The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-01
TO SOLVE A PROBLEM.
New4sY orieg Women Form a Guild for
- Reform.

NewasY orles Women Form a Guild for
- Reform.
The servant girl question, once a
fruitful theme for the professional
Joker. has reached a point where no
One smiles and the serious. minded Of
fer statistics of the increasing num-
Der Of apartment4hotels, and the New
York families swho have given up
housekeeping withinS 1.-the last . five
years.. tzsEsssi1 y -
A contradictory condition of affairs
is noted. On the one hand, the Irish,
German and Scandinavian immigration
has diminished before the Italian and
Hebrew, neither of which furnishes
servants. The American and also the
Americanized woman prefers any kind
of work to domestic service, and the
factories are open to their, choice. On
the other hand, 1t Is certain that in
telligent women We're never so widely
and so genuinely interested in domestic
science as they are at the present time.
All over the country, in public schools.
colleges and other institutions, scien-
tific and practical courses are offered.
and the classes are well filled. 1t must
be admitted that the graduates Of these
classes become, not servants. but
teachers, lecturers, n1atrons of institu-
lions, expert dietitians.. etc. Still, the
interest is manifest. Hardly woman's
club in the countrys that has not a
domestic science department, and many
state declarations devots special pro-
grammes to the subject at their annual
meetings.
Every attempt to solve the problem
of the betterment of this branch Of in
dustry is eagerly listened to. In Bos-
ton the Woman's Educational and In
dustrial union attempted ito deal with
the matter in model employment
bureau. where employer9and employed
meet on equal grounds, agree on terms
of service, and enter into regular con-
tracts, the breaking of which on either
side excludes the offender from the
future use of the bureau. In Chicago
the same plan went, ipto operation
within the last three months, and has
lately appeared in New York.
The Women'S Domestic Guild of
America has been in existence for sew
eral months, but opened the doors Of
it's attractive new home, No. 46 East
Thirty fourth street, only about ten
days ago. 1t has the backing Of we'll
known women, and has for manager
an energetic, experienced housekeeper
and business woman. The guild, ac-
cording to its circular. was organized
with the object of supplying house
keepers with competent servants. to
raise the standard Of domestic service,
to encourage good servants to remain
in their places by means of system
of prizes and an honor roll, to abolish
the evils of the average intelligence
Office, and to be wisely helpful in regu-
lating relations between servants and
employers"
One of the evils of the average in
telligence Office is undoubtedly the dis
couraging of long service A girl who
lives two or five years In one place
is Il It profitable enough in the matter
of fees. The employment agent has
no interest in her.
proposes to establish training school
for cooks. maids and Iaundresses One
of it's rooms is fitted up for model
kitchen; bedroom and a dining room
will also be used for classes. In adj
dition correct carriage, address and de-