Truth MISTRESSES AND MAIDS.

NZ Truth, Issue 84, 26 January 1907, Page 4

Truth

MISTRESSES AND MAIDS.

Published Every Saturday Morning AT LUKE'S LANE (OFF MANNERS- . street), Wellington, N.Z. SUBSCRIPTION (IN ADVANCE), 13S PER ANNUM. SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1907.

SNOBS versus SERVANTS. In view of the strenuous efforts of a coterie of cackling old hens and clawingi cats who ought to be at work themselves and are utterly uniittcd by nature, instincts, education or ' upbringing to have th-3 control of servants of any kind, to brinp; about the flooding of the labor mp-rket of this colony with imported domestic servants, no excuse is needed for the republican on of the following; article from the pen of Mr John Norton, which appeared m our Sydney issue of January 20.. The drastic criticism therein contained, of the mistresses who make domestic servants -vhat too many of them are, who iT-nder their lives hell upon earth, who drive them to revolt and even ruin : who fail m their duty to-

wards.youne; girls m the 1 matter of training and then- shriek about Sally Slap Slatterns, who never offer lonely lasses-r-cut off ■front home and the Brightness- of life— the tender hand of motherly sympathy or one atom of womanly companionship, one tiny text of ' guidance or warning fap'n 1 - jiisf an antiy to; the same class m New Zealand. These women who, are voicing the' demand for more domestic help, and openly say they don't care a curse as to its nationality so long as it js cheap and submissive, are not capable of appreeiatinc faithful service, or of properly treating their servants. They are not fit to. have servants, ar/d their hysterical howlings and platform pratings should he icily ignored by those, whose authoritative assistance they are clamoring to coerce. Here follows Mr Norton's article .— • The Servant Girl is a property used by all humorists m Class B ; and the troubles of a Mistress are a recurring theme m every club and editorial room. , The Wailings of the woman who has en> ployed a Cook-lady form a subdued anvil chorus that' hums the round world over as the earth revolve?, like. the drum-taps of Great Britain, sun never sUfcs . The Woes of' the Mistress ! -They^'will never down ; and, as a topic for conversation the Servant Girl question -will remain with us just as long' as does the Servant Girl. ■ I think, however,. although I maybe, all wrong, that it is the Mistress that needs reformation— not the Girl. The Servant Girl system draws a sharp line of demarcation between the Girl aiid the Mistress. The. Mistress fights to keep' the line more deeply etched— the Girl strives ■ to obliterate it. ' ! And the Girl wili win — and some day I'l) J tell you why. — ELBERT HUBBABD. j ■ ' " " ■ i The controversy nqw being carried j on by- snob .shorn ales m so-called j "society" prints conclusively prcvc-fx| —if any proof were wanting— tha j many of the women . who are car})-' inp and cavilling at the. incapacity and ■ insubordination ;of servants are not worth serving, or worthy of having servants. These parvenu shesnobs, some of them of the sluttish, sort, would b$ better employed eleansince clouts aivd burnishing brasswork, than m filling columns of the newspaper ■ Press \vitli their offensive observations on, -'and'-. ■noisome notions concerning,: the women and girls, who have had "the misfortune to own them as mistresses. What is really the matter with these magging inarms ? Do they require women and girls, whose ■ circumstances compel them to seek a livelihood out at service, to demean themselves, like degraded .white drabs, or colored coolie concubines -? • ■».,.., ■ « ' By education, bfinging-up, aivdjanr guuge these, - miserable;, maligning mistresses are better fitted *, for the.privy purposes of the lyack- premises, ahd»-tori : preside among the .and pans of the seullerf, than '-to.-p lay, the part of Lady Disdain in' the parlor. Without' -the slightest intention to say a single • disparaging word, or to insinuate one un gallant tlioug.'ht, against the many- worthy Australian mistresses, whose service is. a pleasure,, as wel) as a profit, to their I serya : n'ts/"'jii.''^a;s'. ; ' J tto:. ri lje admitted that a very large- proportion of the women, who, during "the past few' weeks, have been cackling at hen conventions, and • airing their domestic woes ; m the papers, have shown themselves to be' a. brazenfaced » brood of blackguardly backbiters. Conceive, if it foe possible, the horrors of domestic service, prolonged from .daylight till long, after dark, under such vulgar vixens ! The lot of a negress m an old-time West » Indian, or South American, slave plantation would be Paradise, to the lot which has to be .umderr gone by women and girls entering the service of such upstart creatures as those who are now squealing and squalling about the sins of servants, ♦.« ■ . • As already stated, a very solid majority, of these malignani^mindecl and mendacious-moutbodj madams are unworthy to have servants. 1 I- repeat that their proper place, is m the scullery, or at the wash-tub. For tne most part they are boarding-house kefeßers, or shabby-genteel snobs, who batten on boarders, or cozen a weekly , crus.t out of poor devils whom they call "payjng guests." Their language is often that- of the larrikiness ; and their manners still oftener, both m public and private, would disgrace a demi-rep. Many of them are demi-reps, masquerading under cover of a marriage license. Let there be no mistake about this —that many women, claiming to he worthy heads of households (and, as. such, - entitled to loyal and honest service from their sex) are not worthy of that which • they claim. Many of the servants whom they over-work and oppress, abuse, and insult, are better educated, netter behaved, and approximate more nearly m their thoughts, manners, and actions to the accepted ideal of- a lady than a great many of their misplaced mistresses. • * ■• . ' . ' It . is indeed Jiigh time that this question of ■'• domestic service was thoroughly discussed, investigated, and dealt with by Parliament— but m an altogether different manner from that demanded by these disgusting malingers of their own sex. What they are clamoring tor is a I surplus supply of imported female labor, that would enable them to still further depress -and degrade the lot of the domestic servants of Aus-J tralia. G-od knows that the lot of j these is already hard and dishearten- j ing cnouch, and suoh as white women should not be called upon to undergo m a Christian land. It is one $vhich men , boastip^'/p! < their chivalry towards women'; "shiauld not tolerate for a day, longer .th-m---midst. A country, indeed ! ! A civilised community, forsooth ! i A democratic society, to he sure !— m which all the decencies and deli ehts of democracy are claimed and enjoyed by the men, trades-unionists and Labor-lcapnures. Why, the lot of two-thirds of Ihe servant girls m New South Wales to-day is as bad ps, if not worse than, that of- an unequal proportion of seamstresses, shop-s-irls and others respecting whose wrongs trades-unions, Labor leaguers and political spouters . shriek so loudly, but 1 do so little to redress. « '» • It is fearlessly asserted that the lot of the average domestic servant m this State-as well as m. the other States of the Commonwealth— is even worse than that of the comparatively well-fed, well-housed, and

well-cared-for breeding negresses on slavery plantations of other days. W'hije these wanton old woppish wowsers are gadding about and gabbling at the girls and women," some of them mothers of the rising gener- j tion, what are the men— the work-ing-men, the Labor leaders and loyal Labor leaguers—doing for the redress of the grievances and the redemption of the lot of their sisters m service ? Devil a bit ! But, since women have the franchise, the time is coming— and it cannot come a moment too soon— when true patriots (who are not. paid for pantomimic demonstrations of their patriotism on platforms and "pub" balconies or m Parliament) will de- j mahd that the hours of labor of wo- j men ami girls m domestic service j shall be shortened ; that the conditions, sanitary and otherwise, of | their employment shall be regulated by the State; and that they shall) not be sweated from daylight .till i dark for a paltry pittance ,of six, seven, eight, nine, or ten shillings a week for from 12 to 14-,' and even 16 j hours a day service, • • • ■ The time, m short, is near at hand when the minimum wage and other, beneficial conditions will be .. demanded . for .thorn m the way that they weM demanded sf or f&ttfx -secu^e^ by their • HWig-hearted , ' f ■', ' brawny , : boastful 'brothers, who pretend to love, cherish, and protect them m every department of life except that of domestic service— where man's protection and Parliamentary intervention are most needed. I Say something must be done :' Parliament' must- interfere. A Parliament, made lip of dubious democrats, that will noh interfere m such a cause as that ci women and girls— who are compelj led .to .enter domestic service m jonlor to remain chaste and pure, 'and to retain all the decency and •di/nuty- that appertains both "to iiiat.von and maid— is not worthy of ,?„ progressive people, and deserves to, ■ be banned and' damned at the Ballot Box by the people, at the first opportunity afforded them, for their dastardly dereliction of duty m this direction. JOHN NORTON. Sydney, January 12, 19oV!