SIR,—Your correspondent, Miss Ann Pope, is very ready to blame
the mistress for any unsatisfactory conditions in domestic service, but passes lightly over the folly that induces a girl to leave a situation where she is being well trained, well paid, and well cared for. During thirty years' experience of training young and -inexperienced maids, I have found in most cases that as soon as a girl begins to be worth her wages, and to repay the time and trouble spent in teaching, she, or her friends, think she ought to leave to " better herself," which frequently means taking a situation of which she knows nothing to do work beyond her ability. There are, of course, exceptions ; but the fact is that girls beyond school age dis- like training or supervision, however kindly, though they may realize its advantages later.
The ideal arrangement would be for them to go straight on from the ordinary school to one where they could -have a full year's training in cookery and general housework under com- petent teachers. Unfortunately, they could not expect goal wages while under training, but possibly something might be done to provide scholarships on the lines of the County Council Intermediate Scholarships for -suitable candidates.
Failing full-time schools, regular courses of lessons in prac- tical cookery and housewifery, to which persons over school age could be admitted, at a reasonable cost, would be of ines- timable benefit. I know there are schools of cookery in large towns, but there arc few -available outside, and for the working classes. I have often wished that I could send my maids to a good teacher for lessons in economical cookery. They are so apt to resent any suggestion of economy and to regard it es meanness. The lessons would be a great help also to young wives. One of the great needs of the present-lay is a better knowledge of good plain cookery and housewifery.
Those mistresses who -are able to train young maids with success are doing better -work than is usually recognized, but the consciousness of this -is frequently their only reward.—I
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