Many students were taking their lunch at the time.

I noticed that the waiters were an unusually clean set of young men, and upon inquiry was informed that they were students of the University, and that when a waiter was wanted many students applied, as the poorer students were glad to avail themselves of the opportunity to earn some money.
Honest labor, though menial, is not considered degrading, and no American of education and refinement is above doing it.

In some of the states in the East, owing to the scarcity of servants, families do their own cooking and other household work.

Some few years ago I was on a visit to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, and was surprised to find that my hostess not only did the cooking but also cleaned my room.

I was invited to a formal luncheon by a professor, and to my astonishment his two daughters waited at the table.