The sun., 1912-07-14
Many Of Them Helped Ont Their
Employers in the Recent
Strikes.
WORKED WHEN MEN QUIT
Employed in Growing Numbers
Elsewhere Than i'm the
Dining Room.

by the appearance Of a dozen or more
businesslike young women who filed in
and took the places Of the deserving
men. They had been held in readi-
ness for the expected strike. having
previously been employed about the
establishment as checkers. telephone
operators, manicures. packers and
ladies' maids.
They performed the work Of the
striking walters checrfully and we'll
They were some of the many women
employed in the hotels who advanced
their fortunes through the fact that
they displayed sympathy and loyalty
toward their employers during the
trouble.
Housekeepers in some cases offered
to go into the kitchen and cook and
the members OF the women's orchestra
volunteered to work as Mattresses.
They did this for the reason that the
embarrassment caused by the walters
strike was to the patrons of the dining
rooms as we'll as to the managers.
Women workers in hotels are grow
ing in number each year. Especially
in the floor telephone service, in the
linen rooms and In clerical positions
behind the scenes they are getting
to know the hotel business. This Is
a new field comparatively for feminine
talent.
1t is surprising to note the number
OF women who are depended on In
some Of the hotels to do special work
in place of men, There are women
,,.h<, ha In Of the
kitchens. where French chefs are In
charge. and others attend TO the check
ing Of room service trays and the wants
of the invalids who may require spe-
Cial cookery.
Yet since negro help disappeared
from the New York restaurants and
the so-callcd French walters took
charge Of the dining rooms there has
been certain prejudice against the
employment Of women mattresses. One
objection made To them was that as
they worked for much smaller wages
they could not be up to the require
mcn,s OF the great establishments that
try In every way to initiate the famous
places in Paris and London. where
of course men are exclusively en-
ploycd.
Nevertheless several Of the winter re-
sort hotels. lacking the necessary din
ing room service of men. made the
experiment a few years ago of employ
ing neat white gowned maids Tor walt
ing. So successful did the plan prove
that these hotels have adhered to II
ever since, to the satisfaction OF their
patrons
one hotel manager ',ho was aided in
.rtl Inv L. ~ mi
helm bv tho cheerfully offered services
Of his housekeepor and several of the
maids who volunteered as her assistants
is in favor of employing women as din
ing room help.
They ere as strong as men in the
handling of heavy work" he said, land
of course few Of them have the poly
glot accomplishment Of the trained
waiter from the other side Of the water.
who can speak three or four languages
sufficiently well to take orders In any
one Of them.
Women. however. are Quleter. neat
er. more civil and more honest In this
work They are also more loyal The
recent strike had one very unpleasant
feature In connection with It, 1t in
conyenienced not only tho managers of
I tne nOttlS Dtt UlSb INV pupiie
that supports the restaurants by its
patronage and makes the employment
OF the cooks and walters possible.
"In many of the great Fifth avenue
establishments the guests include
wealthy men and women. who fire.
uuently make valuable presents to chefs
and head walters. thus rewarding them
for attention and special care. There
al, t,t hn,.
ahled to retire wealthy through the
stock tips given them by brokers and
Wall Street operators. and even the
usual first class waiter in a good dining
room and his assistant are well re-
warded.
"The throwing down by the striking
walters of napkins, knives and ladies'
when the signal was given. although n
spectacular move. was not a clever piece
of work. Many of the regular hotel
which some favored waiter left them
with a meal half served. The idea Of
the walters palpably was to cause just
as much Inconvenience as possible. and
this phase Of the affair will not be
speedily forgotten.
"Women will strike against injustice.
proved, but they are very apt to come
to the front to help out In case of need.
And they adapt themselves to conditions
speedily and II anxious for work which
may help to provide for their families
they will take whatever may be offered
In the way OF labor without cavil or
question.
"A man doesn't wish tn go out Of his
own line of work, feeling that 1t will
cause him to lose prestige. There are
many men to-day sitting idle and de-
spondcnt simply because thsy have de-
termined that they must have some set
amount OF salary and will not work for
less or because they have been follow
Ing some special line In a profession and
feel that It would injure them to aban-
don their speciality for less lucrative
work. even temporarily.
"The adaptahillty Of women in such
mpttcrs was shown some months ago
| when Turkish bath exclusively for
| women closed its doors. Store than "A
dozen women had been regularly en-
ploycd Patrons OF the bath wondered
what these women. many of them no
| longer young, would do for n living.
Within six weeks Il number Of them ha d
banded together and opened place In
an Office building. They combined all
| the branches Of beauty making hair
dressing and manicuring, facial and eicc :
1