The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-03-14

~ WON ~ gAovOE u ANsv -
D. @ 81 Service.
No clustered nun was ever more efectual-
" excluded from association with the out
side world or hedged about with more
slavish rules than our girls, free, white, In
telligent christian girls who are at service,
even in some families in Rock Island. In |
some instances such rules as the following, |
if not posted up in the kitchen, are enforced
by hard-hearted and exacting mistresses,
VIZ: ....s.-5 ---.--..---
i. No visits are ever 70 be rcceived-as for Of |
fering cup of tea, it would be robbery-almost
high treason.s - f&HE As- 9Sse
2. Anything broken is to be deducted from the
wages. -
of voluntary forced departure before the end of
the month, nothing is to be paid.
4. Servants are TO be allowed to go to- church
once a month, to leave the house once a fortnight
or perhaps to go to church every Sunday, provid-
ed they go at six o'clock of q cold, dark, winter
morning.
When such or similar rules, ifnot express
ed, are enforced, it is time something should
be said in defence of that large and highly
respectable class of girls and women who
take care of our rooms, wash our clothes,
and prepare our food, -and it is well for the
present generation to know some of the rea-
sons why servants are not as good now as in
former years. Undoubtedly one reason is,
that the demand exceeds the supply. I'm
doubtedly many persons will not now go to
service whose mothers were glad to do so
forty years ago. But there are better rea-
sons than these, and the following extract
from an article in the Boston Adcertiser will
supply some of them, and apply to other
places as we'll as Boston;
A radical cause of the trouble is the de-
.fectiue education Of housekeepers. The fact
is, great many of them do not understand
their business. Now suppose merchant is
ignorant, lazy, and at the same time conceit-
ed, does any one expect that his clerks viii
respect him? Suppose master mechanic
does not understand his trade, does any one
expect that his workmen will obey him with
alacrity and look up to him with cheerful
obedience?
Many young woman commences and
continues housekeeping who is utterly ignor-
ant of what she has undertaken. She liter
ally knows nothing, or next to nothing, OF
the administration in detail of the little king
dom placed under her control. She cannot
bake or brew. She cannot spit turkey, for
her life. She does not know the materials
of a corn-cake. And as for custard- pud
ding, she would be as likely to season it with
sage and ginger as with nutmeg.
1t must also be admitted that many young
ladies are destitute of mental discipline
They have been so occupied with frivolous
amusements, that, although they may be
able not always to spell correctly, to write
fair hand, and even to keep accounts, they
are still destitute of high intellectual culture
The consequence is, they cannot compare
analyze, combine, and make plans They
have no definite and clear ideas on any sub
ject. How can such persons successfully
regulate household? How can they so La,
out their work and so distribute their forces
as to secure harmony and consistency of &C
ton in those under their charge ? And ye
such persons are the lOudest in their com
plants of miserable help They issue or
ders, many of which are unreasonable, some
of which are confused and unintelligible
and nearly all are "seen through" by the ser
wants at once.
There are young snobs riding about town
who could not put the harnesses ON q pair
groomed horse in their lives; who do not
know SPAWN from ring-bone; and vet
they win strut into the stable and order the
groom to do the most absurd and impossible
things, and interlard their conversation with
an oath or two, Or three, or four, or more
because he has not done what he would in
time and at the proper time, or what it was
unnecessary or, perhaps, impossible for him
to have done under the circumstances. A
groom who understood his business once told
me that while washing a carriage, he had
been ordered three times to go of errands.-
OF course each time he had to take off has
old dress, put on another and change his
boots; and yet probably Madam, In the par
Tor, wondered at his slowness, and his mas
ter could not understand why every carriage
was not clean at noon. @
There is another trait of some fine ladies
of our day and that is a want of good man
ners towards those under them; this is on,
of the crying evils of the day. The man
ner in which children order servants about
the style in which they address them-th,
provoking way they have ofexpressing them
selves is quite modern in New England
In the olden time if child in any respecta
BILE family should speak to q servant in insc
lent tone, he would be obliged to apologize
Is it quite so now? have known a sma
boy ring the bell for servant to come u
stairs to hand him glass of water from th
table. l suppose he had, in one sense,
right to do it, but / do not fancy that Sc
want treated in this way would have an
especial affection for so helpless creatur
or for household where such selfshness
common. ] have heard young ladies ca
table ridicule the paddles and especial
their religion, while the servants, with
hearing, if they had particle of sensibilit
could not but feel indignant, and they had
right to feel so. In general,i may be remar
ed, that in our country there is freedom
remark in the presence of servants that is t
tally unknown in good society abroad. 49,.
Then, there is often want of consider
ton for the servants, that is inexcusable.-
Most of the Catholics desire to go to chure
They think great deal of it. No matt
why, but such is the fact. Now it very eft
happens that, by very little proper manae
ment they could be accommodated in this
spect more than they are. They sometim
insist upon this as q right, and then they a
considered insolent, unreasonable and SELLS
They have friends they like sometimes to vi
and to receive visitors. This may be slig
Inconvenience, but it is clearly unreason
blefto treat it as injurious. They sometim
like to goto party or dance, or to scho
and very little foresight and managme
will secure to them a good deal of pleasu,
But is it often exercised? The other nigl
to my knowledge, spaterfamilias was ind
nant because the chambermaid was out
ter ten o'clock, and expressed himself vigt
Al ILL r. L. 4 y