The sun., 1909-02-14
EDUCATION and HOUSEWORK
TWO GIRLS WHO ARE PAYING
THEIR WAY IN COLLEGE.
On Coming to New York From the West
They First Tried WORKING I'm n shop
Now They Are Head Chambermsids
and Consider Themselves Well on.

III the students at Yale who are working
their way through college are only Just
beginning to try domestic service they
have been neglecting. fine field for
sood many years. declared young
woman from the West who Is completing
O college course In New York city. In
the West We look upon domestic service
as one OF the best fields for the girl or
boy who has pluck enough to work for
an education, while right here in New
York / know several students, both men
and women, who prefer it to any other
work they can get
b. "No, don I mean waiting in restaurants
and places Of that sort, but work in homes.
They arc what you people in the East
caIl servants.
my ohum and | are head chamber
maids in house up the Drive, and we are
both 30 we'll pleased with our work that
We would. be sorely disappointed II any
thing happened to keep us out OF 1t next
year when we graduate. Three years
ago when we came on from the West
we got places in stores as cashiers. We
received more money in the way OF wages,
but when it comes to food and comfort
there Is no comparison.
During the summer OF that first year
We went out Of town as hotel Mattresses
and on our return applied for our old en-
ployment. The panic had begun and
every concern had cut down expenses.
We could find nothing to do. and the
people connected with the employment
bureau Of the college couldn't give us
much hope. 1t was a case Of get Some
thing OF 20 back home defeated
~. we applied at an agency for domestic
servants and within week we're hired
by the housekeeper of a fine house in the
neighborhood as head chambermaids.
OF course the work only called for one
girl, but as we we're willing to divide the
wages as we'll as the work the sekeeper
said she would give US trial and il We
proved satisfactory she would not be-
ignldge the extra meals. 1t was business
proposition with her, as she very carefully
explained to us.
.She gave US the rules of the house and
told Us that we were to accommodate our
selves to them and ask no favors About
the only thing required was that one of US
was to be on hand every minute of the time
and ready TO perform the duties OF head
chambermaid.
., AT first IL required considerable chang
ing around of classes to permit this. but
once we had that arranged il was pretty
plain sailing and easy work. The house
is among the handsomest in New York.
so Of course the servants quarters are all
that they should be. The head chamber
maid has one large room and the use of
the housekeepers bath. AS there is a
double bed in the room no change was
necessary for us.
We have two large windows opening
on the street and electric lights. so the
question of light for us to study by is
settled to the very best advantage. Our
quarters are well heated; and as for food.
never was 80 we'll fed in my life.
The wages for the head chambermaid
in this particular house are SIS month.
NV chum and divide this between Us. and
as we have neither rent nor board to pay
We find that it goes long way
. Yes, We take tips. If we didn't we
would be peculiar and at once make our
selves unpopular with the other servants.
That is a point which students taking
such employment must be careful to
consider No mistress or housek eeper
by complaints from the servants. Ar
matters now stand there would certainly
be complaints if newcomers in the Ser
wants quarters refused tips.
AS head chambermaids one Of our
duties is to unpack the trunks and act as
maids to guests who come to the house
without their personal maids IL is from
these guests that our tips come princi-
pally They give from 81 to $40.
very often they max g US other presents
In the way OF garments. ! never owned
a silk petticoat in my life until became
head chambermaid. Now | have three
beauties and my chum has four. No. we
don't wear them. for we are saving up
all these fine feathers against the time
we take our diplomas.
we have beds to m AXE and rooms to
olean, regular chamber work, but never
90 hard as the work we did in our own
homes. Both my chum and ] are mem
bers OF a tennis club and one Of US always
plays. We wouldn't want to play tennis
II We were overworked.
Il don't feel one-tenth Of the strain that
did the year we worked as cashiers
The difference is not only in the amount
of work but also in the conditions under
which we do it. in our food and in our
sleeping quarters.
had to content ourselves with the poorest
sort Of room. poor light and cheap food
Az present we have the best. II IL wasn't
for tennis and the walks back and forth
TO recitations we would soon become dis
gracefully fat.
sThere are unpleasant features.
am yet to see the work in which there are
not some. One Of the most pressing Of
these unpleasant features is the love
which the butler persists in making to
<He is a perfectly good butler, an
EnRlishman, and knows his business, but
as he is uneducated and perfectly salts
fed with himself and his position It seems
TO me natural that my chum should not
find him attractive. He knows that we
are studying for something-all the SER
wants in the house have found that out
but he also knows that we are chamber
maids and as such his honest attentions
should be most acceptable.
why, that man gets 500 a month in
wages and tip whenever he turns around.
See what fine thing it would be for a
real chambermaid. When | see the men
students. many Of them poorly clad and
poorly fed, struggling so hard to make
ends meet on what they earn as tutors
and such little jobs. can't help but think
how much better of they would be il they
would all get positions as buffers.
Another thing that wasn't very pleas
ant when we first began was the way the
people Of the house and thsi. guests had of
treating us as II we were fferent order
Of beings. say they treated us. but the
fact is they didn't treat us at all. They
hardly ever seemed conscious OF our
presence or existence
Now you know in the West girls and
boys often go into families as helpers.
We don't call them servants out there.
They never lose caste for doing So 1t is