Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1902-12-27


Miss Mary Il. Trueblood. an instruc.
tar in Mount Holyoke College. has re-
cntly made an investigation for the
Mas>ac husctts bureau of labor In re-
gard to the employment of women In
that state. and her report. an abstract
VI which appears In the New York
luslependeut. contains much that Is
Of interest bearing upon the unpopu.
iarity Of houscwork among American
sorking girls. The principal indus
tries which attract girls away from
sousework are the shoe factories. tex
ui minis. department stores. AID res.
,aurants. or these the department
stores contain the highest per cent
II American born girls. while the
fouscworkers who figure In her sta.
,is,ics not one was born In this coun.
Try In Massachusetts less than u
~atury ago numerous native Ameri.
ran girls not only lived in families us
servants. but were regarded rs belong.
ing to the family-a relation not pos.
sih,e now. The overcrowding Of all
departments of work except house.
work is all the more curious when II
= considered that the Homework does
aot wear upon the health. whereas all
the other departments of labor do
especially the mills and factories.
The average cash income weekly In
,l.e shops Is 1852; in the shoe factories.
SiN45. In the restaurants. S5.3S: In
The textile mills. SS.35: In household
work. $3.50 The houscworkcr how.
ever. earns more than the shop and
restaurant girl because she does not
have to pay for food and lodging. and
when lost time in mills and factories
i taken into account the household
wages compare favorably with those
ia shop and store. The homework.
er's labor is more healthy. The dc.
maud for that labor Is constant. and
girls Engaged in it can save more.
Aod yet the supply of intelligent ser.
yaut girls Is constantly diminishing.
Miss Trueblood talked with large
aumbcrs Of girls engaged In the shops,
uills. and factories. and heard the
same story everywhere. They oh.
iec.ed to the long hours Of housework.
~ sunday work. to unspeciallzed work,
tn the loss of social position. to the
loss Of independence and free time,
ard to the irritating relations which
uarly always exist between mistress
and servant. II was the general Opin.
100 that IA girl must necessarily have
los, her self esteem who would sell
all her time hut half Of one afternoon
in each week. who would submit to
b. called a servant and who. instead
a. learning her trade and being left
70 exercise IL. must constantly be sub.
jcctcd to the within Of each new EN-.
ployer.'
The information secured by Miss
rruebtood sets forth In a strong light
the difficulties which stand In the way
Il the solution Of the servant girl prob.
em. II will never again be possible
~ return to the old conditions when
servants were treated as u part Of the
family because domestic relations are
no longer the same. II must be nc.
knOwiedgcd that there IL nothing IN
household work to attract intelligent
american girls. The most discourag.
ing feature Is that even the unframed
Foreign born servants are growing
more and more insistant In their de.
Dands and begin to make them some.
lines as soon II they have acquired
Sufficient knowledge of the language
~ 10 so.-Chicago Tribune.