The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-03
SERVANTS FOR The COUNTRY.
IT IS HARD TO COAX THEM TO
LEAVE NEW YORK.

Mnsvesses Said to De In Part to Blame
for Their PrcJudlces--Facts Suppressed
by En,ployers--Surprise for servant'
when They Reach Their Destination
Just now the thoughts OF almost ever
proprietor of an employment agency ir
New York are turned to the problem Of
coaxing 30 wants to leave the city.
The springtme phase Of the servant
question, and a most important phase |,
=, too. Is to the front. The problem IL
easier to grapple with In the case OF serv'
wants OF the higher grad. than that OF Tire
others. Tho form,r ara accustomed To
being m ore or less on the wing, Tor the reaso q
that the families who can afford to EN-.
ploy them seldom spsnd more than FIVE
months OF any year in New York Fesdet
the city house there Is apt to be one in the
suburbs and another further of at we'll
known watering place, both Of which take
their turn In housing the owner and his
servants,
Under ouch circumstances servants make
little or no objection to being transferred
from one place to another. knowing full
we'll that III If duties are much the same
at each, and that in no case Is the work ever
increased when they turn their hacks upon
New York. The working force of the homes
OF tho very rich is make up Of specialists,
and none has any fear that he will be asked
TO become jsck-ef-all-trades at whim Of
TIE employer, no matter in what part Of
the world he flros himself
But households Of this description ara
comparatively few. We're they more
numerous the life of the Intelligence Office
managers would be easier. Unfortunately,
for every home equipped with force OF
eight, ten or twenty servants there are
hundreds which are limited to three or
four, and for every one OF the latter there
are thousands more that can afford only
one or two.
No one needs to be told that the task Of
supplying to these more mod st homes,
even when they are situated In New York
help of q really helpful kind is becoming
more difficult every yrar. To all house,
Keepers the servant question has b,en
one Of growing difficulty for long time
But in spite Of many and growing dsoour-
agements it is only when the intelligence
once finds its If up against tina 'wanted-
hep-to-go-in-the country" patrons that it
ever shows the least indication Of losing
nerve.
Women servants in general are chary
about leaving New York. Their whole
person from boot-toe to bonnet algrette
waving defantly a!oft radiates distrusts
when undergoing the preliminary OF being
intervt we'd by would-be employers from
tbs country. Woo she never 50 sweetly.
tho mistrvss from out Of town seldom
succeeds when Waiting 4 city intelligence
Office in changing the stony glance OF
suspicion with which Bridget and Mary
Jane meet her advances into one Of pleased
confidence.
a. rule the most she ever accomplishes
land lucky she thinks herself il she does
20 much-is to drag from the seeker after
employment reluctant Well, ma am,
III come and try it," and luckier still II
the s servant keeps her w9rdi ,,v ,...
week, day. or not more than few hours.
and then the same disheartening pro-
kramme 10 gone over again. Meanwhile
Mary Jane has betaken herself once more
to the intelligence ONCE, her dstrust 81
Not long ago New York woman who
keeps a boarding house and had become
rather bored by the tales OF woe Of her
Na sr put of oa ns
set herself at work to find
Z reason or at least an excuse for Bridget's
altitude.
che thought. Il wonder what Bridget's
tide Of It is"
Il was inconceivable to her that any
heuseworker should prefer to stay in New
York in midsummer II she could get out OF
II, In her quest for information on this
interesting question several intelligence
Offices were visited by her without much
result. Most Of the proprietors had been
interviewed before on different aspects
Of the servant problem and, probably,
thought they had said gil there was to say
one way or the other. One OF them frankly
~ don't believe it is good policy for me
to cIiticise my OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the SER
wants or their employ ers and never do"
Much the same feeling tied the tongues
more outsroken, who she'd quite food Of
Light on the question by hiating that tho
root OF the trouble Law in the fact that en-
ployers. ee>eciilly wome I, did not stick to
Ies Titles when engagiA servants for the
7'I do not mean to say he blandly ex-
pls ined, shat these women mean to pre- |
vaFiccte or to nnisrepresent. Far from It. |
For sonae reason or other I find that there |
are MANY women OF the more opllent as |
wsu as the serving, clsss who find 1t almost
evsn the simplest story.
-eTaks that propensity, together with the |
eprloyers anxiety to mr. ks a favor Die !
Impression on maid whose poearanee she |
fanciea, and to my mind You b We pref y
strong clue to the reason why the orclinary |
grAGe servant almost breads even trying |
rle ce out Of town.
'sNow let mo give some illustrations OF
What mean. lady came In the other
day and want cd nurse-maid to look after
two children Of and years old. The pay
she offered was very moderate, but
tho place promised well for q young Eng.
bah girl on our books, who had filed Z
eRilar position In this city but had becu
thrown out Of work by the fanily's moving
o,1t West.
SAhsr talking over matters she agreed
to accompany the lady | speak OF back
70 her home in New Jersey and have her
baggage sent AFTER her. The pair left
my. oface together apparently delighted
wah each other.
Yin one week the girl was back. She
told me that beside taking care Of both
children night and day, mending their
clothes and keeping the nursery clean,
shs was expected to help In the laundry
every Tuesday and iron not only her own |
clothes but every hing belonging to tho
two children. Now when engaging that
gtrl. not one word did the lady cay
Either 70 her Or to me about laundry work.
sProhs bly, she neaLt to. Possibly she
was afraid U she did go the nurse would