1900-04-15-New York Sun-Domestics and Mormonism

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[edit] Domestics and Mormonism

New York Sun, 15 April 1900, p. 5, c. 5

Mormon Elders Making Converts in the Kitchen.

Evidence That Many Domestics From Protestant Europe Have Become Proselytes—Scarcity of Servants Attributed to This Cause—Skill of the Missionaries.

For the past three years the large cities of the East Coast have been the scene of the labor of 1 Mormon elders who have sought converts to Mormonism in kitchens and at basement entrances. Great numbers of pamphlets have been distributed by these elders among the women who are in- cluded in the army of domestic help. A careful investigation has been made among the agencies, and particularly among those which act for women that come to this country from Protestant Europe. The result seems clearly to establish the fact long known to many housekeepers, that many Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and English women have deserted housework and gone to Utah. The exact number of pros- elytes cannot be given, of course but those who have been in a position to study the matter, de- clare that a very large proportion of the unmarried Protestant female domestic servants have been converted to Mormonism and taken out West.

Recently such an exodus of this kind occurred in Chicago that the newspapers of that city de- clared that there was a famine of house servants and no relief could be obtained. Various rea- sons were assigned and some of them were plaus- ible enough, but what is believed to be the rea1 one was not mentioned. The elders of the Mor- mon Church might have explained the matter for scores of young women went out to Utah from Chicago at one time. The conversion of these servants has gone on quietly and been managed with skill. In fact, no Generals of modern times have carried on campaigns in the field with greater ability, tact and energy than have these elders who have gathered their recruits from the kitchens of the land, and left the country with them se- cretly and silently.

Occasionally a mistress has come upon a pam- phlet relating to religious matters, generally printed on poor paper, in poor type and rarely clean or attractive, in make-up. The majority of these pamphlets have had such titles as "A Friendly Discussion upon Religious Subjects," the seeming harmlessness of which has not tempted investigation sometimes tracts entitled "A Voice of Warning and Instruction to all People," has been seen in the hands of servants, but beyond an occasional discovery of this kind, people gen- erally have been in utter ignorance of the work being done in the cities among servant girls by agents of the Mormon Church. One observing woman who successively hired three Swedes, and recievd from all the same explanation, that they were about to be married, was amazed to notice that the same man proved to be the ad- mirer of two of her cooks. This fact dawned upon her when he was seen in conversation with the third servant. He passed as a brother to the third, but succeeded in inducing her to give up her place. Unsuspicious, and concerned more for the comfort of her family than the welfare of the help she engaged, she did not investigate the reasons given her for their leaving, nor did she seek to dissuade a girl from marrying if this rea- son was made the pretext for departure.

One clever woman who happened to be in the basement of her house alone one afternoon an- swered a summons to the street door and there saw a young man whose appearance was that of a countryman, and whose manner showed a re- straint born of inexperience in his business. The woman's kitchen apron led him to conclude that he was talking with the cook, and he whisperingly asked her if she would read a little book he would lend her, and let him come and talk with her about it sometime. Then before waiting for her reply, he said:

"I wonder if you are a Catholic?"

Being reassured on that point he smiled con- fidently, and with a show of renewed interest said that he would lend her another little book, which she would call good, and he hoped she would read both. Thereupon he handed to her a volume of 200 pages, pocket size, and bound in vivid red cloth. It looked harmless enough, as did the begrimed pamphlet he also gave her. The man eagerly inquired when he might call, and was told to come back one week later. He did so, and was met before reaching the basement bell by a member of the household who warned him to leave and return no more. Even after an ex- amination of the book, which proved to be one on the faith and doctrine f the Church of the Latter Day Saints, she did not realize that her caller was a Mormon elder, nor did she suspect that one of his denomination might have con- verted her last cook, who was a young and strong woman not long from Sweden.

Another housekeeper discovered in the mail box a circular advising the reader to send to a certain address for books, tracts and sermons, and asking the reader to get the book of Mormon which could be had for a nominal sum, at an ad- dress given. Handing the circular to her servant she noticed that the latter recognized the subject, and hastily put it not into the fire but into the cord box. Subsequently this same woman found another printed document in her kitchen giving a glowing description of the Salt Lake Temple, and of Salt Lake City. A poor illustration of the temple adorned the circular.

Countless complaints have been made by house- keepers of the presence in their kitchens of "fol- lowers," and endless have been the discussions as how best to get rid of them without losing their servants. And, when notes have been compared by neighbors, it has been found that many ser- vants have left their places on pretexts that were so trivial as to bear the stamp of untruthfulness, and that offers of increased wages did not avail to keep them.

The problem of domestic help, difficult enough in the past to all but the very rich, has become doubly so since this new factor has been introduced into it. Against the influence of the preaching of the Elders and their bright pictures of an in- dependent home for their converts in the West, where good honest farmers are declared to be waiting for wives to come to them, nothing avails. The newcomer among servants is, perhaps, easiest won over to the Mormon faith, but all grades have representatives among the converts, And, in justice to the proselyters, it may be said that they try to convert old and young alike, although they do not encourage others than the young, and to some extent the middle aged, to go to the West.

A faithful servant to a family in New York warned her mistress that she would lose two of her help and told her that they were going away to get married. Being encouraged by the confi- dence of her old servant, the mistress asked for particulars and learned that the two girls had been converted by a Mormon, and, producing a card, the servant said she had his name and address. The name was that of an elder, the printed address was Ogden, Utah, and there was a city address written in one corner of the card. On the back of the card were the thir- teen articles of faith ofthe Mormons or Latter Day Saints. As predicted, both girls gave notice, and, determined to test the sincerity of their con- version, their mistress offered them both a large increase of wages to remain in her service. They would not stay, though they did not at first re- fuse the tempting offer made, nor would they tell where they were going to live. Neither would they assign any reason for leaving.

The two classes of domestic help not affected by this new factor in the servant problem are the Irish Catholics and the colored servants. In no instance yet heard of has a Catholic been influenced, even by the glowing promises of an an independent home and a husband.

The servant converts are gathered together, it is said, at several headquarters, one of which is in Greenpoint, and here they remain until a party is made up, and they journey West. At this end of the line they have an easy time of it, except that they must remain under the watch- ful care of the elders. They have no resposi- bility beyond placing themselves under the con- trol of those in authority over them, and their fortunate situation influences others to follow their example and join the Mormon Church.

Whether the Catholic clergy are aware of the conversions being made among servant girls is not known, but it is not likely that they have knowledge of the success of the elders of the Mor- mon organization, and attribute the dearth of domestic help to the rightful cause. Certain it is they do not concern themselves with the sub- ject, and have no uneasiness regarding thier own charges.

Those whose attentions have been called to the activity of the elders among the servant girls and who have investigated the matter find that while their success is more marked among serv- ant girls than any other class of working wo- men they do not confine themselves to this one class. They frequent the small stores where young women are employed and seek to know women who earn their own livings, particularly the poorer paid wage earners. Their quiet per- sistency, and unvaryingly patient altitude to- ward women, are aids to their success and they proselytize continuously. Some of the elders have had the courage to hand their pamphlets to women in the streets, carefully selecting the women they accost.

With the religious aspects of this matter house- keepers are not concerned, they are accustomed to hire Catholics and Protestants indiscriminately, and do not bother about the religious convictions of their help. But they are concerned in the economic view of the case. If the Mormon elders are to get all the Protestant servants, where is the supply to come from? Every servants' agency in New York city, Jersey City and the surround- ing towns complains of the exodus of servants, and all are powerless to fill the demand. From all parts of the South colored help is being sent to this city. Men and women cooks from the South are engaged before they start North, and wages far beyond the figures paid them at home are promised. The supply of colored help will not be sufficient, it is declared, and the demand for Irish servants is so great that wages have been going up steadily for two yea years. It is said that large numbers of young women will come from Ireland this summer to take employment as domestics, and, doubtless, women from other countries will be induced to come by representa- tions made to them by agencies here.

The demand for house servants is universal and all over the country complaints are heard of the dearth that exists. The Mormon elders have worked so successfully that, it is asserted, they are to be credited with the changed condi- tions in domestic service, and they have worked so shrewdly that their proselytizing was not noticed until it had made great headway.

From England come fewer domestics every season and the work of the Mormons in England is said be the cause. Many English converts to the Mormon Church pass through New York on their way to Utah, but it is becoming more difficult every day to hire English servants.