Part 22 (1/2)
In England, the housekeeper engages the servants and supervises thee of the stores and the house linen, and in general is responsible for the econoeuests and the family She is expected to see that her employers are not cheated, and this in our country makes her unpopular A bad housekeeper is worse than none, as of course her powers of stealing are endless
The butler is responsible for the silver and wine He must be absolute over the foot of dishes, and then stands behind the chair of his mistress All the men-servants must be clean shaven; none are perentlemen
A lady's , orrequired to do all that, and to eat with the other servants, she is apt to complain A French maid always complains of the table She , be a good packer, and always at hand to dress her lady and to sit up for her when she returns froh and she is apt to become a tyrant
It is very difficult to define for an American household the duties of servants, which are so well defined in England and on the continent
Every lady has her own individual ideas on this subject, and servants have _their_ individual ideas, which they do not have in Europe I heard an opulent gentleman who kept four men-servants in his house, and three in his stable, complain one snointer that he had not one ould shovel snow fro that it was not his business; so he wrote a note to a friendly black man, who came around, and rendered it possible for the o down to business This was an extreme case, but it illustrates one of the phases of our curious civilization
The butler is the important person, and it will be well for the lady to hold him responsible; he should see to it that the footmen are neat and clean Most servants in American houses wear black dress-coats, and white cravats, but some of our very rich men have now all their flunkies in livery, a sort of cut-away dress-coat, a waistcoat of another colour, ss, and low shoes Powdered footland we should say that the head footoes on he could hardly do anythinga ”buttons,” a small boy, who has, as dickens says, ”broken out in an eruption of buttons” on his jacket, who sits the livelong day the slave of the bell
The secondsilver, sweeping, arranging the fireplaces, and washi+ng dishes; and what the third man does, except to black boots, I have never been able to discover I think he serves as valet to the gentle boys, runs with notes, and is ”Jeaenerally I was once taken over her vast establish to ements; but I did not think she knew herself what that third man did I noticed that there were always several foot at dinner
”They also serve who only stand and wait”
One thing I do rerand da the servants their dinner She rose and stood while my lady spoke to her, but at a wave of the hand from the countess all the others remained seated The butler was at the other end of the table looking very sheepish The dinner was a boiled leg of e Yorkshi+re pudding,--no vegetables but potatoes; pitchers of ale, and bread and cheese, finished this ht in afternoon tea; perhaps he filled that place which is described in one of Miss Mulock's novels:--
”Dolly was hired as an offwhich the other servants would not do”
The etiquette of the stable servants was also explained to land The coachman is as powerful a person in the equine realrooer to their hats when spoken to by er members of the family, or visitors, and in the case of royalty all stand with hats off, the coach his, until the Prince of Wales, or his peers, are seated
In some houses I was told that the upper servants had their meals prepared by a kitchen maid, and that they had a different table frooverness was a person to be pitied; she was an educated girl, still the servant of the head nurse She passed her entire life with the children, yet ate by herself, unless perhaps with the very young children The head governess ate luncheon with the fa ladies in the evening Generally this personage was expected to sing and play for the aine a set of servants thus trained, brought to Aood as the reat deal better They soon cease to be respectful This is the first break in the chain A man, a Senator, was asked out to dinner in Albany; the lady of the house said, ”I have a great respect for Senator ----; he used to wait on this table”
That is a glorious thing for the flag, for the United States, but there is a olden chain of household order It is a difficult task to produce here the harlish household
Our service at home is like our diploradation of service, but in the case of our foreign ministers, they have risen to be the best in the world We have plenty of talent at top; it is the root of the tree which puzzles us
We o out to service It is a thousand pities that she will not It is not ignoble to do household ell The chatelaines of the Middle Ages cooked and served the reatly needed; we should follow the nurses' training-school
Our dinner-tables in A and narrow, fitted to the shape of the dining-rooreat house, a table so narrow that one could alhbour The ornarasses and orchids, far above our heads One or two ifts of monarchs, alone ornamented the table This was a very sociable dinner-table and rather pleasing Then came the round table, so vast that the footmen must have ht Lady Caroline La up and down the table, telling the butler to ”produce pyraram, suited to a baronial hall; and this is copied in our best country houses As no conversation of a confidential character is ever allowed at an English table until all the servants have left the roo to allow a servant to talk to theladies of what she hears in the servants' hall The gossip of couriers and -place reaches Aets into American newspapers solish never to listen to this As we have conquered everything else in America, perhaps we shall conquer the servant question, to the advantage of both parties We should try to keep our servants a longer tie goes on forever, and there are some where the domestic machine runs without friction The hostess , and may be inspired with a sixth sense If she is she can make her composite family respectful, helpful, and happy; but it must be confessed that it is as yet a vexed question, one which gives us trouble and will give us et on with three or four servants, and very antly with this number, while more live ith two
Toas between those who employ and those who serve, one little anecdote lish family, of the middle class The lady said to her maid, ”Bromley, your ”
Bromley said, ”Yes, my lady”
An American lady stood near with her maid, who flushed deeply
”What is the matter, Jane?” asked her lady