New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-11-28

dat account regarded as belonging to "k'e lower
classes " and therefore unworthy to eat wiz the
family. II any ole were needed elsewhere. th.S
would be a good reason for her absence from the
table; but that VIGOROUSLY is not the reason why
servants do not cit down TO eat with the family
As to waiting on the table, we decidedly prefer
to see her who waits IN a small family sit at the
table and cat when no service is required Of her
rather than see her stand behind chair. We
must believe any man has the same cholce-un-
less indeed, he only thinks Of the waiting girl
as belonging TO Z" the lower classes"
g. Our correspondent is quite right in forbear-
ing to inquire how servants would spend their
leisure hours ii they had any for hireings of
all sorts have quite extensively been kept at
work from daylight till bedtime for fear Of dam
age to their morals If any leisure were allowed
them, yet we cannot learn that their morals
have much improved under this regimen nor
that II has begotten In them any lively sense of
gratitude for the wa.chful care thus exerted In
their behalf But she is all wrong in assuming
that we would have all the servants in house
begin to work at one and the same hour every
morning and knock off all together at the cor.
responding hour at night hence she founders
in very deep quagmire OF her own unalded
creation and puts us 10 the trouble OF pulling
her out. What we urge is that each servant
should have definite time for beginning her
days work, and definite, well-defned limit TO
that days work, so that she should feel that
some portion of each day was her own, to be
devoted TO mental improvement, social recre-
alton and the care OF her own clothing 1t might
sometimes be necessary to call one at three
O'Clock in the morning to prepare breakfast for
some member of the family who was to leave at
five now let her days work for that day legally
close at three but that would not affect the
other servants who should be required to begin
work at six, seven, eight or nine, as their ser
vices might be wanted.
But suppose the mistress has but ser
want Why then We say she must not expect
that servant to get up at five in the morning to
cook the breakfast and sit up till nine at night to
tend the baby. She must allow her servant
some time to improve her mind or see her friends,
even though that should involve the dire neces-
sty of tending the baby in the evening herself.
But in the case OF some unforeseen exgency,
like the arrival of visitors, or the occurrence Of
sickness, after the servants days work had been
completed, she might very fairly require an extra
lift and 40 girl treated as we have suggested
would refuse it. If asked to work Over-h0urs,
without having the time made up to her another
day, she should be paid for it of course
4. The mistress who wished to spend an
evening out--no matter whether nationally or
otherwise-would of course give her servant
some other part Of that day and reserve the
evening to herself. There is no practical diff.
Guilty in the case if you only begin with under
standing that every human being has rights and
intellectual as well as social wants, whether
belonging to the lower classes" or the higher
All that we demand is that a reasonable and
definite number of hours service shall constitute
days work, and that no more shall be exacted
as of right we do not ask that every servants
days work shall begin at the same hour and be
precisely the same portion of every day. If a
mistress wishes one of her servants to be on
duty till midnight, let her allow that servant the
forenoon of that day ns tho neTt tn herself Only
realize that the lower classes have rights and
needs as well as the higher and all beyond Is
easy.
s. If our correspondent does not mean to quib-
BILE, we will thank her to tell Us what are The
rights of servants with regard to church going,
and where we may find them set forth. We GER
tanly do not know what their recognized, legal
RIGHTS are in the premises, if they have any, and
we certainly desire to know them. Suppose
cook wishes very much to attend church next
Sunday forenoon, while her mistress greatly de-
sires that she should stay at home to prepare an
early dinner-who has the right III the case
Who must ask as farOr that the other give
way' Does the rieht of servants to attend church
extend to three services otwo or but one
These are points on which we desire PLAIN de-
6nitions. We would have each servant know
exactly what portion OF her time is her own and
what portion of it belongs to her employer so
that she might render ample justice and require
IL If each servant has an already recognized,
established right to part of each Sabbath 1t
mist be easy to state what part and how lar II
extends We call for specifications and proof
6 Our correspondent need not fear thal we
shall undervalue her interest IN the elevation
and Improvement OF the lower classes Ger
tainlv not But we have had so much expert
cnce of Aboliionsts who wished every iorm Oh
slavery abolished but that which administered
70 their personal comfort-Christlans who were
mos, solicitous for the conversion OF all heather
but those who inhabited their own garre's ana
Easements and philanthropists IN the abstract
who run square against practical dithculsles
whenever Philanthropy contemplated the sad
condition of the lower classes engaged IN
mlnistering TO their own wealth and luxury tna'
we cannot respec. them so profoundly as we
once did Madam y said John Randolph 10
LADY, engaged in making up clothing for the deS-
ttute Greeks. during their kevolu'lonary var
the Greeks are at your door I'd fF'0'
- ID Him &C Erec uar.ex-A DidactIc.