The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-09


may soon cease to be boss of all the
| household. 49,. .....* n
| This news, some housekeepers may
| imagine, is too good to be true. The
Northern Securities plan may fail, the
ladies argue, Pierpont Morgan may be-
come a bankrupt, but the Minneapolis
cook will still debate whether the break
| fast hour shall be late or early, whether
| her mistress or herself shall entertain
visitors, and whether two orr six nights
| shall be nights off. The cook, the house
maid, the little nursemaid; also, will con-
tinues to quit work on twenty four or one
hours notice, at the very time. their
| places can't be filed =.
| The news, however, is true. There is
solid foundation for these glad tidings of
great JOY. Best proof is the fact reported
yesterday, at several intelligence Offices,
that wages for house servants are begin
ming to fall. The difference as yet can
only be observed where many servants
are hired. The market is ,s'steady but
weak
Until recently the tendency has been
all in the opposite direction. Wages have
been gradually rising, especially for
servants employed at homes some dis
| tance from the center of the city. The
girl that would accept $3.50 week on
Lowry hill would demand IS at Kenwood.
Sadder still, she would get it.
The supply. of household help has been
| limited-a painful yet excellent outcome
of prosperity. The farmers have been
better able to support their daughters,
and many young girl, happy and safe
in her country home, has thus been saved
from the toll and temptation of self-sup-
port in cities. On the other hand, many
other girls, already employed here as
| house servants, have been permitted to
secure husbands and chance for COM
| parative ease and independence. Their
| lovers have had more money
Thus the "foater" has flourished.
Households that in better days and harder
times have retained faithful, competent
servants year after year, have been forced
to humor the butterfly maids, whose trunk
is newspaper, and who take every place.
| with the resolve to quit within week or
two, as soon as her mistress has ceased
to overlook the faults of new girl.
More Girls "'Coming Over"
Two principal causes have brought re-
lief to suffering housekeepers-a addi-
tional supply of maids and the protective
expedients Of employers. A marked in
crease Of immigration has provided many
new servants for the northwest. A few
months training in new ways and a new
language will place these girls on a par
with their competitors. But what is even
more effective Just at present are the
ways out" that have been devised by
harassed keepers of the home. The as
sistance of the cafes and the clubs has
been sought with much success. More
important because more radical than all
has been the local movement for the or
ganization of "co- operative kitchen."H
Speaking yesterday of the fresh supply
Of housemaids in the rough, Mrs. Johanna
Strongquist, who conducts an Intelligence
office at SIT Eighth avenue S, said that
immigration from Scandinavia and Fin
land has been unusually heavy since the
beginning of spring. ~ :.
''It has brought a lot of new girls into
Minneapolis said Mrs. Stromquist
Many of them have gone first to rela'
tives on farms. But in order to support
themselves and to get a knowledge o.
English, the girls have come very quickly
into town, within a few weeks, maybe
from the time they landed at New York
And lots of other girls have got places as
house servants just as soon as they struck
town without waiting to look around
them.
"Of course these new eo1ners,' as we
/ call the immigrants, are practically igno-
rant of English Still, like girls from
Missouri, they have only to- be shown
What matters if they call i the cal
'pooshy? so long as they keep her out
of the milk pan? Most new corners have
to broken in to American Housekeeping
but there are someone in the other; room
. Just now, for instance-who have worked
in first class families in Stockholm
; Christiapa, Copenhagen and other large
cities, and who can often give our Amer
lean women points on etiquette and COOK
cry.
| "These new girls, can pick up enough
English within a couple of months ant
enough household training within a few
months longer. So even this fall 'newcom
ers' that arrived last spring are likely
to prove very fair servants, and by mex
winter or spring they'll all be ready tt
join the union.
"That is sure to make it easier to ge
cooks and housemaids here. Even half
trained servant is considerably better thai
none Besides, these girls learning tht
language and having no American expert
ence will be willing to work for consid
erably less than old hands. Wages will
come down. They are moving bit tha
way already. And girls will have to be
little more careful hereafter not tt
throw up one good place before they arr
certain of another.
The Cooperative Kitchen. -
That one does not have to travel to cal
comfortably at restaurants has been a les
son learned profitably by Minneapoli:
women after repeated attempts to follow
the directions of the cook book. Not a few
/ harassed housekeepers who heretofore
have never thought of dining at cafes il
their own city, have found that they could
venture inexpensively into this borderlant
cf La Boheme without becoming dyspep.
tics or Minis. During summer month!
especially the cook that gives notice
may be evoking joy instead of terror. She
may simply be sounding the bugle call fol
picnic excursions to hotels and restau.
rants-an Indulgence in agreea bic contras
with the monotonous eating of simllal
food each day amid the same surroundings
Social clubs have developed another de-
fense against the vanishing servant. Tht
Minneapolis Club, for example, has granted
to all it's members the privilege of order
ing from the club kitchen, whatever foot
nav be desired at the members homes
Such food is not merely we'll cooked but j
is delivered hot and in the best condi
, ton r.: ..., 4 .a =. -
Like opportunity is now to be EXTENDED
through cooperative kitchens to the mul
titude that are not club members. ,Th
plan has not yet been formally launched
It is under discussion, however, by per
: sons who have succeeded in allied under
takings, and it may soon be announced
with definite detail.
The cooperative kitchen is not social.
istic reverie. The kitchen has been tried
not only abroad, where 1T is said to have
: originated, but in several American cities
Everywhere it has accomplished it's OBJ
/ ject The practical difficulties have beer
solved by experience.
| - u st<H .