Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-16
BY HOUSEHOLD EXPERT.


A reader has written asking this
question: II am young housewife and
am planning to have maid in the
Autumn. At home we always had two
maids and since my marriage a year
ago / have had none, so I am writing
to ask you what part of the work one
maid should be expected to do. We
have a Seven-room house and all the
modern conveniences, such as vacuum
cleaner, electric refrigerator, washing
machine, etc. Would it be too much
TO expect the maid to do the washing
and ironing? We like to have guests
to dinner and an occasional overnight
guest. but do not expect to do any very
formal entertaining and, of course, have
no children"
This raises. question that think
should be carefully considered, and
congratulate this young housewife on
wanting to settle it before her maid
arrives instead of afterward.
We hear a great deal about the in
feriority of American servants as COM
pared with European ones, but I think
that American housewives have always
expected more from single maid than
has been the case in England or on the
continent. In Europe very often the
problem in the one-maid household is
solved by having the mistress do all the
,cooking-posSibly because cooking is
regarded as a speciality requiring con-
siderable skill, and maid having to
do all the drudgery could hardly ex-
pect to do this grade of work. But in
q house equipped with modern con-
veniences there really is much less
drudgery to do and a single maid ought,
therefore, to be able to Go at least part
of the cooking.
Often the division of the work must
depend on the qualifications of the
maid, but in the case in question the
division might be made to suit the
tastes and aptitudes of the housewife
and a maid chosen to fill in the gaps
so to speak.
am suggesting five possible arrange
ments. all of which I have known to
work out with fair success. The first
plan involves the helper idea.
Under this regime-which seems
more frequent in the country than the
'city-the employe is more help thar
a maid. She works with the housewife
something in the way that plumber
apprentice works with the plumber
Housewife and helper cook together, the
housewife QOlI1R the IIllugS IiIdt icQuu'
more skill. Often they wash and Wipt
the dishes together, so that there is M
chance of slipshod methods on the par
of the helper So long as the house
wife works, the helper works also. Wher
the housewife knocks off in the after
noon, freshens up and sits down witt
fancy work on the veranda the helper
does the same. Often she eats with thu
family and seldom attempts anything
In the way of table service more thar
setting the dishes on the table anc
clearing off between courses. There i!
no real division of labor under such
an arrangement, but, providing house
wife and helper are agreeable tempera
mentally, it is plan by which a gooc
deal of work can be done. Under ar
able employer the girl learns much
valuable technique, but she does no
learn to shoulder responsibilities.
Often very satisfactory arrange
ment with one worker is to have ont
whose chief responsibility is the cook
ing Then the work is very much as i
would be were two maids employed
only that much of the second work
such as busting, bcdmaking, dool
answering. is done by members of thu
family, and some Of II is done by tn