Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-10-06
Copyright BY J. b. BOwles.)

miss Mary r. Nikihs, now MIs
known as a talented writer of fiction
than as a housewife that many readers
will be surprised to And how much she
homelike. Among her many popular
books may be mertioned .,Pembroke.
a 1.ra Humble Romano mesons and C0!s The
Portion Of Labor.D
The conditions Of the problem are
very simple, the solution. of course, not
SO simple; solutions never are, other
, wise no problem. Still, the solution.
or a solution, may seem evident
enough, and all the trouble consist in
the extreme inconvenience. not to say
impossibility. of putting it to prac-
tical application. 1t is perfectly easy
to say that two and two make four,
fully to understand that two and two
make four, but there may be conditions
under which it Is well nigh impossible
to make the four. Perhaps the factors
will not combine at all or not without
an explosion.
Often with the servant problem 1t
may be quite evident what the Difficult
ty is, at least generally speaking. A
thoughtful and discriminating woman
who has tried housekeeping herself, or
made an intelligent study OF its re-
ouirements, soon reached the conclu-
sion that the simplest and most print
tive household tasks require brains and
no small allowance Of them. In real
ity she discovers that brains are more
necessary in the kitchen than physical
strength.
A stupid servant cannot even sweep
a room skillfully. She will inevitably
scatter the dust and lint that comes as
mysteriously as the wind in the new
testament and as defantly. where 1t
Iisteth, all over the furniture and
walls, instead of into the vague out-of1
door limbo of dust, whence 1t prob
ably returns, but that cannot be
helped; 1t makes the task Of servitude
perennial. 1t is essential at all events
that it be banished thither, but no I'M
skilled. brainless servant can effect
that
You can teach her to the best Of
your ability. You can say: NOW,
Abigail, you must take this and cover
that; you must dust first: you must
sweep so and So" 1t will all be fruit
less unless Abigail has receptive and
intelligent order of mind, and usually
she will not have it. II she does pos
sess that order of mind she will be at
a typewriter machine or a sewing ma
chine. or In a schoolroom or mil
liners or photographers parlor. in
stead of your kitchen. She may be
prinked and pert behind counter In
any case, wherever else they may be,
the brains are not in your kitchen, un-
less you have fortunately struck the
exception to prove the rule. II Abigail
had possessed brains she would at
once have proceeded to attempt some
thing which she could not do half as
well as she might have done your
-. horsework and, II she had only SO
viewed It, without half the glory.
A yuod domestic Is such a rar1 avis
that she ought to have a prestige like
any other rare thing, but she has 1t
not. and one cannot blame her, but So
cie;y. for her wrong estimate Of the
desirability Of domestic service. No
body. that is, nobody In this country,
and especially the American born. is
as a rule going into your kitchen to
work II she has mental ability. The
mental ability presupposes ambition
and the ambition in this country
means to an Abigail a position in
which the doors Of certain class shall
not be closed to her on account OF her
calling.
Everybody with Wit has an cmuls-
tive eye and . ready foot for the next
step above him in social caste. AZ
rule all others have either been crushed
BY circumstances into passiveness or
they ave really TOO dull! TO comprehend
that they are not all which they might
reasonably desire and have not the
most desirable position. They are too
stupid to be ambitious and stay where
their conditions Of life happen TO toss
them. like leaves too inert to be stirred
BY any gust Of wind, With neither mo-
ton OF their own nor capabiIity Of re-
ceivirg motion from others
These are they To whom you pay $l2.
SO or u,ore q month for walking the
simless. hopeless treadmi!l Of your
kitchen, To do labor vithou; compre-
hend.ng either It's obiec, OF itself. like
the crudcst, rudest machine concciv-
able. We have advanced immcasur-
ably IN our inventions. our printing
presses. our typewriiers. all our labor
saving and pcrfectine machines. but
the servant stiIl dates back TO the days
~ the hand.oom and the spindIe.
OF course ! do no; speak cf trained
English and French servants or Amer
.osn servants win like training or
of those employed ia situations where
wealth can Command q eoodiy allow
snoe of ability In this a. IN other d.
,es,iops. Wealth can Do simoss sny-
thing