The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-03-28
SERVANTS IN ENGLAND.
How They Are Standardization Eet~een
Master and Mau-The badge.


Robert Laird Collier in Chicaa, Newsl
English servants are trained. They
walk one straight path, and to this
their feet become so accustomed that
they get befogged and confused If they
step aside to make other paths for their
feet. A COOK is COOK anu hous maid
is ho s2mad. A iootman is nodded
by his duties into a foot an And
nodded he is A footman and coach
man he lives and dies The church
oatechi6m must have the credit or the
discred!t for this universal automatic
life, English people ar4 taught by their
national religion TO be content in that
station of life whereunto they are
called. For throne ana nobility, for
the fellows at the head and on top this
is dclectable social philosophy but
for Hodge " the farm laborer, and for
Bridget, the sCulery-maid, for tine
hewer5 of wood and the drawers of
water the outlook is less optimistic.
The work of English servants never
overlaps. 1t is rgidly defined and
strictly adhered to, 1t is an annoy
ance in an Lnglish household that
this is true, for often certain work
goes undone for the reason there
is no one whose place it is to do it.
In Germany, rance, and in this coun-
try servants will turn their hands to al
most anything, but not so in england.
1t is deemed derogatory to do another's
work, and one gets a oustomed to hear,
Nlt il NOT my ,yCrly - and 4bo v.o,l, noos
undono There are two sides to this.
We do not put blacksmith to mend
ones watch, and perhaps a maid-ot-all.
work is good atnone. English servants
as a rule do Wei what they undertake
to do
The relation between master and man,
between mistress and maid, would be
to an American / confess it always was
to n e-irkSOme. II is an unnatural,
and forbidding relation. The servants
are held at arms length, and their
servility is universal. ri ir and man
are used with every breath, an the rails
ing the hand to the head by the man
servant and the ualf-accomplished
courtesy of the maid-servant are 50
mechanical ana as if done by machinery
that it is offensive 1t is very seldom
that there is any love lost between the
family and the servants, any more
than between employers and employees
in England The relation is purely a
commercial ona--s0 4 uch work for so
much pay. In case OF a servant falling
iii he or she is almost instantly sent Oil
to the hospital, returning to the tamil
only when able to r,t IN to duty. In
France or America the family would
feel under natural and humane obi
cation, as well as restrained by sympa-
| pathy and affection, to care for the sery-
ant while sick
All English servants have some badge
or livery. All female servants wear "a
little cap, though it be but wee bit OF
mGslin and edging, on the top OF the
head; and the men servants dress in the
regulation livery Of their rank IN the
household. Many have their separate
table fare, which is arranged for day by
day or week by week, and is palmer
and Coarser than that used by the fam
lily. The servants seldom, and in most
families never, have expensive food
Sch as game and desert.
1t is a custom observed in all respect
able families to engage servants by the
year and to require character from
their last place" This is not a written
certi cate, as in france or Germany,
and which is worthless thing, but the
name of tie family last lived with be-
ing given, the person engaging tine serv-
ant writes to inquire concerning oharac
ter and capabilities In no matter
would housewife be more scrupulously
conscientious than in replying to an in
quiry. In discharging a servant a
months notice is given, or the wages
| for the month paid On the other
hand, a servant is required to give q
months notice before quitting family.