The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-08
HOUSEWIVES DAILY
ECONOMY CALENDAR
EcoNOMIZING IN SERVANTS.
By FRANCES MARSHALL

As far as our own comfort IL con-
earned, most OF US are not much az
fected by the great European war.
Now and then we ind that It touches
Unsupported laces. for Instance. are
harder to get than they used to be,
and household linen Is more expensive.
Then, too. the best class OF buffers.
footmen and chauffeurs have left for
Europe-butlers and footmen. anyway.
but perhaps the American chaufreurs
left are the equals OF the foreign ones
who have gone. For running an auto
mobile Is a Job that American men
like.
whether or not we keep a butler
and footman. the. servant problem is
constantly growing more complicatea.
IN many Industrial towns, the wom-
en- servants leave domestic service to
work in the factories. Wages de-
manded are higher-and going higher
still. In some places servants are
voicing definite demands in the way
of hours. rates of pay. and the kind
of work they will do.
There Is no reason why servants
should not demand better treatment
than they have been used to receiv-
ng. and higher wages, too. for that
matter. But the whole situation makes
difficulty for the woman who has
only q small allowance for domestic
service. She cannot AFFORD a really
experienced servant, often she can
unskilled worker goes to the factory.
What Is she to do?
Usually she longs for the time when
cooperative housekeeping shall have
been developed to such an extent that
all shG will need to do will be to
push a button when she wants din
ner put on the table-snd dinner will
marvelously appear from some won
derfully efficient central kitchen. She
knows this time is far away-but she
longs for 1t. just the same. In the
meantime, when the servant leaves.
she tries to give both babies a bath,
| their supper, put them to bed, g--
dinner. change her frock, answer the
telephone. receive a caller. and be in
4 charmingly agreeable state of mind
and appearance when her tired hus-
band comes home.
Il can't be done. OF course.
Now even in this day IL is quite
possible to economic in servants. II
is possible. very often. to hire a serv-
ant with the understanding that she
is to work for several families For
instance a very competent nurse
maid. commanding a highly competent
! nursemaid's salary. might be hired
with the understanding that every aft
eTnOOn Sne snOulu take CHdEkc VI inc
children Of three or four families. Her
salary. divided by four. would be quite
small, and the housekeeper who gave
kHr board and lodging would be en-
titled TO her services outside the
hours when she took charge of the
lneighborhood children.
Then, too. often two or three liant
lies could divide up thu servires of
a general Homework maid. OF course,
she could be asked to do only as much
work as she would normally do for
one family. But she could give an
hour 70 each of three busting. max
ing Beds. brushing rugs with a car
pet sweeper and busting floors with
a dustless mop every morning In
the afternoon she could divide her
time preparing dinner in the three
houses, perhaps. or being on duty 10
receive callers and serve tea OF
course. the Willingness OF the servant
in question woulc have TO be obtain
ed And each housekeeper would still
have 10 do much of the work in her
own. hone-in the arrangement sug-
fast and luncheon, for instance. and
serve dinner without a maid Other
arrangements. of course. could he
worked out. And the maid ought 10
find this sort OF spt CIalized work more
intere sting than tho usual routine CT
one nouse Her wage could be a little
higher than usual too. for divided
among several employers a higher
wage could be afforded
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