The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-07
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THE SERVANT girl problem, like
the poor, we have always with us.
Mrs. Emmons Blaine's eight-hour
day for domestics doesn't seem to ap-
peal to the average housewife, since
the average housewife i'm Scranton
keeps a far smaller force of assistants
than in all probability grace the pa
latial establishment of Mrs. Emmons
Blaine. If only Mrs. Blaine had seen
fit to look well to the ways of her
household in a more reserved manner
we could have forgiven her. If she
had gone down to the kitchen and
said softly, Mary Ann, you may go
out today at 3 o'clock and you needn't
come back to get supper" and if she
had remarked the same thing to Mary
Ann for three or four days in success
sion, until she broke it to that damsel
gently that she was to have sort of
perennial picnic, nobody would have
murmured against Mrs. Emmons
Blaine, unless it might have been the
lady next door.
Mary Ann wouldn't have known it
was an eight hour day. She would
that she had very nice mistress who
gave her any number of afternoons
out. In fact, she would have been
commended somewhat after the fash
ion of a cook in Scranton family who
sounded the praises of her employers
TO her friends in these words: 80 ay're
the incest folks you ever saw. They
do try to make it easy for the help.
Why they only change their clothes
once in two weeks so that the wash
ings will be lighter'-a view Of nice
ness" in which not everyone will be
found to agree.
But not so Mrs. Blaine. She sounds
the tocsin abroad DER the nation and
let's the entire country know that her
domestic service will hereafter be run
on the hour system, being a long
enough day in which to toll and she
announces that er'servants will come
on in relays so that no person will be
expected to work longer than eight
hours a day. AS consequence there
are all sorts of combinations in pro-
cess of organza ton to enforce the
eight-hour system on the households
of the land. Naturally enough all the
cooks and housemaids desire an adop-
ton of this method. and as the capaci-
ty of Mrs, Blaine's mansion will not
admit all the discontentel ones, there
is trouble in many a home.
Oddly enough, it hasn't occurred to
the average domestic that if her day
is to be apportioned according to the
eight hour system she must naturally
be expected to give the perfection Of
service during this shorter season for
which she is to be paid as much as
for the ten, twelve or fourteen hours
previously employed. She has not re-
fiected that breakage of fine glass and
china, the WreCkage of expensive kit
chen utensils, the waste of costly in
gradients of cookery III i'll prepared
meals, the destruction of clothing in
careless laundry work the ignorant
abuse of up-to-date plumbing and
countless results of stupidity, forget
fulness or absolute perversity will not
be tolerated by the eight -hour-a day
mistress. The blundering, obstinate,
incompetent cook whose meals are sell
dom on time, who slams and thumps
and kicks her way through Kitchen,
pantry. refrigerator and cellar desires
the shorter service but has not the re-
notest thought of mending her own
ways in order to deserve the additional
favor. The slatternly, gum chewing,
noisy and generally Objectionable maid
of all work hopes to demand the eight
hour day since it will give her more
time for being on the streets or for vis-
iting with her friends and not planning
she may improve her knowledge of her
duties that she may be as correspond
ingly valuable to her employer.
There are two sides to this eight
hour question. There are those who
might, because of their general COM
petence, be well worth all the extra
favors which could be given them, who
would accomplish enough i'm the brief
er day to make up for the curtailed
length of service. They are the maids
who are well paid, are respected, COM
| Portable, happy and who do not desire
the change of system. The competent,
| carable women who are out at service
have privileges and consideration un-
known and only dreamed of by the
tramp servant whose stay in a place
| is of few days and full of trouble for
those who employ her But it is just
these restless, half-trained, vicious
| eges for the serving class. They are
unable to perform any task with in
| telligence and desire to please dur
| ing the long day of their present SER
| vice; just how much they could ac-
| complish in a day of eight hours is a
| theme for reflection recommended to
| their ill-starred employers.
Sometimes in looking at these eXiles
| whom we take into our homes the pity
of IT all is thrust upon us with ap-
| palling force. Often they do toll un-
| ceasingly from day break to o'clock
in the evening. A weary round it is
| of ignorant conflicts with a cook stove
! "a black sullen faced thing which in a
| previous incarnation was fiend
| dwelling in the caves of the earth-of
meal getting when by reason Of the
same ignorance the meat may be pal
| ateable but more likely is not: when
the bread ought to be white but is
nearer black: when the griddle cakes
! should be brown but are "sickled DER
| by a pale cast" of a poor fre, and
when the dishes that should be salted