St. Louis Post-Dispatch
November 18, 1906

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Between the MAN and the PLACE Is very often brought forward by a Post-Dispatch Want Ad. _ The Real Work-Finding Medium.

Fo See The “SILVER LINING” |

Read

today’s wants—pointing like index fingers to Hundreds of business chances and better positions.

sé. ST. LOUIS,

“VOL 59. NO. 89

Housekeepers Say That Help Is Scarce, That Girls Who Do Housework Cet More Money When All Circumstances Are Considered Than Those Employed | in Stores, Shops and Offices---One Fash-| tonable Mother Declares That She Would Rather Her Daughters Would Doa Maid's Wort Than to Accept Employment in an Office—Good Homes, Good Board and Work That Ils “Fasy’ Awatts the Seekers, Say the Employers. By a Post-Dispatch Woman Reporter. O GET accurate information on both sides of the vex- ing servant girl problem which has become so import- ant to the women of St. Louis as to supplant even the subject of dress in social conversation, I became a servant myself, actually doing the bidding of my mis- tresses to the best of my ability. Bridget is an ack- nowledged necessity and if she becomes extinct, what are housewives to do? In a conversation with the mistress of one of the handsomest Lindell boulevard mansions, she said ‘to me: “I do not see what this thing is coming to. It is impossible to get competent servants at any price, and the incompetent ones demand as much as experienced help should receive. Fhe demand for housegirls is greatly in excess of the supply. On this account many

jive in hotels to escape this patience-trying nuisance. When one does get.a girl trained properly, she goes off and marries or gets the idea of working downtown and leaves just as she is becoming useful. For some reason

of my friends have closed their homes and gone to

girls do not seem to appreciate what it means to live 5 a beautitul home, surrounded by every comfort. They have the idea that | He they ig rather work in shops, offices or even factories. I can’t under- | Turning to the “Household Help Wanted’ in the Sunday Post-Dispatch, I : . ®. found that there were more vacancies in this particular field of labor than in

a > -* cad : Loe 3 * fap p Pre bd = Age A e ‘S ie: i 5 at fe aed es bf = nentn answer that I had ngver done house- furnished below, the decorations were, of the best and were in perfect taste, It occurred to me ’ that the expression GOOD HOME | “good home” was NOT MEANT not supposed to FOR GIRL. mean that the good home was for the girl's use at all, but meant that she would have the privi- lige of seeing the family enjoying the ‘‘good home.” In answer to my ring at the door of a beautiful residence in Parkland place, the door was opened by a very pleasant faced woman who proved to be the mis- tress herself. When I stated that I had called in answer to her advertisement for a housegirl, she asked me to come !~ and talk the matter over. The house ha such an atmosphere of refinement and comfort, even with a suggestion of lux- ury, that I mentally wondered why a girl would ever leave this place, but evidently she had, as I learned that the vacancy was distressing the mistress sorely. She was very anxious for me to stay, because, she said, “I have some mending which.I want to get done very badly anc was afraid I would not have time with all of the other work. It was lucky for me that you came.” As it was Sat- urdaty. I agreed to stay and help her out. She said that she would pay me $4 per week. I thought that would be enough, as I had no intention of collect- ing any money. I was seeking facts. YT was introduced to the bathroom (it was the first introduction I had received out or have company,” she said. “I in my role of servant, because it is don't like for a girl to entertain her shocking bad form to ever so far forge ft or.e’s self as to introduce a mere hired 4 in my _ kitchen. I want the house girl!), where I was to scrub things up ; am ee ee ah “ thoroughly: This didn’t require much ) her work the next day. She can go mental effort, nor very much skill, but ~ every other Thursday afternoon it aia require considerable muscular ex- ' @mG@ every other Sunday afternoon. if I ait | am not having company, but at other} 1 was next shown the dining room and | @ihes I want her to be right in the | Kitchen. and was given instructions for i preparing luncheon. The hot soda bis- cuits which I made showed a bit too much soda, which entitled me to an admonition not to let it occur in the future. Besides the mother. there was a girl of about 11 or 12 and a boy of 14 or 15. When I had cleared awny the remains of the lunch, it was my time to eat the “crumbs from the rich man’s table’’ in the kitchen. When one works real hard, one gets hungry enough to eat even “crumbs,” so I smiled and sighed as I ate my lone- ly luncheon. The negro laundress was in line for her turn to eat when I had finished. In order to prove myself a model servant. I waited on her with all the grace that I could command. When the dishes were washed and the kitchen 4gain in order my mistress sent me to the second floor to clean the bedrooms and library. | I realized fully that I was laboring while handling the broom, carpet sweeper, duster and mop cloth. The beds were to be made with clean lin- en and pillow slips. By way of en- couragement my mistress told me to in St. Louls—and who could 1 - @ive as city references, and could I | @o0ok, and did I un- d serving a | dinner, and how much was I icustomed to get- ga week, and did I have any ‘‘steady company,’’ etc. To the last question it was very evident that an affirmative answer would be most damazing to any aspirant's chances, and I® plemted not sullty. I could almost feel the rope tighten- ' tng on my neck and I was instinctively ' possessed of a panic-stricken desire to ' @6cape. I found myself makinzr my ' Way to the door, as an avenue to snafe- ty. I found voice to assure my would- employer that I was sure that I | Wouldn't suit, thanked her—it wasn’t. | altogether clear what I meant to thank | -hér for. but I suppose I was grateful that my life was still my own—and pre- cipitously fied from the house. t one varticularly nice house the ress, with purpose in her manner STEADY FLOW OF QUESTIONS.

Xe Ip * ~?n ' asked me to come into the drawing _ Froom. We had been talking In the half- | @arkened reception hall, and evidently _ he was not willing to take any chancts _ without having a good look at me. “T don't want a girl who cares to go TOO MUCH SODA IN HER BiScuITs. I hoped I didn’t look the part because | sounded nearly like a Jail sen- | tence and it isn't - @ltogether natural > to voluntarily sur- & - vender one's liberty. - @ven for #4 per. I | told her that I trusted that she would | find someone to suit and escaped again. s Some of the women did not make the ' matter so emphatic, but they all made _ ft clear that they would not tolerate any sort of sociability on the part of a _ servant. They were hiring her to wait | on the family, not to promote her own | personal interests or inclinations. “Where but one girl is employed for general housework it is found the most difficulty. In many cases there ts al- moat no provision made for her com- ‘fort or convenience. She Is put in the Worst room in the house, simply be- _gaure she ts of no use whatever to the ourehold after all the work ts done. ny olf furniture goes Into her room. ~ -¥ mate up a bed tn a girl's room, it ‘eas going to be my own had I re- ‘mained. which had nearly the sag of a mock. The bed clothing was ac- disgrace to the prosperous fam- ose home I discovered it; the were so soiled and ragged. ie the beds downstairs in the MUCH LIKE JAIL SENTENCE. floor and clean the whole house thor- oughly. By that time I was getting very tired. It was near & o'clock and almost time to get dinner. The boy in the family, it developed, was addicted to the milk habit, con- tracted probably in his youth, and dur- - 4 eas ee capa Ny a e Se in , the Se

begin the next Monday on the third|

the milk. incidentally spilling some on the freshly scrubbed floor. His mother couldn’t understand how that we ran short of milk for dinner and looked at me as if she thought I might be able to explain its disappear- ance. 1 could have $$ done so, but I didn't. I prepared and served dinner, had a glimpse of my ‘‘master,’’ repeated the ‘erumb” appropriating act and washed the dishes. It was then exactly 8 o'clock. And I certainly was tired. While washing the dishes, my mis- tress instrficted me to have breakfast on Sunday morning at 8 o’clock. She said on week day mornings I should get up at 5:30 so as to have breakfast ready hy 7. That, I figured, would cause me to be on duty from 5:30 a. m. until 8 p. m., in all 14% hours. This household seemed quite model and everything was as convenient in arrangement as one ever finds in a home, but neverthe- less I was physical- ly worn out and imagined how lone- ly it would be to creep off uv to the third floor, to the dull, bare little room assigned me, without a chance for a bright, cheering chat with anyone who had the least care for me, except for the amount of work which I accomplished. Antici- pating a future of this monotonous ex- istence would have seemed a most cruel fate. I had told her that I wished to go home when I had finished the work after dinner, so when I got on my hat and coat, T said, ““Mrs. Blank, I am going home now and I won't be back.” The barometcr indicated a storm, “You see.’ I continued. ‘“‘this keeps me engaged for nearly fifteen hours a day and I do not even have my Sundays to myself. I believe that I can get employment where I will not have to work more than nine hours a day and will have my evenings and Sundays.” I reasoned this statement would af- ford her an opportunity of expressing her -views if she cared to talk over any way of adjust- ing matters to over- come the difficulties which I had suggested. But she didn’t seem to think of anything except that she was again without a servant. She was plainly very angry with me be- cause I would dare to not want to work for her. Her apparent selfishness in the matter relieved me of the obligation of I was her, BARE ROOM AFTER HER DAY’S WORK, ANGERED BECAUSE GIRL LEFT. # * tHe it happened : work |

I thought of the hard day’s work which I had done for her and which she didn’t even seem to appreciate and I rather timidly suggested, ‘‘You will pay me’ for working for you today, won’t you?” “No, I won’t.”” It sounded final, but the amount would have been so small that I could hardly believe that she would really refuse. “Mrs. Blank.’’ I remonstrated, ‘you know that I have done a hard day’s| work and I do not see why you refuse| to pay me. You paid your laundress when she finished her work today.”’ ‘“‘Well,”’ she fenced, yourself.”’ “you haven't hurt Here was a prosperous woman, in her own luxurious home, surrounded by ev- ery comfort, who would take advantage of a friendless servant girl, just because in a selfish rage she felt her disappoint- ment at being obliged to forfeit her command of a useful, competent serv- ant, who was really contending for a principle in behalf of the servant girl who doesn’t always have a champion of her cause. In a sense of justice, I saw only what such a circumstance would mean to a girl unaccustomed to caring for her own interests. The helplessness of one in such a position appealed to me, but I really was staggered myself, so I started to leave, defeated. Once on the street, under the quiet stars, the fullest import of the situation forced itself upon me. A servant girl's physical strength is her only stock in trade, and she sells that for so much per week. I was physically exhausted from manual labor, and I had received no recom- pense. The principle of the thing pos- seesed me. With the desperation of the desire to see this wrong righted, I turned back and rang the bell, thinking maybe she had been impulsive but not intention- ally heartless or dishonest. “l beg your pardon for intruding again,”’ I began, in the most respectful and conciliatory manner at my com- mand. Candidly, I was more anxious, just at that moment, to exonerate wom- ankind in general of such gross irra- tionality by affording this woman the opportunity of retribution than to win out on my own personal point. It was anything but a. charming face which upon her own efforts for her mainte- fully appointed reception hall. * “I just wanted to ask you which you TRYING TO RIGHT AN INJUSTICE.

pe think could better afford work, me, a girl entirely dependent upon her own efforts for her mainte- nance, or you, a woman surrounded by every comfort and luxury?” It is strange how the words which one’s lips utter transform the face, and when she snapped, “IT don’t see any use in wasting words,’ I marveled that a beautiful woman could so disfigure her counte- nance by indulging in such a spiteful expression on account of an_ uncon- trolled temper. “If you can't get home, I'll give you a nickel for car fare,’ she added. Again I was in the street and this time I grinned up at the stars because that woman had sold a life-size picture of her secret soul to me for a servant girl’s day’s work. My next experience as a domestic was very different in one respect, but there were still many points of similarity. This time 1 got a position in a Port- land place mansion as dining-room and downstairs girl. Besides myself there was a girl to do the upstairs work, a cook, vard man, laundress and a seam- stress. With this many servants the work did not fall heavily on anyone. The servants’ quarters on the third flocr were in keeping with the charac- ter of the house. The rooms were light and airy, nicely furnished and conven- ient to two bathrooms for the servants’ this day's HER FACE DISFIGURELC use. Among the servants there existed a sort of gocd-fellowship, even though we were a mixture of colors. Servants are servants and color is only an incident. However, the white ones, in this case, were giveu some consideration over the negroes. Even to eat in the same kitch- en with someone for company seemed preferable to those solitary meals when I was the general housework girl. For my work: 1 wore a dress of black, with the customary white apron, collar, cuffs and bow. The work was of the lightest sort. I had to be presentable and accesible to go to the door when the bell rang. This was tiresome only because | was darn- ing stockings between times on the third foor and had to make quite a kt of . BY TEMPER

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i trips un and down the stairs. Serving the meals and caring for the downstairs rooms completed the detail of my duties. In hiring me the mistress had asked the same questions which I had en- countered at all of the other places, in- cluding, ‘“‘Do you have any young man who calls on you?” I said, ‘“‘No, I will not have any com- pany,’ because I knew that I would not stand any chi.nce at &€il if I. confessed any fondness _ for ‘‘society.’’ This place undoubtedly had less disadvantages, from the servant girl’s viewpoint, than any others which I had looked over or could imagine. For a faithful girl it would mean a good home (this time the words would really mean for the girl herself) and a great many comforts in a material way, but that would be the only future which anyone could see in anticipation. There is no denyimg or evading the fact that a servant even in this pleasant environment would never be able to overstep the social gulf which is so In- finitely wide between servants who work in a nousehold and their employers, and which, on occasions in the business world, closes entirely and employer and employe meet on the same footing. After my former experience in resign- ing my position, I was quite prepared. and quite expected a.similar outburst. I was very agreeably surprised when my mistress said that she was very sorry to have me leave because she thought that I would have found it a Pieasant home. “l will pay you for your work thus far,” she said. This was so different from my former encounter that I nearly lost my breath, but I found voice to reply, ‘No, indeed, I do not wish you to pay me for my work.” I apologized for leaving but explained that 1 could -realize that there is ab- golutely no future . in such work as I would do in any house and that I wanted to try for GOOD HOME MEANT GOOD HOME. THIS WOMAN HAD THEORIES. recognition in the business world. Then to hear her opinions on the subjgct |

Mustresses “You know that when a girl is a serv- ant she can never in her life hope to make social friends. A servant is never recognized as anything but just a menial. ‘No amount of education would alter this ultimatum of the world.” “Quite the contrary, I assure you,” she said, and I knew that she had theo- ries on the subject. “I had much rather: have oue of my daughters (and she}

in a beautiful, refined home like m' own, than to have them go down town in any office or shop, where she would be insulted by rude men.” With a flash of thought which I did not fail to observe, she retrenched a little. Evidently she had thought of some one whom she knew, who its one of those ‘“‘rude men in an office or shop’ and she rather lamely concluded, “of course, the men in the big stores are gentlemen, but, anyway, I think that a girl is much better off doing house- work.’’ She spoke very earnestly and I was |} debating whether it could be possible that her words were truly altruistic, or, if she was venturing on one last plea hoping that I would reconsider my Who Complain About the Trouble of Keeping Servants Do Not™ to dispose of, all has two very charming ones) be a maid th t

decision and decide that housework would be my opportunity for providing for future necessities. To close the interview she approach- ed the door, and when she spoke I thought I detected just a shade of irri- tation in her voice. “Take my advice about this and you will profit by it,”’ in a tone of dismis- sal, together with a note of impatience, apparently at havine talked about a tiresome subject. I “vas sorry that I didn't know whether or not her words were prompted by altruism or selfish- ness. The door closed behind me with an eloquent ‘‘bang.’’ The answer mr question was in that ‘‘bang.’’ A couple of days at factory work placed in my possession some of the reasons that girls give for their choice in favor of the offices, shops and fac- torfog, In the business world, employers have spared no effort to provide comforts and conveniences for their employes. Certain rules of business apply and are generally understood and regarded. There ae es- tablished hours for work and for lunch. The work is laid out in such a way that there !s. no confusion and every worker knows just what Is expected Housewives have overlooked the ffn- portance of meeting this competition by providing corresponding comforts In their homes and the consequence has been that their husbands are able to employ all the help they need at the expense of losing their household help. Arrayed in the same clothing which had served me as a house servant, I presented myself, with my luncheon un- der my arm, at the office of a factory where a great number of women and girls are emploved. I was simply rall- roaded in and even before asking for my name the foreman, “Jack,”” took me up to the third floor where I was to learn to make paper boxes. “TI bes your pardon; but what is your name?” Il gave mv me to the foreladv amiled pleasantly and took me in charge at once. AS I had no apron, she searched about for ore. A bit of a girl at a power machine took her own off and loaned it to me aud the forelady pinned it on. Here I had been civillv introduced to my simerlor. the forelady, my fellow-laborers had supplied my ma- teria] need in the wav of an apron and 1 nad net been tin the house half an hour! After having been “nothing but a servant” for a week. it was Hke food and drink to the starvine to be shown s0 much honor so suddenly. At the first opportunity during my 2 dave’ exvertence there, I said to the pretty little forelady: “Do you like factory work “OO, yes. I have been here for ten voars and I think {ft very nice work. Some of the girls have been here as long as 15 years and have become experts.” “Do the girle ever leave to go out to do housework?” ‘“TI’'ve never heard of any of them ever doing veuch a thing. They seem con- tented and we have a nice crowd.” The giris sane and talked to their hearts’ content all day. but by night the stacks of boxes on which they had been working showed that their hands had not been idle. t talked with a ctrl who had been do- ing housework and I asked her which she liked better. “O. I wouldn't do housework again.” she said. ‘““Women are always so hard t» please and often don't know what they want themselves, Before you can get one thing done they call you to do something else. You never know what to expect.” 5 The love of humanity to mingle with crud. is SERVANT IS NOT SURE OF HER DAY OFF. to RULES OF BUSINESS APPI.Y. introduced Sne name and he of that floor. EVERYONE IN FACTORY WOULD HELP. “pre q

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uM SE * hs Bez ee Working for Them—They Want @ Human Machine Without Human Ate tributes—One Lady Offered an Afttta noon Out Every Other Sundav and Every Other Thursday When She Did Not Have Company, Would Not Tolet= ate-a Girl With a Beau or With Social Instincts—Vi orkine sor Her Was Mue Like a JSJatl Sentence. ee hold the girl is a foreign element she is of no more use to the when there is no work for her to @ than a inachine, but she is not so easy The girl who does hous@- — work can never be sure of carrying out any plans which she may make, becauge of her time ts considered her $- tress’ and her days off are coneeded — with something of a protest and ag & special condescension on the part of the mistress. a. Tiiese two points apparently consti ts » greatest objections to housework from the girl's side. in search of another factory lence I stood on a corner waiting the early car which ed those ca start to work in the early morning. * had my luncheon under my arm, as L s00n discovered, looked s than mést of my cnr companions, be appeared to be generally well-to-do showed evidences of prosperity. Arri¥- ing at the factory, which was do : neur the river front; I applied at office for work. The su tend was very kind and registered me wi only a few questions. He t me — ; stairs and introduced me to the for@ — lady (it seemed so like my former ex-+ perience that I felt quite at home), a | was again one of the factory gi this time making candy. The girl on my right, as we Re lig 3 7: long table working, took me wU er protection and explained éVveFr save about the work. When we wete work ing along nicely and I wag feeling v experienced, I propounded the tion which LI had come there to ae ' “Had you rather do factory ) than housework?’ “Well, I should. say so,” my on my right answered. “Why?" I insisted. ur “Why. when you are done In : factory you are done and you don't have to ask nobody what you can do LIKES TO _ or where you can GO TO THE go. It ain’t me to THEATER. ask what I can do. You can go out every night if you want to. T like to go to the thee once in a while, and if you have got mistress she don't want you to do that because you are out too laté “When you work at night here get extra pay for it. did night work and bought méa 8s brown suit. have been dead for a good many support myself. If I don't w don't eat. Last night I had a supper. T had sphagetti, weine oniens, cheese, pickles and iteecr Poor little girl, she was go bri and cheerful that my heart ached for her as I thought of the possibilities which might be hers under different circumstances, die “Do you live at home or board?’ she asked me. “I thought maybe you would like to live with me because do my own cooking and it doesn’t ¢ me near so much as to board,” I thanked her with all sincerit i her thoughtfulness of me. That Tit - * xlimpse of sitmole kind-heartedness was more touching than many learned discourses might have been in teach- ing me the value of a helping hand at a moment of need. Numbers of these very girls had tried housework and had chosen to pay the price of their free- , dom by having POOR ROOM, BUT iT ft “‘wienerwurst and jee cream’ for their HER HOME, - supper and living In . a scantily furnished room which fs, poor ag it may be, their own Httle , at-- tend Havtlins for recreation and work . until 9:30 at night to save enough mon- ey to buy a new esuit. rather than te ‘enjoy’ life in a comfortable private home as a domestic. | As I had seen the situation. the need the homes and the homes need girls. If only some tacit unde hetween mistress and maid might be @p-. tablished, surely factory and shop © woud tostle one another tn thetr fréne zied attempts to get positions in “ homes’ (with all the delicacies of the season to eat) and soctal opportunities galore’ - While eating my luncheon not many days ago, I overheard a waltress - ing to a friend of hers. I had thought and dreamed on the subject for so many Anvs. that T actralliy ru i eyes to wee If I were dreaming or {f were rectly hearine an expression of “Vee. we have to work bard here, 1 4o not mind hard work,” she a “That ts something that a person can get used to I wouldn't go back te housework for any- : thing because you never wet Away from the feeling that you are always watched Pven wont the ana tend 4 WATCHED. of a while. When you work 8 a> rrivate family wor are rever STORE for a minute to frermet pe ga 7 nobedy but the ‘hired girl’ lon't* mind the work. but I can’t stand @ Be cona'ttiona* pee ds. Tt Ia wafe to any thet each iné nereonelity is gsarmething for will wtllinety sarrifce many ramforta In order thet he may hie self nride, Prtteet etill te of same oride and whe te not to the cnanditions fImoeeed anon her nema thie neeition withont if “don't «nome. within «te a t nerie “Ang = ‘ etah ~we-could- foawt of.” withont-¥you chances are that ‘ae aveliable Bridgeta, : etter erem. ie talked to the manadet of a Weet End . emplovment agency and she pies E § = the belief that much of the domes

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