Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1873-06-25

keepers has proved this. A poor servant
who knows that she can walk out Of one
good house directly into another viii not
try to become excellent. She gets used
to floating. and does not object 10 il.
There is pleasant excitement in IL, 10
which she gets accustomed. There are
hundreds, If not thousands. Of servants
who never stay three mOnths in place.
and are ia no way unhappy about il; and
the good hOusekecpers Of the city are re-
sponsible for their eristance. II their
credentials we're properly looked into, they
would find themselves driven into inferior
places, or made humble and willing to
learn.
We do mot know why it is that it is
supposed that cooking, IS an art, needs
never 10 be learn ned. Good cooking is
among the best and most useful of all
arts. We are more dependent upon it for
health comfort and the economical ad-
miuistration Of home life than upon any
other art wi tatever; yet not one in one
hundred of our cooks ever learns her bus
mess, nor ever thinks of learning it. We
are driven to professional bakers for our
bread and 10 the confectioners for our
pastry, cake, buildings and cream. Our
lady of the kitchen calls herself cook
If she can roast joint so that it can be
eaten or broil steak so that it cannot be
eaten. If dinner-party is to be given,
professional ,ook must be called in to
save the lady of the house from torment
and disgrace. We pay for good service,
and get that which is wretchedly incom-
petant. ...t
There are two possible measures which
might relieve US. IF the city authorities
would establish and maintain bureau of
registry, which would receive no names
but those of men and women who can es-
tablish, by the most reliable testimony,
their competency in the different depart
ments of domestic, service, and so make
it prime object with all servants to get
their names upon it, they would open the
way out of our difficulties. The trouble
is that ro one is responsible now for any
thing A good-natured mistress gives her
good-natured servant ''character" which
does net belong to her, and on this she
trades. A bureau like the one We pro-
pose could be made self.supportiug, and
do incaculable good. 1t should be made
so high an honor to get place upon this
registry, and so save a guaranty of good
wages and permanent service, that mo-
tive for excellence is held constantly be-
fore those whe expect to rely upon service
for livlihood. Those who are willing to
pay good wages for good service should
never resort to any other source for it.
If servant apply fer a first -class place
who cannot get her name upon the regis
ter, she should not obtain it.
The second measure to which we allude
is the establishm ent of school of domes-
tic service, so that any servant who real.
ly wishes to improve horself, can be fit-
ted for her work, whatever it may be,
whether cooking, waiting, laundry-work,
or the care of chambers. Our city is fall
of rich men--men with superfuous wealth.
They will leave this wealth to charities
and museums, and various objects moro
or less practical and praise-worthy.
What greater favor can these men do the
city in which they have accumulated their
money than by founding school of do.
mestic service, where men and women,
who have failed to learn their business, or
who wish to enter upon service, can &C.
quire practical knowledge of their
work 2
Surely there must be, in nation like
ours, some way out ofour present troubles.
We have put nearly every thing in way
Of mending but this, and before it we
seem to stand helpless. Are not tho rem
edics We propose practical? p? IF they be.
then they should be applied. The first
measure we propose would not be COM
plete without the other, and the latter es.
F tablished in some way, would not work
well without the former. We want not
only the instruction, but the public, au-
! thoritative recognition Of it. We want a
6 standard that shall establish and maintain
. distinctien--honaroble on one side and
dishouorabe on the other between good
servants and bad servants. Such stand
ard would, while increasing the comfor,
+, and economy Of home-life, make service
an intelligent and respectable art. and ell
evate the morale of all engaged in it,
DIR. J. G. Holland, Scribner's for July.
> 800
i "A frontier correspondent who saw
Capt. Jack after his capture remarks tha
: bis appearance would have been improved
n j !. r. a ! y