The Washington herald., 1912-10-13
THE s'VEXED" QUESTION AGAIN OBTRUDES.

them upon the scent Of the bogus aspiranS
after social distinction. and runs her to
earth. 1t 10 the boast Of the lowest Of the
cult that he or she knows q real lady or
gentleman wherever found.
They ain't got money. maybe. but they
are the real quality.' was the verdict Of
q colored man OF the Old fashioned typa
when twittec with the poverty Of his en-
ployers. ~"
To this subtle something they stri a.
describe by quality they render In G.. a.
tary homage. The woman who has been
used from childhood to managing . stan Of
domestics does not fear to speak kindly
and courteously to them. She is too sure
Of her standing to dread the loss Of II. 1t
is the parvenu who betrays by rudeness or
familiarity her ignorance Of the unwrttten
laws regulating intercourse with tncertorA
And since there are millions Of parvenus
in America, they have debased the bssai
principles Of domestic service.
=
PAYS Penalty of False Standards.
Like our bright. Travelled correspondent,
/ could write on and on indefinitely with
out treating the vsxed question n al
its ramifcatons-
For the present I content myself with
answering in part some Of the queries ad-
dressed to me in the letters here published.
l. The mistress who dares not insinuate to
her maids that their works and ways are
not wholly satisfactory is paying the pen
atty Of the false standards set by the mass
OF her fellow housekeepers- II all were
firm in establishing and maintaining busi-
shA nxrSf
would cure itself In a few years. Johns
clerk knows that he must obey rules. or be
discharged: furthe rmore. that II sent about
his business for neglect OF duty. ineficiency.
and imperunence. he will find great dim
Guilty in securing another situation.
2. The scarcity of maids of all work 10
but one more result of the rage for sps-
cializins " which 10 a sign Of the times.
II is no longer true that one man in
his time plays many parts" If the parts
have to do with wage earning. Each bit
of the social and commercial machinery
that carries progress forward has tn work
man. whose duty 1t is to do that, and that
alone Domestic service has caught the
contagion.
3. The woman who asks II we house
mothers have not ourselves to blame for the
existing irregularities in what should be q
well ordered system puts her finger upon
what I have long believed to be the root Of
the evil In this whole matter. We. as an order,
are not true TO ourselves and to one ano ther.
When We learn. by long and bitter trial OF
the wrong way. that We mus; stand by our
sisters. and all work together: when each
recognizes and acts upon the simple fact
that IL she takes a domestic out OF her
netshbors house without her knowledge
and consent; II she engages one who has
been dismissed for just cause from her last
place without hearing and weighinE.fhe
reasons for that discharge: II she condones
ineolence, dishonesty. and wastefuiness as
reported by the former employer. she viii
lose the respect Of the comm unity. We
shall see the dawn Of a better day for
the perplexed mistress and the establish
ment of a just and practicable code for our
employees.
How this 10 TO be brought about, naturally
and without violence, is a problem submit
to intelligent readers and sufferers from
the vexed question"