The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-03-11
An Interesting Chapter on 'Help."
The Difficulty Of Getting Good SerV-
ants and Managing Them.
From the Boston Advertiser.

From the Boston Advertiser
The great complaint of American honse-
keepers is inefficient and insufficient "help. -
1t is quite common To compare our country
to others in this respect, to the disparage-
ment of the former; and surprise is not
seldom expressed that foreign servants
when they get here are So much less de-
sirable than they were af home.
From recent statements in the London
Times, it would seem that there are diff
culties of this sort in England as well as
here, and it appears that the cares and
perplexities of housekeeping are not con-
fined to orr native land. A woman was
recently fined twenty pounds in London,
for falsely giving good character to
servant who subsequently stole from Der
employer, and, as is usual in London, any
new or singular proceeding, even in the
minor courts, is followed by newspaper
criticism to greater CT less extent. In
this case, there are numerous cOmmunica
tons in the Times. One writer, after
stating the principle of law, that an honest
servant who is refused a true certificate
of character, may have an action for
damages, says few discharged servants are
able to meet the expense of such pro-
ceeding; and he states case of peculiar
hardship, where certificate was refused,
although the only fault Ga very common
One) was that the servant could not DO the
work because it was too hard
GA housekeeper has long commune
cation in the Times, in which she sets
forth in language quite familiar the faults
and failngS of servants-their love of
dress-their indolence-the.r bad temper
their independence-and, among other
things, asserts that there are combinations
among them, SO that housekeepers who
refuse to give q certificate are ''spotted,"
and find the greatest difficulty il obtaining
any servants at all. Indeed, she says that
in some instances families have been COM
PEELED to break up house keeping and go
into lodgings or abroad, until the circum.-
stance was forgotten!
1t may console the afflicted to hear of
all this, on the principle of the French
maxim that there is something in the mis-
fortunes of our friends not altogether I'M
pleasing. And most of our readers may
remember that the complaints of Door
servants is by no means confined to the
present generation. The faults Of those
who served our grandmothers were very
different from those of our day and gem
Grafton, but they were no less trying. 81
shall be glad to hear of your being fitted
with a good servent," writes Sir Walter
Scott to his SON. "Most of the Irish of
that class are scapegraces-drin steal,
and lie like the devil" Again: 81 hope
your servant proves careful and trusty
At any rate, do not trust him bit further
than You can hely it, for in buying any
thing yon will get it much cheaper your
self than he will" In another letter he
says: "You have never said word OF
your horses, nor how you have come on
with your domestics, those necessary
plaques of your life. Two or three days
since, that cub of Sir Adams chose to
amuse himself by fiinging crackers about
the hall where we were at dinner. | think
gave him a proper jobation.
IL Is trlte saying that there may be
faults on both sides in this matter, and that
good masters and mistresses are apt tc
have good servants. 1t would be nearer
the truth, perhaps, to hint that good mas
tiers PET up with the faults of those they
employ, and patiently endure what they
cannot help. AT least, there is in this az
In other events OF existence, certain nat