National Republican., 1874-05-07
OUR SERVING. .M,A11s i,
GOOD HOUSEWIFE Asp BAD SER


GOOD HOUSEWIVES ANp BAD SER
fNew York coo1escfai Advertiser.l
An able and uell Known writer has contribu
ted 70 one Of the magazines an. article which Il
called ''On The Side OF the Maidsy and which
is calcuiAtsdto givelmach interesting informa-
tionto those fus whose knowledge of domes
Tie matters is somewhat vague, "Men-folks,' y
% use 8 familiar, If not q contemptuous phrase
ars bcs loosely acquainted with the relations
that exist between mistress and servant. Their
notions on the subject are admittedly few, SIM
pie, aud crude. They have q nebulous suspi.
cion that maid-seryants are rather hardly
treated that not much consideration is shown
them; and that their mistresses might be lit
tie more gentle and kindly in desling with q
class OF persons who arc entirely at their
mercy. u
Now these opinions may be held, but they
are not declared. A husband Is not going to
plunge into quarrel with his wife mainly be-
cause he fancies she has been unjust to . maid
servant. "vcry we'll, my DEAR he says, re-
signedly, when the partner Of his bosom de-
monstrates the necessity of giving Tomkins or
Jenkins warning, although he privately rather
commiserates Tomkins or Jenkins And much
suio hIIocc IIOI1 Lue lACJ tuAh bu6 master oil
house is ordinarily better served than the
mistress. He is moro feared; his wants are
lever; and he Is ordinarily more inclined to
give an encouraging word now and again.
moreover, he is not always In the house, watch,
Ing how things go on, and ready to find fault.
Supposing he has his boots and his breakfast
all ready In good time, he in most cases leaves
The household to itself till the evening, and
dinner. ~
He cannot understand why there should be
such constant complaints of the people down
stairs, when he finds them invariably most at
tentiye and efficient. or course he sides with
his wife openly when he is challenged; but he
has secret belief that women are not yery
generous toward each other, and that maid
servants have much to- put up with. On the
other hand, when some clear case of fnsubordi-
nation or neglect comes before him, he is so
astenished that he is all for action and violent
measures. Nothing Hfll do but the bundling
Of the maid out of the house forthwith, inso.
much that many mattresses of households are
rather afraid of complaining to their husbands.
In ordinary cases, however, the "men-foIks"
are Invariably son the side of the maids"-as
most wives know.
We'll, here is q lady who plays into the hands
OF the "men-folks" In q very uncompromisino
way, and gives such absorption of our house.
holds as will astonish many of the lords thereof.
Is It possible, some of US may ask ourselves that
the gentle and beautiful creatures who look so
pretty IN drawing room, who cry over the
sorrows Of imaginative heroines so that they
go sobbing to bed, who appear to be the very
personifcatiop of all charitableness; unselish-
ness, and love, are really abominable and
black-heerted tyrants, cruel, thoughtless, and
revengefuli Here are some portions of the
picture that has been drawn of the white
slavery over which those harsh task
mistresses preside ga. servants
work Is never done poten-
TALLY, II even actually. She is liable to be
rung up at all hours; her very meals are not
secure from interruption; she has no time that
is absolutely her own, and even her sleep is
not sacred. In the dead Of night something
might be wanted, and she must get up to bring
or to do It." = - ''shs lives under,
ground, and she either sleeps underground or
Just below the roof. Damp, drains, want of
efficient ventilation, with the constant presence
of draughts, surround her In winter; I'm sum-
mer these are supplemented by o furious FIRE
for many hours In the day." . "No
followers, no friends In the kitchen, no laugh
ing to be heard aboye-sta1rs; no romping for
young girls, to whom romping is an instinct all
the same as with lambs and kittens; no cessa-
tion Of work save at meal times; no getting out
for half an hour In the bright sunshine. save
'oa the sly or after the not always pleasant
process Of asking leave; and above ali
Doeducation for the fancy or the intellect be-
yond dull magazine for Sunday reading,
which Is held sufficient. recreation for lonely
Betty moping in the dreary kitchen on the
afternoon Of her Sunday in.p All this Is bad
enough, but worse remains behind. Some of
us may be willing to confess that we are sell
fshly less concerned about Betty (although
sincerely plying her condition) than about the
opinion which we fondly hold of Betty's mis-
tress. Now, listen to what Is said of her: ssNo
lady considers herself degraded by the use of
harsh language to her servants, Just as no
slave-holding lady feels herself degraded If she
strikes her slave ororders her out 70 be iogged.
And no one acknowledges that she has been
wr6nged." Is this truel Have we-fathers,
brothers, husbands-been caressing rattle.
snakes and petting tarantulasl We shall only
observe, on this point, that II the tender and
gentle things who look 30 innocent aud beauti-
fui In Q, drawing -room, do really treat their
servants 80 when the backs of the "men-folks,,
are,turped, then their power of acting Is most
creditable TO them, and their hypocrisy most
admirable. But man who values his peace
Of mind will not hastily take sides In such a
question. sra t-.-' s--sr a.r,.s
It is but fair to remember, however, that
our mothers, wives, and sisters ten q very
different story, and that the story Is at least
spacious. They declare, in round terms, that
oyefy year the conduct Of the maid sefYants-l
the claims they make, the airs they assume,
the negligence which Is their form of revenge
more and more fnsupportabie. They
refuse to eaS food Australian beef, for ex-
ample) which thor masters and mistresses
find palatable enough. When their own In
competence to cook certain things has become
sadly visible ut the dinner table, they recent
the coming of their mistress into the kitchen,
even If the latter, like .Balzac, politely taps at
The door TO avoid unpleasant discoveries. They
not only stipulate for SO many evenings OIL in
the month, which Is legitimate enough, but
will not bulge from the letter of the agreement
10 meet some sudden exigency.
They drink as much beer as would stupefy a
ploughman ESQ the story goes;) they wear
inery such as the bride of tradesman never
had in her trousseau; they do less and less
rom year to year, demanding always addi-
.ional help, and what they do In perfunctory
md disgraceful fashion. They are-but we
iecline to catalogue further the grievances of
he mistresses which, as every one knows, form
,ne OF the chief sorrows and subjects of talk
whenever q few of our matrons! are met
ogether. Nor do we feel competent to adju-
iicate in the matter. We cannot reconcile
hese diverse Series of statements. When we
cad such an article as that "0n the side of the |
daids, we wish that mistresses would be
rite more kindly and considerate, and give |
he poor girls some chance of employing their |
cant leisure in a healthy and amusing fashion;
When we hear description Of the difficulties |
which the mistress of household has with !
YER servants, we are inclined to warn all young |
women against the perfls OF matrimony.
But if any father, or husband, or brother
hould become seriously concerned about this |
ubject, we must remind him that little faith
5 70 be placed in generslizstions. There are
ood and bad mistresses, aud GOOD and bad
maids, even as thers are lhoasaholds, presided
ser with wisdom, kindlInesS and discretion,
nd households in which everything, from CUR
ct to coal-cellar, Invariably goes wrong.
'iddy, however, ought to be thankful for this
Tarm and sincere protest on her behalf; and In
ome quarters We hope 1t may do something
oward making her life more endurablc.
AGASSIZ'S METHODS OF WORK.
Agassiz was singularly unmethodical in his
abits. Men who live and work by rule would
E puzzled to understand how Agassiz managed
, do so much without these helps. He lived
nd worked by inspiration If he was suddenly