The sun., 1900-12-09
NEW TYPES or GOyERNESS.
rB,vGss wORNrD nv wODrRv sHOOis
Avn AIMS fOIIIGgs
The O,d. Time ao,srne.s oi the sentimental
So.ri tias Almost Disnppsared work Dor"
nv clever touns women IN tiringtrE 'p
thiidreu and Preparing Gin, Tor oiieHr.

children ana Preparing fsifls Tor oileEr.
The change In tho position nnd duties ~ tho
American gpyarneas il an Interesting com
uen,nrv on tnod'rn social aud educational
idras Tho old-tlme covcfncsy e tho aru' '-
mental novel does survive tui she would 10
~ ont ~ place In tho average modern hmorl-
can household as n favn IN button factory.
What would tho gcntcc pcr-ou who directed
Arlininta in the paths of French. music. man
ners and nne needlawOrk say tu thr brisk young
woman Mt the teachera' agency. when asked
whether abe understood the prinrros ~ scion
tnc hygiene and Tho Frocbe method and could
give satisfactory college preparation IN Greek
and higher mathcmatics'
In comparison with the number of her spooic.
fourishing nfty years ago the govcrucSs Is. to-
day. "A rare bird The development ~ pubic
and private school. has initiated against h'f
~ earlier years, when thc ornanental ,du'a,
family the only say of obtaining It WE Dy
home training here were sporadic cnsc'
Sef} s5h0S% %sw OH' naw .y dHd M" Ideal dea
even ~ ia casrS - where The old ideal / ,t IN force,
finishing school. The eovernsss is 70 great
degree, IN the position Of the much quoted
othelIo Her occupation Is gone. .
When she Is employed, II l., more often
as an auxiliary than Us an educational basis
She may be needed for special work in the
SnsasGs ard Rd oRg or music lrs,h lRS no29dG work iH
Tor for the T pre.ervation q tie soveTnes,. When
a family Is in the city. the young daughter
schools She Will probably have better ad-
vantages there than she could have at home.
and the association with other giiis VIII be ~
sscciatss be of the elect III, provision Is
adequately met by many ot the city schools
that cater TO tn" prejudlces OF wealthy and eN;
elusive patrons one most exclusive school
has even carried the question ol social dfinlty
so far that classes hav" been arranged. not
according TO scholarship but according to
may be assured that her child viii bc IN classf :
only with girls Of her own s,t and so, exposed
to no contlnnatin2 Influences Fortunately
this II an extreme case but many most sehsiple
parents object to the mixed element Of public
schools and would cling to the goverhess ira
be found on almost every book ofer advan-
tases OF study and rational social relations
girl is pui into school v hiic the family Is in
town. but the family IL in town so very ituc, II II
has money enou h to escape from town Zach
their country places and less time m their town
houses. Zach year. too. the wealthy American
spends more time in travel. IN dong foreign
TO another. The daughters education during
this nomadic period of the year Is Il problem.
and is only solutGn lies in q eovernres- or u
boarding school The boarding school Is. per-
haps the simpler Of the two and host Of par
ents take advantage Of II, but there are mothers
T Of keepinS ther TH 3aurSters S near te a and tbs
prejudice practically sryes the governess spe-
ces from extinction
Americans do not take kindly to the position
OF govcrness Fully seven out Of ten such
places are filed by foreigners The reasons
are easily understood An American teacher
dependence. more association with mature
minds She does not have. to be continually
with her purplls She can frequently keep up
her home life in connection with her work, and
she has long vacations, when She II absolutely
free On the other hand. a foreigner coming
TO this country without home and without
the aggressive American indepepdence. ire
duently prefers work in home. The foreigner.
too. ia usually better fitted for NE instruction
been the shibboleth in Goyerness work Within
recent years, however, "A new note has crept
into the work The development Of the col
lege education for women Is making itself ielt.
even IN the sphere Of the govrrnness
Teachers agents, report that while music
and French are still Iequ'red 10y the ordinary
employer in search Of a goyerness. there are
many cases in which these two things are not
obligatory. Families living in small towns or
CIV a. oHn Sqny pGs or
college. They may be able 10 ilake arrange
ments for special music ard f.ench teachers
in their ntglhorhood. or they may be allie 10
send their pupil. to the city Tor special lessons
once or twice week. but they need T. coverness
for rccular daily COLES" preparation and therc
She isn't easy TO ind Modern young women
are fond Of speCiaiE during their college
years and usually want ,o put their specially
into service. instead of doing all-iround ed
ucational work. Then, again. the ideneni lent
college graduate snrinh frow taking "A suhor-
dinate position in a family and prefers school
work Still, the number Of colceo women who
undertake. goycrnesS work. or as they pre-
fer 20 cal, =. tutoring, tncr"a-"s every wear
Naturally enough, the success ~ such an
experiment depends entirely uion the fibre Of
the family into which the tutor falls and the
good breeding Of the tutor we!l-hred and
well-eduCatnd college woman doesn't drop
readily TO the position Of an uprer servant,
oeni7es, this fnct. and treats the tutor ac-
cation doesn't always imply good breeding
and discretion md the tutor frequently wears
Of Intimacy and deferalce that i not in the
bond With too vast opportuntics for mis-
take, II is small wonder that the college-brcd
governess experiment "fton ends H. arrow.
Only two years ago girl of good family,
graduating from one OF tho best women :
college fGund herself uneXrGctedly M IG s obliged
TO her until fall. If then md through a friend
she got place as governess "a ianily about
place and assumed the charge of the education
of n Erl Of II and n Younger sister. aged Z
That wa- the beginning ot the story The
tale ended tragically two weeks later in London
The governess was speedily shown that
education was not TO he her only duty She
had, absolute, charge Of. the chldren1f9od,
70 perform the duties Of lady'- maid for the
mother, When the fathers mendng and tho
care OF ms patent lettlsT~ were nunceu over 10
her the bruised worm turned. and remon-
stratng there was scene hat was in Lon
don The EMPLOYERS paid III" young woman
her wages Tor the two weeks and set her adrit
unceremoniously with vratuitous abuse "a
a pour byirs, and without making the slightest
provision for her safety or return home Yet
that family is wealthy and occupies an eX-
Cellent social position in New YORK.. f"rtur-
atelv. through an American woman married
in London, the stranded guverness found work
with an English family IN Devon. where she ~
preparing two boys for Cambridge
Another American girl, graduated rom tie
same college several years sar!lrl. accepted
a place ~ governcss in "A New York family.
has spent one year In Paris. one winter IN
Rome, las been around the world twice. ana.
now that her charge II ready for college, has
agreed To stay with the family rs cont anlon
and secretary for the mother. at salary Of
s2 500 a wear and expenses
Tho salary for the average rovernoss ranges
from s4pb to $500 and home As much as
sso1 is not upusual ana occasionally 1920 is
paid. but that L. exceptional Three or four
New York families pay a. hirh as 8. 500. but
when the salary goes above sSu II il because
the employer Is personally attached to the
governess, and willing To pay more than the
ordinary salary In order 20 keep her
The nursery HoNernCSs, 80 called, Is n very
different thing from the govcrncs--tltor Of
modern da's She is more like the g"vorness
OF oden time. aud vet she differs from her. too.
She usually has charge OF Young children, and
combiIes the duties of nurs' teacher. and
In manv instances mother, among some wealthy
Americans There j. a marked tendency To
turn the care Of the children over ~ tho govern
css more nnd more, hut much higher degree