An amusing instance of this was recently shown at a country place near
New York, 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 maid. The friend could not find any one at the domestic
employment agencies willing to go, but at last through the Charity
Organization Society, she heard of a woman temporarily out of
employment, who had been frequently employed as scrubwoman on the
vacation piers. When the work was offered her, she accepted it
immediately. Arriving at her new employer's house, she began at once to
scrub the floors, and when the work was completed, she sat on a chair
and took no further notice of anything. The next day, having no more
floors to scrub, the same general lack of interest was manifested. She
was asked to wash the dishes after dinner. She replied that she was not
used to "dishwashing," and did not know how to do it. She was persuaded,
however, to make the attempt, but performed her new task very
reluctantly. The following morning she said she felt "lonely" and
would return at once to the city. As the train came in sight to bear
her back to her accustomed surroundings, she gave a snort of relief,
and exclaimed: "I'm a scrubwoman, I am. I ain't going to do no fancy
dishwashing, no, not for no one; I'm a scrubwoman." And she clambered up
into the train with the alacrity of a woman whose dignity had received a
hard blow.

The above illustration is typical of the spirit subjected to the system
of specialization, and shows how unwise it is to encourage it in the
home where all branches of housework could be easily made
interchangeable.

Under the new system of limiting housework to eight hours a day, the