Pascal institute
in Lexington-ave.. said yesterday: i want II
clearly understood that I a friend OF the ser
want but 1 believe that the one solution OF the
problem of domestic service lies only through
skilled labor. I think the servant shoulo 0e "en
pnid but 7 believe in the German metnod, Waicn
compeIs servants to be well trained ana , aoie M 70
produce certificates for competency before tneS
places also believe IN re"dru tGt .G etg+
fulness and long service, but feel that the elght
much discontent among unskilled labor and in time
would end in the mistress having TO 90 her own
work.
Mrs Frank Nugent of Riverside Drive and
Eghty-eighth-st., said: Well, Mrs Blame e&-
pertinent might work successfully with people OF
great wealth who could have their servants in re-
Laws but those in medium circumstances or
even what recognize as well off, could not roi-
low it. It would double erythng-expense, mouse
and worry.
"A mistress nowadays must be more than IN
dugent and considerate-she must be diplomat
she can't keep good help when she gets H. Eacn
best china is Clipped you can only call attention 10
it in an apologize way ,,,o,,. ..r ,,r,o,,, .s,o.
ilies who lived in large houses in this Vicinity VINO
apartmentS. where the mstresses could get
along with two maids and keep their eyes on mat
ters which they could not do in four story
house.
Mrs Howard Van sinderen, prominent member
Of the Public Education Association, said;
THE difficulty in carrying the eight hour system
into effect in housekeeping is the number of ser
wants it necessitates. One would need d duplicate
corps! And in a house where sufficient number
Irort &R- ,,,lff rr1la da
not exist I have little trouble with my four
wants, for instance because is overworked
and all have reasonable freedom. The cook and
laundresS have alternate days. and the kitchen and
parlor maids alternate in their going Most of
their evenings free and many Of their hours
in the afternoon. I treat them CONSIDERABLY, de-
mand good service in return and generally get II.
The housekeeping problem lies IN the many
households where only servant be kept.
There the eight hour system is impossibty
less the housekeeper herself takes the second place
Generally, fancy. she has an that she can do in
merely managing details and looking after the
children