Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-07-04

/ tween many a willing housewife and
i the accomplishment of her desire Is
that Chinese wall of indifference-the
servant Stacker
This was said by Miss Alice Hill
Chittenden Of New York In the course
Goals that portion Of her sex which In
this time Of crisis Is '.noisily pursuing
useless activities that are favored with
the iimelight rather than quietly At
tending to those unillumined things
that they can do"
Help has long been q most vex-
atious family problem" said Miss Chit
tenden. During recent years It has
assumed the proportions Of public
problem. greatly influencing that gen
eral but regrettable tendency Of fam
ilies to migrate from private houses to
apartments and apartment hotela
in that general development Of en-
cheney which has swept over the In
dustriAl world the American servant
has remained untouched In fact, as
the Industrial world has advanced In
efficiency the servant has retrograded
The old family servant that existed
when women felt that their paramount
duty was the management Of their
homes is thing OF the past General
| " speaking. the hired household work
er Of today Is a marvel OF incompe-
tence. wastefulness, indifference, abso-
lutely unamenable to discipline.
while the men, who make the mon
ey, have devoted themselves to scien-
| tific organization for the elimination
| Of waste, the women, who are large
factors In the spending OF money. have
been utterly neglectful Of this con-
stantly widening hole In the family
purse
| Several years ago / attended the
biennial session Of the General Fedora
| ton Of Women's Clubs In Cincinnati.
| They had a program that lasted ten
days, a program that brought up--for
| "a paper and discussion-every ques-
ton under the sun--polltics, economics.
| literature, music. art, science-every
question to which they could contrib
ute little or nothing. every question but
| the one great question which they had
right in their homes and to which, by
discussion and organization. they could
contribute much. During that entire
ten days program not word was said
on the servant problem
~They discussed Mt much length all
the complex problems OF government
| which they fatuously call public house
keeping urging their tried abilities as
housekeepers, but of this acute prob
lem In their actual housekeeping not
word. These feminine readjusters of
the universe talk much OF regulating
the condition of women in trade
There is much organized activity to
fix the hours and wages Of shopgirls,
mattresses and for all other women
wage earners-except the servant
The Most Wasteful Glass.
Because servants form q class, the
only class In civilized life, that does not
feel the rise In the cost OF living, Its
board always being provided; because
its pocket nerve Is never touched by
the price OF food and because 1t has
| pSNl 81 sGaAS NhANctAasACd
by a proper discipline 1t has become
the most wasteful class In the world
in the use OF food-purchased with
some one else's money.
IF a mistress attempts to enforce
economy in her kitchen the servant
plainly shows that she does not think
her worthy OF respect: that she Is In
ferior to some other mistress who per
mitted a pr,Aligal use of materials. II
the mistress attempts to direct how
much cream, butter, how many eggs
should be used for this, that or the
other thing the servant viii relate
what some other mistress allowed.
The attitude assumed is. This Is all
right for you, but Of course you don't
understand the obtruded implication
being that you are In an inferior class
I'm the appalling crisis that the ma
tion is now facing many Of the WON
ems organizations are following theil
habit of milling about in useless nctiv
tiles. There is much vocalization, but
little gain to the country. The activi
ties that are most in vogue are those
that have a military favor. But moth
ing is popular with this class II it has
not a mannish flavor. This awful wal
emergency has been seized upon t.
show that woman can play a mans
|, part and that therefore the prcgrAr
Of feminism should at once be ush
cred in.
Cant the women get together II
an organization aimed at the control Of
, the servant. which means the solution
Of the problem? Mr. Hoover has warn
| ed the country Of the grave need Of
food conservation II we are to feed our
; selves and our hungry allies As won
en- are the ultimate food handlers. b.
believes that they may play a decidina
part in the war. 1t is his idea to ash
, | every woman who presides over 4
l lxAl1 a., lfek