The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-04
ABOUT BRITISH BARNAIDS
PhiIanthrOpists Are Trying H-rd
TO Abolish Them.
u l. Feared That the Movement VIII
Receive scant Sympathy From the
English Public, or From Even the
Girls TheuscIve~-It Is the Best
Paying work of the Poorer Classes.

LONDON. Feb. 2s.-There are 100. 900
barmaids in England. and at various times
sundry philanthropic folk have dreamed Of
having a law passed which should disband
this extraordinary army by preventing the
employment Of girls as bartenders. II is
maintained that England is far behind the
United States in this matter and that the
country will go to the dogs unless the
pretty barmaid is abolished.
But the efforts in this direction have met
with little public support. partly because
an English institution is not easily set
l aside and partly because OF general con-
I viciion that the girl behind the bar is not
/ necessarily a bad lot.
/ So an attempt in a new and more inter-
/ esting direction has been begun on be-
/ half Of the barmaid. Instead OF being told
I that she is probably a sinner. OF soon will
be one. she is merely invited to come to
Z take tea on Sunday afternoon with a
woman who doesn't intend to preach to
her and who would like to be a good
friend. and, to quote her own words. would
like to give her bit OF blue sky to see"
Mrs. Cholmeley. the leader Of this rev
work. is wealthy woman. who is one OF
the honorary workers In the Church Army
the great organization with which tho
Church Of England is unintentionaIly IL
valing General Booths Salvation Army.
Mrs. Cholmeley has received contributions
from the Church Army and from other
sources and engaged four or five bright
girls who have been trained as mission
workers, to help her. The work, Of course,
makes 1t necessary that the barmaids
should be visited at their places of BUSH
ness-fOr these girls work from in the
morning until 1870 at highland natu-
rally. Mrs. ChOlmeley has found it difficult
to enlist women Of her own class to UNDER
take making the rounds OF such places.
Another drawback is that there are really
only about four hours in the day when
this work can be attempted. for the girls
are busy with customers from IL O'Clock
until 2 or in the afternoon, and even
buster all the evening.
In spite OF these difficulties. Mrs Cholme-
ley and her girl assistants have succeeded
in the last six months. in visiting over
4.C00 barmaids and talking with them.
They take with them a little letter. en-
closed in an envelope, attraetively printed
aud as little like tract as possible. writ
ten simply and without cant. yet calcu-
lated to interest the girl who receives 1t
and to make her think.
Some Of the larger public houses employ
as many as twenty-five barmaids, and In
others the girls are kept busy from morn
ing until night but in every case the
workers try to have a few words with each
one Of them. as we'll as 10 hand them the
letters. Every letter is signed with Mrs.
Cholmeley's name and bears her address.
and the girls are told that she is at home
every Sunday afternoon and will be pleas
ed to have them take tea with her When
ever they can. At these teas she some
times has three or four girls, sometimes
only one. more often none. Considering
that the girls only breathing time in. the
whole week comes on Sunday afternoon.
and then is only five hours long il is not
strange that Mrs Cholmeley's little recep-
lions are not better patrcnized.
That lady is entitled nov to speak with
some authority and she says that there
are many more good barmaids than evil
ones. The girls usually enter the business
for the simple reason that almost al the
other lines OPEN to women are paid so
wretchedly that the S2.50 a week. with
meals. that barmaids receive. seems like
a fortune. Then. there Is nothing degrud-
ing about the work. for every barmaid is
called Miss" and the attitude Of most
patrons to her IS precisely like that OF men
in America to Mattresses in restaurants. In
their visits. Mrs. Ch0imeley and her girls
have discovered four barmaids who we're
formerly teachers in Sunday schools. and
several spirited ones who keep a little box
uu INC OAR ana lll&e men WHO swear III
their presence drop into it a penny when
ever they offend. One girl collected 81
and sent it to a charity fund.
So thus far in their work these good
women are encouraged. In all that four
thousand girls that they have seen only
me has failed to receive them courteously.
Most OF them are apparently grateful 10
ind that they are not considered outclsts.
md when their friends call for the second
.Ers,a nd
warmly. From the proprietOrs Of the
pubs" and the men who are drinking
here. the girl visitors say they have
never had anything but respectful treat
nent.
This work among the barmaids has as
yet received no newspaper attention in
london. and Mrs. ChOlmeley hopes that Il
sill receive none. because she fears that
her efforts are described as a move
nent' the publcans. as they are called.
would think that they were 10 be deprived
u their girls and the workers would no
Dnger be allowed to speak with them. The
easOn that Mrs. Cholmeley and the Church
Army do not make an effort to get the
iris out Of the public houses is that they
souldn't know what to do with or for the
rmy OF them after that was accomplished
As for the girls themselves. the great
iajcrity OF them would leave in a moment
I they could make as much money else
here in more elevated calling. The
ours are terribly long: they are obliged
D stand all through them. There Is dirty
rork to be done in the morning. some
ines insults to put up with. and always
be temptation TO drink. Mrs Cholmeley
avs fewer OF them yield to this temptation
nan would be expected.
The girls are usually related to the pro-
rietOr or are the relatives of his friends.
nd some OF them enter the business as
lriy as the age OF fourteen. They find
Ieir husbands in the public houses. II
ley don't get married and retire they lie
Jung. the result Of the hard work and
ng hours. At least. that was what the
iris said when asked what became Of the
ID bsrmaids.
What Mrs. Cholmeley hopes to accom-
ish eventually she hardly knows. Her
eal is. finally to divide the city Of Len
IN up into districts and enlist wOnen
Orkers enough TO look after the girls
ther carefully, in case any Of them is IN
in trouble. Then to find a woman OF
me prestige in each OF those districts
no would receive the girls on Sunday or
heneyer they could come and counsel
em if they needed it. At present g. 900
IS been spent on the work.
Don't BE DishEreeabIe.
Isn't il n pitv that so many peCDIe are