The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-02-17
Problem of House-Help.
Greatest Difficulty tOith Which the American Woman
Has to Cope-Men in the Kitchen May ProUe
Solution Word "Seruant'' OaEous.

situation Is complicated by conditions
in the business world. Factories
abound and they offer Opportunities 10
The class who once found employment
IN American Kitchens. Regarded from
I the standpoint Of responsibility. ann
this consideration Is important in the
I eyes Of working women, tho Kitchen
certainly holds it's own In comparison
4 with The factory
Yet, most young girls prefer TO he
factory operatives rather than do-
nestle servants. The word servant III
odious in the ears OF thousands Of
young women 70 them il III a badge
Of shame. They would Infinitely pre-
fer harder work and longer hours
without this stigma, than shorter
hours and easier work with it, Where,
q few Years ago, intelligence Offices
were tArongcd by irish and German
girls WAC were tolerably efficient and
who could receive orders and carry
them cut The material now ready for
the usekeaper's manipulation Ii
crude nd raw IN the extreme. Poles.
Russians, Hungarians Syrians, most
Of then unable to speak English, are
the apl hcants, and even they ask ma
niicenl wages while ingeniausly con.
Tossing that they know nothing o
work although they profess To be VIII
ing 10 learn. As soon as taught, they
depart to seek another place and high
en- wages Wages is ria" they Say
with childike and bland expression.
smiling into the faces Of their despair
ing employers.
1t really begins TO LOOK as il the hope
Of the American housewife would sooG
be the introduction of men into the
Kitchen in place Of women Tho latter
are SO croWding every avenue Of bust
moss so ming inches IN shops ana
bcrths in mills and factories that mea
are forced out Of places that used "a
be theirs A quickWltted FrenchmaH,
a soIt-voiced negro. q deft-handed Jap
anese, thorough and careful Chi,
nese each IN his own degree proves Z
wonderful comfort to a stornl-tossesf
housekeeper. weary and worn with her
battle and desperate because she can
md no woman willing 10 stay with
her a2d contentedly assume the du-
ties Of maid-ofall.work.
AS a rule, q man goes home at night
and returns in the morning This does
away with one source Of anxiety and
confusion, the evening at home Or
abroad which forms a theme Or endless
discussion between mistress and maid.
Tho newer practice leaves the maid
free to spend her evening as she
chooses, but old.fashioned housekeep-
ems cling stubbomly to the allotted
evening cut, and fooiahy forget that
the maid In the kitchen has Tie same
social needs that the daughter al the
house has, that she longs 70 meet aad
talk with her oWn people, ana tlai
work Should end at an appointed ilor
A man las way Of cutting his Gori
ian knot He gets his work done aud
he goes 70 bis own home as any a;ser
laborer would at tho end of BIS dsr
Yet, there are clouds even on this
horizon Tho Japanese maHbcgat
who is almost ideal in pucbncss and
capacity, is restless and always aaN.
ious to move on Ono never feels sure
.hat her perfect servant viii not po-
Iitely give warning at @ most intou
venieut hour The Chinese are subtle
and do not form friendly attachments
with ease The negroes have spasms
Of Incidence and are also supposed 20
be liehtfngcred, although there are
many shining exceptions.
The day of case in the domestic re-
aious Of American houaekoepers has
not yet arrived Could we return to
the simplicity of our grandmother
and establishing really friendly rela
lions, train girls from childhood up TO
be- perfect assistants in the home
here would be greater permanence
ana pleasure along this line than there
IS at present