The Jennings daily record. [volume] (Jennings, La.) 1900-1903, 1902-05-31
THE GERMAN TAG FRAU
6eRLiN'S- SOLUTION or THE SER.
WANT GIRL PROBLEM.



tic Economy and Take Whole Burden
From the Mistress Shoulders.
Hook. the Berlin housewife! She
has solved the eternal feminine prob
lem of the servant girl The solution
is so very simple that the only marvel
about it is that no ingenious Yankee
matron has stumbled upon it long ago..
When the good haus frau wants tc
shake off the tyranny of one woman
she employs several; that is. she re-
sorts TO the tag frau, AN assistant called
in by the hour. The German tag frau
differs from the English charwoman
and the American days worker" i'll
that she is q specialist. instead of be-
ing an all-arouud house worker, able
to turn her hand from cooking to scrub
bling. She processes but one branch of
domestic knowledge, and claims to I'M
derstand that thoroughly, so that the
heart of her mistress may trust in her
and be happy.
She is either cook, a chailbermaid,
a laundress. Il kin nrgartner. nurse
maid, member and darner, or even
companion. but never by any chance
does she combine any two of these
useful occupations.
In 4 household conducted along these
advanced lines the cook is the first
morning visitor. She takes in the
milk and rolls, makes the coffee and
whatever else enters into the compo-
sition of the simple German breakfast,
places it upon the table or serves it
in the sleeping rooms of the family. as
preferred. and then departs to do the
Establishments.
When she has finished her rounds she
goes back to her starting point to make
preparations for dinner. She looks
over the larder. holds Il consultation
with madam as to what will be re
quired. and probably goes to market.
This is very desirable perquisite. and
generally granted the cook in any
household of any pretension. 1t being
considered extremely poor form for
the lady OF the house TO do anything
SO plebeian and only the extremely
strong minded will risk the odium il
may bring. - 49,
The cook then. returning with her
well-tilled basket. sets the soup pot on
to boil dresses the meat. parboils the
If it is to be eaten cold. BY the time
she has taken care of all her clients,
she returns TO finish and serve dinner,
after which she is seen no more till the
evening meal.
II it has been so stipulated. she will
wash up dishes and put the kitchen
in order. but as general thing her
time. at about twenty cents a day, is
considered too valuable to be employed
in this manner. and a young maedchen.
who receives about 81 per month. fol
lows in her wake and does the scuNery
work. The visiting chambermaid can
take more families under her charge
and. therefore. is well satisfied with
twelve cents day from each. For this
she dusts floors and beats rugs while
the beds are airing: tides up the cha M
bers and living rooms neatly. brushes
the wraps and dresses of the ladies and
blacks the masters boots.
The cleaner takes care of rhe Win
dows, the outside steps and front door
and makes weekly calls TO see that the
brass and tinware Of the Kitchen are
kept up to traditional brilliancy
Mending days are the times when
\
thing in the way of needles, thimbles.
shears and SO forth. takes possession
of the family hosiery and linen. Miss
ing buttons are replaced gaping holes
are neatly patched and much domestic
discord is averted for the munitCent
sum of fifteen cents, II dinner and a
cup of coffee, served with cake in the
afternoon.
The visiting govermesS is always
called the Fraulein Miss She may. he
u snowy-ha ired natron with grand
children of her own. but the title is
applied rs indiscrininately as that of
maid to our female servants of all
work. The frauleia calls at the house
aud puts her pupils through q course OF
calisthenics or physical culture. Some
times she administers massage and
supervises the toilets of her pupils.
She then takes them abroad to the
parks or the zoo. Object lessons in
botany. zoology. history and geography
are given in the course of these ram
bles.
As the fraulein must necessarily be
woman of culture and refinement,
one cannot expect her services for q
trivial sum, especially as she must
have received her diploma for kinder
garten work, music and history There
fore, no one need aspire TO a fraulein's
attentions who cannot pay nine cents
per hour
This ''piecework system of house
Keeping seems TO WORK 10 the ats
faction of mistress and maid equally.