POPULARISING DOMESTIC SERVICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15563, 21 March 1914, Page 6 (Supplement)

POPULARISING DOMESTIC SERVICE.

HOW TO KEEP HIRED HELP.

Among the various matters engaging the attention of women to-day, there is one often touched upon, but never satisfactorily disposed # ofhow to get servants and how to keep them. In every part of the world from Kalamazoo to Invercargill, women are trying to find the answer. In Copen hagen there is a movement afoot which it is hoped will help solve the trouble.

Raising the Social Status. " The Copenhagen servants are energetic and self-conscious. Some time ago they formed a kind of trade union for the protection of their interest*. Of course, they ck> not all belong to it, but the Professional Servants' Gazette has taken an exceptionally strong hold of that class. It is taken in even by non-unionists, end in this way it has played a very important part in winning over adherents to the ideas promulgated by the leaders of the union. "Why," it is asked, ''should women who help injiousework be termed ' maids,' and be addressed by their Christian names while their sisters behind the counter are called 'young ladies,' and would intensely resent being addressed as ' Annie ' or 'Mary'? The New Title. "In accordance with these complaints, put forward by the energetic president of their organisation, the union has decided to substitute for tfle old title of ' maidservants ' the new appellation of ' house assistants.' The latter part of this word, it is intended, shall be a kind of least common denominator, to which particular affixes shall be attached to describe particular kinds of work. Thus the housemaid becomes a ' house-assistant,' the cook a 'cook-assistant,' the nurse a ' child-assist-ant,' and the general a 'house-help.' "The members of the union will in future only take a place on condition that the mistress absolutely adopts the new nomenclature. " And how about the mistresses? Judging from the letters appearaing in the papers on the subject, the mistresses as a whole are by no means opposed to this ambition of their maids to better their social position. Several are very modern in their .attitude towards their servants, and are quite prepared to address them as 'Miss,' and drop the Christian name. In fact, it is done in several households already. "To most of the mistresses the title of ' assistant' sounds rather comical, but they will embrace it, if it will only bring a new contentment into the servants'—we beg pardon—into the ' assistants'' quarters. It costs nothing, and a clever 'assistant' is much to be preferred to a careless and indifferent 'servant,'" Social Club, for Domestics. The new world, as well as the old, is having troubles_of its own, regarding the domestic problem. One well-known writer advocates courtesy and consideration for hired help. This hint would seem almost superfluous, were it not true that in many a household crisis, courtesy is compelled to take a back seat. Others, again advocate better opportunities for social life. Amongst the most recent innovations in New York is a social club for servants. Domestic service, as is well known, does not find much favour with American girls. To mitigate what are regarded as the disabilities of serving the mistresses, cooks and * housemaids are beginning to expect compensations. A social life is demanded, and fresh interests expected beyond what a maid usually extracts from those of the household which she sieves.

Consequently, the social club in New York as an organisation is prospering, and is in 3 fair way to become one of the greatest social aids to servants. It is, in fact, a real club in every sense of the word. In the building—a fourstorey one—where it is situated, are bedrooms to accommodate 16 members, a tastefully furnished tearoom, a diningroom, and a drawingroom, where the choice of decorations would pass muster anywhere; £1 is charged for membership, this sum being payable in five instalments. The club is closed at 10.30 p.m., ail lights being out at 11. While a club of this kind may not be practicable in every detail for New Zealand domestics, some organisatin on the same lines would doubtless go far towards popularising domestic sen-ice in the different cities of the Dominion.