Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-12
BROUGHER LAUDS
HOUSE SERVANTS
Pastor of Temple Baptist Church
Declares to Serve Is Hon.
orabIe Work
DEMAND HUMANE TREATMENT
Mistress Has Right to Expect
Appreciation for Acts of
Kindness, Says Pastor
DEMAND HUMANE TREATMENT

sort of stigma to the word servant.
They seem to think it signifies sort
of dependence that they do not like.
They think that it is derogatory to hui
man worth and dignity to be servant.
This thought runs through all classes
of society. The society girl thinks she
is better than the store girl. The store
girl is inclined to think she is the
social superior of the servant girl.
These were expressions of DR.. j.
Whitcomb Brougher, who preached TO
a crowded house at Temple auditorium
last night, the ninth sermon in the
series on ''Home, Sweet Home" His
special topic was "The Servant Girl in
the Home Among other things he
said:
"To serve is honorable. There is no
title more highly honored in both the
Old and New Testaments than the eX-
preston the servant of the Lord.
Writing to ME on this subject, one
young woman said: Office girls scorn
to associate with servant girls She
declared that there are girls working
in the stores who consider houseWork
as too degrading for them. Instead OF
staying at home to work they hire a
servant for the home and go to work
in the stores themselves. This seems
absolutely absurd and idiotic to me.
When working girls manifest such
ridiculous snobbery between themselves
what can be expected from others!
The first and great lesson that men
and women must learn is that work Is
honorable.
SHOULD TREAT SERVANT HUMANELY
First What kind of treatment has
the servant girl a right to expect? L
believe the fundamental principle as
sorted in .the Golden Rule applies here.
The principle of parental responsibility
also has its application. The mistress
of the house should treat the servant
girl as she would want her own daugh-
fer treated if occupying a similar posi-
tion. She should give her servant just
wages and considerate treatment. Paul
saws that masters should give their
servant that which is just They are
to treat them in view of the fact that
they will have to give an account to
Almighty God.
"In the first place they should be
paid wages that are commensurate
with the work required of them. AL
though many servants are not paid
enough. very little complaint on this
line has been made by those who have
written me. 1t is not question
whether or not you pay them as much
as they could get elsewhere. rms
question must be decided by what you
are able to pay and what the servant
servant girls is concerning their treat
ment One young woman says: In
many families a pet dog is treated bet
ter than the servant girl Many ser
want girls have to sleep in some out
of-the-way attic room. which in winter
is cold and otherwise disagreeable.
They must do their reading and sewing
by candle light. When it comes to eat
ing, the servant girl gets whatever is
left, and frequently enough has not
been bought to go around
DEMANDS ARE INHUMANE
Another young woman says: J was
taken to what was called my room. In
fact, it was nothing more than an or
binary sized clothes closet, a small
corner of the attic. In it was a, can
vas cot, pillow stuffed with cotton,
small cracked mirror, chair small
rug and a few hooks on which to hang
clothing That was my room They
expected the girl to rise at 4:30 in the
morning, clean the sides of the house
with broom and hose twice week and
get the laundry out before breakfast IN
order to do other things. If I should
make a, cup of coffee to sustain me
until the family breakfast, the next
morning I would find the coffee under
lock and key. One morning l fried an
egg. When the mistress came down
she looked with horror and amazement
at the shell and asked me how 1t got
there. / replied: Il was hungry ana
had to have something to eat" She
answered: "A piece of toast or biscuit
was enough. 7 cannot afford to feed
YOU on eggs" Eggs were then 20 cents
a. dozen. I was TO get S12 a month.
stayed there three weeks.
"Of course all people do not treat
their servant girls in this way, but the
experiences just related are altogether
foo common to be called mere eXcep-
tions to the rule.
"The mistress who is governed by
the Golden Rule will give her servant
some time for her own pleasure and
mental improvement. In other lines OF
labor the working day consists of eight
or ten hours, but in the home there is
no time day or night that the mistress
does not usually feel free to call upon
her servant to do anything she wants
done. The servant is not given any
time that she can specially call her
own. She should have an afternoon or
an evening, or both, when she can seek
her own pleasure and mental improve
ment.
INTEREST TAKEN IN SERVANT
"A mistress governed by this rule
will take a sincere interest in the moral
and religious welfare of her servant. l
know there are servants who object to
having any questions asked concerning
their associates or the places where
thev go. or the manner in which they
spend their time when off duty.
true mother would expect to do this
for her daughter. But there are ser
wants who are willing to accept the
treatment that would be accorded a
daughter, but are unwilling to come
under the authority that such kindly
oversight involves.
Nevertheless, for the sake of the
moral character and the good name of
the servant girl, the woman of the
house should see to it that the servant
girl should have some other place in
which to receive her company than the
kitchen, the little room in the attic or
the street corner. The sitting room
ought to be at her disposal up till 10
or II o'clock on the night when her
Reuben comes to see her
her.
''There is no doubt that many mas
fers and mistresses will have to face |
an awful responsibility before the Judg-
nent bar of Almighty God for the |
worse than indifference to the moral !
md religious welfare of their servants. |
rhe servant girl has a soul to be saved, |
md she has a right to demand and ex-
,ect an opportunity to care for her
pirituaI life and development.
But what kind of service has the
-s-4.ae. a ,.iobt IN eXpect? First of