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servant or more clothes

July 24th, 2009 at 05:24 pm

Sometimes in reading old books I wonder how so many 'middle class' families afforded servants.

In a way it seems they spent more on 'help' and less on clothes, food, dining out, and other simple things.

given a choice I would take a maid over clothes in a minute!

But now a days, clothes are cheap, maids expensive.

I wonder why? From my reading of fiction (so not to be confused with real history) A maid once employed was frequently given, roam, board and some small amount of spending money. Course the details of room/board are a bit different today. That and no one under 18 can seek employment really. So you have to pay a gal (or guy since we are so enlightened these days) who is old enough to start their own family if you want a maid, and they certainly expects to be able to raise a family on that wage.... Considering modern cleaning 'stuff' I would think it is easier to be a maid today than back when you had no vacuum, no washers, and no swiffers. So why do they cost more?

Servants quarters ranged from dorm room type to hovels, to a room in the stables, to a trundle bed in the kids room. Now a days if you had live in help they would expect their own apartment...with AC and cable TV of course.

I think we would have less unemployment if we let folk do unskilled labor for unskilled labor wages. Not to mention paying the neighbor kid to cut my grass shouldn't be a federal offense.

Posted in Complaint department | 3 Comments »

3 Responses to “servant or more clothes”

  1. whitestripe Says:
    July 24th, 2009 at 10:50 pm 1248472234
    1248472234

    here you can get a job when you're 14 and 9 months.

  2. zetta Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 12:11 am 1248477070
    1248477070

    Poverty was much more widespread and more severe in the bad old days, so being a servant at subsistance wages + room & board was the best option many people had. The minimum wage and welfare assistance make it possible for the poorest today to have a roof over their heads and food on the table, so not many would choose to do all your cooking and cleaning in exchange for a cot in your garage and leftovers from your dinner.

    I saw a quote by some early 20th centry author who said something like, "I never dreamed I'd ever be so poor I couldn't afford servants, or so rich I'd own an automobile!"

  3. princessperky Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 09:19 pm 1248553199
    1248553199

    For the record, I don't think servants should be under paid, just that moping a floor doesn't deserve much more than a babysitter wage. (and no reason a 15 year old couldn't do it either)

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