,,wanted1 ,a ,,young ,,woman ,,to ,,do  
,,housework    ,business ,principles    
,applied to ,housework    by    ,c4     
,h,l,,ne ,,barker    ,author of         
,automobile ,french    ,new ,york       
,moffat1 ,yard  ,company    #aiae       
,,preface      ,this little book is not 
a treatise on ,domestic ,science4 ,the  
vacuum  cleaner and the fireless cooker 
are not even mentioned4 ,the efficient  
kitchen devised in such an interesting  
and clever way has no place in  it4 ,its
 exclusive object is to suggest a       
satisfactory and workable  solution     
along modern lines of how to get one's  
housework efficiently  performed without
 doing it one's self4    ,if the        
propositions that she advances seem at  
first startling1 the  writer begs only  
for a patient hearing1 for she is       
convinced by strong  reasons and        
abundant experience1 that liberty in the
 household1 like  social and political  
liberty1 can never come except from     
obedience to  just law4    ,c4,h4,b4    

,,contents    ,,part ,i    ,,causes ,,of
 ,,the ,,present ,,unsatisfactory       
,,condition ,,of ,,domestic ,,labor     
,ignorance and ,inefficiency in the     
,home                #a    ,difficulty  
of ,obtaining ,women to ,do ,housework  
#aa    ,the ,disadvantages of ,housework
 ,compared with ,work      in           
,factories1 ,stores1 and ,offices       
#ai      ,,part ,,ii    ,,business      
,,principles ,,applied ,,to ,,housework 
,living ,outside ,place of ,employment  
#ca    ,housework ,limited to #h ,hours 
a ,day                   #dg            
,housework ,limited to #f ,days a ,week 
#fa    ,the ,observance of ,legal       
,holidays                     #ge       
,extra ,pay for ,overtime               
#ha      ,,part ,,iii    ,,eight ,,hour 
,,schedules ,,in ,,the ,,home           
,eight ,hour ,schedules for ,one        
,employee                #ic    ,eight  
,hour ,schedules for ,two ,employees    
#aji    ,eight ,hour ,schedules for     
,three ,employees            #aba       

,,part ,i    ,,causes ,,of ,,the        
,,present ,,unsatisfactory ,,condition  
,,of ,,domestic ,,labor      ,ignorance 
and inefficiency in the home4           
,difficulty of obtaining women to do    
housework4    ,the disadvantages        
connected with housework compared       
with work in factories1 stores1 and     
offices4      ,,ignorance ,,and         
,,inefficiency ,,in ,,the ,,home        
,the twentieth-century woman1 in spite  
of her progressive and ambitious        
theories about woman's sphere of        
activity1 has allowed her housekeeping  
methods to remain almost stationary1    
while other professions and  industries 
have moved forward with gigantic        
strides4    ,she does not hesitate to   
blazon abroad with banners and pennants 
her  desire to share with man the       
responsibility for the administration of
  the ,state1 but she overlooks the     
disquieting fact that in the management 
of her own household1 where her         
authority is absolute1 she has failed   

to convince the world of her power to   
govern4 ,when confronted with this      
accusation1 she asserts that the        
maintenance of a home is neither a      
business nor a profession1 and that in  
consequence it ought not to be  compared
 with them nor be judged by the same    
standards4    ,is it not due perhaps to 
this erroneous idea that housekeeping is
 a  failure to-day8 ,for the fact that  
it is a failure cannot be hidden1  and  
that it has been a failure for many     
years past is equally true4  ,recent    
inventions1 and labor saving utensils1  
have greatly facilitated  housework1 yet
 housekeeping is still accompanied with 
much  dissatisfaction on the part of the
 employer and the employee4    ,there   
are only a few women to-day who regard  
domestic science in the  light of a     
profession1 or a business1 although in  
reality it is both4  ,for what is a     
profession if it be not the application 
of science to  life8 ,and does not work 
which one follows regularly constitute a

  business8    ,many women1 however1 do 
not regard housekeeping even as a       
serious  occupation1 and few have       
devoted as much time1 thought1 and      
energy to  mastering the principles of  
domestic economy as of late years women 
of  all classes of society have         
willingly given to the study of the     
rules  and ever changing intricacies of 
auction bridge4 ,some consider their    
time too valuable to devote to domestic 
and culinary matters1 and openly  boast 
of their ignorance4 ,outside            
engagements1 pleasures1 philanthropic   
schemes1 or work1 monopolize their days1
 and the conduct of the house  devolves 
upon their employees4 ,the result is    
rarely satisfactory4 ,it is  essential  
that the woman who is at the head of any
 concern1 be it a  business1 a          
profession1 or a home1 should not only  
thoroughly understand  its every detail1
 but in order to make it a success she  
must give it her  personal attention    
each day for at least a portion of her  

time4    ,it is a popular impression    
that the knowledge of good housekeeping1
  and of the proper care of children1   
comes naturally to a woman1 who1  though
 she had no previous training or        
preparation for these duties1  suddenly 
finds them thrust upon her4 ,but how    
many women can really look  back with   
joy to the first years of their         
housekeeping8 ,do they not  remember    
them more with a feeling of dismay than 
pleasure8 ,how many  foolish mistakes   
occurred entailing repentance and       
discomfort6 ,and how  many              
heart-burnings were caused1 and even    
tears shed1 because in spite  of the    
best intentions1 everything seemed to go
 wrong8 ,and why8 ,simply  because of   
ignorance and inefficiency in the home1 
not only of the  employee1 but of the   
employer also4    ,that an employee is  
ignorant and unskilled in her work is   
often  excusable1 but there is          
absolutely no excuse for a woman who has
 time  and money at her command1 to be  

ignorant of domestic science1 when of   
her own free will she undertakes the    
responsibilities of housekeeping4       
,nearly all women take interest in the  
furnishing of their homes1 and  give    
their personal attention to it with the 
result that as a rule they  excel in    
household decoration1 and often produce 
marvels of beauty and  taste with the   
expenditure of relatively small amounts 
of money4    ,marketing is also very    
generally attended to in person by the  
housewife1  but she is using the        
telephone more and more frequently as a 
substitute  for a personal visit to     
butcher and grocer1 and this is greatly 
to her  disadvantage4 ,the telephone is 
a very convenient instrument1 especially
  in emergency1 or for ordering things  
that do not vary in price4 ,but when    
prices depend upon the fluctuations of  
the market1 or when the articles  to be 
purchased are of a perishable nature1 it
 must be remembered that  the telephone 
is also a very convenient instrument for

 the merchant who  is anxious to get rid
 of his bad stock4    ,the remaining    
branches of housekeeping apparently do  
not interest  the modern housewife4 ,she
 entrusts them very generally to her    
employees1  upon whose skill and        
knowledge she blindly relies4           
,unfortunately skill  and knowledge are 
very rare qualities1 and if the         
housewife herself be  ignorant of the   
proper way of doing the work in her own 
home1 how can  she be fitted to direct  
those she places in charge of it1 or to 
make a  wise choice when she has to     
select a new employee8 ,too often she   
engages  women and young girls without  
investigating their references of       
character or capability1 and when time  
proves what an imprudent  proceeding she
 has been party to1 she simply          
attributes the consequent  troubles to  
causes beyond her control4 ,if the      
housewife were really  worthy of her    
name she would be able not only to pick 
out better  employees1 but to insist    

upon their work being properly done4    
,to-day  she is almost afraid to ask her
 cook to prepare all the dishes for the 
family meals1 nor does she always find  
some one willing to do the family       
washing4 ,she is obliged to buy food    
already cooked from the caterer or      
baker1 because her so-called cook was   
not accustomed to bake bread and  rolls1
 or to make pies and cakes1 or ice      
cream1 for previous employers1  from    
whom nevertheless she received an       
excellent reference as cook4 ,of  course
 in cities it is easy to buy food       
already cooked or canned and to  send   
all the washing to the laundry1 but it  
helps to raise the high  cost of living 
to alarming proportions1 and it also    
encourages  ignorance in the most       
important branches of domestic economy4 
,in spite of the rush of modern life1 a 
woman who has a home ought to  be       
willing to give some part of her time to
 its daily supervision4  ,eternal       
vigilance is the price of everything    

worth having4 ,if she gave  this she    
would not have so many tales of woe to  
relate about the  laziness1             
neglectfulness1 and stupidity of her    
cook and housemaids4  ,there is not a   
single housewife to-day who has not had 
many bitter  experiences4 ,one who      
desires information upon this subject   
has only to  call on the nearest friend4
    ,to the uninterested person1 to the 
onlooker1 the helplessness of the  woman
 who is at the head of the home1 her    
inability to cope with her  domestic    
difficulties1 is often comic1 sometimes 
pathetic1 sometimes  almost tragic4 ,the
 publications of the day have           
caricatured the  situation until it has 
become an outworn jest4 ,the present    
system of  housekeeping can no longer   
stand4 ,one of two things must occur4   
,either  the housewife must adopt       
business principles in ruling her       
household1  or she will find before many
 more years elapse there will be no     
longer  any woman willing to place her  

neck under the domestic yoke4    ,if the
 principles set forth in the following  
pages can be popularized in  a          
comprehensive plan of which all the     
parts can be thoroughly understood  both
 by the housewife and her employee1     
ignorance and inefficiency in  the home 
will be presently abolished4            
,,difficulty ,,of ,,obtaining ,,women   
,,to ,,do ,,housework    ,the present   
unsatisfactory condition of domestic    
labor in private houses  is not confined
 to any special city or country2 it is  
universal4 ,each  year the difficulty of
 obtaining women to do housework seems  
to increase  and the demand is so much  
greater than the supply1 that ignorant  
and  inefficient employees are retained 
simply because it is impossible to  find
 others more competent to replace them4 
,there is hardly a home to-day where1 at
 one time or another1 the  housewife has
 not gone through the unenviable        
experience of being  financially able   
and perfectly willing to pay for the    

services of some  one to help her in her
 housekeeping duties1 and yet found it  
almost  impossible to get a really      
competent and intelligent employee4 ,as 
a  rule1 those who apply for positions  
in housework are grossly ignorant of    
the duties they profess to perform1 and 
the well trained1 clever1 and           
experienced workers are sadly in the    
minority4    ,women and young girls who 
face the necessity of self support1 or  
who  wish to lead a life of             
independence1 no longer choose housework
 as a  means of earning a livelihood4   
,it is evident that there is a reason1  
and a very potent one1 that decides them
 to accept any kind of  employment in   
preference to the work offered them in a
 private home4  ,wages1 apparently1 have
 little to do with their decision1 nor  
other  considerations which must add    
very much to their material welfare1    
such as good food in abundance1 and     
clean1 well ventilated sleeping         
accommodations1 for these two important 

items are generally included  at present
 in the salaries of household employees4
 ,concessions1 too1  are frequently     
made1 and favors bestowed upon them by  
many of their  employers1 yet few young 
girls1 and still fewer women are content
 to  work in private families4    ,it is
 a deplorable state of affairs1 and     
women seem to be gradually  losing their
 courage to battle with this            
increasingly difficult  question3 ,how  
to obtain and retain one's domestic     
employees8    ,the peace of the family  
and the joy and comfort of one's home   
should be  a great enough incentive to  
awaken the housewife to the realization 
that  something must be wrong in her    
present methods4 ,it is in vain that she
  complains bitterly1 on all occasions1 
of the scarcity of good servants1       
asserting that it is beyond her         
comprehension why work in factories1    
stores1 and offices1 should be preferred
 to the work she offers4    ,is it      
beyond her comprehension8 ,or has she   

never considered in what way  the work  
she offers differs from the work so     
eagerly accepted8 ,does she  not realize
 that the present laws of labor adopted 
in business are very  different from    
those she still enforces in her own     
home8 ,why does she  not compare        
housework with all other work in which  
women are employed1  and find out why   
housework is disdained by nearly all    
self supporting  women8    ,instead of  
doing this1 she sometimes avoids the    
trouble of trying  to keep house with   
incompetent employees by living in      
hotels1 or  non-housekeeping apartments2
 but for the housewife who does not     
possess  the financial means to indulge 
herself thus1 or who still prefers home 
life with all its trials to hotel life1 
the only alternative is to  submit to   
pay high wages for very poor work or to 
do a great part of the  housework       
herself4 ,in both cases the result is   
bad1 for in neither does  the family    
enjoy the full benefit of home1 nor is  

the vexatious problem1  so often        
designated as the servant question1     
brought any nearer to a  solution4      
,the careful study of any form of labor 
invariably reveals some need of         
amelioration1 but in none is there a    
more urgent need of reform than in      
domestic labor in private homes4    ,it 
is more for the sake of the housewife   
than for her employee that a  reform is 
to be desired4 ,the latter is solving   
her problem by finding  work outside the
 home1 while the former is still unduly 
harassed by  household troubles4 ,with a
 few notable exceptions1 only those who 
are  unqualified to compete with the    
business woman are left to help the     
householder1 and the problem confronting
 her to-day is not so much how  to      
change inefficient to efficient help1   
but how to obtain any help at  all4     
,the spirit of independence has so      
deeply entered into the lives of  women 
of all classes1 that until housework be 
regulated in such a way  as to give to  

those engaged in it the same rights and 
privileges as are  granted to them in   
other forms of labor1 the best workers  
will naturally  seek employment         
elsewhere4      ,,the ,,disadvantages   
,,of ,,housework ,,compared ,,with      
,,work ,,in ,,factories1 ,,stores1      
,,and ,,offices    ,housework1 when     
carefully compared with work performed  
by women in  factories1 stores1 and     
offices1 shows to a remarkable degree   
how many  old fashioned ways of         
conducting her household still cling to 
the modern  housewife4 ,the methods that
 made housekeeping a success in the time
 of  our ancestors are not adapted to   
the present needs of a society in which 
women who earn their own living are     
occupying so much more important        
positions than formerly4 ,large stores  
and factories1 requiring the  coperation
 of many employees1 have done more to   
open new avenues of  work for women than
 could have been dreamed of in former   
times1 when it  was the custom for each 

family to produce at home as much as    
possible1  if not all1 that was         
necessary for its own consumption4      
,women1 as a rule1 are not taught self  
reliance1 and many who hesitate  to     
leave their homes to earn a livelihood1 
find that by doing work in  stores1     
factories1 or offices1 they are not     
utterly separated from their  families4 
,the work may be harder than they       
anticipated and the pay  small1 but     
there is always the hope of promotion   
and of a corresponding  increase of     
wages4 ,business hours are frequently   
long1 but they are  limited1 and after  
the day's work is over1 the remainder of
 the  twenty-four hours is at the       
disposal of the employees1 who can still
  enjoy the happiness and freedom       
associated with the life of their own   
social circle4 ,besides they have one   
day out of seven as a day of rest1  and 
many legal holidays come annually to    
relieve the overstrain4    ,with        
housework it is very different4 ,the    

woman who accepts the position  of a    
household employee in a private home    
must usually make up her mind  to leave 
her family1 to detach herself from all  
home ties1 and to take  up her abode in 
her employer's house4 ,it is only       
occasionally1 about  once a week for a  
few hours at a time1 that she is allowed
 to make her  escape4 ,it is a          
recognized fact that a change of        
environment has a  beneficial effect    
upon every one1 but a domestic employee 
must forego  this daily renewal of      
thought and atmosphere4 ,even if she    
does not know  that she needs it in     
order to keep her mental activities     
alive1 the  result is inevitable3 to one
 who does nothing but the same work from
  early morning until late at night and 
who never comes in contact with  the    
outside world except four times a month1
 the work soon sinks to mere  drudgery4 
,as to promotion in housework it seems  
to be almost unknown4 ,considering  the 
many responsible positions waiting to be

 filled in private families1  nothing   
could be more desirable than to instil  
into one's employees the  ambition to   
rise4 ,an employee who has passed       
through all the different  branches of  
domestic science1 from the lowest to the
 highest in one  family1 must be far    
better fitted to occupy the highest     
position in  that family than one who   
applies for the position with the       
training and  experience gained only in 
other families where the mode of living 
may be  very different4 ,since there is 
no chance of promotion and in           
consequence  of receiving better pay1   
the domestic employee is often tempted  
to seek  higher wages elsewhere1 and    
thus the desire to make a change1 so    
disastrous to the peace of mind of the  
housewife1 is engendered in her         
employees4    ,in domestic labor the    
hours of work are longer than in any    
other form of  employment1 for they are 
unlimited4 ,moreover1 instead of having 
one day  out of seven as a day of rest1 

only half a day is granted beginning    
usually about three o'clock in the      
afternoon1 or even later4 ,and legal    
holidays bring no relief1 for they are  
practically unknown to the  household   
employee4 ,the only way women engaged in
 housework in private  families can     
obtain a real holiday is by being       
suddenly called away  to take care of a 
sick aunt4 ,there is an old saying      
containing certain  words of wisdom     
about all work and no play that perhaps 
explains the  dullness so often met with
 in domestic help4    ,the hardest thing
 to submit to1 however1 from the point  
of view of the  woman employed in       
housework1 is the lack of freedom       
outside of working  hours4 ,this        
prevents her from taking part in her    
former social life4  ,she is not allowed
 to go out even for an hour or two every
 day to see  her relatives and friends4 
,to ask them to visit her in her        
employer's  kitchen is not a very       
agreeable alternative either to herself 

or her  employer1 and even then she is  
obliged to be on duty1 for she must     
still  wear her uniform and hold herself
 in readiness to answer the bell until  
the family for whom she works retires   
for the night4    ,with such            
restrictions it is not surprising that  
the majority of  women feel that they   
are losing caste if they accept         
positions in  private families4 ,there  
are two more causes to which this       
feeling of the  loss of caste may be    
attributed4 ,one is the habit of calling
 household  employees by their first    
name or by their surname without the    
prefix of  ,miss2 the other is the      
custom of making them eat in their      
employer's  kitchen4 ,these are minor   
details1 perhaps1 but nevertheless they 
count  for much in the lives of women   
who earn their own living1 and anything1
  however small1 that tends to raise    
one's self respect1 is worthy of        
consideration4 ,perhaps1 too1 while the 
word servant 7a noble word  enough in   

its history and its moral connotation7  
carries with it a  stigma1 a sense of   
degradation1 among the working women1 it
 should  be avoided4    ,briefly summed 
up1 then1 the present disadvantages of  
housework compared  with work in        
factories1 stores1 and offices1 are as  
follows3      ,enforced separation from 
one's family4    ,loss of personal      
freedom4    ,lack of promotion4         
,unlimited hours of work4    ,no day of 
rest each week4    ,non-observance of   
legal holidays4    ,loss of caste4      
,in the present comparison of housework 
with work in factories1 stores1  and    
offices1 a recital of the advantages of 
domestic service1 even under  the       
present method of housekeeping1 must not
 be omitted1 for such  advantages are   
important1 although unfortunately they  
do not outweigh  the present            
disadvantages4    ,to the woman whose   
home ties have been disrupted by death  
or discord1  and to the newly arrived   
immigrant especially1 housework is a    

great  boon1 inasmuch as besides good   
wages1 all meals and a room to sleep  in
 are given her4 ,moreover housework is  
the only form of labor where  unskilled 
work can command high wages4 ,this1     
however1 is much more  fortunate for the
 employee than for her employer4        
,housework in itself is certainly not   
worse than any other kind of  manual    
work in which women are engaged2 it is  
often more interesting and  less        
fatiguing4 ,it also helps a woman more  
than any other occupation to  prepare   
herself for her natural sphere of       
life3--that of the home maker4  ,a girl 
who has spent several years in a well   
ordered family helping to  do the       
housework1 is far better fitted to run  
her own home intelligently  and on      
economic lines than a girl who has spent
 the same number of years  behind a     
counter1 or working in a factory or an  
office4    ,again1 work in a private    
house is infinitely more desirable1 from
 the  point of view of the influence of 

one's surroundings1 than daily labor  in
 a factory or store4 ,the variety of    
domestic duties1 the freedom of  moving 
about from one room to another1 of      
sitting or standing to do  one's work1  
are much to be preferred to the work    
that compels the worker  to stand or sit
 in one place all day long4    ,if it be
 admitted1 then1 that housework is in   
itself a desirable and  suitable        
occupation for women who must earn their
 living by manual  labor1 it can not be 
the work itself1 but the conditions     
surrounding it  that make it so         
distasteful to the modern working woman4
          ,,part ,,ii    ,,business     
,,principles ,,applied ,,to ,,housework 
,living outside place of employment4    
,housework limited to eight hours a day4
    ,housework limited to six days a    
week4    ,the observance of legal       
holidays4    ,extra pay for overtime4   
,,living ,,outside ,,place ,,of         
,,employment    ,there are many         
housewives who are very much opposed to 

the adoption  of a plan enabling        
household employees to live outside     
their place of  employment4 ,they claim 
that it is wiser to keep them under     
constant  supervision day and night in  
order to prevent the introduction of    
disease or the acquisition of bad       
habits4    ,there is more risk of       
disease being introduced into the home1 
and of bad  habits being contracted by  
allowing one's children to associate    
with  other children in schools1 public 
or private1 and by letting them play  in
 the streets and public parks1 where    
they mingle with more or less           
undesirable companions1 than by having  
the housework performed by  employees   
who come each day to their work and     
return to their homes  at night when    
their duties are over4 ,nevertheless no 
sensible parents  would keep their      
children shut up in the house1 only     
allowing them to  go out of doors for a 
few hours once a week1 for fear of      
contagion or  contamination1 and yet    

this is just what the housewife has been
 doing  for years with her household    
employees under the firm impression that
  she was protecting them as well as    
herself4    ,present statistics1        
however1 upon the morality and          
immorality of women  who belong to what 
is at present termed the servant class1 
prove only  too clearly that the        
protection provided by the employer's   
home does  not protect4 ,the shelter    
thus given serves too often to encourage
 a life  of deception1 especially as in 
reality the housewife knows but little  
of  what takes place below stairs4      
,the servants' quarters are1 as a rule1 
far enough away from the other  rooms of
 the house for much to transpire there  
without the knowledge of  the mistress  
of the house1 but who has not heard her 
complain of the  misconduct of her      
employees8 ,startling discoveries have  
been made at the  most unexpected times 
and from the most unexpected quarters4  
,one lady  found her maid was in the    

habit of going out at night after the   
family  had retired1 and leaving the    
front door unlocked in order to regain  
admittance in the early morning without 
arousing the family4 ,another  housewife
 discovered one day that her cook's     
husband1 whose existence  until then was
 unknown1 had been coming for several   
months to her house  for his dinner4    
,every householder finds that in the    
late evening her  servants entertain    
their numerous cousins and friends at   
her  expense4 ,moreover1 they do not    
hesitate to use the best china1 glass1  
and silver for special parties and draw 
upon the household supplies for  the    
choicest meats and wines4 ,and because  
they cannot go out in the day  time1 it 
is not unusual to find some friend or   
relative comes to spend  the entire day 
with them1 and in consequence the       
housewife not only  feeds her help but a
 string of hangers-on as well4 ,why     
should she be  surprised that she does  
not get an adequate return for the      

amount of  money she spends8 ,and these 
things take place1 not only during the  
temporary absence of the employer1 but  
even while she is sitting  peacefully in
 the library and listening to a parlor  
lecture on the  relations of capital and
 labor4    ,women say tearfully or      
bravely on such occasions3 ,what can be 
done  to make servants better8 ,they are
 getting worse every day4 ,and the      
housewife 7one might almost call her by 
,samuel ,pepys's pleasing phrase1  the  
poor wretch7 then pours out to any      
sympathetic ear endless  recitals of    
aggravating1 worrying1 nerve-racking    
experiences4 ,instead of  putting an end
 to such a regrettable state of affairs 
that would never  be tolerated by any   
business employer1 she seems content to 
bewail her  fate and clings still more  
steadfastly to obsolete methods4    ,why
 does she not adopt the methods of the  
business man in dealing with  his       
employees8 ,the advisability of having  
household employees live  outside their 

place of employment is so apparent that 
it ought to appeal  to every one4 ,there
 would be no longer the necessity of    
putting aside  and of furnishing certain
 rooms of the house for their           
accommodation3  a practice which in the 
majority of families is quite a serious 
inconvenience and always an expense4 ,in
 small homes where only one maid  is    
kept1 it may not make much difference to
 give up one room to her1 but  where    
several employees are needed1 it means  
very often that many rooms  must be used
 as sleeping apartments for them1       
frequently too a sitting  room or a     
special dining room is given them4 ,this
 is not all1 for the  rooms must be     
furnished and kept clean and warm1 and  
supplied with an  unlimited amount of   
gas and electricity4 ,in many families  
the boarding  and lodging of household  
employees cause as much anxiety and     
expense to  the housewife as to provide 
for her own family4    ,and why does she
 do it8 ,why does she consent to take   

upon herself so  much extra trouble for 
nothing8 ,for1 although she offers good 
food and  a bed besides excellent wages 
to all who work for her1 she is the most
  poorly served of all employers to-day4
    ,in the great feudal castles of the 
,middle ,ages it was not deemed  safe   
for women to venture forth alone1 even  
in the daytime1 and so  those engaged in
 housework were naturally compelled to  
live under their  ,master's roof1 eating
 at his table and sitting below the     
salt4 ,but  the ,master and the ,serf of
 feudal times disappeared long ago1 only
 the  ,mistress and her servants remain4
    ,to-day1 however1 servants no longer
 sit at their employer's table2  they   
remain in the kitchen1 where as a rule  
they are given to eat what  is left from
 the family meals4 ,some housewives1    
from motives of kindness  and           
consideration for the welfare of those  
in their employ1 have special  meals    
prepared for them and served in a       
dining-room of their own at  hours which

 do not conflict with the meals of the  
family4 ,but this does  not always meet 
with gratitude or even due appreciation2
 the disdainful  way in which ,bridget  
often complains of the food too         
generously provided  for her is well    
known4    ,a chambermaid came one day to
 her employer and said she did not wish 
to  complain but thought it better to   
say frankly that she was not satisfied  
with what she was getting to eat in her 
house3 she wanted to have roast  beef   
for dinner more often1 at least three or
 four times a week1 for she  did not    
care to eat mutton1 nor steak1 and never
 ate pork1 nor could  she1 to quote her 
own words fill up on bread and          
vegetables as the  other girls did in   
the kitchen4    ,then1 and only then1   
did her employer wake up with a start to
 the  realization of the true position  
every housewife occupies in the eyes  of
 her household employees4 ,they         
evidently regard her in the light of  a 
caterer2 she does the marketing not only

 for her family but for them  too4 ,she 
pays a cook high wages1 not only to cook
 meals for herself and  family1 but for 
her employees also4    ,for the first   
time in her life1 this housewife asked  
herself the  following questions3 ,why  
should she allow her household employees
 to  live in her house8 ,why should she 
consent to board them at her expense8   
,why should she continue to place at    
their disposal a bedroom each1 a        
private bathroom1 a sitting room or a   
dining room8 ,why should she allow  them
 to make use of her kitchen and laundry 
to do their own personal  washing1 even 
providing them with soap and starch1    
irons and an ironing  board1 fuel and   
gas8 ,why should she do all this for    
them when no  business employer1 man or 
woman1 ever does it8 ,was it simply     
because her  mother1 her grandmother1   
her great-grandmother had been in the   
habit of  doing it8    ,this awakening  
was the beginning of the end of all the 
trouble and  expense which she had      

endured for so many years in connection 
with the  boarding and lodging of her   
servants4 ,to-day she has no servants2  
she has household employees who come to 
her house each day1 just as  other      
employees go each day to their place of 
employment4 ,they take no  meals in her 
house1 and her housekeeping expenses    
have diminished as  much as her own     
comfort has increased4 ,her employees   
are better and more  efficient than any 
she ever had under the old rgime1 and   
nothing could  persuade her to return to
 her former methods of housekeeping4    
,the cost of providing meals for        
domestic employees varies according to  
the mode of living of each individual   
family1 and of late it has been  the    
subject of much discussion4 ,some       
important details1 however1 seem  to be 
generally overlooked1 for the cost of   
the food is the only thing  usually     
considered by the average housewife4 ,to
 this first expense must  be added the  
cost of pots and pans for cooking       

purposes2 even under  careful           
management1 kitchen utensils are bound  
to wear out and must be  replaced4 ,then
 there is the cost of the extra fuel or 
gas or electricity  required to cook the
 food1 nor must one forget to count the 
extra work  of the cook to prepare the  
meals1 and of the kitchen maid or of    
some  other maid to wash up the dishes  
after each meal served to employees4    
,there is also the expense of buying    
kitchen plates and dishes1 glasses1     
cups and saucers1 knives and forks1 etc4
 ,every housewife is in the habit  of   
providing kitchenware for the use of her
 employees4    ,the total sum of all    
these items would astonish those who    
think that  the actual expense of giving
 meals to household employees is not a  
very  great one and is limited to the   
cost of the food they eat2 even this    
last expense is considerably augmented  
by the careless and wasteful way  in    
which provisions are generally handled  
by those who do not have to  pay for    

them4 ,when ways and means are discussed
 among housewives to  reduce the present
 high cost of living1 it would be well  
to advise all  women to try the         
experiment of having their household    
employees live  outside their place of  
employment4 ,the result from an economic
 point  of view alone is amazing1 and   
the relief it brings the housewife who  
is no longer obliged to provide food and
 sleeping accommodations for  her       
employees is so great that one wonders  
why she has been willing to  burden     
herself with these responsibilities for 
so many years4    ,there was once a time
 when women did not go out alone to eat 
in a  restaurant1 but to-day one sees   
about as many women as men eating their 
midday meal in public4 ,if women engaged
 in general business prove  themselves  
thus capable of self care1 there seems  
to be no reason why  household          
employees1 who often receive higher     
wages than shop girls and               
stenographers1 should not be able to do 

the same4 ,they would enjoy their  meals
 more outside1 albeit the food given    
them in their employer's house  is      
undoubtedly of a better quality2 the    
change of surroundings and the          
opportunity of meeting friends1 of      
leaving their work behind them1 would   
compensate them4 ,in any event1 it is   
clearly proved by the scarcity of  women
 applying for positions in private      
houses that these two advantages  only  
to be obtained in domestic labor--board 
and lodging--do not attract  the working
 woman of the present day4    ,the joy  
of eating the bread of independence is  
an old and deeply rooted  feeling4      
,there is an ancient fable of sop about 
the ,dog and the ,wolf  which portrays  
this sentiment in a very quaint and     
delightful manner4  7,sir ,roger        
l',estrange's translation47             
,,the ,,dog ,,and ,,the ,,wolf          
,there was a ,hagged ,carrion of a      
,wolf1 and a ,jolly ,sort of a          
,gentile ,dog1 with ,good ,flesh upon's 

,back1 that fell into ,company          
together upon the ,king's ,high-,way4   
,the ,wolf was wonderfully       pleas'd
 with his ,companion1 and as            
,inquisitive to ,learn how be           
brought himself to ,that ,blessed ,state
 of ,body4 ,why1 says the ,dog1       ,i
 keep my ,master's ,house from ,thieves1
 and ,i have very ,good ,meat1          
,drink1 and ,lodging for my pains4 ,now 
if you'll go along with ,me1       and  
do as ,i do1 you may fare as ,i fare4   
,the ,wolf ,struck up the               
,bargain1 and so away they ,trotted     
together3 ,but as they were             
,jogging on1 the ,wolf spy'd a ,bare    
,place about the ,dog's ,neck           
where the ,hair was worn off4 ,brother  
7says he7 how comes this ,i             
prethee8 ,oh1 ,that's ,nothing1 says the
 ,dog1 but the ,fretting of my          
,collar a little4 ,nay1 says ,t'other1  
if there be a ,collar in the            
,case1 ,i know ,better ,things than to  
sell my ,liberty for a ,crust4          

,,the ,,moral         444',tis a        
,comfort to have ,good ,meat and ,drink 
at ,command1 and ,warm       ,lodging3  
,but ,he that sells his ,freedom for the
 ,cramming of his       ,belly1 has but 
a ,hard ,bargain of it4      ,in modern 
business enterprises1 there is hardly a 
single instance of an  employer who is  
willing to board his employees1 nor     
would he consider  for a moment the     
proposition of allowing them to remain  
at their place  of employment all night 
and of providing sleeping accommodations
 for  them4 ,neither in consideration of
 benefiting them1 nor with the view of  
benefiting himself by thus making sure  
of having them on hand for work  early  
the next morning1 would he ever consent 
to such an arrangement4  ,when he needs 
some one to watch over his interests in 
the night time1  he engages a night     
watchman1 a very much more economical   
plan than to  provide lodging for all   
his employees4    ,why should the       
housewife be the only employer to assume

 the burden of  a double responsibility 
toward her employees8 ,perhaps in the   
country1  where it might be impossible  
for them to live outside her home1 such 
a necessity might arise1 but in cities  
and suburban towns1 there is  absolutely
 no valid reason why household employees
 should sleep1 eat1  and live under     
their employer's roof4 ,it is a custom  
only1 and truly  a custom that would be 
more honored in the breach than in the  
observance4      ,,housework ,,limited  
,,to ,,eight ,,hours ,a ,,day    ,in the
 home woman's work is said to be never  
ended4 ,if this be true1 it  is the     
fault of the woman who plans the work1  
for in all the positions  of life1 work 
can be carried on indefinitely if badly 
planned4    ,it is the essential thesis 
of this little volume that the domestic 
labor  of women should be limited to a  
fixed number of hours per day in private
  houses4    ,it is not unusual at the  
present day for a woman to work twelve1 
or  fourteen hours a day1 or even       

longer1 when she earns her living as a  
household employee4 ,a man's mental and 
physical forces begin to wane at  the   
end of eight1 nine1 or ten hours of     
constant application to the same  work1 
and a woman's strength is not greater   
than a man's4 ,the truth of  the        
proposition1 abstractly considered1 has 
been long acknowledged and  nowadays    
requires no argument4    ,when a woman  
accepts a position in business1 she is  
told exactly how  many hours a day she  
must work1 but when a woman is engaged  
to fill a  domestic position in a       
family1 the number of hours she is      
expected to  give her employer is never 
specified4 ,she is simply told that she 
must  be on duty early in the morning   
before the family arises1 and that she  
may consider herself off duty as soon as
 the family for whom she is  working has
 withdrawn for the night4 ,is it        
surprising that under such  conditions  
working women are not very enthusiastic 
over the domestic  proposition to-day8  

,a household employee ought to have her 
hours of work as clearly defined  as if 
she were a business employee1 and there 
is no reason why the  eight-hour labor  
law could not be applied as successfully
 to housework  as to any other          
enterprise4    ,work in business is     
generally divided into two periods4 ,yet
 this  division can not always be       
effected1 and in railroad and steamship 
positions1 in post offices1 upon trolley
 lines1 in hotels1 in hospitals1  and in
 other cases too numerous to mention1   
where work must follow a  continuous    
round1 the working hours are divided    
into more than two  periods1 according  
to the nature of the work and the       
interests of the  employer1 not however 
exceeding a fixed number of hours per   
day or per  week4    ,it would be far   
better for the housewife as well as for 
her employees1  if the housework were   
limited in a similar way4 ,but with the 
introduction of the eight-hour law in   
the home1 certain new conditions  would 

have to be rigidly enforced in order to 
ensure success4    ,firstly1 the        
employee should be made to understand   
that during the eight  hours of work    
agreed upon1 she must be engaged in     
actual work for her  employer4          
,secondly1 when an employee is off duty1
 she should not be allowed to  remain   
with or to talk to the other employee or
 employees who are still  on duty4 ,when
 her work is finished1 she ought to     
leave her employer's  house4 ,the       
non-observance of either of these two   
points produces a  demoralizing effect4 
,thirdly1 a general knowledge of        
cooking1 and serving meals1 of cleaning 
and taking proper care of the rooms of a
 house1 of attending correctly  to the  
telephone and the door bell1 of sewing1 
of washing and ironing1  and of taking  
care of children1 should be insisted    
upon from all  household employees4     
,there are many housewives who will     
state that this last condition is       
impossible1 that it is asking too much  

from one employee2 and since it  is hard
 to-day to find a good cook1 it will be 
still harder to find one  who           
understands other household work as     
well4 ,but those who jump to  these     
conclusions have never tried the        
experiment4 ,it is not only  possible   
but practicable4    ,judging from the   
ordinary intelligence displayed by the  
average cook and  housemaid in the      
majority of private homes to-day1 it    
ought not to seem  incredible that the  
duties of both could be easily mastered 
by young  women of ordinary ability4 ,a 
woman who knows how to prepare and cook 
a  meal1 may easily learn the correct   
way of serving it1 and the possession   
of this knowledge ought not to prevent  
her from being capable of  sweeping a   
room1 or making a bed1 or taking care of
 children4    ,it is above all in       
families where only a few employees are 
kept1 that  the housewife will quickly  
realize how much it is to her immediate 
advantage to employ women who know how  

to do all kinds of housework1  instead  
of having those who make a specialty of 
one particular branch4    ,the          
specialization of work in private houses
 has been carried to  such an extreme   
that it has become one of the greatest  
drawbacks  to successful housekeeping in
 small families4 ,under this system of  
specialization1 a household employee is 
not capable in emergency of  taking up  
satisfactorily the work of another4     
,even if she be able to do  it1 she     
often professes ignorance for fear it   
may prolong her own hours  of labor1 or 
because1 as she sometimes frankly       
admits1 she does not  consider it her   
place4 ,the chambermaid does not know   
how to cook1 the  cook does not know how
 to do the chamberwork1 the waitress1 in
 her turn1  can do neither cooking nor  
chamberwork1 and the annoyance to the   
whole  family caused by the temporary   
absence of one of its regular employees 
is enough to spoil for the time being   
all the traditional comforts of  home4  

,in hotels and public institutions1 and 
in large private establishments1  where 
the work demands a numerous staff of    
employees1 the specialization  of the   
work is the only means for its          
successful accomplishment1 but in  the  
average home requiring from one to four 
or five employees no system  could be   
worse from an economic point of view1   
nor less conducive to the  comfort of   
the family4    ,specialization produces 
another bad effect1 for it prevents the 
existence of the feeling of equality    
among employees in the same house4      
,each specialist speaks rather          
disparagingly of the other's work1      
regardless of the relative position her 
own special art may occupy to  the      
unprejudiced mind4    ,an amusing       
instance of this was recently shown at a
 country place near  ,new ,york1 when   
the lady of the manor asked a friend to 
send some one  down from the city to    
help with the housework during the      
temporary  absence of her maid4 ,the    

friend could not find any one at the    
domestic  employment agencies willing to
 go1 but at last through the ,charity   
,organization ,society1 she heard of a  
woman temporarily out of  employment1   
who had been frequently employed as     
scrubwoman on the  vacation piers4 ,when
 the work was offered her1 she accepted 
it  immediately4 ,arriving at her new   
employer's house1 she began at once to  
scrub the floors1 and when the work was 
completed1 she sat on a chair  and took 
no further notice of anything4 ,the next
 day1 having no more  floors to scrub1  
the same general lack of interest was   
manifested4 ,she  was asked to wash the 
dishes after dinner4 ,she replied that  
she was not  used to dishwashing1 and   
did not know how to do it4 ,she was     
persuaded1  however1 to make the        
attempt1 but performed her new task very
  reluctantly4 ,the following morning   
she said she felt lonely and  would     
return at once to the city4 ,as the     
train came in sight to bear  her back to

 her accustomed surroundings1 she gave a
 snort of relief1  and exclaimed3 ,i'm a
 scrubwoman1 ,i am4 ,i ain't going to do
 no fancy  dishwashing1 no1 not for no  
one2 ,i'm a scrubwoman4 ,and she        
clambered up  into the train with the   
alacrity of a woman whose dignity had   
received a  hard blow4    ,the above    
illustration is typical of the spirit   
subjected to the system  of             
specialization1 and shows how unwise it 
is to encourage it in the  home where   
all branches of housework could be      
easily made  interchangeable4    ,under 
the new system of limiting housework to 
eight hours a day1 the  housewife must  
insist that all applicants be willing   
and able to perform  any part of the    
housework she may assign1 and their     
duties ought not  to be specified       
otherwise than by the term ,,housework4 
,the employee who  refuses to wait on   
the table during the absence of the     
waitress1 or to  cook1 or to do the     
laundry work1 or to answer the          

telephone1 or to carry  packages from   
her employer's automobile to the        
library1 because she does  not consider 
it her place to do these things1 should 
be instantly  discharged4    ,these very
 important conditions being understood  
and conceded1 the  choice and           
arrangement of the eight hours' work    
must necessarily lie  with each         
individual housewife4 ,each family is   
different and has  different claims upon
 its time4 ,the rush hours of social    
life are  sometimes in the evening1 and 
sometimes in the afternoon1 and again in
  some families1 especially where there 
are small children1 the breakfast  hour 
seems the most complicated of the day4  
,all these details have to be  carefully
 thought of when making an eight hour   
schedule4 ,at the end of  this book a   
set of schedules is placed4 ,any        
intelligent housewife can  understand   
them1 imitate them1 and in many         
instances improve them4 ,they  are      
merely given as elementary examples4    

,according to the number of employees   
she engages1 the housewife will  have   
eight1 sixteen1 or twenty-four hours of 
work to distribute among  them1 and to  
meet her peculiar needs she will find it
 necessary at the  outset to devote some
 hours to a satisfactory scheme4 ,after 
testing  several1 she will probably have
 to begin all over again before she     
finally succeeds in evolving one that is
 available4 ,but the problem is         
interesting in itself1 and always admits
 of a solution4    ,it may not be amiss 
to make this final suggestion for the   
woman who is  willing to give the new   
plan a fair trial3 she should follow the
 example  of the business man when he is
 in need of new employees1 and advertise
  for help1 stating hours of work1 and  
requesting that all applications  be    
made by letter4 ,this disposes rapidly  
of the illiterate1 and in the  majority 
of cases1 a woman who writes a good1    
legible1 and accurate  hand1 is more apt
 to be efficient in her work than one   

who sends in a  dirty1 careless1        
ill-expressed and badly spelled         
application4 ,through  advertising one  
comes into touch with many women it     
would be impossible  to reach otherwise4
 ,it is also the most advantageous way  
of bringing the  employer and employee  
together1 inasmuch as it dispenses      
entirely with  the services of a third  
person1 who1 naturally can not be       
expected to  offer gratuitous service4  
,the plan of limiting housework to eight
 hours a day is not an idle  theory2 it 
has been in successful operation for    
several years4 ,yet it  is not easy to  
change the habit of years4 ,there are   
many housewives who  would loudly       
declare it impossible to conform to such
 business rules in  the household2 and  
many of the older generation of cooks   
and housemaids  would agree4 ,but when  
such a plan has been generally adopted1 
the  domestic labor problem will be     
solved1 and it does not appear that in  
the present state of social             

organization1 it can be solved in any   
other  way4      ,,housework ,,limited  
,,to ,,six ,,days ,a ,,week    ,under   
the present system of housekeeping1     
there is not one day out of  the three  
hundred and sixty-five that a domestic  
employee has the right  to claim as a   
day of rest1 not even a legal holiday4  
,it is remarkable that this fact1       
showing so forcibly one of the  greatest
 disadvantages connected with housework1
 should attract so  little attention4   
,no one seems to care about the fate of 
the servant  girl1 as she is so often   
disdainfully called4 ,during six days of
 the  week she works on the average     
fourteen hours a day1 but no one stops  
to notice that she is tired4 ,on the    
seventh day1 instead of resting as      
every other employee has the right to   
do1 her work is merely reduced to  nine1
 eight1 or perhaps seven hours2 and yet 
she needs a day of rest  as much as     
every other woman who earns her bread4  
,the rights of the  domestic employee   

are ignored on all sides apparently4 ,in
 public  demonstrations of              
dissatisfaction between employers and   
employees the  most oppressed class of  
the working people--the women who do    
housework--has never yet been           
represented4    ,this is probably due to
 two causes3 the first is because women 
dissatisfied with housework are rapidly 
finding positions in business  where    
they enjoy rights and privileges denied 
them in domestic labor2  and the second 
is because the great majority of women  
engaged in  housework are foreign-born4 
,these women learn quickly to understand
 and  speak ,english1 but they do not   
often read and write it1 and as they are
  kept in close confinement in their    
employer's house1 they have rarely  the 
opportunity of hearing about the        
emancipation of the modern working      
woman4 ,most of them are of a very      
humble origin1 and being debarred from  
business positions on account of their  
ignorance and inexperience1 they  are   

thankful to earn money in any kind of   
employment regardless of the  length of 
working hours4    ,their children1      
however1 who are ,american born and     
enjoy better  educational advantages1 do
 not follow in their footsteps when the 
time comes for them to earn their       
living4 ,they become stenographers1     
typewriters1 dressmakers1 milliners1    
shirt waist makers1 cash-girls1         
saleswomen1 etc42 in fact any occupation
 where work is limited to a  fixed      
number of hours a day and confined to   
six days a week1 is  considered more    
desirable than housework4 ,the result is
 that the  housewife is compelled to    
take for her employees only those who   
are  rejected by every other employer2  
the capable1 independent1 intelligent   
,american woman is hardly ever seen in  
domestic service4    ,in ,washington1   
,d4,c41 a law 7the ,la ,follette ,eight 
,hour ,law for ,women in  the ,district 
of ,columbia7 was recently passed       
limiting to eight hours  a day and six  

days a week practically all work in     
which women are  industrially employed2 
hotel servants are included under the   
provisions of this law1 but domestic    
servants in private homes are  expressly
 excluded4    ,if this new law be       
considered a just and humane measure for
 women who  are business employees1 and 
if business houses be compelled to      
observe  it1 one naturally wonders why  
it should not prove to be an equally    
just and humane law for women who work  
in private families1 and why  should not
 the home be compelled to observe it    
too8 ,instead of being a  barrier to    
progress1 the home ought to coperate    
with the state in the  enforcement of   
laws for the amelioration of the        
condition of working  women4 ,the home1 
being presided over by a woman1         
presumably of some  education and       
intelligence1 should be a most fitting  
place in which to  apply a law designed 
to protect women against excessive hours
 of labor4    ,why should housework in  

private homes be an exception to all    
other work8  ,is it because some        
housewives say1 in self justification   
and frequently  without an accurate     
knowledge of what it is to do housework 
week after  week without one day's      
release1 that housework is easier than  
other  work8 ,is it easier8 ,is it not  
sometimes harder8 ,however1 it is not a 
question of housework being harder or   
easier than other work1 but of the      
desirability of having it limited to    
eight hours a day and six days a  week4 
,why should the housewife be allowed to 
remain in such a state of  apathy in    
regard to the physical welfare of her   
household employees8    ,six days shalt 
thou labor has all the sanction of      
scripture1 of  morals1 and of common    
experience4 ,it is only fair that women 
who work in  private families should    
have one day out of seven as a day of   
rest1 even  as their more fortunate     
sisters in the business world4 ,if by   
adopting  such a law in the home the    

housewife found that her work was       
performed  far more efficiently and     
willingly than at present1 would it not 
be as  much to her advantage as to the  
advantage of those she employs to limit 
the hours of household labor to six days
 a week8 ,many housewives may  object to
 this proposition inasmuch as the work  
in a home can not be  suspended even for
 a day4 ,but when two or more employees 
work in a  private home1 it is very easy
 to plan the housework so that each     
employee may have a different day of the
 week as a day of rest1  without the    
comfort of the family being disturbed by
 the temporary  absence of one of the   
employees4 ,it is only in families where
 one  employee is kept that it may make 
a very serious difference to the        
housewife when her maid-of-all-work is  
away for one entire day each  week4     
,nevertheless the comfort of an employer
 ought not to outweigh  justice to an   
employee4    ,there are many ways of    
regulating the housework1 as will be    

seen in the  schedules at the end of    
this book1 in order to give one day of  
freedom  each week to household         
employees without causing much          
inconvenience to  the housewife4 ,by    
continuing to refuse this privilege to  
women employed  in domestic labor1      
housekeeping is becoming more and more  
complicated4  ,already it is such a     
common occurrence in some cities and in 
many parts  of the country1 not to find 
any woman willing to do housework1 that 
many housewives are beginning to think  
that their future comfort in all        
household matters will depend entirely  
upon new labor saving devices and  upon 
the help of the community rather than   
upon the increased knowledge  and skill 
of domestic employees4    ,there exists 
a prevailing impression1 too1 that      
housework has lost its  dignity1 and    
that at this period of the world's      
social history1 it is  impossible to    
restore it for women have stepped above 
it4 ,but this is  not true4 ,the fact is

 that housework has remained stationary 
while other  work has gained in freedom 
and dignity4 ,without noisy             
protestations1 or  indignant speeches   
delivered in public1 women have slowly  
and silently1  one by one1 deserted     
housework as a career on account of the 
narrowing1  servile1 and unjust         
conditions inseparable from it at the   
present day4  ,let these conditions be  
removed and new regulations based upon  
modern  business principles take their  
place1 and then it will be seen that    
housework has never lost its dignity1   
and the very women who abandoned  it    
will be the first to choose it again as 
a means of earning their  livelihood4   
,as a proof of this1 the following      
experience may be cited of a ,new ,work 
woman who wished to obtain a domestic   
employee for general housework4  ,she   
went to several employment agencies and 
at the end of a week she  had seen four 
applicants2 three were foreigners and   
spoke ,english so  brokenly that they   

could never have been left in charge of 
a telephone4  ,not one of the four was  
worth considering after investigating   
their  references1 and these were the   
only women she could find willing to do 
general housework4 ,upon the advice of a
 friend1 the perplexed housewife        
advertised in one of the daily          
newspapers1 but only a few women applied
  for the position and these were far   
from being satisfactory4 ,she then      
inserted another advertisement expressed
 in the following words3  ,wanted3 a    
young woman to help with housework1     
eight hours a day1 six  days a week1    
sleep home4 ,apply by letter only4      
,this last clause was added to prevent  
any one from applying for the  position 
who could not write ,english1 as it was 
absolutely necessary  that the person   
engaged to do the housework should be   
capable of  attending correctly to the  
telephone4 ,on the same day the         
advertisement  appeared1 eighty-five    
applications by letter were received1   

and twenty  more came the following day4
 ,all who wrote expressed their         
willingness  to fill the position of a  
domestic employee and to do anything in 
the way of housework under the new      
conditions specified in the             
advertisement4 ,only one stated she     
would do no washing4 ,many who replied  
to this advertisement had occupied      
positions1 which according to the       
present standard1 were far superior to  
housework2 many1 too1 were  married     
women1 experienced in all household     
work1 and most anxious to  accept a     
position in a private family1 a position
 that did not break up  their own home  
life4    ,the housewife was bewildered  
by the unexpected result of her         
advertisement3 the tables were turned at
 last4 ,instead of being one of  many   
looking in vain for a good domestic     
employee1 she found that she  had now   
the advantage of being able to choose   
from more than a hundred  applicants one
 who would best suit her own peculiar   

needs4    ,the same advertisement has   
been inserted at different times and has
  always brought the same remarkable    
result3 from one hundred to one  hundred
 and sixty answers each time4 ,it is    
true that all who present  themselves   
may not be efficient1 but efficiency    
speedily comes to the  front when upon  
it alone depends a desirable position4  
,two very important facts came to light 
through the help of this  advertisement2
 one was to find so many women eager to 
do housework when  it was limited to    
eight hours a day and six days a week1  
and the other  was to hear that they    
were willing to board and lodge         
themselves1 as  well as work1 for the   
same wages that servants are accustomed 
to  receive1 although to the latter the 
housewife invariably gives gratis  all  
food and sleeping accommodations4 ,these
 two facts alone prove beyond  a doubt  
that by applying business principles to 
housework all objections  to it as a    
means of earning a livelihood are       

removed4    ,it is quite likely that for
 a time the old fashioned mistress1 and 
the  old fashioned servant will continue
 to cling to past customs2 but once  it 
is proved that domestic labor limited to
 eight hours a day and six  days a week1
 brings a better1 more intelligent1 more
 efficient class of  employees to the   
home1 the most obdurate employer will   
change her mind4    ,no legislation is  
needed4 ,if all who are trying to solve 
the servant  question will begin to     
practice the new plan in their own      
homes1 the  future will take care of    
itself and the old ways will die a      
natural  death4      ,,the ,,observance 
,,of ,,legal ,,holidays ,,in ,,the      
,,home    ,the pleasure brought by the  
advent of a holiday into the lives of   
the working people can hardly be        
overestimated1 and it is doubtful  if   
holidays would ever have become         
legalized had they not proved of        
distinct value to the masses4 ,to have  
one day each week free from the  steady 

grind of one's dally work is a great    
relief1 but to have a  holiday is       
something still better1 for it usually  
means a day set apart  for general      
rejoicing4    ,why do all housewives    
persistently disregard the right of the 
household  employee to have legal       
holidays8 ,the reason generally brought 
forward  is that many families need     
their employees more on a holiday than  
on  any other day4 ,in many cases this  
is quite true on account of family      
reunions or the entertaining of friends1
 but very often the housewife  could    
easily dispense with the services of her
 employees on a holiday4  ,she does not 
do it1 however1 or only occasionally1   
because it is not the  custom to grant  
holidays to women who work in private   
homes4    ,if it be impossible1 on      
account of the exigencies of home life1 
to grant  all legal holidays to         
household employees1 there are many     
different ways  of planning the         
housework so that other days may be     

given instead4  ,sometimes the day      
before or the day after a holiday will  
give as much  pleasure as the day       
itself4 ,a woman who is at the head of a
 home has  many opportunities of coming 
into close contact with her employees2  
she  can easily ascertain their wishes  
in this respect and act accordingly4    
,it is more the fact of being entitled  
to a holiday than to have it on  a      
certain day that ought to be emphasized4
    ,domestic employees would be        
benefited by having these extra days of 
liberty1 just as much as all other      
employees4 ,a trial is all that is      
necessary to show how much better a     
household employee will work after      
having a holiday4 ,she returns to her   
duties with renewed strength  and the   
knowledge that she is no longer forced  
to play the rle of  ,cinderella gives   
her a fresh interest in life4           
,unfortunately the  housewife has been  
accustomed for so many years to have her
 servants  work for her all day long on 

every day of the week1 with only a few  
hours off duty on every other ,sunday   
and on every other ,thursday1 that  she 
is rather inclined to resent such an    
innovation as the observance  of legal  
holidays in domestic labor4 ,she fails  
to perceive that by her  present        
attitude she shows herself in a very    
unfavorable light as an  employer1 for  
the lack of holidays is decidedly one of
 the reasons for  which housework is    
shunned to-day4    ,business men have   
evolved a satisfactory and workable plan
 by which  their employees are neither  
overworked nor deprived of all legal    
holidays1 although frequently the work  
they are engaged in can not be          
suspended day or night even for an hour4
    ,it remains for women of the leisure
 class1 and to this class belong all    
those who can afford to pay to have     
their housework done for them1 to  adopt
 a similar plan in their homes4         
,,extra ,,pay ,,for ,,overtime    ,when 
the plan for limiting housework to eight

 hours a day is discussed  for the first
 time1 the following question invariably
 arises3 ,what is  to be done when      
anything unusual happens to break the   
routine of the  regular work1 as for    
instance1 when sickness occurs1 when    
friends arrive  unexpectedly1 when a    
dinner party is given8    ,sickness1 of 
course1 is unavoidable1 but as a rule a 
trained nurse or  an extra household    
assistant is called in to help4 ,many   
times1 however1  this is not absolutely 
necessary1 or perhaps the family can not
 afford  to have outside help1 and the  
extra work caused by sickness usually   
falls upon the domestic employee whose  
hours of labor are more or less         
prolonged in consequence4 ,what ought to
 be done in such an event8    ,there is 
but one answer3 ,work that can not be   
accomplished within the  regular working
 hours already agreed upon should be    
paid for as  overtime4    ,when it is a 
question of work being prolonged beyond 
the eight hours a  day by the           

entertaining of friends1 one can only   
say that this ought not  to happen if   
the housewife planned her working       
schedule carefully4 ,she  alone is      
responsible for her social engagements2 
she alone can make a  schedule that will
 enable her to have her friends come to 
luncheon or  dinner without prolonging  
the day's work beyond the hours agreed  
upon  between herself and her employees4
    ,when friends arrive unexpectedly1  
however1 or when a dinner party or  a   
big social function takes place in the  
home1 an eight hour schedule  may be the
 cause of great inconvenience1 unless a 
previous agreement  has been made to    
meet just such occasions4 ,it is certain
 that some  compensation is due to all  
domestic employees for the extra long   
hours  of work caused by unusual events 
in the home life of their employers1    
and many ways have been devised already 
to remunerate them4    ,in modern social
 life a custom of long standing still   
exists which makes  it almost compulsory

 for this remuneration to come out of   
the pocket1  not of the hostess1 but of 
her guests4 ,the unfortunate custom of  
giving  tips is not generally criticised
 very openly1 but when viewed in the    
light of reason and justice1 it seems to
 be a very poor way of trying to  remove
 one of the present hardships connected 
with domestic labor4 ,why  should the   
housewife depend upon the generosity of 
her guests to help  her pay her         
household employees8 ,she never demurs  
at the extra expense  entailed in giving
 luncheons and dinners in her friends'  
honor1 nor in  taking them to places of 
interest and amusement4 ,why then should
 she  object to giving a little more    
money to her household employees upon   
whose work the success of her           
hospitality so largely depends8         
,there are many women who entertain     
extensively1 but they never  recompense 
a household employee for any extra work 
that may be demanded  from her on that  
account4 ,they consider themselves fully

 justified in  exacting extra long hours
 of work because of the high wages they 
pay1  especially as it frequently       
happens that while the work is more on  
some  days1 it is less on others1 and   
they think in consequence that their    
employees have no cause for complaint4  
,it is a mistake1 however1 to think that
 an employee who is obliged  to be on   
duty and has little or nothing to do on 
one day1 is really  compensated for the 
extra hours of work she has been        
compelled to give  on other days4 ,a    
saleswoman who on certain days has no   
customers or only  a few1 is just as    
much on duty as if her work filled all  
her time1 and  it is the same with a    
domestic employee4 ,indeed it is        
generally conceded  to be more irksome  
to remain idle at one's post than to be 
actively  engaged in work4    ,but on   
the other hand1 there are many          
housewives who feel that they  ought to 
give their employees more pay for extra 
work especially when it  is connected   

with the entertaining of friends1 and   
the following ways of  rewarding them   
have been tried with more or less       
success4    ,one plan that gained favor 
with several families was to give ten   
cents  to the cook and ten cents to the 
waitress every time a guest was invited 
to a meal3 ten cents for each guest4 ,at
 the end of a month the ten cent  pieces
 had amounted to quite a sum of money4  
,another plan that was tried in a small 
family was to give fifty cents to  the  
cook and fifty cents to each of the two 
waitresses for every dinner  party that 
took place1 regardless of the number of 
guests4 ,still another  plan was to give
 at the end of the month1 a two dollar1 
five dollar1 or  ten dollar bill to an  
employee who had given many extra hours 
of  satisfactory work to her employer4  
,all these plans are good in a certain  
sense1 inasmuch as they show  that women
 are awakening to the realization that  
some compensation is  due to household  
employees for the extra long hours of   

work frequently  unavoidable in family  
life4 ,but unfortunately these plans    
lack  stability1 for they depend        
altogether upon the generosity and      
kindness  of different employers1       
instead of upon a just and firmly       
established  business principle4    ,and
 now comes the question3 ,what method of
 payment for overtime will  produce a   
permanently satisfactory result8    ,the
 only one that appears just and is      
applicable to all cases is to pay  each 
employee one and a half times as much   
per hour for extra work as  for regular 
work4 ,in this way each employee is paid
 for overtime in just  proportion to the
 value of her regular services4 ,for    
instance1 when a  household employee    
receives #bj1 #cj1 or #dj per month1    
that is to say  #e1 #g4ej1 or #aj per   
week1 for working eight hours a day and 
six days  a week1 she is receiving      
approximately #aj1 #ae1 or #bj cents per
 hour for  her regular work4 ,by giving 
her one and one half times as much for  

extra  work1 she ought to receive #ae1  
#bb-a_/b1 or #cj cents per hour for     
every  hour she works for her employer  
after the completion of her regular     
eight hours' work4    ,this plan has    
never failed to bring satisfaction1 and 
it has the  advantage of placing the    
employer and the employee on an equally 
delightful footing of independence4 ,the
 performance of extra work is no  longer
 regarded as a matter of obligation on  
one side1 and of concession  on the     
other1 but as a purely business         
transaction4    ,some housewives fear   
that the regular work would be          
intentionally  prolonged beyond all     
measure if it became an established rule
 to pay  extra for work performed       
overtime4 ,this could be easily checked1
  however1 by paying extra only for work
 that was necessitated by unusual       
events in the family life4    ,in       
families where only one employee is     
kept1 naturally the occasions for       
asking her to work overtime arise more  

frequently than in families where  there
 are two or more employees1 especially  
if there be small children  in the      
family4 ,yet these occasions need not   
come very often1 if the  housewife bears
 in mind that even with only one        
employee1 she has eight  hours every day
 at her own disposal2 she ought to plan 
her outside  engagements accordingly4   
,her liberty from household cares during
  these eight hours can only be gained  
though by having efficient and          
trustworthy assistants in her home1 and 
she can never obtain these  unless she  
abandons her old fashioned methods of   
housekeeping4 ,she must  grant to       
household employees the same rights and 
privileges given to  business employees2
 she must apply business principles to  
housework4  ,a great power lies in the  
hands of the modern housewife1 a power  
as yet  only suspected by a few1 which1 
if properly wielded1 can raise housework
  from its present undignified position 
to the place it ought to occupy1  and   

that is in the foremost rank of manual  
labor for women4          ,,part ,,iii  
,,eight ,,hour ,,schedules ,,in ,,the   
,,home      ,eight hour schedules for   
one employee4    ,eight hour schedules  
for two employees4    ,eight hour       
schedules for three employees4          
,,eight ,,hour ,,schedules ,,for ,,one  
,,employee    ,the schedules given in   
the following pages have been in actual 
practice  for a sufficient length of    
time to prove that they can be relied on
 to  produce satisfactory results1      
although no doubt many housewives will  
find that some of them must be modified 
to meet special requirements in  their  
homes4    ,two very important points    
must always be borne in mind in order to
  obtain the greatest advantage from an 
eight hour schedule1 especially in      
families where only one employee is     
engaged to do the housework4    ,the    
first point is this3 the housewife ought
 only to make her working  schedule     
after she has carefully studied her own 

comfort and  convenience in regard to   
the hours she considers the most        
important of  the day for her to have   
help in her housework4    ,the second   
point is for the housewife to reserve   
for herself the entire  freedom of the  
eight hours during which her employee is
 on duty1 for  then she can place1 or   
she ought to be able to1 the full       
responsibility  of the housekeeping upon
 her employee4    ,by adhering strictly 
to these two points1 the housewife will 
soon  perceive that she can dispense    
with the services of her employee for   
the  remaining hours of the day without 
much inconvenience to herself or her    
family4 ,she may even find it more      
pleasant than otherwise to be relieved  
from the sight and sound of household   
work1 for at least a few hours a  day1  
when she is in her own home4            
,possibly the housewife who has but one 
employee will not accept with  alacrity 
the proposition of allowing her to be   
off duty for an entire  day once a week1

 for unless she be willing to do the    
necessary work  herself on that day1 she
 must engage a special person to take   
the place  of her regular employee4 ,but
 many families engage a woman to come   
once a  week to help with the washing   
and house-cleaning1 especially when they
  have only one household employee4 ,if 
this woman came on the day the  regular 
employee was away1 she could relieve the
 housewife of all the  housework that   
could not be postponed until the next   
day4      ,,schedule ,,no4 ,i    ,when  
only one employee is engaged in a       
private home1 her services are  needed  
more at meal time than at any other time
 of the day1 especially  if small       
children are in the family4 ,as the     
hours for the three  principal meals are
 about the same everywhere1 the         
following schedule is  a very useful    
one4      ,from  #g ,a4,m4 to #aj ,a4,m4
        #c hours    ,from #ab ,m4   to  
#c ,p4,m4        #c hours    ,from  #f  
,p4,m4 to  #h ,p4,m4        #b hours    

-------                                 
#h hours    ,in the morning from seven  
to ten o'clock1 the employee had ample  
time  to prepare and serve breakfast and
 wash up the dishes afterwards1 and  do 
the chamberwork4 ,the three hours from  
noon until three o'clock were  filled   
with duties that varied considerably    
each day4 ,luncheon was  served at one  
o'clock2 it was but a light meal easy to
 cook and easy to  serve1 therefore the 
time from two to three o'clock was      
usually devoted  to ironing1 or mending1
 or cleaning silver1 or polishing       
brasses1 or  preparing some of the      
dishes in advance either for dinner that
 evening  or for luncheon the next day4 
,two hours were sufficient to cook and  
serve dinner and wash up the dishes     
afterwards4 ,a woman came once a  week1 
on the day the employee was off duty1 to
 do the family washing and  assist with 
the general housework4 ,she also did    
some of the ironing2 the  rest of the   
ironing was done the next day by the    

regular employee4    ,this schedule has 
been tested1 not merely once for a few  
months1 but  several times1 and not with
 the same employee1 but with different  
employees1 and it has always been most  
satisfactory4    ,it may seem doubtful  
to those who have never had their       
housework done on  schedule time that   
the work can be completed in the time   
stated1 but the  greatest incentive that
 an employee can have to work quickly   
and well1  is to know that her position 
is as good as any she can find          
elsewhere1  and that when her work is   
over she is free to do exactly as she   
pleases  with the remainder of her time4
      ,,schedule ,,no4 ,,ii    ,the     
following schedule is very different    
from the preceding one1  inasmuch as the
 housewife did not consider it necessary
 for her  employee to be on duty in the 
middle of the day4 ,there were no       
children  in this family and as the     
housewife was alone in the day time1 she
 very  frequently went out for luncheon4

 ,she concluded therefore that it was   
the best time of the day for her to     
dispense with the services of her       
employee1 whose working hours were      
arranged thus3      ,from #g3cj ,a4,m4  
to #aa3cj ,a4,m4   #d hours    ,from    
#d3cj ,p4,m4 to  #h3cj ,p4,m4   #d hours
                                        
-------                                 
#h hours    ,by half past eleven in the 
morning1 all the usual housework was    
finished1 and the employee went home2   
she returned at half past four in  the  
afternoon1 in time to attend to five    
o'clock tea and dinner4 ,once a  week1  
on alternate ,saturdays and ,sundays1   
she had a day of rest4 ,on  these days  
the housewife got breakfast ready       
herself1 after which she  did as much or
 as little of the regular work as she   
chose4 ,it is not  difficult to reduce  
housework to a minimum on special       
occasions4 ,the  family1 which was a    
small one1 consisting of three adults1  
usually went  out to dinner on these    

alternate ,saturdays and ,sundays4      
,,schedule ,,no4 ,,iii    ,in this      
schedule1 the employee's work is divided
 into two periods1 with  one hour for   
rest between4 ,the family consisted of a
 man and his wife1  who lived in an     
apartment4 ,the hours of work were as   
follows3      ,from #ab ,m4   to #c     
,p4,m4         #c hours    ,from  #d    
,p4,m4 to #i ,p4,m4         #e hours    
-------                                 
#h hours    ,the housewife was very fond
 of entertaining1 and she chose an      
employee  who was an excellent cook and 
a very good waitress4 ,in consequence   
she  was able to place the entire       
responsibility of luncheons and dinners 
on  her1 and on days when no guests were
 present all the house-cleaning was     
done4 ,as the employee did not report on
 duty before noon1 the housewife  was   
obliged to get breakfast herself4       
,however this was a very simple  matter1
 for her employee always set the table  
for breakfast the night  before4 ,the   

next morning it was very easy for the   
housewife1 with the  aid of an electric 
heater on the breakfast table1 to heat  
the cereal1  boil the water for the     
coffee1 and broil the bacon or scramble 
the eggs1  or indeed to prepare any of  
the usual breakfast dishes4    ,the     
employee did all the washing1 ironing   
and mending each week1 and  although she
 came to her work only at noon1 she     
accomplished as much  work during her   
eight hours as if she began earlier in  
the day4      ,,schedule ,,no4 ,,iv     
,many schedules were tried before a     
really satisfactory one was finally     
chosen for a family of six3 mother1     
father1 four small children4 ,the       
eldest child was seven years old1 and   
there was only one household  employee  
to help with the work4 ,they lived in   
the country1 and breakfast  had to be   
served promptly at #g3cj ,a4,m41 on     
account of taking the early  morning    
train to town4    ,naturally1 with only 
one employee1 the housewife was         

compelled to do  some of the housework  
herself1 and until the following        
schedule was  adopted1 she had been in  
the habit of rising early1 dressing the 
children1 and getting breakfast ready   
herself4 ,her employee arrived  later in
 the day and remained until after dinner
 at night4 ,the comfort  and general    
welfare of the mother were increased to 
such a remarkable  degree by the new    
schedule1 however1 that it is well worth
 special  attention4    ,the hours were 
as follows3      ,from  #f3cj ,a4,m4 to 
#aj3cj ,a4,m4  #d hours    ,from #aa3cj 
,a4,m4 to  #c3cj ,p4,m4  #d hours       
-------                                 
#h hours    ,immediately upon arriving  
at the house1 the employee went to the  
children and took complete charge of all
 of them4 ,the two oldest dressed       
themselves1 but of course the other two 
required help4 ,after dressing  them1   
she prepared breakfast4 ,the cereal was 
always cooked the day  before1 and as a 
gas stove was used for cooking purposes1

 it was not  hard to have breakfast     
ready promptly every morning at #g3cj4  
,then the  employee1 having had her own 
breakfast before leaving her home1      
worked  steadily until #aj3cj ,a4,m4    
,during this time1 the only work the    
mother  felt she ought to do was to go  
out with her two youngest children2 the 
other two went to school4 ,she was      
always home again by #aj3cj1 when her   
employee stopped working4 ,the employee 
lived too far away to go home for       
lunch1 and as there was no place in the 
neighborhood where she could go  for    
lunch1 she always brought it with her   
and ate it in her employer's  house4    
,during the hour she was off duty1 the  
mother attended to some  household      
duties herself1 and she also bathed the 
two children1 and put  them to bed for  
their morning nap4    ,at #aa3cj1 her   
employee reappeared on duty1 and took   
full charge of the  house and children  
until #c3cj ,p4,m42 her work for the day
 was then over  and she went home4      

,this schedule makes the mother stay    
home after half past three1  but by that
 time all the real housework had been   
done by her employee4  ,to give the     
children their supper and to put them to
 bed leisurely1 was  much easier work   
than to rise early and dress them       
hurriedly in the  morning1 and to get   
breakfast ready for the entire family4  
,it was not  much trouble to get dinner 
herself in the evening for her husband  
and  herself only4 ,the house was quiet1
 the children asleep1 and there was  no 
necessity of hurrying as in the morning4
 ,when she wished to give a  dinner     
party1 or to receive her friends1 or to 
go to any entertainment  in the         
afternoon after #c3cj1 she asked her    
employee to give her extra  hours of    
work for which she paid extra4 ,once a  
week her employee had a  day of rest1   
and on this day another woman was       
engaged to take her  place4    ,this    
schedule enabled the mother to have many
 hours each day absolutely  free from   

the children and household cares4       
,,eight ,,hour ,,schedules ,,for ,,two  
,,employees    ,it is much easier to    
plan an eight hour schedule for two     
employees than  for one1 and there is no
 limit to the number of different ways  
in which  the sixteen hours of work may 
be divided1 subdivided1 and arranged to 
please the individual housewife4 ,with  
two employees1 it is no longer          
necessary for the housewife to remain at
 home while one is off duty1  even for  
an hour1 for one relieves the other     
without any cessation of  work4 ,even on
 the seventh day1 the day of rest1 the  
housewife can  always arrange to have   
her work done without doing it herself1 
in spite  of the absence of one of her  
employees4    ,when a schedule is       
finally agreed upon1 however1 it must be
 rigidly  enforced1 for it is more      
important to keep to the hours specified
 when  there are two employees than when
 there is only one4 ,although the       
housewife may be tempted to claim the   

privilege of changing her hours  very   
often to please herself1 since she is   
the employer1 if she value  her peace of
 mind1 she will refrain from doing it4  
,only when the  inevitable1 the         
unforeseen1 occurs should she make a    
change in her  regular schedule4 ,when  
one employee is off duty all day1 the   
other  employee can remain on duty the  
entire day2 naturally this plan         
necessitates more than eight hours of   
work on that day1 probably two  or three
 more hours1 but if on the day after or 
the day before1 the  employee be allowed
 to work two or three hours less than   
eight hours1  the average of eight hours
 a day and six days a week is           
maintained4    ,another example of what 
the housewife can do when one of her    
employees  is off duty the entire day1  
is to make her other employee follow    
schedule ,no4 #a4 ,this enables her to  
keep to eight hours a day and at the    
same time the housewife does none of the
 housework herself4      ,,schedule     

,,no4 ,v    ,with two employees it is a 
wise plan to arrange a schedule that    
makes  the work of one employee commence
 the moment the work of the other       
ceases4 ,this tends to promote          
punctuality without requiring special   
supervision on the part of the          
housewife4    ,the following schedule is
 admirably adapted to the every day life
 of the  average family with two        
employees3      ,first ,employee        
,from  #g ,a4,m4 to #aa ,a4,m4        #d
 hours    ,from #ab ,m4   to  #d ,p4,m4 
#d hours                                
-------                                 
#h hours      ,second ,employee         
,from #aa ,a4,m4 to #c ,p4,m4         #d
 hours    ,from  #d ,p4,m4 to #h ,p4,m4 
#d hours                                
-------                                 
#h hours    ,all the washing1 ironing1  
and mending of the family were done by  
the  two employees1 and they also took  
care of the children when necessary4    
,besides being good cooks1 they were    

both excellent waitresses2 in           
consequence it made no difference which 
one was on duty at meal time4    ,one   
employee only was in charge of          
breakfast2 she came at seven o'clock  in
 the morning1 and worked steadily until 
eleven o'clock1 when the  second        
employee arrived4 ,she then went out for
 her lunch1 returning at  twelve1 and   
remaining on duty until four o'clock in 
the afternoon4 ,she  was then free for  
the remainder of the day4    ,the second
 employee1 as soon as she arrived at #aa
 ,a4,m41 went through  the house and    
finished any work that was not completed
 by the first  employee4 ,she worked    
without stopping until #c ,p4,m41 then  
went away for  her lunch2 she returned  
at #d ,p4,m4 to relieve the first       
employee whose  work was over at four   
o'clock4 ,the second employee remained  
on duty  until #h ,p4,m42 she cooked and
 served dinner so quickly and           
efficiently  that the housewife who had 
always been accustomed to have two      

employees1  a cook and a waitress1 on   
duty for dinner every night1 found to   
her great surprise that one efficient   
household employee1 working on  schedule
 time1 accomplished in the same time the
 work of two of her  former servants4   
,,schedule ,,no4 ,,vi    ,in this       
schedule the housewife wanted both her  
employees to help her  with her two     
children4 ,with this end in view1 she   
made all the work of  the house         
interchange with the care of the        
children2 in consequence when  one      
employee was off duty1 the other could  
always be relied on to help  with the   
children4 ,this proved to be a very     
successful schedule1 for it  relieved   
the mother from being obliged to sit in 
the nursery as she was  compelled to do 
every time her former nurse went        
downstairs to her  meals1 or had her    
afternoon off4 ,but when the mother     
wished to be with  her children1 and    
that was very often1 the employee who   
was in the  nursery at the time1 left   

the room immediately to attend to other 
household duties4    ,both employees    
were on duty at #g ,a4,m41 a most       
necessary arrangement  where there are  
small children in a family4 ,the first  
employee prepared  and served breakfast 
for the family1 while the other employee
 took full  charge of the children1     
giving them their breakfast in the      
nursery1 and  taking them out afterwards
 for a walk4 ,at #aj ,a4,m41 she        
returned with the  children1 and she was
 then off duty for two hours4 ,the      
mother generally  chose this time to be 
with her children2 if however1 she had  
any other  engagement1 the first        
employee was on duty until noon and     
could be  called upon to look after     
them4      ,first ,employee      ,from  
#g ,a4,m4 to #ab ,m4           #e hours 
,from #e ,p4,m4 to  #h ,p4,m4         #c
 hours                                  
-------                                 
#h hours      ,second ,employee         
,from  #g ,a4,m4 to #aj ,a4,m4        #c

 hours    ,from #ab ,m4   to  #e ,p4,m4 
#e hours                                
-------                                 
#h hours      ,,schedule ,,no4 ,,vii    
,there are many families who may object 
to all the preceding schedules  on      
account of the early hour in the evening
 for household employees  to be off     
duty4 ,when the housewife has never had 
her housework done on  schedule time by 
an efficient employee1 she may well     
think it impossible  to have the dinner 
dishes washed up and everything put away
 in order by  #h ,p4,m4 ,however some   
families do not begin dinner before half
 past seven1  or eight o'clock1 or even 
later1 but in these families1 it is not 
unusual for the breakfast hour to be    
very late also4 ,in consequence  nothing
 is easier than to make a schedule for  
the day's work begin late  and end late1
 without making any other alteration in 
it4    ,the following schedule1 however1
 combines an early breakfast and a late 
dinner1 in a family where only two      

employees were kept3      ,first        
,employee      ,from #g ,a4,m4 to #ab   
,m4           #e hours    ,from #e      
,p4,m4 to  #h ,p4,m4         #c hours   
-------                                 
#h hours      ,second ,employee         
,from #ab ,m4   to  #e ,p4,m4        #e 
hours    ,from  #g ,p4,m4 to #aj ,p4,m4 
#c hours    7or from #h to #aa ,p4,m47  
-------                                 
#h hours      ,,eight ,,hour ,,schedules
 ,,for ,,three ,,employees    ,the      
greater the number of household         
employees1 the easier it is to make  a  
satisfactory working schedule4 ,but the 
temptation to specialize the  work is   
greater1 and should be carefully guarded
 against4 ,it is just as  necessary with
 three employees as with one for the    
housewife to insist  that each one be   
capable and willing to do all kinds of  
work in the  home1 including sewing and 
taking care of children4    ,with three 
employees1 the housewife ought to make  
them take turns in  cooking and serving 

one of the three meals each day4 ,this  
enables them  to become familiar with   
the dining room and with the different  
dishes  for each course2 it also removes
 any feeling of embarrassment which     
naturally might be felt by an employee  
who is rarely called upon to cook  or   
serve a meal4    ,to have an expert     
needlewoman in the house is a great boon
 to the  housewife1 and when she has    
three employees who can sew in her home1
 she  ought to insist upon a great deal 
of sewing and mending being done by     
each one of them4    ,it is rare that   
the servant of to-day is a good sewer2  
in fact the  housewife would hesitate to
 ask her to do even the ordinary        
mending1 but  when one engages household
 employees on an eight hour schedule1   
and when  there are a hundred women to  
choose from1 it is not hard to find     
several  who sew well4      ,,schedule  
,,no4 ,,viii    ,it is so easy to plan  
the housework for three employees that  
one  schedule as an example seems quite 

sufficient1 and the only thing that  the
 housewife must remember is to make all 
the work interchangeable4        ,first 
,employee      ,from  #g ,a4,m4 to #aa  
,a4,m4        #d hours    ,from #ab ,m4 
to  #d ,p4,m4        #d hours           
-------                                 
#h hours      ,second ,employee         
,from #aa ,a4,m4 to #c ,p4,m4         #d
 hours    ,from  #d ,p4,m4 to #h ,p4,m4 
#d hours                                
-------                                 
#h hours      ,third ,employee          
,from #b ,p4,m4 to  #e ,p4,m4         #c
 hours    ,from #f ,p4,m4 to #aa ,p4,m4 
#e hours                                
-------                                 
#h hours          ,,conclusion      ,in 
conclusion it seems that a few words are
 necessary about families who  need the 
services of an employee at night as well
 as in the day time4  ,there are many   
mothers who do not wish or who are not  
able to take  care of their children at 
night1 and in consequence it is         

absolutely  necessary to have an        
attendant4 ,the present custom is to    
have the nurse  or maid sleep in the    
same room as the baby1 or in a room     
adjoining the  children's bedroom1 so as
 to be within call4 ,but a woman who has
 worked  all day1 or even eight hours a 
day1 should not have her sleep disturbed
  at night by taking care of children4  
,no woman can be fit for her work  the  
next day if she has not been able to    
secure the average amount of  sleep     
necessary to health4    ,in many cases  
it has been proved that when a child    
does not sleep  well at night1 the nurse
 has taken upon herself the             
responsibility of  giving it soothing   
syrup so as to keep it quiet4 ,this is  
hardly to be  wondered at when one      
considers the strain under which the    
nurse is kept  day and night by taking  
care of a small child2 besides the      
average nurse  is generally ignorant of 
the harm caused by so-called soothing   
syrups4    ,if a child be sick1 the     

mother should call in a trained nurse1  
that  is if she can afford it1 and when 
she has several employees1 she can      
usually afford this extra expense4 ,if  
the child or children be well1  and the 
mother desires some one to attend to    
them at night1 she should  engage a     
woman who has no occupation during the  
day and who is willing  to work at      
night4 ,she should make a point of      
choosing one who sews well1  so that the
 services of a seamstress might be      
combined with the duties  of a night    
nurse4 ,there is always some mending to 
do in all families and  a woman who is  
clever with her needle might make       
herself very useful to  her employer4   
,thousands of women sew by artificial   
light in dressmaking  establishments and
 factories2 in all probability just as  
many women  could be found to sew by    
artificial light in private homes4      
,perhaps at  first the novelty of       
working at night might deter women from 
taking a  position similar to the one   

suggested above1 but a woman who was    
really  in need of work would not let   
the unusual hours prevent her from      
accepting it1    ,many men work at night
 and it is not unlikely that many women 
would be  willing to do it too4 ,women  
are not as timid as they were reputed to
  be in former years2 they would neither
 scream nor faint nowadays at  the sight
 of a little mouse scampering across the
 floor4 ,indeed quite  recently the     
newspapers reported that a woman whose  
husband had just  died had accepted the 
position of a night watchman1 and she   
filled her  new rle so successfully that
 on one occasion she managed to seize a 
burglar and handed him over to a        
policeman4    ,this proposition of      
engaging a woman to work at night is    
only a  suggestion1 however1 offered to 
those who find it absolutely necessary  
to have a domestic employee in their    
house at night4 ,it remains to be       
proved if it could be carried out       
successfully4    ,but the great changes 

in housekeeping described in the        
preceding  chapters are not mere        
suggestions nor theories of what might  
be done3  each reform has already been  
put into actual practice4 ,the result   
has  been so extraordinary that one is  
impelled to believe that the only way   
to solve the ,servant ,problem is to    
apply business principles to  housework 
in private homes4    ,naturally such a  
revolution from methods now in vogue can
 not be wrought  in a day1 and the      
transitional period may be one of some  
difficulty and  confusion for employer  
and employee alike who have spent a     
large portion  of their lives under the 
old rgime4 ,but the revolution is       
imperative1  and the ultimate benefit   
beyond calculation4