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diff --git a/43042-8.txt b/43042-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index e352356..0000000 --- a/43042-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2565 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Expert Maid-Servant, by Cristine Terhune Herrick - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Expert Maid-Servant - -Author: Cristine Terhune Herrick - -Release Date: June 26, 2013 [EBook #43042] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EXPERT MAID-SERVANT *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - -[Transcriber's Note: Underscores are used as delimiters for _italics_] - - - - - THE - EXPERT MAID-SERVANT - - BY - CHRISTINE TERHUNE HERRICK - - AUTHOR OF "HOUSEKEEPING MADE EASY" - "WHAT TO EAT AND HOW TO SERVE IT" - "CRADLE AND NURSERY" ETC. - - NEW YORK AND LONDON - HARPER & BROTHERS - PUBLISHERS :: 1904 - - - Copyright, 1904, by Harper & Brothers. - _All rights reserved._ - Published October, 1904. - - - - - TO - A FRIEND IN NEED - - - - -CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. Engaging the Maid 1 - - II. When the Maid Arrives 19 - - III. Mistress and Maid 36 - - IV. The Duties of the Maid-of-all-work 52 - - V. Duties of Two or More Servants 70 - - VI. Certain Problems of Service 88 - - VII. General Suggestions 104 - - VIII. A Recapitulation of Daily Duties 125 - - - - - THE - EXPERT MAID-SERVANT - - - - -I - -ENGAGING THE MAID - - -The most common method of engaging a servant is through an intelligence -office. There are nearly as many different kinds of these as there are -types of domestics who patronize them. An office with a high standing -should be selected. This is not only because a lower grade of employées -is to be found at the other variety, but also on account of the -methods followed in some of the cheaper offices. Such establishments -occasionally have unscrupulous managers, who make a business of -encouraging the maids they place to change often, in order that the -renewed fee of the employer may come to the office. This practice has -become common enough in some States to justify legislative intervention. - -In nearly every city or town there are reputable agencies, sometimes -conducted as business enterprises simply, sometimes run in connection -with church or benevolent societies, where a register is kept of the -references of servants for whom places are secured. These references -are usually held as confidential between the agent and the would-be -employer, and the latter is thus enabled to learn with some certainty -the qualifications of the maid she thinks of engaging. - -Once in a while a mistress is so fortunate as to secure a maid by the -recommendation of some other housekeeper or through a servant in her -own or a friend's employ. Maids engaged in this fashion are often more -satisfactory than those found at an office, from the fact that they -enter their new positions somewhat prejudiced in favor of the employer, -instead of holding the attitude of armed neutrality often found in -servants who seek places through an office. - -Wherever the maid is met and in whatever capacity she is engaged, there -should be a clear understanding from the beginning as to what her work -shall be. The mistress should begin the interview with the maid she -seeks to employ by stating what are the duties of the place she offers -and inquiring as to the capabilities of the maid for the position. Often -a few questions and answers will prove the unsatisfactoriness of the -situation or of the applicant. In this case, the affair should be -dropped at once. Never, no matter what the exigency, should the -housekeeper endeavor to persuade a domestic into taking a place for -which she is disinclined. It is a mistake almost sure to result badly. - -The housekeeper should come to an interview with a prospective maid with -an open mind, and not allow herself to be prejudiced by appearances. An -aspect of sullenness is frequently the result of shyness and does not -indicate unwillingness to work or a bad temper. The would-be employer -should speak gently and not ask questions with a manner of having the -maid in the witness-box. Such treatment will sometimes frighten a timid -maid into inability to answer intelligently, and the employer will -produce an impression of her own hardness and severity which she will -find it difficult to overcome later. The pert and self-sufficient maid -is likely to declare her nature within a very few minutes. Kindness will -not intensify these qualities in her, while it will enable a bashful -girl to appear to better advantage. - -Before interviewing a maid, the mistress should have clearly framed -in her own mind the outlines of the work required, and should know -definitely what queries she means to put. Each mistress probably has her -own way of learning the maid's capabilities and of explaining the work -she wishes done. The housekeeper who has had little practice in engaging -servants will do well to make up a formula of inquiries in advance. To -begin with, it should be ascertained what experience the maid has -had, what was her last place, how long she stayed in it, what were her -reasons for leaving it. Having thus learned if the servant seems to -be in the main satisfactory, so far as disposition and willingness are -concerned, the mistress should proceed to explain what is the work of -the house, putting such questions as will enable the girl to tell of her -competency. - -For instance, in engaging a maid for general housework, she should be -asked if she understands plain cooking of meats and vegetables; if she -can make bread, biscuit and muffins, soups and plain puddings; if she -can follow a recipe, etc. More elaborate culinary accomplishments can -rarely be looked for in a maid-of-all-work. She should also be able -to do washing and ironing, have some knowledge of chamber-work and of -waiting, and be willing to learn. There are so many qualifications -for the general-housework girl, who must be a sort of Pooh Bah in -petticoats, that it is no wonder the supply is usually inadequate to the -demand. - -There should be no attempt on the part of the mistress to make things in -the place she offers seem better than they are. A servant who is brought -into a house under false pretences is never likely to do well. If the -prospective mistress entertains a good deal, if she is likely to have -guests staying in the house often, she should give full notice of -her intention from the start, explaining at the same time that she is -willing to do all she can to lighten the burden of extra work. So far as -possible, the amount of labor should be put clearly before the employée, -so that if the place does not suit her she may know its drawbacks from -the beginning. Naturally, it should also be the part of the mistress to -point out what are the especial advantages of the situation, and to let -the maid see that the employer is ready to do anything in her power to -prevent unusual toil from being too heavily felt. No chance should be -left for misunderstanding upon any point, and from the first it should -be comprehended that a spirit of accommodation and kindliness will be -accorded by the mistress and expected from the maid. - -After the mistress and maid have reached some kind of an adjustment that -makes them feel the relation of employer and employed would be desirable -to both, it is time for the housekeeper to make special inquiry about -the maid's references. If the office is a reputable one it may be taken -for granted that the servants' characters are in the main what they -should be, but the mistress will wish to go into details and either see -the former employer or write to her. - -This matter of references is most important. The mistress owes it to the -maid as well as to herself to see that these are all they should be. No -matter how excellent is the written reference shown by the servant, -it should be verified by the prospective employer. In many cases the -mistress of a departing maid will write for her an uncandid reference -for the sake of saving herself an unpleasant scene or from a mistaken -kindliness. She does not wish to endanger the maid's chances of securing -further employment, and she prefers to stretch the truth to being honest -in the recommendation she bestows. A lamentable want of honor prevails -between housekeepers in this regard, and the woman who has not found -a maid in the least satisfactory while in her own employ will send her -forth with a reference which makes it tolerably sure she can obtain -a situation elsewhere without difficulty. On the other hand, the new -mistress is no less heedless and will take a servant into her employ -simply on the strength of a written reference without giving herself the -pains to inquire as to its accuracy. - -Too much stress can hardly be laid upon this necessity for honesty in -the references given. It is the protection of the maid as well as of -the mistress. So long as any servant can secure a good place by a forged -reference or by one granted to incompetency by easy good-nature, -she will not feel that her employment depends upon her merits. The -conscientious trained worker stands on precisely the same plane as the -careless, unqualified shirk. A good part of the reformation of the much -criticised domestic service lies with the mistress who deplores its -faults. When a maid understands that laziness, impertinence, dishonesty, -ill-temper, incompetency, will be mentioned in her reference just -as frankly as the contrary good qualities, she will take more pains -concerning the recommendation that will win or lose her a place. - -As a matter of course, there is always the chance that an unscrupulous -or bad-tempered mistress may take advantage of the power of the -reference. But this risk is small, especially in the present condition -of our domestic service. We have not yet reached the point attained by -the English, with whom a false reference--that is, one not written by -a genuine employer of the servant holding the reference--is punished by -fine or imprisonment. From present appearances, it does not seem likely -that we shall ever get to that. But the mistresses might at least have -the sense of mutual responsibility that marks "living-out girls." If a -place is once known as hard, or a mistress as unreasonable, unkind, or -a "driver," it is difficult to find servants to fill it. There is an -unorganized trades-union among servants which helps to protect them, -in a measure. The mistresses have too little _esprit de corps_ when -references are in question. - -It is difficult to describe to a prospective maid exactly what her -work will be, but she can have a general outline of it given to her. -Concerning her privileges it is possible to be more explicit, although -the privileges vary with the position the maid occupies in the -household. Where one servant is kept, it is customary to allow her every -other Sunday afternoon and evening out, and an afternoon and evening -besides on a week-day, once a fortnight--or else an evening every week. -When two servants are employed the same privilege is allowed to each, -and it is the general rule that one shall take the work of the other on -the days and evenings out of the latter. Thus, the second maid prepares -dinner as well as serves it, when the cook is out, while the cook does -the waiting and serving and answers the bell, in addition to doing her -own work, when the second maid has her holiday. In some households it is -the custom to have supper instead of dinner on the night when the cook -goes out, thus lightening the task of the waitress. The Sunday evening -supper is practically universal, as it gives the maids their heaviest -work in the early part of the day and lessens the labor of the afternoon -and evening. In the household where three women servants are employed, -it is the custom to have but one out at a time, except on Sundays. More -or less planning is required to divide the work satisfactorily -under these circumstances, and the method in which the division is -accomplished must be decided by the features of each case. Whatever the -peculiarities of the position, they must be made plain to the maid when -she is engaged, and not left at random to be decided upon later. - -The arrangements once made, it must be understood that the rules formed -are not to be lightly broken, either by mistress or maid. The employée -is to know that she can count positively on a certain day a week, and -the mistress must submit to great personal inconvenience sooner than -vary from this rule. If, for instance, it is more agreeable for her to -entertain guests on Thursday than on Wednesday, and the former is the -maid's evening out, the mistress should waive her own preferences -and convenience sooner than break in upon the maid's outing. The same -principle should be followed by the maid. Her day out is agreed upon -to be this or that. She should not feel that she can change it to suit -herself, merely by requesting the indulgence of her mistress. - -In other matters about the household there should be a fixed routine, -and this should be understood from the outset. Meals will be served at -certain hours, the maid will be expected to have them on time and the -family to be prompt at the table. Such system as this does much towards -simplifying the work of a household and gives a maid a feeling of -stability that helps her to do her work to better advantage. She knows -what she has to do in the line of work and what to depend upon in the -way of time, and as a consequence the wheels of the home move more -smoothly. - -Such a hard-and-fast rule as this cannot prevail, perhaps, in every -household. Take the case of a physician, for instance, of a newspaper -man, of some business-men. It is almost out of the question for them to -conform to an immutable regulation. If a doctor has been up all night -with a patient, it is rank absurdity to say that he must be on hand in -the morning for an eight-o'clock breakfast, or that if a commuter loses -his train he must stop in town and get his dinner sooner than derange -the times and seasons of the domestic economy. In such cases it is well -to remember that the house is made for the family and not the family for -the house. But instances like these are exceptions, and do not affect -the general application of the rule. - -On the other hand, it may be urged that there are happy and, in the -main, well-conducted homes where a different principle is followed. In -these the establishment is considered more as the home and less as a -piece of machinery. Concessions are rendered to the preferences of the -servants when they wish to vary their days out, and they in turn are -ready to accommodate themselves to the wishes of their employers when -a change of holidays seems desirable. Such liberties as these it is -not safe to advise. They are the exceptions, and, in the long run, the -stricter plan will probably prove more satisfactory to all concerned. - -At the time of engaging the maid, the mistress should make stipulations -as to the minutiæ of caps, aprons, broad collars and cuffs, and the -like. In some parts of the country there are maids who object to -anything that seems to suggest a livery or uniform, and, if there are -protests to be made and met, the process should be disposed of at the -start. - -Many mistresses and maids fail to grasp the fact that the engagement -between them is in the nature of a legal contract. Mistress and maid are -equals in the eyes of the law, and an agreement is as binding upon one -as upon the other. It should be perfectly understood at the beginning -for what term the maid is engaged and at what rates. In some places it -is the custom to pay by the week, and the servant is then engaged by -that term. In other localities she is engaged and paid by the month, -although she is frequently taken at first on a week's trial, with the -understanding that, if she gives satisfaction and is suited with the -place, she is to continue her services by the month. When the latter -period is the term of engagement, it is understood that the employer is -expected to give not less than a week's notice of discharge to a maid, -and that the latter should announce a week before her month is up her -intention of leaving. Should the mistress prefer, she can give a week's -wages in lieu of a week's notice, but the former method is in more -general use. - -When a servant is engaged by the week, two or three days' notice is -demanded on either side. The "month's notice" with which English books -have made us familiar is not common here, unless the servant has been -for a long time in the place. Immorality, drunkenness, dishonesty, and -absolute refusal to obey orders are sufficient causes for dismissing a -servant without warning or wages; but this is an extreme measure, and -should be resorted to only in circumstances of great provocation. Even -then, complications are often avoided by paying a servant something, if -not all of what is due. The servant who leaves without warning in the -middle of her term is not legally entitled to her wages, but in this -case, also, trouble is usually saved by paying her up to date. - -Among the stipulations incident to the engagement of a maid, it is well -to make mention of breakages. This may not be needful when hiring a -cook, but it is a safeguard when engaging a waitress or even a general -housework servant. Inquiries should be put as to the maid's carefulness -with china, and there should be an agreement that the maid is -responsible for breakages except in cases of unavoidable accident. Such -a proviso as this may deter some maids from taking a place, but the -careful girl is not likely to object to the rule, and the mistress would -probably be unfortunate should she engage a maid who resented such a -regulation. - - - - -II - -WHEN THE MAID ARRIVES - - -The first days of a servant in a new place are not easy either for -mistress or for maid. This should be recognized by the mistress, and she -should lay in an extra supply of patience for the emergency. She will -need it, in order to endure with equanimity the sins, negligences, and -ignorances of the new-comer--especially the ignorances. Yet, looked at -impartially, the blunders made by the maid are probably not so much the -result of ignorance as of unaccustomedness. The situation is much -harder for her than for the mistress. The latter is at least on familiar -ground. To the former the place is an unknown quantity. She does not -know where anything is kept. She is ignorant of the preferences of her -new employer. She is encompassed by novel surroundings and faces; and--a -fact that is not always recognized by employers--the very phraseology of -the new mistress is strange to her. The maid lacks the mental -training that would enable her to adapt herself quickly to the changed -conditions, the unusual expressions. Under the circumstances, the wonder -is not that she does things so badly, but that she accommodates herself -as readily as she does to the fresh environment. - -I have spoken of the diffidence that sometimes produces the impression -of sullenness. This same diffidence often takes other forms that are -even more trying than gloom. I have known of one maid who, during the -first fortnight of her stay in a new place, received every order with a -loud giggle--the fashion in which her embarrassment manifested itself. -Another was so much at a loss what to do with her hands when they were -not occupied with her work, that she slapped them together constantly as -she moved about the house or stood waiting for orders. Yet both of -these maids, after their first shyness had worn off and they had found -themselves and their relation to their work, became admirable servants -and overcame the defects that had at first tried the patience of the -mistress almost beyond endurance. - -In the average American household, where there is only a small domestic -force, the mistress should always show the servant what are her duties -or direct how these are to be performed. In large households, where -there is a housekeeper, the training of the new servants may be -delegated to her, but these establishments are too few to be weighed -in making up the main account. As soon as the maid comes the mistress -should direct her or show her to her room, and tell her to change her -street garb for her working-dress and then to report herself to the -mistress. She, on her own part, should be ready for the new-comer, not -only with a clearly framed idea of the work she will put her to first, -but also with the house in good order for the work that is to be done. - -Nothing is more discouraging to a servant than to come into a place that -is dirty from the carelessness of the former occupant, or untidy and -topsy-turvy. The maid is as susceptible to first impressions as the rest -of us, and the moral effect of bringing her into a dirty and disorderly -kitchen is distinctly bad. The mistress should have had the kitchen -and pantries cleaned by the outgoing maid--and it should have been done -under her own supervision or else thoroughly inspected after the work -is finished. Should the maid who is leaving not have done her task -thoroughly, it is better for the mistress to give her own time and labor -to cleaning closets and shelves, or engage a charwoman to do it, than -to permit the maid to come in before the work is properly performed. The -servant who finds dust in the corners, the stove unpolished, the cellar -and refrigerator uncleaned, is likely to draw the conclusion that the -places can remain as she found them, or may be suffered to drift into -the same condition again whenever she is too lazy or too careless to -give them proper attention. - -A word about the maid's bedroom. In some circumstances it is impossible -to make it very alluring. When all of a family are tucked away in dark, -inside rooms, as is the case in many city apartments, it cannot be -expected that the maid will fare better than her employers. But, -fortunately, all humanity are not cliff-dwellers. There are plenty of -homes where it is possible for the maid to have a light, airy bedroom, -which could be made attractive at a small expenditure of time and money. -Yet it is seldom that a servant's room has anything pleasing about -it. The mistresses defend themselves by saying that the servants are -heedless with good things, that they do not take care of what is given -them, and any mistress can cite facts to prove this position. - -Without disputing the truth of these statements, it may yet be urged -that it is hard for a servant to come into a room that bears plainly the -traces of its former occupant's untidiness. Possibly the new-comer has -in her the potentialities of neatness and cleanliness, and it is unfair -to check these at the start. The room cannot be refurnished for every -new maid; but the furniture it contains can be of a sort that is readily -freshened. The white iron cots are neat as well as comfortable, and -there should be a good mattress always. A hard-working maid has a -right to a comfortable bed. If there are two servants, they should have -separate beds. This should be an invariable rule. The mattress should be -protected by one of the covers that come for this purpose. This can -be washed as often as it needs it. The blankets, too, should be washed -between the departure of one maid and the arrival of another. A neat -iron wash-stand, a plain bureau that can have a fresh bureau-cover or a -clean towel laid over it, a comfortable chair, a rug by the bed, are not -expensive and add much to the comfort of a room. It is wiser to have the -floor bare and painted, or spread with a matting, than covered with a -shabby and worn-out carpet which gathers dust and dirt. The walls -are better painted than papered. The mistress can consult her own -preferences as to whether or not she shall put pictures on the walls, -but she should not make of the maid's room a lumber place for the old -engravings and chromos that will be tolerated in no other part of the -house, and do it under the impression that she is making the place -attractive to the maid-servant within her gates. The bed should, if -possible, be made up before the maid arrives, with a fresh spread, and -the room should have the absolute cleanliness that is always a charm. - -One more point should be looked after in preparing for the maid's -arrival. The mistress should make sure that the supply of china and -cutlery that the maid will use for her own meals is in decent order. -It cannot be pleasant for any one to have bent and tarnished forks and -spoons, cracked and stained cups, saucers, and plates for her food. The -cost of replacing these by new is very slight and pays for itself in the -agreeable impression given the maid by the fresh, bright articles. - -A list of the dining-room silver, linen, and china should be made by -the mistress and gone over by her with the maid the day of the latter's -arrival. By thus verifying the list the maid has a clear idea of -the property that is given into her charge and knows for what she is -responsible. If the china is nicked or cracked, mention should be made -on the list of each piece thus disfigured, and there should be a note -of linen that is worn or broken. By means of such a list the mistress is -able to keep track of her possessions and there is no possibility of the -maid's excusing a chipped plate or a cracked dish with the plea that -it was injured before she came. Such a list is also a safeguard to the -maid, who is by it enabled to prove that she is not to be blamed for -disasters that occurred during the stay of a predecessor. - -When the servant presents herself ready dressed for her work, the -mistress should tell her as simply as possible what this will be. The -instruction would better be given in broken doses. The workings of the -untrained mind are peculiar, and in mental equipment the average servant -is often on a level with a child of ten or twelve. Bestow too many facts -at once and you produce only confusion. So it is not well to make an -attempt to give the maid a bird's-eye view of what will be her whole -duty, but rather to acquaint her by degrees with her occupations. The -first step is for the mistress to show her where her work is to be and -the instruments with which she is to perform it. Should she be a cook, -she must be introduced to the kitchen, the management of the range -explained to her, the whereabouts of the principal utensils made clear. -If it is the waitress who is to be inducted into office, she should be -taken to the china-closet, the contents of this and of the silver and -linen drawers displayed, and the particular pieces pointed out that are -in daily service. When the waitress is also the chambermaid, there are -explanations required as to the upstairs work. But, as I have said, it -is better to supply these little by little. - -For example, if the cook comes into the house in the morning, give -her time to get used to her kitchen and her tools before too much -information is offered as to the preferences of the family in cookery. -Since the first meal she will have to prepare will be luncheon, tell her -about this, and do not burden her with the details of dinner until after -lunch is over. Still less try to give her at one fell swoop all she -will need to know about breakfast the next morning or what she will be -expected to do on washing and ironing day. - -These instructions may sound unnecessary to the trained and experienced -housekeeper; but the world is not entirely made up of these. The -majority of women are more or less lacking in sense of proportion and -in perspective, and this lack leads to a jumbling of their ideas which -makes life complex for those to whom the ideas are to be imparted. Of -course, once in a while one finds an intelligent servant who understands -herself well enough to slip at once into her place and do the work of -it smoothly, but she is the rare exception to the rule. The housekeeper -must plan for the average, not for the exception. - -This way of giving orders naturally confines the housekeeper more or -less during the first days of her new maid's arrival--but a domestic -convulsion of any sort is attended with drawbacks. The mistress must -appreciate the fact that she will have to sacrifice herself a little in -order to train her new maid properly, and that the result will be worth -the trouble. - -This does not mean that the mistress should stand over a servant and -dictate the way in which every duty is to be performed. The employer -should bear in mind that there is more than one right way of doing -nearly everything, and if the new maid has a special way of her own of -accomplishing this or that, she should be allowed to follow her custom -until she has proved that it is not so good as that of her mistress. -This may sound reckless, but it has common-sense to commend it. When the -maid is given a chance to prove or disprove the excellence of her method -and it turns out to be as good as that of the mistress, there is the -saving of just so much friction and effort in teaching and learning a -new way. - -In advocating this I am taking it for granted that the maid has some -idea of the manner in which her work is to be done. If she is absolutely -"green," she will have to be taught from the beginning, and then the -mistress has no option. Such servants are discouraging and tiresome at -the outset, but they often turn out the best in the long-run. In their -cases the mistress has no bad impressions to efface and she can implant -her own modes in virgin soil. - -When, however, the maid has some knowledge of her duties, the mistress -should show her where she is to work, give her directions for the -services that come next, and then leave her to herself. She will learn -her way about her domain much more quickly if she is unembarrassed by -the presence of an observer. - -The mistress must be prepared for blunders even after she has given -explicit directions. As I have said, it is quite possible the maid -may not understand the mistress at first, or, in the confusion of new -impressions, she may forget or confound directions. Should she serve -a dish in a different fashion from that in which it has been ordered, -reproof should be reserved until the mistress has made sure of the -reason for the variation. If the wrong china or silver or linen is -used, corrections should be made judiciously. The fault may have been -forgetfulness, it may have been misunderstanding, and, in any case, -fresh confusion will be the result if too many blunders are commented -upon at once. The maid should be directed to repair one or two -omissions, and the rest should be ignored for the time being, to be put -right later on. - -Occasionally a maid will be found who seems chronically unable to set a -table right. I have known of several who persisted in putting on crooked -the square of damask that was used at breakfast and luncheon instead -of the large cloth that covered the entire table at dinner. The square -would be laid in a slanting, to-one-side fashion that gave the whole -table a drunken look. The mistress finally hit upon a successful plan. -She put four chairs on the four sides of the table, each exactly in -the middle of a side, and then laid on the cloth with each of its four -corners precisely in front of a chair. The object-lesson worked to a -charm and crooked cloths became a thing of the past. - -Forgetfulness of some piece of table-furniture is a more common fault -and one more difficult to rectify. If it seems impossible to overcome it -in any other way, the mistress may make a ground plan of the table as it -should look when properly laid, or write a list of all the objects that -should go on it for different meals. It is not necessary to resort to -this, however, until several days' experience has proved the new maid's -inability to grasp what is required. - -A chambermaid will make corresponding blunders for a time. She will -have to be told more than once how the beds are to be made, will have -to receive repeated instruction never to put the blankets on with the -doubled end at the top, and to be careful about stretching tight the -lower sheet and tucking in the coverings properly at the bottom. At the -beginning the mistress should establish her standard about this sort of -thing as she does about sweeping, dusting, and other cleaning, and -she must never relax her requirements if she expects to have her house -properly kept. - -All this need not be told the maid the first day she comes, but even -then she may be made to understand that work is not to be slighted or -neglected. This principle, at least, she must have clearly in her mind -at the end of the first day's service, even although her thoughts may -be a trifle chaotic as regards details. Those it will be the work of the -mistress to make clear as time goes on and the maid becomes accustomed -to her work. - - - - -III - -MISTRESS AND MAID - - -There is a type of mistress who seems to regard servants as beings of an -inferior order. Her directions are given curtly--sometimes harshly. -She takes the ground that the servant is paid for her work and that -for anything beyond the business relation there is no need for -consideration. She may be called one extreme type. - -The other extreme is more common. In her desire to propitiate her -employée she is herself almost servile. She is in frank fear lest the -servant may leave her, and in order to retain her services makes almost -any concession. Such mistresses as these furnish materials for most of -the jokes on the servant question--jokes that are hardly exaggerated. - -Between these two extremes there is room for a mistress who unites -considerateness with self-respect. She speaks pleasantly to her -servants, but she does not spoil them by an ingratiatory manner or show -herself ready to make any sacrifice sooner than run the risk of parting -with them. She gives orders as orders, instead of asking services as -favors; but she issues her commands in a kindly way and with none of the -tone or manner of a dictator, still less of a shrew. When her servants -are to be reprimanded, she does it quietly, lowering rather than raising -her voice. If a servant cannot be managed in this manner, she feels it -is better to part with her. In the words of a veteran housekeeper of -this variety, "I will not have a servant in my house whom I have to -scold." - -Every one recollects the saying that in herding sheep it is necessary -not only to teach the dogs to drive the sheep, but to accustom the sheep -to obey the dogs. So it is as desirable for the mistress to learn -the proper method of dealing with the maids as it is for the maids to -understand the mistress. There are many kinds of manners in both. -But few are the servants who do not respond more quickly to a kindly, -gracious manner than to one tinged with severity. - -Mention has been made of the difficulty a maid sometimes has in -accustoming herself to the phraseology of a new mistress. To the girl's -hesitancy about asking for a repetition of an order, or an explanation, -are due some of the blunders she makes. The mistress should be sure she -is entirely understood before she sends the girl about her work. -Also, she should be clear as to the cause of a mistake or of apparent -disobedience before she finds fault. Always the mistress should be ready -to make explanations about the work. When the maid comes for instruction -she should be met patiently, and if there seems to be a difficulty of -understanding, a practical illustration will often do more than half an -hour of verbal directions. When the mistress can show the maid how -the table is to be set, how the beds are to be made, can give her an -object-lesson in sweeping or dusting or dish-washing, she will have -accomplished more than a dozen lectures would have wrought. Nothing -better in instruction has been devised than the Squeers method. "First -they spells it and they goes and does it." But it is the mistress who -does the spelling as well as the doing if she wishes the new maid to -grasp a novel mode of performing a household duty. - -The mistress should not shrink from reproof when it has to be -administered. There are very few employées in any walk of life who are -possessed of so large a supply of conscientiousness that they discharge -their duties as well without oversight as with it. To every gang of -workmen there is an overseer. In housekeeping the mistress is overseer -as well as planner. She must "follow up" her maids--not so obviously -that they feel she does not trust them, but closely enough to produce -the impression upon them that she takes an interest in their work and -means to see that it is thoroughly done. When it is not accomplished to -her liking she should call them to account, not unkindly, but decidedly. -If a ring of dust around the bric-à-brac shows where the duster has -been flourished about the furniture instead of being used to wipe each -surface carefully, the mistress should call the maid to bring her cloth -and point out to her the defects in that portion of her work. Should -there be dirt left in the corners of the room, finger-marks on the -paint, streaks on the windows, the same course should be pursued. When -this has been done a few times, unless the employée is exceptionally -slow-witted, she learns that it is less trouble to perform the work -properly in the first place than to have to go over it twice, and the -second time under the supervision of the mistress. - -All this the employer can do without joining the ranks of the fussers -or belonging to that class known as the "nasty particular" housekeepers. -The latter, who put the cleanliness of the house so far above the -comfort of its inmates that these feel they would rather have dirt with -peace than tidiness without it, are common enough to make a word of -warning in place. But it is possible to accomplish neatness without -sacrificing family concord, and in the desire to secure the latter the -housekeeper should not permit herself or her servants to drift into -carelessness. - -From the first the mistress should have it clearly understood that there -is no place in the house into which she may not penetrate. Her daily -inspection of the refrigerator and the pantries should be a matter of -course. Her presence in the kitchen should never excite surprise or -provoke criticism. Naturally, she should exercise tact in this as in -every other relation of life. For instance, she should not choose the -time for her morning visit to the kitchen when the maids are at their -breakfast. In fact, she should be punctilious not to call her servants -from their meals except in cases of absolute necessity. They have a -right to take their food undisturbed, and this right the mistress should -respect. Nor should the housekeeper choose the cook's busiest day for -doing cooking on her own account, if this is going to add to the sum of -the servant's labors. It is lack of consideration on these points that -gives a house the reputation of being a "hard place." When such details -as these are observed, servants are more likely to be contented, even if -the work is heavy, than they are in a lighter place where they feel that -their rights and privileges are disregarded. - -If a servant is to be reprimanded, it should never be done in the -presence of a third person. The maid is no less human because she is -in a subordinate position, and it is hard for any of us to take reproof -kindly when it is bestowed in the hearing of some one else. If the -mistress is inclined to be hasty, it is well for her to wait a few -minutes after the discovery of the fault before she utters her rebuke. -That will give her time to get the fault a little in perspective and -to see its true proportions. Then she should summon the maid to her and -deliver her words of warning or reprimand. Never should she go to the -kitchen to scold the cook. There the knowledge of the latter that she -is, so to speak, on her own ground has sometimes the unfortunate effect -of provoking an impertinent rejoinder, which would not be forthcoming -if the interview had taken place in the mistress's own room or in the -drawing-room. - -There is a peculiar sting in a reproof given for a fault that is due to -accident, to misunderstanding, or to some other pardonable cause. Very -often the request for an explanation will bring out facts that -the mistress had not known and which put a different face upon the -occurrence. When rebuke is essential it should not only be delivered -quietly, but there should be no mark of anger in the manner of the -mistress. Such demeanor as this is more impressive than the harsh tones, -the sharp words, for which the culprit might have been prepared. - -There are, of course, limits to which faults may be permitted to go. If -it is impossible to conquer them by reproof, it is better to discharge a -servant than to have to persist in fault-finding. Life is too short for -perpetual rebukes. - -Never should the mistress forget that there is as much demand for -courtesy in her terms with her servants as in any other relation in -which she is placed. This is a fact that is often overlooked. A woman -does not make herself less but more of a lady by prefixing "please" to -her requests to her servants, or by rewarding a service with a word of -thanks. This sounds so obvious that the injunction may seem absurd, but -a little observation of mistresses and maids will convince any one that -there is need for the advice. In many households not only the mistress -but the master of the home gives orders harshly and discourteously, and -the children are quick to take their cue from their elders. A degree of -rudeness is permitted by parents in their children that should not -be tolerated for an instant. The small boys and girls in presumably -well-bred families bully and "sauce" the servants in a fashion that -would do credit to a gang of hoodlums in a tough district. Sometimes the -parents do not know it, at other times they know of it and do not take -the pains to correct it. The children should be taught to show courtesy -to servants as well as to any one else with whom they are brought -into contact. The very fact that the employées are not at liberty -to retaliate in kind should be used as an argument to teach them the -cowardice of insolence and unkindness. - -When courtesy is given by the employers it seldom fails to be accorded -by the employed. A courteous order meets a respectful response, and, -as a rule, willing service is more likely to be granted. As a matter of -course, the service is in a way an obligation that is bought and paid -for, but the introduction of a little kindliness into the transaction -does much to diminish friction. Apart from that, however, the courtesy -is a duty the employer owes herself, quite irrespective of its effect -upon her servants. - -While reproof should be given where it is needed, the mistress should -never suffer herself to neglect the virtue of praise. It is a hard life -when one's shortcomings only are recognized and one's good deeds are -taken as a matter of course. If humanity were at its highest level the -thought that the work was well done would perhaps be enough to bring -satisfaction, but as it is, a word of commendation is grateful to all of -us. It is a little thing to praise the latest baking as remarkably good, -to commend the maid who has waited exceptionally well at a company lunch -or dinner, to say a kindly word when a fault of heedlessness or neglect -has been corrected; but such words as these are the oil that greases the -domestic machinery. Without them it runs hard and demands more power to -keep it in motion. - -There is always the possibility of such commendation being given so -often that it comes to mean nothing. This danger the mistress must guard -against. There is also the chance that the maid may be of the variety -with whom praise must be cumulative in order to produce any effect. I -have known one of that sort. If her biscuit were praised once as being -good, they had to be called excellent the second time, surpassing the -third, and so on, until the adjectives applicable to biscuit had been -exhausted and the mistress saw dark gloom on the servant's face, and was -asked coldly if the biscuit were not as good as usual. But such cases -as these are not common, and in any circumstances the housekeeper must -gauge the appetite for praise and administer it with judgment. - -Sometimes one meets a presuming maid who takes advantage of the kindness -of the mistress to force an undue familiarity. This, too, must be -watched for, but the possibility of this result does not do away with -the desirability of consideration on the part of the mistress to the -maid. Fully as often as one finds this trouble does one see a foolish -mistress who, taking a fancy to a maid, lets the latter drift into -a position of pseudo-intimacy which is hard to break off. It is not -probable that the latter would have put herself forward without a -certain amount of encouragement. Once in a blue moon one meets a pearl -of a serving-woman who is worthy of all the confidence and affection -that can be bestowed upon her, and who grants to her employers an -unselfish devotion that one rarely gets from one's next of kin. Such -cases are few and far between, and blessed among women is she who has -such a treasure in her household. The average housekeeper should not -be too ready to think she has drawn one of these prizes in the -domestic-service lottery. If she goes ahead too quickly on this -hypothesis, she may have an unpleasant awakening. When advances are -made by the mistress, and the maid presumes upon them, it is only the -mistress who is to blame if the maid "forgets her place." - -The mistress should avoid taking sides in any controversy between -servants. Often there is a good deal of jealousy between the employées -in a household, and if one maid is favored more than another there is -likely to be hard feeling. This pitfall must be kept in mind by the -mistress. Even without expressed preferences for one over the other, she -is sometimes in danger of being drawn into quarrels the servants have -between themselves. Almost always she is wise to decline to espouse the -part of either one. Occasionally, if she has good servants who seem to -misunderstand one another it may be worth while, for her own sake as -well as for theirs, to attempt to adjust differences between them. As a -rule, it is well for her to keep out of it after one trial has shown her -that her intervention has worked no good. Never should the mistress -be led into discussing one servant with another, or listening to the -complaints that a domestic makes of her fellow-workers. Class-feeling -is stronger than the relation of employer and employed, and the mistress -who takes up the cause of one maid against another is by way of finding -she has put her fingers between the bark and the tree. The two employées -are likely to make up the quarrel and combine in common cause against -the mistress. This does not bespeak any especial depravity on their -part. They are simply human beings, and the tie that binds them together -holds where that which attaches them to the mistress fails. They go with -their own as she would with her own. - -In order to avert complications it is safe for the mistress to give her -orders direct to her servants instead of sending them by one maid -to another. The latter course makes room for misunderstanding and -recriminations. When a maid has been in the same employ for a good -while, this rule may be waived, but when she is new to the place there -should be no go-between in the matter of giving directions. The mistress -should announce her own orders. - - - - -IV - -THE DUTIES OF THE MAID-OF-ALL-WORK - - -The general housework servant has already been referred to as a Pooh Bah -in petticoats. She takes practically all labor for her province. It -is an illustration of the value of specialization that as a rule she -commands lower wages for her services than does a maid who fills any one -alone of the functions the general housework servant performs. - -Since the duties of the maid-of-all-work are what they are, the mistress -should make a stipulation at the time of the engagement that the -employée should be ready to "turn her hand to anything." For it is fatal -if she once begins to say that this or that is not "her work." That -phrase is reserved for the use of the specialist. The general servant -should understand that one of the conditions of her position is -the necessity for making herself useful in every department of the -household. - -This does not mean that she is to be a domestic drudge of the London -"slavey" type. She needs no warning against this. Domestic service of -a good sort is too hard to secure in this country for there to be any -danger of the maid becoming down-trodden and imposed upon. The country -bound-girl may have to submit to imposition, but it would not be -tolerated for a moment by the ordinary independent serving-maid. If -there is domination on either side it is more likely to be found on the -part of the maid, who feels the advantage at which she holds her alleged -mistress. - -Putting aside extreme cases and turning to the average maid and -mistress, it may be repeated that it is difficult to define with -clearness the exact duties of the maid-of-all-work. She understands that -she is to do cooking, waiting, and chamber-work, and probably washing -and ironing. Should the family be small she will perform nearly all -these duties herself--that is, if the family live in a simple fashion. -Should the household be large, the maid may expect a helper with the -laundry-work, and the lighter house-work will devolve upon the mistress -of the house or her daughters. One pair of hands, even when backed by a -quick head and a willing heart, cannot accomplish everything in the work -of the house without neglecting or slighting something. The mistress of -one maid must recognize this and be prepared to take her share of the -labor when this is heavy. What her part is to be she must define as -clearly as possible at the first, in order that the maid may know just -what she has to do and be able to arrange her occupations to the best -advantage. When the mistress does something outside of the duties she -has assumed, she should have it thoroughly understood that her act is -an exception, performed for some specific reason. It is very easy to let -the exception glide into a rule, and what the maid received at first as -a favor which would spare her extra toil she regards later as a right to -which she is entitled. - -At the beginning, the mistress does well to lay out the routine of the -work of the day for the benefit of the new maid. After the latter -has learned the ways of the house, and finds that she can make slight -alterations which will render her work easier, she should be permitted -to do so if the mistress finds that the tasks are discharged as well -as under the earlier plan. Many a mistress gains good points from -a servant, and the intelligent housekeeper, knowing this, is on the -lookout for suggestions she may find of service. - -Certain regular duties are practically the same each day, no matter what -the other work may be. Early rising should be insisted upon. Six o'clock -is none too early for a maid to be up in a house where breakfast is -at seven-thirty or eight o'clock. By half after six the maid should be -dressed and down-stairs. If the care of the furnace falls upon her, her -first duty in winter is to open the draughts of the furnace and put on -a little coal. While this is kindling she can go back to her work -up-stairs. The kitchen fire must be lighted, the kettle filled freshly -and set to boil, the cereal put over the fire, before the maid goes into -the living-rooms to open the windows. While these rooms are airing she -may brush out the front hall and sweep off the steps, unless there is -a man engaged to take care of the outside work of the house and to look -after the furnace. When there is a gas-stove, the maid's work is -much simpler, and in that case she may open the windows and do the -brushing-up before she puts the kettle to boil. When the furnace fire -has come up, she may go down, put on more coal, and close the draughts. - -In most families where but one maid is employed the mistress of the -house dusts her drawing-room. When this is the rule, the maid has only -to air the rooms, straighten the furniture that is out of place, and -brush up any scraps or dust that need to be removed. If the floors -or parts of them are bare, she should go over them with a damp cloth. -Should the family be very small, consisting of but two or three persons, -it is possible for the maid to do all the dusting. If this does not -devolve upon her, there are other small duties she can perform at this -time, such as filling and cleaning lamps. When there is a sitting-room, -this, too, should be set in order. - -Whatever else may be postponed until after breakfast, the dining-room -must not be overlooked. It must be brushed up and thoroughly dusted. Few -things are more de-appetizing than to sit down to the first meal of -the day in a room which is still, so to speak, in curl-papers. If the -servant is brisk about her work she can look after the drawing-room, -halls, and dining-room, and set the table before she has to go back to -the kitchen. In households where a heavy breakfast is served, or where -the rooms are elaborately furnished, she may have to get up earlier -or leave part of the dusting to be done later. But the dusting of the -dining-room must never be omitted. The morning tasks may be lightened a -little by setting the breakfast-table overnight, and when this is done a -thin cover--a sheet of cheese-cloth is excellent--should be thrown -over the table after it is set to protect the dishes and other -table-furniture from dust. - -The preparation of the breakfast is the maid's next duty. The extent of -the work this involves varies, of course, in different households. In -some homes the old-fashioned American breakfast of hot meat or fish, -warm bread, and potatoes cooked in some form is still preserved. Other -families have adopted a modification of the Continental breakfast, and -find all they need for the morning meal in fruit, a cereal, rolls or -toast, eggs or bacon, and coffee. The latter breakfast simplifies the -work of the household, but it is not popular everywhere. Whatever the -breakfast, it should be in readiness at the hour appointed, if the -members of the family are on hand or not. It need not be served until it -is ordered, but it should be entirely ready. When all the persons in a -household can reconcile themselves to breakfasting together, it makes -work easier and saves time. Should they find it impossible to partake of -it in harmony as well as in unison, and each one eats alone, it renders -the meal a more prolonged function. Under such circumstances, the food -may be kept hot for the tardy ones and they may be granted the privilege -of getting it for themselves from the kitchen when they arrive, instead -of impeding progress by making the duties of the day yield to their -convenience. - -The fruit-course may be on the table when the family is summoned. At -breakfast they usually do for themselves such waiting as passing plates, -cups and saucers, and the like. A plate and finger-bowl may be in front -of each person, and the porridge-bowl and saucer may be close by also, -if it is desirable to simplify the service. Or these dishes may be on -the serving-table or sideboard, and the maid may put them on the table -with the cereal when she comes in to take out the fruit-plates. After -the cereal-dishes have been removed and the rest of the breakfast -served, the maid may be excused to go about her other work. The time -of her own breakfast may be settled by the mistress and herself. The -sensible course is for the maid to eat something and take a cup of tea -or coffee in the intervals of her early work, but there are few servants -who can be persuaded to do this. If the maid prefers she can take her -breakfast while the family is eating, but most maids and mistresses seem -to find it more convenient to dispose of the bedroom work as early as -possible. - -When this is the case the maid should go to the chambers as soon as the -substantial part of the breakfast is on the table. The occupants of -the beds should have stripped these on rising and opened the windows -on leaving the rooms. If this has been done the bedclothing has had a -chance to air. In order that such airing may be adequately done, the -covers should be taken from the bed and spread across a couple of -chairs placed back to back. The covers must not drag on the floor. The -mattresses should be beaten and turned back over the foot of the bed -that the air may reach them from both sides. To freshen them thoroughly, -they should be left thus, the windows open, for from fifteen minutes to -half an hour. While this is going on the rooms may be brushed or gone -over with a carpet-sweeper--not thoroughly swept: this comes at another -time. The beds may now be made and the dusting done. - -In a small family it is taken for granted that the maid should do this -work, but in a household of more than two or three it is customary for -the women of the family to look after the beds. In that case the maid -need only brush up the rooms, strip the beds, and empty soiled water, -leaving the rest of the up-stairs work undone while she goes back to -the kitchen. She may now take her own breakfast if she has not had it -earlier, and clear the table. After every meal the dishes should be -removed from the table as soon as possible. They should be carried into -the kitchen or the butler's pantry, the cloth brushed--never shaken--and -folded, and the dining-room put in order, the crumbs brushed from about -the table, the chairs put in their places, the room darkened, if it is -warm weather. If the mistress of the house dusts the chambers, the maid -may now wash the dishes; if not, she may scrape them and leave them to -soak in warm water while she goes back to her dusting and cleans and -arranges the bath-room. - -To clean the bath-room properly, there should always be a bottle -of household ammonia at hand, one of forty per cent. solution of -formaldehyde or other good disinfectant, a couple of cloths, a -long-handled brush, and a scrubbing-brush. It is also well to have a can -of concentrated lye or one of the preparations like it which will cut -accumulations in waste-pipes. The hand-basin, tub, and closet should -be scoured out each morning, the drain-pipes flushed twice a week with -water to which has been added formaldehyde or the lye. The former -is admirable for removing stains and deposits, but if these are very -obstinate the formaldehyde must be left in the basin overnight. -The long-handled brush enables the maid to clean the closet basin -satisfactorily. Ammonia on the cloth used in washing the tub and basin -will remove greasy deposits. The nickel fittings and woodwork must be -wiped off, the soap-dishes and tooth-brush racks washed. The vessels -used in the bedrooms must be cleansed in the same manner, the -water-pitchers rinsed out and filled fresh every day, and the slop-jars -and commodes scalded daily. - -The linen-closet should be in the charge of the mistress of the house, -and the maid should have nothing to do with giving out fresh linen for -the beds or towels for the bath-room. - -When the bath-room work is finished, the maid may return to the kitchen, -wash and put away the dishes, and get the kitchen and pantries in order. -The maid who takes proper care of her china, glass, and silver will -rinse her dishes thoroughly in one water and then wash them in hot suds, -the glass first, then the silver, and then the china, drying each piece -as it comes from the suds. The breakfast-dishes washed, the dish-towels -should be rubbed out. Once a day they should be boiled. - -This is the time when the mistress inspects the contents of the -refrigerator and decides what shall be the meals for the day. Either -before or after such inspection the maid must wipe off the shelves of -the ice-box, and three times a week it must be scoured out with hot -water and washing-soda. - -The general work of the house--of which more later--is undertaken now, -and after it comes the preparation of the mid-day luncheon. At this meal -little waiting is required. The table is set as for breakfast. If the -work is properly managed there should be no heavy tasks for the maid to -accomplish in the afternoon, except on washing and ironing days. She may -perhaps attend to some light work like the polishing of silver, but, -if her duties are arranged as they should be and she is brisk in their -performance, she ought to be able to have a little time to herself in -the afternoon. The preparation of dinner is seldom undertaken until -after four o'clock in houses where dinner is served at seven. - -The maid is expected to discharge the work of a regular waitress at -dinner, so far as serving the dishes, passing plates, and the like are -concerned. She is not required to remain in the room, but to come when -rung for. Her work of clearing away and washing dishes is practically -the same after luncheon and dinner as after breakfast. - -The usual costume of the maid-of-all-work in the early part of the day -is a neat wash-frock and white apron. While waiting at table she should -wear a cap. She should have a colored apron on when working in the -kitchen, but there should always be a fresh white apron at hand for her -to slip on when she answers the bell. When she dresses to wait at dinner -she should put on a black frock, white collar and apron and cap. Since -she must wear the frock in the kitchen, it is better to have it of wash -goods. The mistress should be in readiness to answer the bell when the -maid is dressing for dinner, or when she is at the wash-tub or doing -any other work it is difficult for her to leave. A great deal of -consideration is demanded of both mistress and maid when there is but -one servant and the family desires to live daintily and in accordance -with good form. - -A general outline of the daily work has thus been given, but each day -must have its share of the week's duties. By general consent Monday and -Tuesday are given over to washing and ironing, and on these days, unless -a laundress is hired to help, the mistress of the house must take charge -of the chamber-work and of all the dusting, and, if the wash is large, -will perhaps feel it well to wash the dishes after breakfast, and to -lend a hand in the preparation of luncheon. The plan practised in some -houses of having all the sweeping done on Friday is open to criticism. -Even if there is baking to be done on Wednesday, a portion of -the sweeping or other cleaning may also be accomplished then. The -dining-room or drawing-room, as being near the kitchen, may be cleaned -on the days when the maid must watch her cooking closely. - -This method of apportioning the work has much to commend it. Washing -windows is tiresome, and the maid will feel it less if she does a few -every day than if she gives a whole morning or afternoon to them. The -scouring of large pieces of brass or silver and the cleaning of paint it -is well to discharge all at one time, and this may be done on Thursday, -while the sweeping of the bedrooms and cleaning of the upper part of -the house may be reserved for Friday. The woodwork about the doorknobs -should be wiped off, the stairs brushed down, and the halls gone over -with the carpet-sweeper daily, and the house, from top to bottom, swept -well at least once a week. - - - - -V - -DUTIES OF TWO OR MORE SERVANTS - - -With specialization in the household come complications. The manual -labor of the mistress may be lessened when she adds to her domestic -force, but with every new maid she assumes more responsibilities. She -has to reconstruct the system to which she had become accustomed when -she employed but one servant, and very often the whole tone of the -establishment is changed from what it was in the days to which she -sometimes looks back as comparatively care free. - -Yet with the increase in a family or with an alteration in the mode of -living additional service becomes necessary, and, unless the housekeeper -is of the type who takes life hard, there is no reason why she -should not soon adapt herself to the new conditions. As in all other -circumstances where she must make plans for her domestics, she should -have her scheme of action clear in her own mind before she gives it to -her servants. Vacillation and uncertainty on the part of the mistress -shake the maid's confidence in the judgment of the ruling brain, and -dispose her to question decisions and to neglect the duties which she -thinks do not strike even the mistress as absolutely essential. - -It is hard to change the method of work when the former general -household servant is put into the place of cook or waitress and a second -maid engaged. The former factotum is likely to criticise the way in -which her late duties are performed, and perhaps to feel that the lion's -share still falls to her. So, unless it is an exceptionally competent -maid who has been doing all the work, it is usually well to begin a new -deal of this sort by getting two maids and dividing the work between -them from the outset. - -The duties assigned to the different domestics in a house where two or -more servants are employed are not easy to define explicitly. They must -be determined largely by the individual wants and conditions. The size -of the family, the arrangement of the house, the style of living, -the fact of there being small children in the home, all suggest -modifications of any general outline. Therefore, the schedule of -ordinary household duties following must be subordinate to the -conditions mentioned, and also to the capabilities of the individual -servant. In a household where more than one servant is employed it is -desirable that there should be from the beginning as clear as possible -an understanding of the duties to be discharged, since with the -specialization comes a disinclination to undertake any work outside of -the particular line for which the servant was employed. In the household -of more than one servant there is a strong probability that the -statement, "I was not engaged to do this kind of work," will be heard, -sooner or later. - -"It seems absurd that I should employ a man-servant besides the coachman -and the gardener," said a housekeeper to me the other day. "I have -plenty of maids, and, as nearly as I can make out, I took on this extra -man for the sake of having him sweep off the stone platform in front -of the porch steps. It was nobody's work. The waitress said she did not -hire to do outside work, and the coachman said it had nothing to do -with his work. It was not the gardener's business, and they were all so -strenuous about it that I told my husband I seemed to be the only one -to whose lot it really fell by rights to keep that platform clean. There -was so much discussion over it that I finally hired a houseman for the -especial purpose of having that platform swept. Of course, he looks -after the furnace and brushes off the porch and washes windows and -does other things of that sort, but they are merely incidents. The real -reason I keep him is so that my husband or I won't have to sweep that -platform!" - -Bearing in mind the possibility of such complications, the mistress -should tell her second maid when she engages her that she may have to -perform other tasks than those which lie exactly within an over-rigid -conception of her duties. If this is understood from the start it averts -later annoyance. - -In a family of adults where two maids are kept, these are usually the -cook and the waitress and chambermaid. Unless some special provision has -been made to that effect, the cook does nothing outside of the kitchen -in the early morning. She may perhaps take care of the furnace (this -would be her first duty when she came down-stairs), and it is also -possible that she may brush off the front steps and sidewalk, but -with that her extra kitchen-work ceases for the moment. She gets -the breakfast and should be up early enough to do this, brush up her -kitchen, and perhaps make preparations for cooking that is to be done -later in the day. After breakfast she may assist the waitress to wash -the dishes. This depends upon the work the latter has to do. - -Upon the waitress comes the work of opening and airing the living-rooms, -brushing out the halls, sweeping down the stairs, and dusting the rooms. -All this should be done before breakfast, and in order to achieve -this, the waitress must rise as early as the cook. As with the general -housework maid, the hour of rising should be not later than six when -breakfast is at half-after seven or eight. - -In most homes it is customary to excuse the waitress as soon as the -principal part of the breakfast has been served, that she may go about -her chamber-work and be ready to come down to her breakfast by the time -the family has finished. Before she goes to her own meal she clears -the dining-room table and takes the dishes into the kitchen or butler's -pantry. - -Even if the chambermaid is competent, it is well for the mistress to -make it possible to enter the bedrooms occasionally while work is going -on there to make sure that it is all being accomplished properly. It -is easy for the best employées to drift into careless habits, and the -details of bed-making are too often neglected. Under no circumstances -should the mistress delegate the care of her linen-closet to a servant. -She herself should lay out the linen that is to be used, taking it out -in a certain routine so that it may all be worn alike. On the days when -the beds are to be changed, she should select the sheets, pillow-slips, -spreads, etc., before she goes down to breakfast, that the chambermaid -may not be hindered in her work. Clean towels should also be given out -by the mistress. In a very large establishment, or in the case of an -exceptionally trustworthy maid, this work may perhaps be safe in the -hands of some one besides the mistress, but, simple as is the task, it -requires a discretion and familiarity with the household supplies that -only the mistress is likely to possess. - -After the waitress has had her breakfast she returns and finishes any -work she has left undone in the bedrooms. It is possible she may not -have had time to dust properly, or that the dust had not had a chance to -settle after she gave the room its morning brushing. The bath-room, -too, is attended to at this time. After this the waitress washes the -breakfast-dishes. Before she left the kitchen after her own breakfast -she should have scraped the dishes and put them in soak. This will -lessen the work of washing-up when she comes down. If there is a special -arrangement by which the cook washes the dishes, the waitress is free -for other work. Sometimes the dish-washing is divided, the cook taking -charge of the dishes in which the food has been served, while the -waitress looks after the glass, silver, and the finer china. It is not -easy to apportion the work in this fashion if the dish-washing is -all done in the kitchen, but where there is a butler's pantry it is -comparatively simple. In this case the fine tableware should never go -into the kitchen at all. This plan lightens the work of the waitress and -makes her responsible for the more delicate dining-room ware. - -A word here about the dish-washing. If the maid is open to suggestion -the time she takes to do her dishes may be shortened. The general -habit of servants is to leave all the dishes until the entire meal is -concluded and then attack the mountain that has accumulated. Much time -can be saved if they will wash the dishes as they come from the table. -As a matter of course, this cannot be done in a family where the -waitress is required to remain in the room during the entire meal. But -this is seldom the practice in the average home, when only the family -is present. There is a preference for what some one has called -"unexpurgated meals," and the freedom of conversation that is not -possible when servants are present. If this is the case, it is an easy -matter for the waitress to wash the soup-plates while the heaviest -course of the meal is being eaten, and to get some of the dishes of the -second course out of the way while the family is discussing the salad. -In a large family all the china may not be washed then, but the silver -at least and some of the smaller pieces may be clean and out of the way -by the time the meal is at an end. The science that is known as "making -the head save the heels" is not understood and appreciated by the -average maid, and if she could receive and apply a little instruction -along these lines she would find her hours of work shortened and her -toil lightened. If the butler's pantry adjoins the dining-room too -closely, it is not always feasible to wash dishes while the family is -eating, unless it can be done so carefully that unpleasant clatter is -spared. But a little thought and skill given to the matter will usually -lessen the labor of washing-up after a long meal. - -To return to the routine of work. Except when there is a great deal of -cooking done it is well to arrange to have the cook take a share in the -sweeping. What part this shall be circumstances must decide. She -may sweep the first floor, including dining-room, drawing-room, -sitting-room, and halls, once a week. Or there may be a day on which she -goes up-stairs and gives the bedrooms a thorough sweeping. Again, it may -be stipulated when she is engaged that she is to wash the windows. If -one set of these tasks devolves upon her it leaves the waitress more -free for her special duties. These vary, according to the size of the -family. When this consists of but two or three members, the second maid -should have time in a small house to keep everything in her domain in -perfect order and even to do a little of the mending. If the family is -larger she will have leisure for nothing outside of her regular duties, -and the case will be the same if there is a good deal of entertaining -done. - -One part of the daily work of the waitress is to take care of the lamps, -cleaning and filling these. When dusk draws on she should light these -and the gas, pull down the shades, and make the living-rooms ready for -the evening. It is also the work of the second maid to put the bedrooms -in order for the night, closing the blinds, turning down the beds, -removing spreads and day-pillows, and bringing iced water to each room -the last thing before she goes to bed herself. - -In point of fact, the work of the waitress is nearly as general in -its nature as that of the maid-of-all-work. She attends the door, as a -matter of course, answers the bells from the chambers or drawing-room, -brings hot water to the bedrooms in the morning, prepares and carries in -the afternoon tea-tray, and must be on the alert to see that the house -is in spick-and-span order. She has the charge of the silver, keeping it -clean and polishing the brasses. For each of these especial duties she -should have a regular time, and the mistress should see that the system -she put into practice when she had but one servant is followed out after -she has added to her household force. All the dusting falls to the care -of the waitress, unless the mistress prefers to reserve for herself the -handling of curios and choice bric-à-brac. The cook may sweep, but it is -the waitress who follows her with a dust-cloth and who scrubs the paint -and wipes off stray finger-marks from mouldings and window-panes. - -When there is a child in the house, and the second maid unites the -offices of nurse and waitress, her work must be divided differently. She -may do the chamber-work, but she cannot be expected to wash the dishes -unless the mother or some other member of the family assumes the care -of the infant while the nurse is otherwise employed. Nor can she be -held responsible for all the details that would fall to her were -she waitress, pure and simple. When a nurse is employed as well as a -waitress, her work is usually absolutely separate from that of the other -maid. She may do sewing and the baby's washing, help make the beds, and -lend a hand on the afternoons and evenings out of the other maids, but -she has little or nothing to do with the general work of the house. - -If the cook has thus far received slighter attention than the waitress, -it is because her work is so much more closely confined to one -department that it requires less minute consideration. She prepares the -meals, takes charge of the kitchen, cellar, and pantries, inspects the -latter and the refrigerator every morning in company with the mistress -of the house, and reigns supreme in the lower realms. In small families -where two servants are employed the cook usually is laundress as well. -In that case the waitress generally takes part of the cook's work on -washing and ironing days, preparing the luncheon on those days, washing -all the dishes, and keeping the kitchen in order. The waitress often -assists with the fine ironing on Tuesday. Cook and waitress relieve each -other on their days out. The cook waits on table when the waitress -goes out and attends the door, unless the mistress chooses to do this -herself. When the cook takes her holiday the waitress assumes her -duties. - -When the housekeeper has a force of more than two servants the -complications thicken, since with the introduction of each new maid -comes more specialization. Unless the new servant is engaged because the -family is so large that the work is too heavy for two maids, or because -of the need of a special servant, as a nurse, the addition is usually -due to increased elaboration in the way of living, and this, of course, -subdivides specialization still more as well as raises the scale of -wages. The "professed cook," who does nothing but cook and demands a -helper or scullery-maid, gets higher pay than the general cook who does -the washing and ironing or the one who may refuse to do laundry-work -but yet undertakes all the labor of the kitchen. The waitress who -understands the service of wines and is an adept at handling large -dinners and luncheons, demands--and gets--large wages and feels her -dignity to an extent that makes her cling tenaciously to the rights and -privileges of her position. - -The average American household which employs servants--and there is a -surprisingly large proportion of the sum total who keep no servant at -all--is contented with one, two, or, at the most, three servants. The -third may be a nurse, as I have said, or a laundress, who, besides her -washing and ironing, does the chamber-work and thus leaves the waitress -free for her especial tasks in the dining-room and for the duties of -a parlor-maid. The laundress may also wash windows or help in other -cleaning. Or the third servant may be seamstress and chambermaid and -have nothing to do with the dining-room or with the kitchen unless she -fills one of these places on the "day off" of the regular incumbent. - -In a book that deals with the work of the maid-servant it is not worth -while to go into the duties of the man-servant or to touch upon the -possibilities of change latent in the introduction of Japanese and -Chinese service. That all has its part in the domestic labor problem, -but this is not the opportunity for discussing this phase of the servant -question. - - - - -VI - -CERTAIN PROBLEMS OF SERVICE - - -The tendency to introduce the wearing of livery into domestic service -has grown within the past few years. There are still many protests -against it, and writers are found who declare the cap and apron of the -housemaid a badge of servitude. But the growth of the livery has been -universal, and implies no more degradation in one relation of life -than in another. The public servant, whether he be policeman or -street-cleaner or motorman or car conductor or what you will, takes his -uniform as a matter of course. The shop-girl, who often prides herself -on belonging to a higher social class than the "living-out girl," does -not feel disgraced if in the big department store where she works she -is expected to conform to the rules of the establishment and don a black -gown and a white collar. The trained nurse does not feel it an indignity -to wear a cap. In truth, there is a great deal of nonsense talked about -the livery of the servant-girl. I have known sensible young women--at -least they were sensible in everything else--who would flatly refuse to -wear a pretty and becoming cap, and would give up the chance of a good -place sooner than put one on. - -The girl who surveys matters with an unprejudiced view will recognize -a pretty little cap as an uncommonly becoming adjunct to her dress. She -will also appreciate the fact that she looks much neater with her flying -locks tucked back under a cap than she would with the stray tresses -wandering over a forehead that is heated by brisk work. Rightly -considered, the cap is no mark of servitude, and has a reason for -its existence in the added neatness and freshness it imparts to the -working-girl's garb. - -This, indeed, is the whole object of the livery. When the maid is -at work she should be dressed in a manner that is suitable for her -employment. In the morning when she is to be busy with her housework, -in and out of the kitchen, handling a broom and dust-cloth, her dress -should be a neat print. In houses where the mistress provides the -working-frocks of the maids, as is sometimes done, she can have these -frocks made all in one piece, but in the majority of homes, where -but one or two maids are kept, they dress themselves. Under these -circumstances they cannot be expected to conform to any especial color -or style, and will probably wear shirtwaists and skirts. It is a pity if -the skirts are dark woollen goods, because these gather dust and retain -the odors of cookery, but a large apron will protect the skirt, and -washing is saved to the maid if her whole gown is not of a light -material. She is wise if she wears a large sweeping-cap in the morning -when she is busy at work that is likely to make dust, but this can be -exchanged for a smaller cap when the rougher parts of her labor are out -of the way. - -For the afternoon, when it is feasible, the maid, whether she be the -maid-of-all-work who discharges the functions of both cook and waitress, -or the servant who is waitress and parlor-maid, should, if correctly -dressed, wear a black frock with white collar and cuffs, and a white bib -apron. The latter may be a little more elaborately trimmed than that she -has on in the morning. In fact, with a morning apron she may dispense -with the bib altogether and wear only a plain, large apron. Some -mistresses demand the broad collar, although the cuffs may be omitted. -I say "when it is feasible" the maid should make this change, because -it is not always the most convenient thing in the world for the maid who -has to do the cooking of the dinner before she serves it to be in her -black frock all the afternoon. She may look neat in her gingham waist -and skirt, and then, when she gets everything in order for the dinner, -she may slip away to her room for a minute and get into the black waist. -The waitress who has no kitchen work is usually expected to have on her -black waist soon after luncheon in order to be ready to answer the bell -properly dressed. The absolutely correct custom demands that she should -be in this garb before luncheon is served, but this rule is not followed -in the average household. - -There are many obstacles in the way of strict enforcement of various -regulations which are insisted upon as essential by those who endeavor -to make the social by-laws. To such rules the majority of housekeepers -would be glad to conform if they could. Like Lady Teazle, they would -be only too happy if roses grew under their feet and they could gather -strawberries all the year round. But domestic exigencies forbid many -indulgences, and the wise woman is she who adapts herself to things as -they are and does not make herself wretched over non-essentials. When a -woman keeps but one maid to do the work of a household of half a dozen -members, she cannot hope to have her establishment conducted as it would -be with a force of three or four maids. She may very properly insist -upon certain niceties of serving and waiting, but if she does this she -must make up for it in other ways. For instance, the woman who demands -candles for her dinner-table instead of gas must not expect the maid who -does all the work of the house to have time to keep the candlesticks in -order. The care of the flowers that brighten the table must also come -upon the mistress. She must take this sort of thing for granted as -much as she does the necessity for relying upon her own efforts in the -preparation of her more delicate desserts and salads. Such efforts are -the price she pays for wishing to live in a certain fashion, and, since -she has made her choice, she has no right to be dissatisfied with it. -Plainer modes of life and ultimate salvation are not incompatible, but -if she prefers the added daintiness to the lighter labor it devolves -upon her to do the additional work necessarily implied by the touches of -elegance. - -I have spoken of the habit of some mistresses of providing the maids' -working-dress. This is done in large establishments where a certain -livery is required, and in other homes, where the mistress feels it -worth while, she supplies the black frock to be worn in the afternoon. -Whether this is done or not it is customary for the mistress to provide -the caps and white aprons worn by her maids, and the collars and cuffs, -if she insists upon the latter. These belong to the mistress, and are -not taken away by the maid when she leaves. - -The laundering of these articles is generally paid for by the mistress. -That is, if the washing is put out or some one comes in to do it, the -aprons are included in the family washing instead of being done by the -maid herself with her own washing. In the average family, where two or -three servants are employed, each does her own washing and has a fixed -time for it, unless some other arrangement is made between the mistress -and the servant. In some cases the mistress provides also colored aprons -for the maid to wear at her heavy work, but this is not obligatory. -There is not the same reason for this that there is for the mistress's -purchasing the livery. It is taken for granted that the maid has enough -clothing of her own to enable her to look decent about the house. If, -however, the mistress has her decided preferences in favor of the maid -dressing herself in a special fashion, it is her business to provide the -raiment in which the maid is required to appear. Often it will be found -that the maid has adapted herself to her work and has purchased for -herself neat black waists or frocks to wear in the afternoon. In this -case the mistress is saved just so much expense and may esteem herself -fortunate, but she has no right to demand that the maid shall supply -herself with such a garb at her own expense. - -The social relations of servants is a matter with which some mistresses -exercise themselves over-much, while others, perhaps, give too little -attention to it. According to the ideas of some persons, the affairs of -a maid outside of working hours concern no one but herself. So long as -she conforms to certain rules of the household, her coming and going, -her associates and habits, are no one's business but her own, unless -they interfere with the proper performance of her work. In a way this is -entirely true, and a mistress has no more right to pry into the affairs -of her maid than the maid has to be overcurious about the business of -the mistress. But there is something to be said on the other side. Look -at it in as matter-of-fact fashion as one will, relations of domestic -service are different from any other business association. The mistress -and maid do not only meet in the morning and part again at night, after -having been together simply in the way of their work during the day; -they eat and sleep under the same roof. Often they work side by side for -an hour at a time. They see each other in bodily and mental dishabille. -They are by way of asking or granting little kindly services that were -never nominated in the bond. Without bringing too much sentiment into -the relation, it may yet be asserted that it is next to impossible for -them to meet on purely business terms. - -When this is admitted it opens the way for something more. Not -familiarity or interference, but a kindly and friendly interest. This -interest grows to be something very like a sense of responsibility if -the maid is a young girl far removed--as she often is--from the family -and associations amid which she was reared. The ties that used to hold -her have been loosened, and it would be no wonder if in the feeling of -irresponsibility that comes with novel freedom she should occasionally -make a mistake which she afterwards has to repent more or less bitterly. -In one sense it is none of the mistress's business. She is not her -maid-servant's keeper. Yet she could hardly help reproaching herself if -she thought that a kindly word, a query that showed her interest, -might have spared the girl a blunder, even if this did not amount to -wrong-doing. - -So, if the mistress can do it, she should try to establish some sort -of an _entente_ with her maid. It can hardly be an _entente cordiale_, -perhaps, until they have been together long enough to have broken down -the little class antagonism that generally exists at first between -mistress and maid and to convince the latter of the good-will of the -former. It does not take much trouble to bring about this state of -affairs. An interest in the girl's family, a question or two as to -whether she has any of her own people on this side of the water, an -inquiry as to her friends--not in a manner that seems to imply a -mere curiosity or patronage, but in a fashion that shows a genuine -friendliness is prompting the queries. The assurance of the maid that -she may feel free to have her friends come to see her, a pleasant word -of greeting to these if they come and the mistress happens to meet them, -all do their part towards making the maid sure that her employer is in a -measure her friend. - -When it comes to the question of "followers"--that vexed question in -so many households--the mistress is wise if she pursues the straightest -course. In the first place, she should recognize the fact that the -maid-of-all-work should be permitted to have her men friends come to -call on her. She did not enter a nunnery when she went into domestic -service. She is a human being, and she has the right to friends among -the opposite sex--just as good a right as the daughter of madam herself. -Bearing this in mind, the employer should allow "followers" subject to -the same rules which she would enforce with her own daughters. The -young men should come at a suitable hour and go at a suitable hour. They -should no more be granted permission to linger around the kitchen when -the objects of their attention are busy with the daily toil than should -the callers of mademoiselle be welcomed when she is at her music lesson -or occupied with her language teacher. To do the followers justice, they -do not often attempt it, nor do the maids encourage it. Of course, there -are the stock jokes about the policeman on the beat and the milkman -and the butcher's boy, but none of these--except the policeman--has -sufficient leisure to spend much time in the kitchen or the front area -during working hours. Even if there is violation of this rule once in a -while--well, we have all had little occurrences of the same kind in our -lives. Our chance meetings and partings out of canonical hours did -not take place in the front area, perhaps, but that was because our -employments did not lead either of us there. - -The responsibility of the mistress does not go so far as to make it -necessary for her to inquire into the antecedents of the young men who -visit in her kitchen as she would into those of the men callers in the -drawing-room. That is outside of her province. Yet she may let the maid -know that she feels an interest in her admirers and friends, and such an -interest is likely to be appreciated. - -Again I feel I must defend myself against a charge of sentimentality. -But I have seen these experiments tried with success. I do not mean by -this that the maids were models of unending devotion and fidelity. We -seldom find this sort of thing without flaw among our chosen associates. -But I have known instances where the casual friendliness of the mistress -was repaid tenfold in times of sickness or trouble by offices which -could not be compensated for in money. And it was done freely and -gladly, with no thought of anything out of the ordinary, with no hint -that sacrifices were being made. - -"Yes," says some one, "and those very maids will talk you over behind -your back." - -Quite true, dear madam. As the majority of us discuss not only our maids -but our own familiar friends behind their backs--as they do us when our -backs are turned. We are all of us as ready to resent criticism as we -are to offer it. When we find the habits of high life below-stairs, it -behooves us to ask ourselves what sort of an example along those lines -we had set the maid-servants within our gates. - -Without hope of any reward, except that of the comfortable sensation we -have when we have attempted to do the decent thing, let us try to make -our maids feel at home in our houses. If it is possible, they should -have a place in which to meet their friends. Where there is space, it -is becoming more and more the custom to provide a sitting-room for the -servants in which their visitors can be received. To many housekeepers -such an arrangement as this would be impossible. In such cases there -should at least be an effort to render the kitchen as pleasant as the -circumstances will permit. It may be clean and neat, there may be a -couple of chairs that are tolerably comfortable, and any little attempt -the maid may wish to make to add to the attractiveness of the apartment -should be encouraged. - - - - -VII - -GENERAL SUGGESTIONS - - -The mistress of a house must not look for bricks without straw. In other -words, she must not demand good work from her maids if they lack the -tools with which to achieve it. - -When women, in the course of discussions on domestic topics at clubs -and elsewhere, declare that housekeeping can be practised on the same -principles as those on which men conduct their business, when they -affirm that housekeeping may be run like machinery, they sometimes -forget what is meant by the management of machinery. The metaphor -pleases them so much that they fail to examine it too closely. But any -machinist will tell one that an engine does not go of itself. I do -not mean only that the fires must be kept up and the water which is -to generate steam must be provided. There is more to it than that. The -machinery must be watched and oiled and kept in perfect repair. If -any bit of it is injured it must at once be replaced. There must be a -regular inspection made to see that there is not so much friction on one -part as to make too much wear and tear, and that other portions -which are temporarily out of use do not become rusty so that they are -unmanageable when they come in demand. - -But what housekeeper takes such care of her home machinery as this? Here -and there one may be found, but the majority, having started the works -going, seem to have the impression that the wheels will continue to -revolve with no further attention. It is taken for granted that the maid -will pursue the even tenor of her way as if she were another piece of -clockwork that has been wound up--or, perhaps, as if she were a part -of the same big machine which comprises the household and all its -appointments. - -The difference, of course, between the machinery and the home is that -in the conduct of the latter the human equation has to be reckoned with -constantly. It is not enough for the mistress to see that all parts -of the engine are supplied, if this or that section is to be injured -through carelessness as soon as her back is turned. The head machinist -would probably drop a man on short notice who had proved himself to be -persistently careless of the portion of labor committed to his charge. -The fact that he could do other parts of his work well, that he was -kindly and good-natured and never spoke an impertinent word, would weigh -for little if he did not pay attention to his especial duty and take -proper care of that which was committed to his charge. With the domestic -servant matters are on a different footing. In counting up her good and -bad qualities the mistress must keep a debit-and-credit account and feel -that one positive virtue offsets many negative defects. - -Yet, even while she does this and puts up with shortcomings because of -some one conspicuous merit, the mistress should not relax her effort to -approximate, so far as she may, the performance of household duties to -the workings of the machinery to which it is so often likened. And to -do this she must see that everything necessary is at hand, to make the -wheels turn smoothly. - -It is a proof of the carelessness with which many homes are managed, -and of the slackness which maids take for granted, that the household -equipment is so often conspicuously poor. I have been in houses that -were well furnished above-stairs where I have seen the maids attempting -to do careful cookery with utensils that were utterly inadequate. There -were broken vegetable-graters, cream-churns, egg-beaters, flour-sifters, -coffee-pots with parts of their mechanism missing, bowls and dishes -with large sections gone from them, an insufficient supply of such small -items as measuring-cups, mixing-spoons, vegetable-knives, and the like. -I have also had a glimpse of the articles provided for keeping a house -clean--stubby brooms, worn-out brushes, half-bristled scrubbing-brushes, -a stingy provision of the detergents and cleansing fluids manufactured -for household use. In the midst of this dearth the maids worked as best -they could, accomplishing wonders when one thought of the means they had -in hand. - -"But," some one will say, "these things were doubtless provided at -first, and if they are lacking now it is because of the carelessness of -the maids that had them in charge." - -Precisely so. But the maids ought not to have been permitted to be -careless. If that consummation devoutly to be desired of making the -house run like a machine is ever to be brought about, the methods of the -shop must be introduced into domestic work. The maid should have given -to her the utensils that she will need in order to do her work properly -and then she should be held responsible for them--not responsible merely -by word either. It will be necessary for the mistress to keep her eyes -on these details just as the head machinist makes his inspection. She -will have to see for herself that the broom is hung up or stood on the -handle instead of on the bristle end, that the brushes and dust-pans -not only have their nails or hooks, but are kept on them when not in use -instead of being thrown into a corner of the kitchen and kicked about -by any one who finds them in the way. She will have to inquire if the -dish-towels are washed out after service, boiled once a day, and well -dried and aired--not thrown carelessly over a clothes-horse or a line -to dry with the grease and stains from carelessly washed dishes still -clinging to them. Once in so often the mistress must make an examination -of the contents of the pot-closet to ascertain for herself if the double -boiler has been left on the fire until the water has cooked away and the -bottom has cracked from dryness. She must see that her pans are scoured -when they need it, that no utensil is ever put away with part of the -contents sticking to the inside. - -Do some or all of these admonitions appear uncalled for? I hope they -are, but I am afraid that at least five out of every ten housekeepers -would find one of these defects in her pantries should she go there -seeking perfection. - -When the mistress neglects matters in this way the maid-servant is not -wholly to blame for her heedlessness. It must always be borne in mind -that our domestic service is not recruited from training-schools. -The maid comes to us from her own home or from a succession of other -persons' homes, where she has been taught to do one thing in half a -dozen different ways. From all these she has evolved her own method, -which may be good and may be poor. Such as it is, she is likely to -follow it, unless she is persuaded of a more excellent way or compelled -into it by her new mistress. In the latter case she will probably "go -back to the blanket" as soon as she is at liberty. - -I have already said that it is a mistake for the mistress to demand that -the maid shall change her mode of doing a piece of work, provided -the results are good. The mistress should allow time to discover the -advantages or disadvantages of the servant's system. But if she feels -that her own way is surely better than that the maid follows, she -should insist upon a change. She should recognize the possibility of the -employée's being a reasonable creature, and show her what she considers -the merits of the new plan at the same time that she makes it clearly -understood that, whether the maid sees these or not, the work is to be -done in the manner prescribed by the mistress. She pays for the work and -she has a right to say in what way it shall be performed. - -Sometimes one finds a maid who rebels against this sort of management. -In that case a mistress is wise to discharge her at the end of the -month--that is, unless she can be induced to do the work in the right -fashion. Of course, it is always upon the cards that the maid may have -so many other good qualities that they make up for this defect; but, as -a rule, it will be found that the maid who persists in refusing to adopt -a method of work ordered by her employer will be hard to manage in -other ways. Before giving up such a servant, however, it is well for the -mistress to think carefully of the question at issue and be very sure -that the way she desires possesses enough advantages to make it worth -while to raise an issue upon it. - -Sometimes a maid will come around to a new method of her own accord. -I knew of a cook whose mistress had purchased one of the admirable -bread-making machines. The housekeeper had investigated it thoroughly -and become persuaded that it not only saved time and labor, but that the -bread made from it was more wholesome than that mixed and kneaded in the -ordinary manner. So she installed the machine in her kitchen, explained -its workings and its virtues to the cook, and supposed that there would -be no trouble about it. But the cook was an obstinate conservative. She -had made good bread by the old way, and to the old way she would adhere. -She did not absolutely refuse to use the machine, but she calmly went -on making bread by hand. Excellent bread it was, too. The mistress could -find no fault with it--but that was beside the point. - -Being a sensible woman, she hesitated to raise an issue and possibly -lose a good cook and a trustworthy servant. She herself went into the -kitchen and made bread two or three times with the machine. Her daughter -did the same. In spite of herself the cook became interested in the -new-fangled notion. She saw that it saved time and toil. At last she -tried the machine herself. The results were so good and at so small a -cost of work that she became an ardent convert. - -"Sure, it was wicked I used to be about it," she confessed to the -mistress later. "When you and Miss Jane were making bread with it I used -to be just prayin' that it would turn out bad." - -There are plenty of maids of this kind, although once in a while one -finds a specimen of the other sort. Usually the latter kind is found -among the older women who have become "set in their ways" and object to -experiments of any nature. If the employer wishes to be mistress in her -own house she can hardly retain one of this variety in her service. But -if there are reasons that make her willing to waive her own authority -for the sake of comfort in other directions, she is perhaps prudent to -do it. This is a matter each housekeeper must settle for herself. - -To return to the first point for a moment. The mistress must give her -maids what they need to do their work well before she expects to receive -good work from them, and having done this shall demand that they keep -their tools in order. At the same time that she makes adequate provision -she should not encourage extravagance by overabundance. We all have a -tendency to be lavish when we see before us what seems like more than -enough. The maid should have what will suffice for the present need, but -no more. There is no sense in having half a dozen double boilers, for -instance, when the utmost need of the household does not call for more -than four. Keep two in reserve until accident or use has disabled one -of the others. The maid should not have so large a supply of kitchen -and china towels that she feels it makes little difference if she takes -proper care of them. Instead, she should have enough to wipe her dishes -without having to stint herself, and if extra towels are needed for -extra service they should be given for that time and then put away until -the next occasion arises for their use. She should not have three or -four dust-cloths in commission all the while, but should wash those -she has every day or two and use them until they are worn out. Her -cleaning-cloths--for lamps, bedroom crockery, and the like--should not -be so numerous that she feels it is easier to throw them away than to -take the trouble to rinse them after service. - -Not only the housekeeper is to be considered in the enforcement of these -rules. The maid is being trained in habits of thrift or of wastefulness, -and the housekeeper is preparing for her own kitchen or for the kitchen -of some other woman a servant who will be valuable or the reverse. I -have touched upon the responsibility of the housekeeper for her -servants in other respects, and this is another way in which she should -appreciate her duty to her neighbor. - -In some households the mistresses have slipped into the careless way of -permitting the maid to give orders to the butcher and the grocer. This -should only be done in unusual circumstances. The maid may be entirely -honest and conscientious. At the same time, the mistress is not only -putting her in the way of a temptation to extravagance, but is also -neglecting one of her own duties. The maid should have a pad and pencil -hanging in the kitchen. With these she should keep a list of what is -wanted in the line of household supplies. When she takes the last of any -kind of provision from its receptacle she should make a note of it on -the pad. By this method there is never a discovery at the last moment -that a supply of some desired grocery is exhausted. This memorandum the -mistress must go over every morning when she makes her daily inspection -of the kitchen and pantries. The slip she tears from the pad will serve -as her list of purchases when she goes to market. This, too, should -not be the work of the maid. Once in a while she can be sent out on an -emergency errand, but, as a rule, it is the mistress who should do -the buying. By following this plan she knows what is ordered, what -delivered, and is able at the end of the week to check intelligently the -record in her weekly book from the grocer or the market-man. - -In all that has been said there has been no attempt to consider the -large establishment where there is a housekeeper who assumes the duties -of the mistress of the home in the way of ordering meals, directing -servants, and looking after all the details of the household. Such -establishments are not plentiful enough to be considered in a book of -this scope. It is in the homes where but one servant or at the most two -or three are kept that problems of the sort we have touched upon present -themselves for solution. In such homes these problems are often matters -of daily or weekly consideration. The mistress desires to do all she can -to enable the maid to make the best of her place; the maid's intentions -are usually as good as those of the mistress, even if they are not quite -so clearly formulated. - -Something may be said concerning payment for extra work. When a maid is -engaged it is with the understanding that she is to do for a fixed -wage all the work in her particular line. If hers is the place of a -general-housework servant, the duties are, as already said, hard -to define, but there may be an approximate idea formed of what they -comprise. In other positions in the household it is a simpler matter to -lay down with some precision what the avocations of each servant shall -be. Except by special arrangement she should not be required to step -outside her round. But there are times in nearly every family when some -accident or set of unavoidable occurrences renders it necessary to ask -one maid to do the work of another. Sudden illness, the departure of one -maid before it is possible to engage another, the descent of unexpected -guests--any one of these things may make it needful for the housekeeper -to request a servant to do something besides her regular work. - -When this is the case it should be shown by the mistress that she -appreciates the consideration of the servant, and there should be an -effort made to compensate for such consideration--not necessarily by a -payment of money, but by a gift, the granting of an unusual privilege, -or by relieving the maid of a part of her own regular work. It is not a -good principle for the mistress to fall into the habit of bestowing tips -for any extra service. If matters were conducted on a purely business -basis this might be desirable, but, as I have said before, in the -relation of mistress and maid there are too many opportunities for -mutual accommodation for either to stand upon a point of a kindliness -granted by the other side. - -When it comes to tips from guests it is another matter. If a visitor -feels more comfortable to offer a gift to a servant on leaving, there -is no reason why it should not be done. I know of employers who say that -they pay their servants adequate wages and do not thank their guests for -feeling it obligatory upon them to supplement these by presents. This -is not quite the point at issue. The guest does not mean to question the -justice or generosity of his host, but he feels that he has caused extra -labor and has received services for which he would like to make some -return to the domestic. The gift is not taken by the servant as a -supplement to her wages, but as an acknowledgment of services given, on -her own part, and as a token of appreciation of these by the guest. -The matter of tips in this country has never assumed the importance -it possesses on the other side of the water, although it is by way of -becoming a more serious matter with every year. - -At least once a week the maid should go over the list of silver, which -the mistress should have put into her hands when she came first to the -house, and see that no pieces are missing. In the same way it is well -for her to keep track of the china. Whenever a piece is nicked, cracked, -or broken she should report it at once. Few mistresses are severe when -this is done, although they are rarely so amiable as not to be irritated -to discover such damages by accident. There will be mishaps in the -best-regulated household, but concealment of these or neglect to mention -them is a mistake. It shakes the confidence of the employer and saves -the employée no trouble, since the injury is bound to be discovered -sooner or later, and the reproof is much sharper in those circumstances -than it would be if the maid had made a virtue of necessity and told of -the breakage when it occurred. - -When there has been an accident of this sort there should be judgment -exercised on the part of the mistress as to enforcing the rule -concerning payment for breakages. If the maid is usually careful and -the accident was the result of circumstances she could not avoid, it is -better not to deduct the value of the broken article from her wages. If -she is habitually careless, she will learn a lesson by having to pay for -her fault. If there is a clear understanding on this matter at the time -the maid is engaged, there is no room for any feeling of being imposed -upon when the rule is put into practice. Justice should be tempered -with mercy, however, and allowances made for the first offence. The maid -should be asked just how the accident happened, warned against holding -wet china in slippery, moist fingers, crowding too many pieces into the -dish-pan at once, attempting to carry too large a number at one time, -and other methods of provoking casualties of this sort. Should she -persist in such habits after the warning has been given, the payment for -the broken articles should be insisted upon. - - - - -VIII - -A RECAPITULATION OF DAILY DUTIES - - -THE GENERAL-HOUSEWORK MAID - -Rise at six o'clock and have clothing in readiness, so as to be dressed -and down-stairs by six-thirty. Strip the bed and open the window before -leaving the room. - -If the care of the furnace is in your hands, open the draughts and put -on a little coal. - -Light the kitchen fire, fill the kettle, put on the breakfast cereal and -potatoes, or anything that requires some time to cook. - -Open the windows of rooms on first floor, brush up the floor and the -halls, and sweep off the front steps. Go over bare floor in dining-room -with a cloth and dust the dining-room. Put more coal in furnace, close -draughts, and give a look at kitchen fire. - -Set table for breakfast. If a large cloth is used, put it on over the -canton-flannel "silence cloth." If a square of damask or doilies are -employed at breakfast, lay them on _evenly_. Crooked spreading of a -table is an abomination. - -At each place put a plate, knife, fork, and two spoons, the knife and -spoons to the right, with the napkin beside them; the tumbler also -on the right. The fork must be on the left, and near it the -bread-and-butter plate. If fruit is the first course, there should be at -each place a fruit-plate with a doily, finger-bowl, and fruit-knife on -it. For oranges an orange-spoon should also be laid on the plate. When -a cereal is the first course, the porridge bowls or saucers should be at -each plate. - -Arrange the cups and saucers, sugar-bowl, cream-jug, and other -necessaries at the end of the table where the mistress of the house -sits. At the other end place the carvers and lay the heavy mat for -the hot dish the master of the house is to serve. See that there are -tablespoons, salt-cellars, and pepper-cruets, and the call-bell on the -table, a salt and pepper to every two persons, the tablespoons at the -corners of the table, the call-bell near the mistress's hand. - -Return to kitchen and prepare breakfast. Cut bread, fill glasses, -and bring in butter the last thing. Do not announce the meal until -everything is ready to serve. Put on a clean apron to wait on table. - -While the family is eating the last course of breakfast go to the -bedrooms, strip the beds, turn the mattresses, hang the bedclothing -over chairs, and leave it to air while going over the floors with a -carpet-sweeper. Empty soiled water in bedrooms. - -Go down-stairs and have your own breakfast. Clear the table, scrape -dishes and put them in water. Return to second floor, make beds, dust -and clean bath-room. - -Wash and put away dishes. Rinse out dish-towels and put them over to -boil. See what is in the pantry and refrigerator. Wipe off the shelves -of pantries and refrigerator every day. Scald out ice-box three times a -week. Clean and fill lamps. - -Go now to any special work, such as sweeping, washing windows, or -general cleaning. Stop this in time to prepare luncheon. Set the table -for this meal as you did for breakfast. Be sure that the dining-room -has been well aired and that there is no odor of stale food left from -breakfast. Observe the same rules as at breakfast about serving butter, -bread, and water. - -After luncheon clear table, darken dining-room, and finish any small -duties that have been left over from the morning. Plan your work so as -to have only light tasks in the afternoon. - -Change your dress, brush your hair, put on a fresh cap and a clean -apron, and be ready to wait on the door. If afternoon tea is to be -served at five o'clock, make the tray ready and carry it in at the -proper hour. Start to get dinner in time so that there will not be a -rush at the last moment. If possible, arrange the preparations so that -the cooking can safely be left half an hour before dinner-time in order -to set the table. - -Spread on the thick "silence cloth" smoothly and lay the table-cloth -over it evenly and without a wrinkle. Place the centre-piece in the -middle of the table with the vase of flowers or jardinière on it, lay a -carving-cloth in front of the master of the house, with the carvers. If -a mat is used under the meat dish, put it in place. At the other end of -the table lay the soup-ladle. At each place there should be a service -plate with the knife and soup-spoon to the right of this, with the -tumbler and napkin; the fork or forks, if more than one will be needed, -at the left. If butter is served at dinner, the bread-and-butter plate -may be at the left. If not, a piece of bread, cut thick, may be laid on -the napkin. In most households it is customary to give a clean napkin at -dinner. This should be folded plainly. The tablespoons, salts, peppers, -and call-bell should be in place as at other meals. If such articles as -olives, salted nuts, and the like are used, they should be on the table -before dinner is served. When soup is the first course the soup-plates -may be put on the service plates and the tureen be placed in front of -the mistress before dinner is announced. In houses where gongs or bells -are not used, the maid comes to the door of the room where the mistress -is seated and announces, "Dinner is served." - -If you have not dressed earlier, change your waist just before -announcing dinner. - -After the soup is served, dish the rest of the dinner and be ready to -bring it in when the soup has been eaten. Take out the tureen first, -then the soup-plates, carrying out two at a time, one in each -hand. Carry in all the hot dinner-plates at once, put them on the -serving-table, and as you take up a service plate from the table put a -hot dinner-plate in its place. Bring in the meat dish first and put it -in front of the carver, and then bring in the vegetable dishes and place -them on the serving-table or dinner-wagon. Pass meat and vegetables and -see that every one has bread and that the glasses are filled. Return to -the kitchen and wash the silver and china of the first course. - -When clearing the table after this course, take out the meat and -vegetables first and then the soiled plates. If salad is to be served -next, put down a salad-plate in place of the dinner-plate removed. Set -the oil and vinegar cruets and the bowl for mixing the salad-dressing -in front of the hostess, and pass the salad first and afterwards the -dressing. The dishes of the preceding course may be washed during the -salad course. - -If a sweet comes next or in place of a salad course, clear the table, -removing salts and peppers, unused silver, and everything except -glasses. Brush off the crumbs into a plate with a folded napkin, take -off and fold the carving-cloth. Put the plates and finger-bowls on the -table. Bring in the sweet. When this has been finished, take out the -dish that has held it, remove the soiled plates, and bring in the -coffee. - -Return to the kitchen, have your own dinner, and finish washing the -dishes. By this time the family will have left the table. Clear this, -remove the cloth, folding it in the creases, put away the china, and -darken the room. Finish putting the kitchen in order for the night. - -On Monday morning rise early enough to get a good start at the washing. -Any work of this sort that can be done before breakfast is just so much -clear gain. Proceed with other work as on other days, except that the -dusting of the rooms and the care of the chambers will probably be -assumed by the mistress. Wash the sheets and other heavy pieces early -in the day in order that they may have a chance to dry. Do the flannels -early and follow them with the fine clothes. The second water from the -flannels may be used for the first rinsing of the cotton clothes. If -the worst-soiled pieces can be put in soak overnight it will lessen the -labor on Monday morning. - -On Tuesday morning it is also well to get an early start in order to -make a good beginning on the ironing. The same rule of early rising -will be found helpful when there is any piece of extra work to be -accomplished. A prompt beginning gives time for rest in the latter part -of the day. - - -THE COOK - -Rise at six o'clock and be down-stairs by six-thirty. Open draughts of -furnace and put on a little coal. Fill the kettle and put the cereal -over the fire. Make ready the materials for the breakfast. When the -furnace fire has come up put on more coal and close draughts. Open the -windows of the cellar, air the pantry, and see that the kitchen is in -good order, the stove blacked, etc. After the family and the kitchen -breakfast inspect the contents of the pantries and refrigerator and plan -with the mistress for the best use that can be made of left-overs. If -soup is to be made it should be put over now, and desserts that are to -be served cold should be prepared. The ice-box must be scoured out with -hot water and soda three times a week, the shelves of the pantry and the -refrigerator wiped off every day. - -Each morning see what is wanted in the way of groceries and other -provisions, and make a list of what is lacking, to be handed to the -mistress before she goes to market. After the luncheon and dinner are -planned there will probably be time to do a little work outside of -the kitchen before the hour for making ready for luncheon. Never be -behindhand in such preparations so that the waitress is delayed in -serving. Keep the luncheon hot after it comes from the table, and have -the kitchen table set ready for the maids. - -In the afternoon there is usually time for resting and changing the -dress. The beginnings of the dinner should be made in season and the -utensils used should, as far as possible, be washed as fast as they are -done with in order to prevent a clutter of work when the meal is over. -Wash the pots and pans in which the dinner is cooked as soon as the food -is out of them. Scalding water should be put into a vessel as soon as -you have finished using it. Scald out towels and fish and jelly cloths -as soon as you have done with them. Keep the sink clean, and wash it out -thoroughly after each meal. - - -THE WAITRESS AND CHAMBERMAID - -Rise at six o'clock and be down-stairs at six-thirty. Open and air the -rooms on the first floor, brush off the steps, sweep out the halls, and -brush down the stairs. Brush up the drawing-room or go over the floor -with a carpet-sweeper, wipe up the hard-wood floors, and dust the rooms. -If the woodwork is painted, spots must be wiped from it. Take hot water -up to bedrooms half to three-quarters of an hour before breakfast, -according to directions previously given by mistress. Wait on table -during the early part of the meal. Pass the fruit, offering it from the -left side. Take off fruit-plates from the right side, putting porridge -service in the place of the plate removed. Offer porridge, as sugar and -cream, from the left side, remove soiled porridge service from right -side, putting hot plate in its place. Offer other dishes from left side, -or if the plate is served by the carver, put it in front of the guest -from right side. Place cup and saucer on the right, offer sugar and -cream from the left. - -When dismissed after the service of breakfast, go up-stairs to the -bedrooms and proceed with them as directed previously in duties of -"General-Housework Maid." Have breakfast when summoned by cook, clear -table, and prepare dishes for washing. Return to the bedrooms, finish -the work there and in the bath-room, and then wash dishes, put them -away, and despatch other work of the dining-room. See if silver needs -cleaning and that table-linen is in order. Polish brasses, rub off -furniture, wash windows, or attend to other work of this sort. Make -butter-balls for the next meal. Clean and fill lamps. - -Set table for lunch according to previous directions. Wait as at -breakfast. Be careful that no glass is allowed to become empty, and keep -a watch on the plate of each guest, offering to replenish it as it is -emptied. - -After luncheon clear the table before going to luncheon in the kitchen. -Wash dishes and dress for the afternoon, requesting the cook to answer -the bell while you are in your room. Be in readiness to attend the door -during the afternoon. Make the tray ready for tea at five o'clock, and -carry it in at the appointed hour without waiting for the order. If the -salad is in your care, prepare it in time and see that the mayonnaise, -if this is needed, is made in season. Set the table according to -directions already given. At dusk draw down the shades and light gas and -lamps in hall and drawing-room. - -In passing the soup do not use a tray, but put the soup-plate down in -front of each guest, from the right. Remove the soup-plate from the -right, leaving the service plate untouched. When the hot dinner-plates -are brought in, take up the service plate, substituting the -dinner-plate. Bring the meat to the table first, then place the -vegetables on the serving-table. Stand back of the carver, a little to -the left. Take each plate as he serves it and put it down in front of -the guest, from the right. Pass vegetables, etc., from the left. Follow -the same plan as has been outlined earlier in serving salad, sweets, and -coffee. - -Should you be expected to remain in the dining-room throughout the meal, -the soiled dishes must remain untouched until after dinner. If you are -permitted to wait in the pantry, many of the soiled dishes can be washed -during the meal. - -When coffee has been served, go up to the chambers, remove spreads, -shams, etc., turn down beds, and close the blinds. Come down to your -own dinner, and then clear the table, wash the dishes, and put the -dining-room in order for the night. Be ready to answer the bell during -the evening. About ten o'clock take iced water to the chambers. If up -later than the members of the family, turn out lights and lock up. - - -THE END - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Expert Maid-Servant, by -Cristine Terhune Herrick - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EXPERT MAID-SERVANT *** - -***** This file should be named 43042-8.txt or 43042-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/0/4/43042/ - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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