The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-05-02
LONDON news LETTER

London, May 2. - TOO old at
thirty" is the unhappy lot Of the
British barmaid described In a report
by Mrs. Bernard Drake of an inquiry
made by the Women's Industrial
Council.
Barmaids are a British institution.
Very few men are found behind the
bars in the saloons throughout the
United States kingdom, except pro-
prietors. There are $4,000 barmalds
in England alone. Frequent crusades
have been started with the purpose
Of eliminating women, and particular
ly girls, from this vocation but
nothing lasting has been accomplish
ed. One reason Is that the saloon Is
the working mans club, and he pre-
fers those places where he can Cos
sip with the girls. On the whole the
influence Of barmaids is to raise the
atmosphere of saloons. but the infu-
ence Of the saloons upon the women Is
considered bad.
1.-THE barmaid soon grows oHd', says
the reporter. Sometimes she Is old
at 20; she Is generally too old at
thirty" Her chances Of marriage are
small unless she marries the barman
or the manager, and almost the only
~ecourse left to her is the streets.
The number of women on the London
streets who have once been barmatds
is out of all proportion to the total
numbers in the trade.
Mrs. Drake writes sympathetically of
the women behind the bars. She says:
1.-THE barmaid Is cheaper than the
barman. She is more industrious,
more sober, more amenable to the
wishes Of her employer. less rebellious
against the hard conditions Of public
house life.
There are women, women Of fine
character, who earn in the bar a
decent and respectable living, and are
not unhappy. There is even q woman
Of robust health and temperament,
who finds in the public-house a GER
tain vocation. The bar Is to other
women immediate ruin.
"But all these are exceptions. The
barmaid who Is Of the majority, al
though she loses nothing Of self-re-
spect, yet continues at her post only
in WEAKNESS and loathing, and with
q great fear in her heart Of that which
the future Is to bring"
Wages for barmaids are no more
than domestic servants command In
the United States and the average
working day is fourteen hours. In
houses p~atronised by workingmen the
average pay is $3.50 to So a week; in
| AOtClS II uldy x1S0 ~ @Ss0uS oAN 4OL q
head barmaid to $3.50 or even IS.
Board and lodging r always fur
nished but the girls are expected to
dress well.
The barmaid, according to Mrs.
Drake, belongs to the type of normal
and average working girl, industrious
sober and honest, although h Is to be
distinguished from her sisters by g.
greater measure of the love OF youth
for adventure. She seldom adopts the
career as the result of a false step.
The workingman seldom looses his
respect for the barmaid as a woman
worker; it is reserved for the man
about town to be without all sens OF
honor or chivalry to women. Young
and pretty girls are deliberately
chosen for the West End saloons
which are the resorts Of absolute
men and fallen women, because the
inexperienced girls attract h men.
They are given no protection by their
employers. g.
TWO great evils of the present sa-
loon system are pointed out by the
report. One is the long hours Affect
ing the health Of both men and wo-
men and leading to excessive drink
ing. The other is the exploitation OF
young girls which is responsible for
their degradation. One reform pro-
posed is that no girl under the age
Of Fl shall be employed after eight
o'clock, except on the premises OF
her parent, and another 2s that the
bar shall be a more MT place TOE
l bofh men and women.