Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-01-31

But there is such "A calamity as having too
much of n good thing The English have
too many servants. The labor is divided in
to very small portions, and there must be
man or "A maid for each portion. Butler
hous, keeper, cook, house maid, Iarlor maid,
nurse, nurse.maid. laundry maid, lHdy 's-mAid,
tootman, valet. scullcry- maid, and page, or
buttons, they muster in diversified Tut
formidable array, and each one is pledged, by
some secret bond Of the fraternity, never to
do anything that is assigned by custom to
the DEPARTMENTS of his coadjutors. At least
three or four servants must be nttacht d to a
moderate household in London. In the
country, | have known fifteen servants tn
gagged to wait upon II family of four persons.
| do not speak of uoblrmens families for
these maintain an immense retinue of de-
pendents and uud,rlings, but of a quiet
country house, with no game preserves to
look after, and no stud Of hunters to require
extra stablemen. English ladies are, as n
rule, better house wives than American wo-
men, and they have need to be so. To man
age so many nmploycs satisfactorily demands
talents, labor and experience, enough to fiji n
man for the rank of drill-sergeant, or even
that Of general. In many English houses the
servants form Il hous shOld within a house
hold. They must have n separate table, not
furnished forth with the fuuereal baked meats
from their masters feast, but with every
thing cooked especially. Even in the plain
est houses there is fixed extra allowance for
the servants beer. In great houses the up
per servants have third table in the house
keepers room. Al this draws heavily upon
the income Of the head of the family Wages
are not very dear but not much cheaper than
in America Perquistes are about the same
in both countries. Walls or gifts are not
thought of here, but in many parts of Eng
land the custom is continued in all its ancient
force Some years ago there was n determ-
ined attack upon it in the newspapers, but
very little effect was produced Gentlemen
furnished statistics to show that it would
have cost them less to buy their own shoot
ing grounds than to accept invitations from
friends and pay pounds to the game keepers
Other gentlemen ciphercd up the amount of
money Of which they had been mulctod by
the understrappers at houses which they had
hOnored with visits. The journals, in long
logical, and learned leaders, protested against
such impOsitions upon guests. But when the
servants, aggravated beyond endurance at
last rushed into print, and, with hOmely pa
thos, but bad grammar, recorded how much
extra work the visitors made for them, al
most everybody felt that the servants had the
best Of the discussion. At any rate, to tip
English servants is the custom, and Amer
leans should not venture upon an exception.
1t is impossible to offend any Englishman of
what is called the 'lower orders" by offering
him a shilling. From the policeman who
points out your way, to the page who ushers
you into the drawing room, they all have
itching palms. In any other country you
can ask question of a street-loafer without
being solicited for the price of pint of beer,
but not in this. Nowhere else is poverty so
very hard and so utterly shameless Even in
Spain and Italy the beggars are too proud to
ask for aims if you address them politely
AppietOHS Journal