d to obtain a domestic employee for general housework.
She went to several employment agencies and at the end of a week she
had seen four applicants; three were foreigners and spoke English so
brokenly that they could never have been left in charge of a telephone.
Not one of the four was worth considering after investigating their
references, and these were the only women she could find willing to do
general housework. Upon the advice of a friend, the perplexed housewife
advertised in one of the daily newspapers, but only a few women applied
for the position and these were far from being satisfactory. She then
inserted another advertisement expressed in the following words:
"Wanted: a young woman to help with housework, eight hours a day, six
days a week, sleep home. Apply by letter only."

This last clause was added to prevent any one from applying for the
position who could not write English, as it was absolutely necessary
that the person engaged to do the housework should be capable of
attending correctly to the telephone. On the same day the advertisement
appeared, eighty-five applications by letter were received, and twenty
more came the following day. 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
advertisement. Only one stated she would do no washing. Many who replied
to this advertisement had occupied positions, which according to the
present standard, were far superior to housework; many, too, were
married women, experienced in all household work, and most anxious to
accept a position in a private family, a position that did not break up
their own home life.

The housewife was bewildered by the unexpected result of her
advertisement: the tables were turned at last. Instead of being one of
many looking in vain for a good domestic employee, 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 needs.

The same advertisement has been inserted at different times and has
always brought the same remarkable result: from one hundred to one
hundred and sixty answers each time. It is true that all who present
themselves may not be efficient, but efficiency speedily comes to the
front when upon it alone depends a desirable position.

Two very important facts came to light through the help of this
advertisement