The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-06-18
BAD SERVANT
Some More Light On
an Old Trouble.
Sad Experience Of a Newcomer 10
Honolulu With a Modest
Chine e Youth.

Editor Advertiser:-You seern IN b,v.
Jet up on the servant question. see
no more communications on that sub
Ject In your instructive columns. Let
me give utterance to my feelings before
the matter grows cold.
ann three months in Honolulu.
nave had seven servants during thar
period. Brought up in the South. AND
having lived in New England during
most OF my married life. 1 have had a
wide experience with colored domesti. -
and Grish-American girls.
never had an Oriental servant unit,
coming here. In the South we pay from
~ To $l2 n month for colored help. and
In New England from $40 to SIG for
skilled help. | tired of hotel cooking
after a week In Honolulu and concluded
to set up housekeeping. Getting the
house was difficult. furnishing it was
expensive, but obtaining servants was
"a revelation in trouble.
got two from an agency. one a cook
ana the other house boy. The latter
was Japanese and the former Chiuese.
They FUSED and nearly fought for two
days until I discharged them and de-
termined To do with a cook alone /
nave now Chinese boy of fourteen
years OF age and started in to teach
him.
He was very shy. modest and quiet
Tor the first three days. He worked
hard and seemed To- want TO learn. Then
his shyness vanished as quickly as had
my small change under the Japanese's
reigi' as house boy. The youthful Chi
nese became the most curious fellow in
the world
30 put on my hat he asks: where
go2"
II have anything sent home from
store he demands 20 know the price
and invariably says: mo good velly
cheap; you pay ten cents"
He sets me wild with his questioning.
y hundred times n LAY he asks the re-
lationship OF everyone TO men and
things, the price Of all I'm sight. and
why do this and that lie washed the
potatoes with soap. put the butter on
the back OF the stove, moved the re-
friEerator into the sun and mixed salt
With the ice-cream
We have but "a small house, as so far
we have been unable to get one that
was large and yet not removed from
the center OF the city. So there is but
one bedroom, and we are forced TO quar-
ser our Chinese servant I'm the drawing
room on a couch. lie goes to bed at say
eight o'clock and rises at six.
The other day. coming home with
some ladies'. I ushered them into the
drawing room, only to find the miser-
able Oriental stretched out on the couch
asleep while "A dish-towel covered his
face and barred the onslaught OF the
mosquitoes. / apOlogized TO my visitors
reused the wretch and sent him to the
kitchen.
Later. when alone with him, I scolded
him. lie replied ALE samee sleepee
bedee you gimmce," and evinced no
shame at all at the awkward pos,Iion
In which he had placed me.
I fear Co discharge him. that escaping
Charybdis I may fan on Scylla. When
ne first came I was alarmed because OF
his eating only rice, pork and tea, and
I persuaded him 90 taste oysters. steaks,
our vegetables and even "a glass OF
wine or beer. Now ne eats everything
an. all things. Only yesterday I found
an empty beer bottle. and drew from
him that he the usty and dlink vellee
cold good beer."A half can Of oysters Is
q mere beginner TO him. and when 1
bought two-quart freezer for myself
and husband ne remarked: TOO
muchee smallee, you gcttec one all
samee washee tubbe."
what remedy have L? This boy Is as
much bother as he is worth. and yet l
cannot do better. II I believe my own
experience and my neighbors' asser-
tons. We must take action in this
matter. There should be organized
movement In the direction OF making
servants competent. I for one will CUB
scribe or "resolutc" 20 aid anything OF
the kind.
NUUANU VALLEY RESIDENT.