Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-06-13
POLITICS AND CIRCULATION.
THE OLD. OLD PROBLEM.

! bate of the servant girl problem at
] St. Paul the other day. Why don't
| you come into our homes inquired
! the club woman with some heat,
where YOU can get good wages, ex-
cellent board, fine home and easy
( hours? We are paying Sc, $40 and
S12 q week for servant girls. but be-
cause of your stubborn pride you pre-
fer TO click, click, click. week after
week in your sweatshops and eat poor
food" That was putting one side of
the case rather strongly, and the fac
tory girl put her side of the case
strongly. too, when she replied: Be
cause we do not propose to run
homes for women who are too incom-
themselves
1t is suspected that the factory
girl came pretty close to the nub of
the servant girl problem in her spirit
ed reply. The tender OF pleasant
home surroundings, good wages and
good food has been open to the serv-
ant girl for 10 these many years.
Not infrequently it has been accom-
panied by the attractions of fairly
short hours and ample leisure. But,
the girls do not bite at the bait. Ger
tainly it isn't the money the girls are
thinking of, or they wouldn't choose
store or factory work by preference.
They surely can save more money
working for Sc a week and board than
working for Sc a week without board.
Nor is it distaste for housework that
causes the girls to go to the factory
instead of into somebody else's home
to earn their daily bread. Most girls
who are working in factories stand
ready to throw up their jobs on short
notice and go into domestic service
when the right young ma.n puts the
question in the right way. And when
the change is made the former fac
tory girl is ready TO spend ner life
working for a poorer quail ~ of board
and clothes than she might be earn
ing in the house of the club woman.
But all this doesn't answer the
question why the girls don't want to
serve an apprenticeship at house
work in some other womans home
while waiting for the door of her
own home to open. The club woman
at ST Paul said it was because of
foolish and stubborn pride 1t is
hard to get away from the PROPOSE
ton that some sort of pride does cut
some figure in the matter, but is it
necessarily foolish or stubborn?
Probably the average girl who chose
the factory instead of the kitchen
would explain her choice by simple
statement that she did not like to do
housework for another woman And
if one pressed the matter further and
insisted on knowing "Why? she
might answer briefly with be
cause Quite likely she really
wouldn't know the why She might
be sure only of the fact Maybe the
reply of the st. Paul factory girl, in
timating independence rather than
mere pride, furnishes the key to the
TACT.
The ambition Of every normal
minded girl is some day to have
home of her own. In the case of the
working girl the ambition extends
only to cosy little home in which
the mistress does all the work. While
waiting for her dream to materialize
the prospect of expanding her nat
ural talents in the way of house
keeping in some other womans home
is revolving. 1t is giving UP for
money part of herself whi>h she
would prefer to save for the joyful
time she is looking forward to. Her
instinct rebels at the thought. She
prefers to go into some less congenial
employment, work harder and put up
with many Inconvenience rather than
become a mere cog in the mechan-
ism of more elaborate home than
she has ever thought of being con-
nected with.
You see, if there is anything in this
theory, it isn't merely pride that is
back of the girls decision. 1t is
poetry and romance and perhaps
little sense of justice. And if you
take any stock in the theory you
aren't going to blame the girl for
irving to work out her salvation in
her own way. AS matter of fact
the girls seem to be making more of
a success of their end of the matter
than the club women who are looking
for cogs for their elaborate domestic