The Washington herald., 1919-02-23

bone dry. Someone suggested a new
song the other day when talking
about Washington being dry, In
stead of singing. My wife has gone
to the country, hurrah hurrah." the
MEN all sing, MY wife has gone to
Baltimore. hurrah. hurrah." After
the first of the week IL won't do any
of us any good to go to Baltimore
for no one will be allowed to bring
anything back.
Perhaps then IL bootlegging is
really stopped by the authorities,
we will be able to get some cooks
into our kitchens once more. One
of the greatest causes of the scare
ity Of servants in Washington now
Is the big money made by colored
men and women bootlegging. The
servant problem has really become
a serious one. Maids took the plac-
es vacated by the men when they
were drafted. as elevator operators,
clerks of various sorts. etc. and
now that the soldiers have returned
the women are being kept as they
are cheaper, while the soldiers go
without positions and sometimes
even without food. II the govern
ment departments and the depart
ment stores would now discharge
these colored women and let the SOL
diers have the positions. perhaps
we could get a servant or two once
more. It looks now as though some
of the soldiers will have to go into
4 the kitchens IL they are to work.
AS II Is now, the few colored
women who are willing to do house
| world for doing less and less.
Washing. as rule, only takes
woman half day, but they
all insist on being paid the full
| days wages and then won't finish
| out the day working at something
else. One would not mind the cost
II they worked the full day. Then,
too. the inefficient maids ask as
much as the efficient ones. Few Of
them want to work on Sundays any
moro and some won't work where
there are children. They expect to
be paid big wages and then have
| the housewife do all the work on
! Sundays in addition to much of the
time during the week. too.
My laundress asked me the other
day II I wanted to sell my auto
mobile; she was looking for one.
Unless the servant problem Is
|
that people will stop having children.
| Children add to the work OF any
| household. and the scarcity of maids.
| nurses, etc, is sure to have the ef-
feet of lowering the birth rate Of the
nation. You wait and see IL l am
not right It is also tending to do
away with home life, causing people
to abandon the house and live in
apartments or hotels But some hotels
and apartments won't take children
{ many people won't rent their houses.
particularly when they are furnished.
! to people with children. So altogether
the effect will be to decrease the num-
Der of children born.
! What Is going to become Of the large
houses, for people can't and won't
live In them without the proper quota
! OF servants to run them? I suppose
I, they will be turned into apartments.
| too. II the ex-maids insist upon be-
| ing clerks. school teachers and such.
! we housewives will Just have to he
| permitted TO import servants from Eu-
rope. The servant problem is rea'uv
| seriors one, and one vitality affect
| ing the nation, but II is generally
/ overlooked.
The day Is sure to come when many
will have to return TO the kitchens or
starve, and then they will find that
the large majority of housewives have
learned to manage very well without
! them and don't want them. Lots OF
( women who thought they could never
I do without a servant are managing
very well now and feel that they
would not be bothered with having
them around again. to break up their