The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-28
failed to do save in exceptional in

stances. -
One of the first difficulties is that
consciously or unconsciously, every
woman is trying to initiate
as nearly as possible the mode of life
OF the who is just a little fl
~nanclaily and socially her superior
The woman who keeps but one mait
wants her to wear q white. cap ant
apron n to present as good an APP
pearanee at all times as the girl who
answers the doorbell in the house
next door. The fact that the. woman
next door employs two maids and that
the girl who answers the bell does not
have to u ava from some untidy
work in the kitchen is generally over
looked. The knowledge that the
maids of a generation ago frequently
took a devoted pride. in the social
standing of their families and made
an extra effort to maintain it, is fire.
quently quoted as a proof of the de-
generacy of the modern servant with
out reference to the different attitude
which the mistress of that day as
sumed towards her maid.
A number of women's organizations
throughout the country are giving at
tention to providing some means of
adjusting the difficulties of the pres
ent domestic servant problem. The
most influential of these is the House,
Keepers alliance, which has branches
in most of the larger cities. The al
lance opened an employment bureau
in Philadelphia a few years ago with
the idea that the rights and privileges
of the employe (the alliance objects to
the word, "~servant") were to he as
carefully guarded as were those of the
employer. They even went so far as
to attempt a training schoo for mis-
~tresses, although this last was a
rather unsuccessful experiment.
A member of the alliance went to
the bureau in quest of a maid. She
was received by a dignified lady who
made many inquiries as to the kind of
a room provided for the girl, the num-
Der of hours off duty, the privileges of
receiving company and other matters
upon which the prospective employer
gave satisfactory assurances. Then
the agent said: CHOW, YOU say YOU
want a maid. What is it that you
want her to do? Is she to be ex-
pected to act as waitress as well as
to cook; to do the work of a %laundress
as well as that of a chambermaid,
and to be at the beck and call of her
employer for any odd unstipulated
service which may come up at any
time?" The lady naturally was en-
barrassed at having her wants stated
so BADLY, but admitted that she prac-
ticallN expected those services from
the girl she employed.
Then" answered the agent, you
are asking a great deal more thar you
have any right to expect and are be-
hind the times in your demands. This
is un age of specialization AMI this
idea should apply 20 hGrsework as
well as to other industries. Until
mistresses cease to make unjust de-
mands there will be no better domes-
tic conditions. If you cannot afford
to pay a waitress, you should not ex-
pect your cook to act in that capac-
ity, but should be satisfied to have her
place your food neatly upon the table
SO that YOU can serve yourself. If
you cannot afford to have a chamber
maid, you should be willing to make
your w bed every day and be thank
ful If your cook is willing to do your
heavy sweeping once a week. You
no right to expect her to dust
and arrange you rooms if she is also
to be burdened with the laund~v work.
| can supply you Will a good, honest
girl who can do a reasonable amount
o fhouseWork and plain cooking, but l
cannot undertake to have her perform
the duties of three persons
After some hesitation, the lady en-
gagged the girl. feeling that all her
former IDEAS had been rudely shat
tered. In this instance the maid was
success and gave satisfactory serv-
ice for nearly three years. The prin-
advocated by this agent were
too radical for most of the members
Of the alliance, and the usefulness OF
he employment bureau was short
lived, although to many women these
after a little consideration,
seemed only reasonable.
A large proportion of the mistresses
Of the present are only a single gen.
removed from abject poverty
therefore. are ever upon the alert
o impress others with their ideas of
proper living standards. Most of
have been gained from novels
una a SllSnt social contact with those
Who have been accustomed to live.
comfortably and employ servants for
generations. 1t is the newly arrived
who has done most to make
domestic service hard for ~eryon
She is so anxious to have SNOWY fur
liture and elaborate bric-a-brac in
Ter parlor that she will spend nothing
o make comfortable and attractive
he rooms which are occupied by her
employees. In some houses, which
seem to possess every comfort to the
social visitor, the accommodations for
ne servants are worse than in some
the cheapest tenementS in the
sums. A victim of tuberculosis, who