The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-04-24

TMs q FAetor IN ssme Lines % WoFH.
A lawyer passing through New York
with his wife eight years ago put up for
two weeks a. large hotel. which he did
noe whit again till tho other day. when
hv request he got the same suite he Occu-
Nod q. his ssrs. Wait. He was surprised
60 gst . pleased smile % reception from
q ohAmbermaid in the corridor. Room
clark and bsllboys were strangers to him
and he 20 them. He felt that the middle
awed Irish woman with a feather duster
heamsd az him like an old friend.
sHesn here ever sinceP' he asked.
sYis. And hows YOUR LADY,"
Ths lawyer recalled that on his former
visit this chanbermaid. slighter % figure
ellsn. had done for his wife many little
services not included in her regular duties
and that the two had parted with mutual
Fe0rst
-lt was . big surprise ne told the
manager later. to find New York woman
servant sticking TO one job eight yearS.'
Not surprising in hotels. the MANAGE
assured him. Il venture TO say that In
each Of the older New York ho.eb are
servants who have been twice eight
years in its service.
How do account for Il? There arc
several reasons-a chance 20 make extra
snoney. more hours on duty. having only
ore boss. tho fact that in hotel the work
IN specialized. Also--here the manager
lowered his voice--because hotels are
not managed by women. My wife would
never forgive me u she heard me-
Almost without exception leading hotel
managers agree with a matter Of course
afr that the average woman servant
prefers 10 work in q hotel. and although
one and another whose memory 10 prod
ded can give interesting data along this
line none seems to think IL remarkable
that the supply 81 hotel help in usually
ahead Of the demand and that guests are
seldom OF never called OH to exercise
patience because Mary. Bridget or Jane
has taken on her apron and LEFT in q hun.
The feminine record for lsngth Of ser
vicc In one place several managers think
n held by q little Irishwoman employed
by q Broadway hotel Forty years ago
when the hotel then ono ~ the largest and
fin@st in the city. opened its doors Mary
q round faced. roay checked colleen fresh
from the old country. asked for ard got
q job TO scrub. This hotel Was quite the
grandest place Mary had ever seen. and
proudly sh@ fell in NJ the rear % the scrub
squad. To-day she tops the scrub squad
and there Ia no sighting Of corners when
she IL around. Her hair il gray now and
the pretty Iriah bloom hong ago faded out
OF her checks. hut her arms are just o.
strong and her laugh just a. CHEEKY az
when abe landed Incidentally she fas
PIC ksd up a good many dollars since
1oininG the hotel force forty years ago.
A former mAraRer 81 the hotel in telling
about Mary said:
For forty years this little woman has
slspa in the same corner % an attic room
and never once in all that time has she
showed ANY ambition 20 cham re- her occu-
. patton. have often SAID that Mary was
the most remarkable object lesson Of CON
tentment with your lot | had ever seen
or sver expected 20 see A. honest a. the
dav and ~ a saving disr.oS.tiOn. don't
believe she ever re-.dei io spend a dollar
for clothes. the things handed over 10 her
by guests more 'han supplying her ward
robe. What she did not use she stored
away, with an eve 10 the future.
Knowing how 70 scrub better than she
knew how 20 do anything ehe and appar-
entity really liking the work. she always
y
Job. No one could call her ambitious
-Evsn men patrons were impressed
sometimes with the enthusiastic Nay
Mary would march into the lobby. put
down her pail and GO 20 scrubbinR as il
her life depended on ~ One night I was
amused to have the manager Of theatre
which was about 10 put on a play with a
hotel lobby scene come TO me and say:
4
borrow half q dozen 81 your scrlIbbeFs.
headed by that stOcky little Irish woman
20 appear on my stage for about two
minutes before the curtain goes down ON
the second act and fall to sorubbingT
assured him that ] was perfectly
wiling and agreed thar Il would he a
realistic touch all right; hut I suggested
that probably Mary would be scared too
gtih 90 lead the squad on TO the stage in
front Of q big audience. and anyway I
didn't think she would care TO do IL,
which showed that didn't know MARY
The manager ofeTei 81 perform
ance OF two or three minutes eight times
. week for a couple Of months perhaps.
And was Mary scaredS Not a bit Of Il
She marched on TO that stage exactly
a she marched every night into the hotel
lobby. hopped on her knees beGan to
scrub without a look az the audience
The scrub squad made a hit.
There ~ a particular hack staircase
In the hotel which IL under Mary's care.
and this she keeps a. -pick and span a.
soap and water can make 10. In all pToba-
bility ten years from now IL her health
holds out Mary will he still on the job at
the old stand
Among MaTy's coworkerB IL q chamber-
maid who has about twenty-five years 81
continuous service TO her credit besides
several more who have held the same
job from ten 20 fiftssn years. There are
men cooks and porters Who are rounding
out twenty Gght OF thirty years ~
service nc this hotel. hut then. a. a man
aGer remarked. IL IN the woman rather
than the man servant who generally has
the most objection 20 sticking long in one
place
In one ~ the Fifth avenue hotels famed
for not changing help often are az least
ten chamberFnAids who have been with
the hotel for periodic ranging from ten
20 nfteon years. the assistant manager
4atd. and I'VE or six kitchen helpers who
had kept their places MORO than 81 X years
besides a. many laundres-~s who had
been In the hotels employ from SIX TO
I'm Year, There had not been a change
IN the once force. including two women
clerks. in Eve years
In another and larger Fifth avenue
hoeei thS manager gave u a. hia opinion
without stopping 90 go over the hooks
thae there were all told AZ leAst thirty
women employees who had served the
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