New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-19
THE MRS. C. NJ. SCHWAB SCHOOL,

housekeeper will find such a solution ridiculous.
IF it means anything" she says. 1T means fixed
hours for attendance at the house. say for twelve
hours a day. may find that eight
hours day is to be the limit Of a servants work
II adopted as Miss Webb suggests, II means that
no servant will remain long enough to cook the
dinner and send up, and the only solution Of the
difficulty will be have a second shift OF servants,
who Will take up the work where the others have
laid II down. The result Of such an arrangement
would mean ruin to many small households. who
can III afford the expense Of living even under
existing conditions. The dinner could not be cooked
because the cooks hours Of labor had come an
end. The children must be washed and put to
bed by the mother, the nurses hours OF duty
would end at p. m. The coachman would not
take the carriage out after p m. while the ladys
maid and butler, well the other servants,
would also nave their evenings free"
There is. il would from Lady Jeune's
marks. "A serious shortage in the servant market
in ENGLAND. The maid OF all work. the mainstay
extinct, and bids fair to join the dodo in point of
extinction And II is getting to be every bit bad
t,,,ol1 foofbSv esero io ne rei fT,1n,
the category Of servants altogether.
work TO produce this unnatural and uncomfortable
Womeu's Industrial Council sent out one hundred
or more circulars. About twenty-five answers
were received The questions dealt with the con-
diuon Of work. the necessity Of training. The re-
CoUtrasted with other employments and asked for
some explanation o. the unpOpLidIlty OF domestic
service.
The answers did nor throw much light the
matter. but they were sufficient TO indicate where
the uupopularity comes in. Not many Of the
writers compliance Of the inadequacy OF wages or
OF the mode OF enumeration. but they were al
emphatic one Ioint-that the social status or
a servant is the real cause or the unpopuiarlty
Of domestic service
This objection. according to them, holds not only
with The SCunerymaid class. but applies 70 better
class servants as well
mn, real OBJECTIONS domestic service, Lady
Jf,lne concludes undoubtedly the social status
Of seryice-tne want Of independence and the lack
,f "A rar0-ul Zed time for being on work
LADY Icuue's chief contribution 10 the solution
Of fhc Trohl.m seems 10 De that employers might
Win aGauta- their attention ~ other sources
IMAM recistrv Offices for obtaining services. one
rrrbt engage discharged soldiers Of good charac-
In fr- instance. Where these have been officers
servants or mess walters. they would be perfectly
7IsIifrd 10 take the best situations, not only from
- .i- training but from the habits or discipline
which rT, army would have taught them
f4,Ir J.uue does not explain how "a discharged
schiller al good character would be likely To take
=. H.. social status of domestic service. seeing
,far Tins Is 50 irksome to harry the ambitious
err,I II even the eculleTymaid. discharged sol.
49, ~ GOOD character might be supposed to take
IN eaet as vivid interest lu MS social po7lJlpl
r a.. world as "A maid Of all work. However ti!lt
l.s adv Ieune's suggestion prOuaolE carries
No. consolation 10 the English housewife. Tor
yr1-,se ear il was originally intended. than II -
Iil-eI,- to convey to the American. foush Rider
,a.- ~ a DISCHARGED soldier OF good character but
far,-v engaging one as coachman or butter.