THE DOMESTIC SERVANT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13545, 19 March 1906, Page 6

THE DOMESTIC SERVANT.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—Re the dojiiostio servant nrnblom I concludo that "Visitor" is a £ bis remarks prove that from a f,m/' ?, point of view he is question lie undertakes to discuss. p orhs^ ho J!'° f r l:e , h,mSclf ■"JMintedS 0 Bt, { o! housekeeping and afterwaixl. take charge of a household in which ha :I ™,' 0 Co ' ,trol th ? com P a rativolv he miillit rt wx , fcrv » l J t & lrls for months r • I ab, ° to advance some valuable information on the subjcct. Likn most people who are unacquainted with tho , a "T"! t 10 (leai "it? he (ac Now L^''f tloll ' As R mattcr Of U .i»t- //oa , la . ml at is sick of lWk nn'^n' 1 -) f ""'"l Wcrc '"° r<! )l01!C5t would ov V if" I" . ' css l c gislation it I foil u y cr for "" eoncerncd. Utoir would T sll0rt(, » i »S "'<• hours of without nm- „« , • vxpcrt o( lucationist tnout anj prions prenaiation It is lint oMt'that'wdh f W ° rk '"'1 " ,ther " ,c nuafi'y servint .riilc . ? r Vast e!i l ,on ™c<> with girl .llt fc ™;i ( |"oo. P 7t e^ lf f .° , i n M , , he alwajb was to get them to perform their minimum share of work daily, and t ] lat "don,eV'" 1 ™ r> " " ullfforPllt manner. If anV mi •? aro overworked it is the married ones, many of whom I know do families' J*ef •• v*'l™ ' h °"' h, ' sbluuls nnd aiiiincs. Let. Visitor" not forgot them in his proposed scheme foi the alleviation Of domestic- work, and bring their hard masters to task for cruelly overtaxing their At X «,?*?• a "i llolicnto " Vi' for " 11° u VC,ltUre f ° tllink tha ' \Litor uonld bo very ready to com. L a f ln 0,1 " s '"S early to catch a train, his 'ttlfe refused to get. breakfast ready for him' polled to possess a baby, and she tended it onlylor iv certain immboiy of hours daily and let it take eare of itself for tho remainder lour„ ? ay ' thc ?° w ?" l(l soo » be S aga " ,St llCt n,etllo(]s a «d ler oW 1 * =™ sisf « nc J'. and ">«<* may be said about reducing housework to factory hours but i ~ „ot such a .simple matted \ isi or deems it. And why should it be put on the same basis as- that of a fac.toiy Iho domestic servant is manifestly i J. better position m every respect than the aetory girl. Her calling is more honourable, her health is better, she has a good home and good ivajw, s | le ] lss manv intervals of rest during the day. and, w 1 rare exceptions, she has .her evenings a„, the greater part, of the afternoon at hor own disposal. On the contrary, there is of course, the lazy girl or the idler, w£ .prefer* to spent! a day over a couple of hours work and is 'consequently working when she should be resting or otherwise enjoying herself. Perhaps this is the typo ot girl that has come under "Visitor's" notice.

, On the other hand, it must ho admitted that girls have sometimes to work longer in business places than in privato'places, but. being well paid for their labour and provision being made for their necessary rest and vacation, to say nothing of tho other attractions, they prefer business to private places. The servants well knowwhen they have good times, and, when occasion arises they are very capable of speaking for themsolves-in fact, they nro very forward in this respect. I imagine I see them laughing at "Visitor's" opinion of them, and his want of knowledge of their whims and tactics. Ho should probo a little deeper than the surface before writing on a. subject of such manifest importance. Lvcryonc knows that the factory girl has to work almost incessantly within her prescribed hours of duty in order, to earn a decent living, and how many literary and professional men and women have to do the same from early morning until lute zi night, in many cases for a mere pittance, at tha expense of brain and body. Where is the lot of the domestic servant hard beside these? It is the unfortunate employer who bears the weight of all tho worry and responsibility of the house, especially in a business' place, where tlio girls arc usually so numerous that they aro in one another's way, and strive to see who can evade the most work duly, at tho expense of their employer's profits, which is mostly absorbed in their maintenance. That domestic work is not humiliating or unladylike may bo gleaned from tho fact that the greatest and most highly-born ladies are quite proficient in it; suffice it to mention our present Queen as an example in this respect. Still the greatest ambition of the domestic servant seems to bo centred towards a way of getting through tho world without working. I may say that' I have great sympathy towards the servant girl as a member of the universe, and recognise that lack of home training and parental control are largely responsible, for her present status; even the most ordinary etiipictle among her class is fast becoming a feature of the past. Nor docs the matter rest here. She probably marries, and is perhaps overtaken by widowhood, or perhaps marriage is a failure,. and necessity compels her to set out to earn a living for herself and family. If she undertakes the duties of charwoman the changes are that she cannot turn out a decent washing or sweep and du?t a small office properly. The consequence is she must receive State aid. and, what is more, she is unable to train up her children in the way they should go.—l am, etc.i Ehploter.