The Washington herald., 1920-03-31
Men and Business
By RICHARD SPICLANE.

In England the newspapers report
talk of trade union of clergymen.
This has led to a suggestion of a
union of parsons wives. they being
the most neglected and poorly re-
warded of all workers. The amount
of actual hard labor expected from
a clergyman's wife, the Manchester
Guardian says, varies from parish
to parish, from circuit to circuit, or
chapel to chapel-and the laity may
say on their side. and occasionally do.
that the parsons wife sometimes
thinks it her function. no less than
her husbands, to administer the
fold. But when all allowances have
been made. the average parsons
wife is morally compelled to supple
ment her husbands work in a way
that is expected of no other woman.
The churches appear to have no NOR
al title to this labor, at any rate
without paying for IL. The clergy
man has. by hypothesis, divine call
to his task. and logically may be
called on to spend and be spent with
out unduly close regard to his re-
muneration. This does not excuse the
laity for permitting the underpay-
ment of the clergy which now ex-
tensively prevails. But even il il did,
the reasoning has no application 10
the parsons wife. who has the same
claims on her time and energies as
any independent woman"
The United States is likely to get
a moderate percentage of the Brit
ish emigration. This country would
welcome a goodly portion. Incident
ally. If there are a lot OF servants
in the number emigrating, they
would be doubly welcomed. for there
is something like a famine in the
field of household workers. The
English servant has the reputation
of being the best trained in the
world. There are comparatively few
well trained servants in America.
For the last twenty years the re-
cruits have come from Sweden, Fin
land, Norway, Lithuania, Poland and
other sections of Eastern and North
ern Europe. Most of them have been
field workers and about as well
qualified for household service as
a black smith is to repair a Swiss
watch.
BY ruling of the immigration Of
ficials at Ellis Island, it appears
that Ii no longer is a crime, in fact,
II never was illegal, to engage serv-
ants in Europe and import" them.
Formerly 1t was supposed that to
do such a thing was violative of the
contract labor law. The immigra-
tion officials apparently consider a
real servant today. an artist. At
least they class them among those
to whom the contract labor law does
not apply.
AS many of 100000 surplus wom-
en- of Great Britain. no doubt, en-
brace household workers who In war
time entered munition plants. and
since the war ended have refused to
go back to Service" the decision Of
the United States immigration Off
cials and the apparent desire OF the
British government to lessen the fe-
male population of the British Isles
opens up a vista of hope, at least, to
the harassed American housewife.
The International Harvester Com
pany. acting for its employees, Is
buying $4,000 suits of mems clothes
manufactured In England and in
tended by the British government to
be sold to demobilized soldiers. The
suits are to be delivered i'm Chicago
in six weeks, and will cost the en-
plo3es about SIS each. 1t Is declar-
ed American-mad suits of like
quality would cost $50.