The evening star and Newark advertiser., 1907-10-02
JAPS AS SERVANTS
NEWARK HOUSEWIVES IN
CURING FOR THEM.
Demand Far Exceeds the Available Sup
ply-Servant Problem Daily Crow
ing More Important.

Notwithstanding the anti-Japanese senti-
ment existing in some parts Of the country,
Newark housewives are trying to obtain
the little yellow men as cooks and walters,
and the demand for japanese labor in the
city seems to be increasing At least this
would appear to be the case from letters
sent to the Japanese Consul In New York
city by Newark women, three OF which
are said to have been received by him dur
ing the past ten days.
According to the information given at sc
Wall street, New York, where the jap
anese Consul has his headquarters. dozens
of inquiries from all sections of the country
are received every week regarding the
servant problem, and asking If the consul
win not kindly import few shiploads of
his countryinen to fill jobs which are
awsiting them. The places where they are
wanted range from factories to farms, but
the demand is chiefly for house servants.
Three such requests. it was said yesterday,
had emnnated from Newark women.
In fact housewives of Newark hze
been face to face with problem which is
growing in importance and size every
!
never equal to the demand, has fallen off
so alarmingiy within the past few years
that II Is difficult to secure even the COM
monest female labor for housework al
fancy wages. Previous to the general en-
ployment of female labor in factories and
offices the problem was not of serious
dimensions
More and more the housewives of the
city have come to lean upon negro help.
T2,,@s rtl, "a h
extended even TO this class of labor, and
1t has been recently said that negro
help commands the highest figures ever
paid for 1t. There are twenty-seven en-
ployment agencies of note In the city, and
at each one OF them the story is prac-
tically the same. They cannot supply the
demand, or even large fraction OF 1t.
One of the peculiarities Of, the negro
women employed In many households is
their religion, faDaticism which has re!
Gently sprung UP among the members Of
that race, especially the women. and which
has grown like a mushroom over night. A
large percentage of them are members oi
what they term "the Saints"
THE Saints is a short expression fol
the more elaborate Saints of Christ anc
Church of Cod" which was started an6
is headed by an eccentric negro mar
named Crowdy. He started the church
in Philadelphia and maintains headquar'
ters there. He is called Bishop and
has been to this city several times. The
doings OF the cult have been described fl
the EVENING STAR
The day the Saints worship Is Saturday
and 1t is said that this day was choser
because II was the ancient Hebrew Sun
day. On that day a devout Saint vii
not work, but spends the day in religion:
exercises, always at some common meeting
place away from their quarters
When they meet on the street they salut'
/ each other as Saint Sarah" or Saint
Lucy" as the case may be, and believe
that they can commit no sin, The annoy
ance of having servants away from this
house for whole day. and that the heavi
/ est day of the week, rs common one II
the section. and 1t is thought that this 4
one OF the many reasons why women o.
Newark are looking 20 the Japanese t
solve the servant problem.
| Under the alien labor contract laws thl
japanese consul cannot give the assist
anee which the housewives are asking for
The Japanese In the city of Newark arr
less than one, hundred. It is said, and arr
for the most part commanding good sal
aries as servants. 1t Is said that they Trer
I&prm their duties better than any othel
ftlass OF servants
Their first cousins, the Chinese, are rad
icslly different from them in this respect
1t is conceded that by the laws Of natur
a Chinaman was constituted to become {
laundryman, pursuit TO which but few
japanese have taken a liking. Outside o
this CITY, they achieve success as ner
chants in a small way, with few notable
exceptions. hut do not shine as brillau
examples of efficiency in the fulfilling o
the more exacting requirements Of hous'
I servants