The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-04-26
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, D, C.
DEALERS IN DoMEsTICs.

I
| is the domestic service agency.
Agencies are everywhere, in spite of
| the much-lamented scarcity of SER
vants-agencies for every nationality
and color supplying everything from a
/ Japanese butler to a Swedish nursery
maid.
| Gradually, the entire population ap-
pears to be going into the domestic
service business. Every day, one hears
| of some one who has thrown up a per-
| fectly good job to take up the more
| remunerative occupation of servant
| scouting, or some one who has added
a domestic service department to his
| delicatessen store or tailor shop. while
the occupants of nearly every apart
ment house must put up with the err
ratio services of a janftor who spends
most of his time in rounding up ac-
! quaintances who are willing to espouse
domestic service long enough for him
to collect his commission.
I 1t is a matter of doing a small buSi-
ness at a large profit so that it is not
remarkable that so many people find
| it attractive. Householders have be-
come reconciled to the fact that they
and usually offer slight resistance. In
deed, many householders have become
so utterly cowed by the difficulties of
| obtaining anything in New York that
! they are prepared to offer large
| bonuses to persons who will help them
| to obtain a really efficient servant.
| These bonuses of course, are in addi-
! ton to the usual commission charge of
ten dollars per servant. The agencies
also collect a registration fee from the
servant, so you can about figure what
| the profit for one day of fairly good
scouting would be.
Proprietor Figures Profits.
In many agencies, indeed, there ap-
pears to be little work for the pro-
prietor to do but to figure up and col
1 -ss@nseH
districts for domestic help. it is true,
but after he is fairly well known the
domestics come to him for registra-
! ton. The employers of servants are
required to do the same. The day
when cooks and mattresses came to
you to apply for a job in your rouse
hold is gone forever. Now both en-
ployer and employees meet in the Of
flee of the agency and fight the battle
of prospective employment IN one cor
ner, while the agent retires to read
novel. play solitaire, or otherwise oc-
cupy his abundant leisure. In the case
of a delicatessen store, he sells gro
ceries, returning only at the hour of
Victory or defeat as the case may be.
After making a. tour of several
agencies. one begins to wonder il the
difficulties in obtaining and keeping
domestic servants are not in part due
to the attitude of the agents which in
many cases, is one of studied inso-
lence. They never lose an opportunity
to tell their customers in the presence
of a row of waiting domestics that the
servant scarcity is so acute that the
| servants have the upper hand now;
that people must resign themselves to
paying any price for dom help,
and that the help itself must be elabo-
rately accommodated il it is to remain
where it is put.
After such a harangue, one woman
who wanted a butler and cook for a
country house, the other day, was in
formed by two applicants, presented
by the agent, that if they came they
would have to have two hours off each
day to play golf, and that car would
have to be at ther disposal whenever
they wished to go back and forth from
town. When the woman demurred
against golf, the butler said:
Golf for tho Butler.
well, you said there was a golf
links, and SO far as 1 can see that is
the only means of recreation you have
to offer us in the country. OF course
We are servants (thS3a tin same tone
as if he had said famous generals'I
but servants are in need OF recreation
the same as anybody else
Some of the agencies look more like
salons and tea rooms than like bust
ness offices. and there is one on Fifth
avenue which looks like, and has the
same air of exclusiveness, as a private
art gallery. If you visit this agency
to apply for job, you are interviewed
in a small. square little room, with
large desk and a typewriter in it. If
your need is one servant, you are also
apt to be interviewed in this room.
But If you want two or more servants,
then you are led into another room,
crowded with paintings and statuary
and bowls of artificial flowers. Be
hind an ancient mahogany drawing
room desk, an elderly woman is seated
grandly on an antique throne-like
chair. She is the agent, but she does
not look up from her book. Your
name, address, telephone number,
likes and dislikes, family history and
other details are taken down by an
other woman, who does the interview
ing.
Hmm says this woman, whom
you also gather by her own testimony
to be a distinguished parsonage, -if
you will come back tomorrow morn
ing we will have one or two people for
you to see. If you do not like them,
you might come back next morning.
am sure that eventually we will be
able to find what you want. OF course,
you understand that you will have to
pay whatever they ask. The least you
can obtain a good cook for nowadays
is 500 a month and board. The but
Ter will also receive 500. I think I
may possibly be able to get you a
nurSe-ma1d VINO VIII come fOr S7o
month. General houseworkers? oh,
there are practically no such persons
as general houseworkers any more; at
least, we have none on our list"
The Condescending Help.
interviewing the domestics them
selves is not much more encouragi ng. |
1t is really they who do the interview
ing. It is you who must explain how
magnificent are your surroundings,
how sterling is your character. and
how gentle and obliging is your dis
position. 1t is they who sit comforta-
bly, back in their chairs, eye you APP
praisingly, and finally tell you that
they will consider you, mentioning !
several other elegant opportunities |
The first one graciously introduced to
us by the agent the other day was
Carmen.