New-York tribune., 1907-11-05
WON'T TAKE A GENTLEWoMAE
Woman Says Housewives Refuse Such Help.
Yet Clamor for Better Servants

mat the woman who finds herself for whatever
49, w, MI1lout employment or income may al
10y; soIVe her problem by going into domestic SER
VIC We rs commonly taken for granted and it is sup
posed that she is only deferred from so doing h,,
1SaI VI, oI losing caste There is woman In New
1oIK VINO VIII never think this again .vvha+avar
may nave been her opinion in the past
i wsh she said yesterday that couId find
some some OF those families mentioned in The Tribune
Miio Would De willing and glad give a comforta-
bic home, considerate treatment and good wages
10 maid, helper or houseKeeper, and cannot find her
- uie Two women whose experiences are related in
the article entitled What Is the Solution D. are
willing to employ in such capacities any woman
not OF the servant class thev ara not.bIa ayoa-
uons TO the general rule
i have had an anxious time for the last week
or SO trying TO find work for a gentlewoman who
was reduced almost to her last cent AS II was
impossible for her to wait until something suitable
turned up. 1 asked her with some hesitation IL
she would be willing to do houseworE She an
swered promptly that she would only she didn't
feel able to do the washing 1 told her that was
not necessary. and felt certain that she would be
perfectly competent to do everything else. She
IS IS IN me prime of life. and in good health and
having had beautiful home of her own with sew
done.
We'll, sent her 10 women any one of
whom ought to have been glad to have her and
she answered them all. in response to their anxious
inquiries. that she would the kitchen
can't see myself why they should have exhibited so
HluGh concern on that point OF course. she
couldn't and wouldn't want to eat with the family
but why couldn't she eat in the dining room after
the family was through? However, she was will
'ilS ~ eat III Ine kltCnen- But they all, with
exception, would have OF her and one OF them
had implored me Just few days previously to get
her maid at S25 month, with sweeping or
washing. The one exception would have taken her
at $40 a MONTH though she had been paying S22 to
a negro girl. Another woman whom I after
, ward sent her offered her S5 a MONTH although
she had previously been paying S25. I went to see
this last person and asked why she didn't consider
the woman worth more than 50 a month She said
that a gentlewoman couldn't be expected do all
the things an ordinary servant would. and
would have to pay for outside help. I advised my
protegee to refuse both these nunifcent offers I
didn't think II right for her TO accept less than the
market price for her services.
MY next attempt was to tell her story at a COM
mttee meeting happened to attend. After we got
through our business asked if any one wanted a
houseworke-. Oh. yes they all did, and each one
wanted the first chance, and would never forgive me
If let any one else have it. Then I explained
that the houseworker was a gentlewoman in re-
duced circumstances, and though I painted her
qualifications in glowing Colors but quite trlhfuly
their faces fell viii she eat III the Kitchen? they
asked. VIII she wait the door?' OF course
she WILL answered. She Will your
home a servant and do everything any other
servant would-anything but the washing They
all had a feeling that she wouldn't do not for
them at any rate.
yet you constantly hear people say that II only
better class OF women would go into domestic
vice the stigma would be removed. I tell you en-
pIoyers don't want better class OF servants"