The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-03-23
CNew York SUM

who have investigated the subject
thoroughly seem 10 be Of the opinion
that the employers are responsible fOi
much CT their own woe and that a few
simple changes in their own cOnduc,
might mitigate that Voc an appre-
cable degree.
Il believe the most maddening fea-
ture Of our work is the matter Of refer
ences," said the superintendent Of one
o. the best employment bureaus in the
city. THE average woman, no matter
what her moral standing may be,
seems TO chuck her conscience over
board when il cores to writing refer
Aences for a departing servant.
Perhaps she is moved by mistaken
kindness. Perhaps sne's afraid Of the
servant. At any rate, she doesn't men
ton that the cock had delirium ire
mems, or that the maid broke all the
china and was dirty and couldn't tell
the truth
One sometimes gets tie truth about
men servants dismissed by masters.
One seldom gets the truth about wo-
men servants dismissed by misJresses.
There ought TO be a strong feeling
Of obligation in tire matter. A woman
owes it to her fellow sufferers.
she should mention all the maids
sood points. give her fun credit and
praise for them. but she should mem
ton the faults, too. and tell the cause
for which the maid leaves. If that
we've done cOnscientiCdsly and the
next employer would rigidly investi-
gate references. a tremendous amount
OF trouble would be avoided.
You would be surprised to know
how many women procure their SER
wants entirely by advertising. That
Is ell right, if they prefer doing it In
that way; but YOU would be still more
surprised if you could know how many
women employ girls who answer the
advertisements and never go to the
trouble Of thoroughly investigating the
references.
That is inexCusable carelessnesg. and
for the women guilty of it / haven't
the slightest sympathy in their domes-
tic difficulties. They deserve every IN
pleasant experience they get.
"One woman came TO me with a story
OF that sort Just yesterday. She had
advertised. A girl had called.
TIE woman liked the girls looks
and manner, and paid no attention to
her Fifth avenue references. Two
weeks later the maid got boiling drunk
and almost killed the baby while the
mistress was away.
Just for curiosity, the employer at
that late day looked up the reference.
The house referred to was closed and
the family away I doubt whether the
maid ever worked there.
'Of course one can't help being glad
the baby was saved, but the mistress
as well as the maid would have been
guilty If the child had been killed. I
could multiply such cases indefinitely,
ana 1t is standing wonder to me that
women viii take such chances.
criminally negligent in this matter OF
investigating references. and their IN
oorsement of a reference is no guaran-
tee of security, but there are a num-
Der OF thoroughly reputable agencies
where the most sCrupulOus attention is
paid 10 references.
often ne run fake or untrue refer
ences TO earth, but not so often as in
the old days. Undesirable characters
are beginning 10 understand that with
the better class Of bureaus lying is
practically useless.
But here. again. comes in the other
side Ct the employers responsibility
Even when we send to inquire about
the reference, the old employer will
perhaps say that she gave the refer
ence, and that the maid was all right,
when she Knows that she is not telling
the truth, and that she would not be
willing TO have the servant in the
house of one Of her intimate friends
or of q member of her family / can't
understand il.
Here, we Of course. require a ref
erenCe from the servant and then we
write to the former mistress and ask
her 10 send US another reference which
we viii consider confidential She
may write US a sensible and apparent
~ just statement which taliies with
the reference presented by the girl. or
she may write us a flattering refer
enoe which proves to be entirely I'M
justifiable.
Acre probably she viii tell US things
ct which her first reference never hints.
She believes we viii not let the servant
know what she wcites. and So being
1ree from the fear of scene which /
EfiUenced her in writing the reference
she gave the servant, she relieves her
mind ana sends us q detailed account
Of tue heinogs crimes of which the /
maid has been guilty.
T have often taken the reference /
and the confidential letter written by /
q woman Of good social standing, laid |
the two side by side. and stared at
them i'm utter despair If women only
would De conscientious fan that~One /
matter of references. how it would /
simplify things.
This complaint isn't to be registered /
against all women. Some OF them do /
the right thing. Here is Il letter that I
GENE i'm the last mail. The woman
SAYS:
Mary is honest good natured. hard 1
WORKING and far cook. let her 20 |
becauE= Of her unfortunate propensity 1
log breaking fine glass and china. 1 /
lnink she tries TO be careful. but she 1
seems very awkward and has broken /
so many valuable things for me that I /
felt I could not keen her
NOW, there's a sensible letter-and
honest. on the face of il. The girls 4
manner aud appearance tally with it
here VIII be plenty of employers who j
viii be willing TO chance the china
havoc. but they VIII be warned first.
Another woman wrote 10 ne YES /
terday that sha discharged the maid
simply and solely because she could not /
get along with the other servants. She
had absolutely no fault to lind with I
the girl on the contrary. considered
her most superior. but supposed tba+
very superiority was the cause Of the
friction. The three other servants were
fairly satisfactory and il seemed sim
per TO let one good girl go than 10 /
fl three places
~ understood the situation perfectly
and the explanation enabled me 10
place the girl where she should be
There is 8 class Of girls who can never
set along with other servants. and do
NOT belong ID a big establishment.
There are all sorts i'm the world
below stairs-Eood and bsd. some SER
wants are essentially coarse and vul-
s6r. some are had tempered
Put giri with a fine temper Of her
OWE. but with q certain refinement Il
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