The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1907-02-07
LACKING IN SYSTEM
COMMON FAULT AMONG WOMEN
SAYS A BUSINESS MAN.
One Reason for the Servant Problem,
II Is Suggestcd-liotel Managers
Dependent on Men to Organize
Their Households.

rs newspaper, looked thoughtfully
his young daughter and asked
ystem was taught in the public
)ols.
SYSTEM" she repeated, puzzled.
Yes, SYSTEM" her father persist
e. II don't believe, though, that
iystem can be taught" he con-
unied rehectively. IT'S like COM
moa sense, or sense of humor. One
must be born with K"
What on earth are you driving
at?" asked his wife.
I'm driving at this: l have come
to the conclusion that the New York
woman is about the least systematic
In the world. | am not referring to
business women so much as to wom-
en- in the home, women who are not
obliged to earn their living"
And men?" asked the wife.
We'll, have met men who appar-
emily had mighty little system about
anything, but as general thing
men far outrank women in this re-
spect.
What started me going on the
subject? Why, this: Jones told me
to-day that he had discharged his
housekeeper and put a man In her
place, and that the only reason the
assistant housekeeper was kept was
because women guests and the maids
needed a woman's help occasionally.
A big force of chambermaids are re-
quired in his hotel, to say nothing of
dozens of other employees who for
merly came under the supervision of
the housekeeper. Now he has man
to do that work-does 1t better,
Jones says"
What was the trouble with the
housekeeper?" asked the wife.
Lack of system, Jones said.
Then he pointed out a phenomenon
l had never noticed He said that
when a woman undertook to run a
hotel it generally degenerated into a
boarding house, and that when a
man took hold of a boarding house,
which isn't often, it generally grew
into a hotel, and all because of
question of system.
n
in business concern, who began,
say, as errand girl Office attendant,
o.. stock girl and works her way up
- a responsible place, often learns
ID deal about system. Under such
90. cumstances l think system can be
inired in an institution of learn
). ] am also sure that, take some
l. n,,f nf hot yt,-Ay
neAt and set them up in an inde-
pendent venture, they will drop al
most Immediately into what | call
systemless system. To illustrate:
"A relative of mine left school at
fifteen to work in a large manufact-
uring concern, in which she rose to
place second only to that of the own
ers before she was thirty. I myself
wondered at her success.
When she was thirty-two years
old she married a prosperous busi-
ness man, a widower, with two chill
dren and good sized house, who can
afford to keep several servants. He
made no secret of the fact that he
selected his wife because of her tai
ent Of managing for her systematic
arrangement of her duties and busi-
ness engagements.
They have been married two
years, and worse managed house
hold from my point of view 1t has
never been my luck to see. / have
never known meal to be served In
that house on schedule time In spite
OF the fact that they live far enough
out of the city to make 1t necessary
for the man to travel in and out by
train; the children are quarrelsome,
unruly, unpunctual and so usually,
my wife tells me, are the three SER
wants. Their mistress has lost her
alert. confident, business air and
looks as If she had tackled Job too
hard, for her, which Is, indeed, ex-
actly the case.
In other words, she has no sys-
tenn by which that household may be
reduced to a smoothly running, har-
monious basis. She could manage
with ease a hundred or more en-
ployes In concern of which she was
not the head, but where she is abso-
lutte boss three servants are beyond
her.
But In justice to women l think
this ought to be said: The system
which is possible in a hotel is not, in
my opinion, possible in a private
house, and l doubt If the general run
of man would do any better than the
general run of woman in managing
an ordinary household"
The manager of the same hotel
spoke differently. Said he:
System is system, whether In a
small or large house, and no one
appreciates this better than women
servants, who themselves are quite
Incapable of originating anything ap-
preaching system. A system must be
laid down for them and they must be
taught how to follow 1t, If satisfac-
tory results are looked for. A sys-
temless mistress is bound to have a
a nj kat