The New Zealand Graphic AND LADIES' JOURNAL. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1892.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume IX, Issue 41, 8 October 1892, Page 1000

The New Zealand Graphic AND LADIES' JOURNAL. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1892.

Having in a former article on the domestic sei vice subject come to the conclusion that the servant difficulty was one of the mcst pressing social problems of the hour ; having sapiently decided that the modern system of treating servants was almost as much to blame for the present state of affairs as ■ evil spirits ’ in the shape of servants themselves; and having realised that something must be done unless the genus servant was to disappear utterly, it was resolved to attempt to find some manner in which a reform—a mutual reform—might be set on foot. So far as the existing generation of gills is concerned, the case is, it is to be feared, hopeless. With notable and worthy exceptions they are as impervious to kindness as to abuse, and would regard any attempt to ameliorate their position as * imperenre.’ Interest would be mistaken for patronage, and resented sharply, and kindheartedness taken as an evidence of weakness, and insolently presumed upon.

Year by year there, however, are growing up amongst us hundreds of girls whose fate it is to go out into tbe world and earn their own living ; a fair proportion of whom otght to recruit the ranks of domestic servants. These are, thanks -to our generous svstem of education, well tutored in the three R’s, have some, if not very rigorous, notions of discipline, are good, well-mannered, useful girls, and admirably adapted to earn their living in an honourable and useful manner as domestic servants. But the pity of it! This pathway of life is. deservedly or undeservedly, almost inconceivably unpopular, and the r ecu its resolutely eschew it and crowd along those leading to the factories, or occasionally by steep downbill byways to less honourable destinations. The reason pointed out in our previous article was this. The factory girl is mistress of her own time, the domestic servant is not. The factory girl considers herself a grade higher than the * slavey ’ (objectionable term), and no one is better or more bitterly a ware of this than the servant herseU. Unless the positions can be equalised, the advantages of the factories must continue to attract girls, and as they kill many of the more delicate the demand is always good.

The factory girl has, however, other privileges besides being * a lady ’ and able to walk down the street and show off after business hours. She can only be ordered about for eight hours a day, and though she may have to work harder than any servant for that time, she is working for an end, and when she is done for the day she is done. She goes home and all taint and taste of business is left behind. Unless she likes she need scarcely think ‘shop’ till next morning. She has the companionship of many girls of her own age, and for good or for evil she sees vastly more of masculine society than the domestic servant. Her work is not done in solitary confinement but in company with other girls, and even if talking is nominally not allowed, there are opportunities for friendships, loves, hatreds, laughter, tears, gossip—for life in fact. Even supposing silence is absolutely strictly enforced, as indeed it generally is, there is yet a sense of companionship in ocher girls doing tbe same work which is not without its charm. At night she not only leaves her work, but as we have said, the sight and scene of it. She can invite the young man with whom she is keeping company to the house instead of keeping him waiting outside. Every night is a night out, sod every afternoon after five an afternoon off. She, moreover, gets holidays on Saturday afternoons and every, not every other Sunday, to say nothing of bank and other holidays.

The servant, on the other hand, is never sure when she may have finished her work. There is no fixed time, and in any case it can scarcely be before eight o'clock at night She has generally, be it observed, begun at six, while

the factory-bell goes at eight. In most households in the colonies she is entirely alone all day, save when the mistress or daughter of the house is helping (?), and on these occasions the conversation is either the patronising chat of a superior to an inferior, liable to terminate with a snub at any moment, or remoustrative comment on the servant’s manner of doing her work. At night, save on her biweekly evenings out, she is likely to be entirely alone, and being surrounded on every side by her work, by the smell of dinner and washing-up, by the genet al heat anddisagieeablenesa of a kitchen after a hard day’s work, she cannot for a moment forget her work and the drudgery of its weary monotony. In many cases she is too tired, perhaps too ignorant, to care for reading, and can do nothing except contrast her lot with that of some other servant, and meditate changing again to better her condition. Can one wonder that that service is scorned and the lessrichly paid factory life eagerly embraced. How strangely some women misunderstand the responsibilities of servant - keeping is illustrated by the miserable manner in which they provide for the unfortunate girls who live under their rnle. Small and ill or utterly unventilated bedrooms, an insufficiency of light in tbe kitchen in the evening, victuals good in themselves, but rendered nauseous by the greasy, heated, and odoriferous atmosphere in which they have to be eaten. The accommodation provided for servants in many colonial homes is a disgrace to decency and civilization, and it is impossible not to sympathize with those women who refuse to be satisfied with it. As was said before, the payment of so many pounds sterling is the least of the responsibilities of a woman who takes a servant, and it is impossible to overlook the fact that the duties of mistresses to their servants are almost as often overlooked as vice versa. It is not to be expected that a servant, or anyone else, should respect others unless they also respect themselves, and how can a woman respect herself who is given a cupboard off the kitchen to sleep in, who ba» to take her dinner midst dirty plates, saucepans, and the other paraphernalia of cooking.

For many of the grievances the remedy is simple. Ra’se the standard of comfort in the first place. See that the servant has a good well-lighted, well-ventilated room—a room, if possible, that she can sit and sew and read in as well as sleep. Provide this room with a reasonably comfortable chair, and occasionally wake it your business to see that the servant has something to read. This is not • so ’ good of you, but your positive doty, neither more nor less. To many, perhaps, this advise is superfluous. We believe so, but there are good women who do not think. There be some few women, we wot of, whom it is, strange to say, almost necessary to rewind that if they want their servants to treat them as ladies they must behave as ladies before them as well as anyone else. An ignorant woman who is sufficiently veneered to appear a lady in her drawing-room, is occasionally very much the other thing in her kitchen and before her servants. This is, however, a digression.

The fi-st reform advocated, then, is better accomodation and more thought for the servant. The second is liberty ; every girl should have as much time as possible to herself. It is imperative, of course, that girls should dress neatly and qwetly, but any attempt to dictate beyond this is bound, and very naturally, to cause irritation. If it is any way possible, the girl should have the entire evening from at least half-past seven to herself, this presuming, of course, that dinner should be at six. If the girl has friends, if she belongs to any of the better class of social or mutual improvement classes, she should be encouraged to go out. The more she can get away from work—once it is done for the day—the better. If it be that there is an inclination after any intellectual pursuit, no scarcely-veiled smile at tbe presumption, but the very strongest encouragement should be given. It should, in a word, be shown that tbe mistress’ hand is with and not against the servant. Tact is the great thing. The tactless mistress cannot say a word without a patronising air perfectly unbearable to most girls, and many people who have doubtless meant to be kind to their servants have spoiled everything by their insufferable assumption of the lady bountiful.

But it is contended, if we allow our servants more liberty it will only mean more * keeping company,’ and of that they get quite enough for their safety. In the present state of affairs thia is true. There is no place for the servants to go.

Nonconformists are alive to their responsibilities in thia line, and tbe position of the church with regard to servants, but it must be confessed that the Church of England leaves much to be desired. At the socials of Methodist churches distinctions of rank are forgotten at the ha'*, door. At the Church of England Social the line is as bard and fast as outside, so that servants do not usually attend at all, but if they do they are patronised if spoken to at aIL Certainly the distinctions of rank are not forgotten. The pastor insinuates to the mistress that it is so good of her to have come, and hints to the servant how great a privilege it is for a poor girl in her position to be allowed there at all. * How grateful you ought to be ’ is the atmosphere with which servau' ' feel themselves choked.

A servants’ club is in our mind the remedy for this evil. Connected with this would be a registry office free to the servants, the mistresses paying a fee. With the fees so procu-ed the c'ub would be supported. A piano (or two, if necessary), the best papers, and a stock of light literature, with a certain amount of comfortable furniture, could be provided. If thought advisable taa and coffee might be served at a low figure. There girls could meet for innocent recreation and enjoyment. If it were possible there might be entertainments occasionally. Being self-sup-porting the detestible element of patronage would be absent. The gills would keep order tor their own self respects’ sake, and mistresses would be enabled to let their maids out eveiy evening for an hoar or so, knowing wheiethey were. Of course, each district might, after a time, have its separate club house, and even if the registry fees did not mount nn sufficiently, tbe girls themselves would probably subscribe to support an institution which wou’d afford them so much more liberty.