The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-03-15

keeping efficient servants and improving
poor ones. There are servants in Bos-
ton who read Schiller and Goethe.
A considerable mass of statistics is
published in regard to domestic employ
ment, showing in representative in
stances the number Of servants employ
ed in family, a classification of them
| according to their respective lines of
work, their wages, places of birth, re-
ligion, reading and the chances given
! for it, opportunities for education call
ers, attendance by servants of clubs,
classes, lectures, Sc, their savings in
| banks, the extent to which they sup
port others, and so on.
In regard to wages, it is said THE
most numerous wage classes comprise
25 out of 231, the entire number who
received SO per week; so who were paid
$3.50, 81 at 81 81 at $3.50, and 25 at S.
Only three employees received less than
SO. One was paid $3.50, six Sc, and one
$3.50 AS might be expected, the wages
Of cooks range highest, only about 81
per cent. of the entire number receiv-
ing a wage as low as $4. The average
wage, the entire number of employees
being considered, was 81; for the cooks
alone, $462 for the employees in general
homework $S.72; for the parlor and
chamber maids, &c, $4.22 and for the
second girls, 1881.
THESE figures are undoubtedly some
what above those which would appear
in localities more remote from Boston
or any large city. When it is remember
ed that board Is in every case included
in addition to the money wage, the ag-
gregate recompense for the weeks SER
vice per employee does not suffer by
comparison, if there were no other fac
tors to be considered, with wages paid
in stores and factories, to women of
average capacity"
In regard to religion, 1t is shown that
of the whole number of cases investigat-
ed, 291. there were 1856 Roman Catholics,
IA were Professionals, and two persons
whose religion was unknown.
As to the character of the reading,
newspapers and magazines We're avail
able to the employees and read by them
in 1870 instances; newspaper only in SIS
additional cases. Reading of this kind
was seldom in II cases; never in 10;
and in 16 cases the replies were not
definite or conclusive.
The replies as to the kinds of books
which were read were so various as to
make any simple generalization impos-
chile. The more prominent may be CIV
en-, however. In SO instances no books
were read, and in 81 no answer was
given to the question. In eight others
the reply was that the facts were I'M
known. The replies that remain number
1873.
Cook books apparently comprised
either all or nearly all that were read in
three instances Nearly all the others
are reported to read fiction only, the
exceptions being so few as to be easily
noted. In two or three cases history,
either of the United States or England,
seemed to be preferred In one a phi
losophical or critical work was men
toned; in one, the works of Goethe and
Schiller and the poems of Homer were
specified; and in one the Chautauqua
course was followed The kinds Of fic-
ton mentioned ranged from children's !
books to the novels of George Eliot, |
Dumas Dickens, Thackeray, Victor
Hugo, and Eugene Sue. In a few cases
the reading of novels was supplemented |
BY the works of Shakespeare |
Herald.