The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-05-24
WOMEN AND THEIR WORK
VARIOUS SOLUTIONS OF THE SERVANT PROBLEM.

Work of tho Domestic Training
 syIvnnin-Experimen in Cu-oper-
 ative Housekeeping in sioux City,
 Iowu.
 There is not much active complaint
 on the part of outraged and despairing . housekeepers over the general faith
 lessness and general unsatisfactoriness
 of maids of all work as prevailed at
 one time. A certain apathy has suc-
 ceeded to the outburst of distress, but
 the real state of affairs is no better
 There is the same need of maids. Mean
 time all sorts of experiments are being
 made
 At Williamsport, Pa, domestic
 training school has been in active op
 eration for the last seven years. In
 1895 a club of eight women, with $200
 as funds, and subscriptions that were
 given them, rented a house, engaged a
 matron and cook, furnished the house
 with gifts of carpets, utensils, necessary furniture of all kinds, and secured eight
 girls, the children of poor and helpless parents, and received written agree
 ments from the parents that they would
 not interfere with the girls or their
 training. This industrial club taught
 the girls kitchen work, cooking, mar
 keting and serving, taking turns also
 in teaching sewing, mending, the care
 of household linen, and other common
 and necessary tasks, For five years
 the club clothed the girls, then they applied to the State Board of Charities,
 and gained an appropriation of s1,500
 year, to run the school; they received
 $500 from their friends, and with this sum made their first payment on a
 house, which Is now their own. It is prettily furnished so that the girls have an attractive home, and it aceommo- dates between forty and fifty girls. The kitchen is in charge of competent wo- man who has for helpers class of the older girls, and as the younger ones come on, the older ones are found sit nations in domestic service among peo- pie who are only too happy to take them. This sounds to god to be true and Williamsport will soon become '. Mecca to housekeepers, who will, it ap- pears, find there what they have sought in vain elsewhere.
 These equally fortunate girls may en- ter this training school any time be- tween the ages of seven and fifteen; they attend public school until twelve years of age, go to church and Sunday school and receive a thorough training in the school. The school, which has proved itself a valuable aid in many ways, is now run on an annual allow ance from the Legislature, certain sum from the City Poor Baord, annual contributions from the women interest ed in the school, and from citizens of the city, eked out by an annual supper and donation day in November. The girls supply bread to many customers. Once week the committee meet take luncheon at the school, and spend the day sewing for the youngest girls and for the school.
 Some housekeepers are anXiously re- garfing the exper. ment now being made in Sioux City Ia., where cooperative on a small scale is going on successfully. Five families, com prising fifteen persons, have joined themselves together for this enterprise, and 1t costs each person an average of S2 51 week for board. Having organ ized, the association rented com two-story house property To- cated to serve the circle. Every Friday the women in this circle meet and make out the menus for the coming week. Members are allowed to introduce fa- vorite dishes, and if they wish cook them in the kitchen their own way. One of the women and her husband do the and all bills are paid by the l treasurer The different families are people of moderate means, and have each kept one servant. Now they em- | ploy one housekeeper, who cooks, keeps | kitchen, dining room, and closets in or der, is paid $5 week. and isl given hers and her little boys board. These CO., operators agree that their household ex- penses have been reduced, and there is | no more with a servant. Another point | gained is that there is no worry in pro- viding meals for guests; they simply | go over to the dining room with their | hosts, who pay for them at the rate of ] l5 cents meal. The plan has succeed /, ed so well that other circles are form 1 ng, and the origjnators of the plan are | oesieged by letters asking for details.
 This seems like an ideal arrangement | and a reasonable one, and if no serpent ! enters this Eden there should be con- ,ord and amity, but the foreboding 1 mind sees possibility of dssension Among fifteen persons there must be at east one crochety; in the bills of fare given for week in the account of this experiment. there is one meal where fried liver Is the piece de resistance. Now to some the sight and smell of liv- sr Is abhorrent, and if that one should ,e ill-tempered when it appears on the