St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-07-22
Don't Expect Too Much From
Your New Servant
Maid.
And, Maids, Be a Little
Quicker in Trying to
Learn.
Servants Are Human Beings.
and So Are Their EN-
ployers.

you do that?' Question after question
is asked in such quick succession that
the poor, confused person is apt to say
yes to. lot of things she does not know
anything about, for she never heard
them. A house is usually kept by a
woman, whether the mistress under
takes the duties herself or employs
some one to act in that capacity. Ordi-
narlly, the former is the case. 1t is
part of the duties of this housekeeper,
and very important part, to engage the
helper who shall be the wheels within
the wheels of the household machinery.
why woman of family duties, house
nold duties, social duties and charitable
duties wants to waste her time with a
dull or stupid applicant for a position
falleth comprehension, but when a
bright, quick-witted person applies
what difference does it make whether
she know this or that so long as she
snow smart, quick understanding?
1t Is the housekeeper's business to know
now she wants things done and to be
able to show a clever servant.
Undoubtedly domestic service is Door
IN America and good in England, but
there there is one established custom
a servant might change places
A DOZEN TIMES.
but, keeping to the same kind of work
always, she will do the same things in
very much the same way. Here every
house has way of its own, and the les
sons learned In one place are of very lit
tie use in the next.
In engaging ahOuSemaid or waitress
h0uSekeeper should choose a bright.
Intelligent, willing woman, find out
only II she be honest and neat, then de-
pend upon teaching her what She wants
done herself.
This precept may not be followed out
With cook. She must be asked if she
can do and make many things, and she
should not be engaged until it is found
out by means of her references whether
she really can do what she saws.
In most American homes the cook and
the housemaid form the retinue of do
mestlc servants, and rock on which
the peace OF the whole family is often
wrecked is the performing of daily and
weekly duties which neither will I'M
dertake. lit is not the second girls
work" says one. ITS not the cooks
place to do that" says the other. The
mistress shall say something like this:
II keep two servants to do all the work
III my house; one may call herself the
cook. and the other the waitress. the
second girl, the housemaid, or what
ever
SHE LIKES,
but either must be willing to undertake
anything wish her to do at anv time.
even though l should ask them to
change work for a little time. When [
see both at the work shall very quickly
determine which things each shall do,
butt am liable to change the entire ar
rangement at any time.''
1t would, probably, have no effect to
finish Off with stanza from the Light
Brigade:"
Yours mot to reason WHY
Yours mot to make reply"
Yours but to do etc.
A cOOk.usually looks surprised at such
plain statement OF wants and inten-
lions. Some of them wax furious, and
very good thing it is that they do:
those are the kind good housekeeper
would not have in her house, even
though she were well paid to keep them.
AT any rate, these should be the terms
on which any servant enters house.
Expeditions, quiet waiting is delight
full feature in domestic arrangements.
anu eilio Sou Willy UC dtGdlutu WUGn
there is a perfect system of work
throughout the house, and when the
housekeeper has an ever watchful eve
to see, without appearing to see, that
nothing is left undone, and, in the case
of but two servants, keeping constant
oversight that the members of the fam
lily do not ask too much in the Wav of
extra duties of the one poor waiting
maid. A note sent, dress cleaned, a
couple of extra pairs of shoes brushed.
will often prevent stairway from
BEING CLEANED
or the windows from being washed at
the proper time, and there is never wv
chance to 'catch up" in matters doln> s.
tic.
Changing servants, breaking in new
ones, is no joke, as many discouraged
women will subStantiate-and it can
only be well done in one way. The mis-
tress must give up every other duty,
must devote her whole time and atten-
ton for at least week after the new
girl has come. She must have patience
unlimited to show the same things over
and over again, and must refer to fail
ures and mistakes so gently and so
firmly that no disbursement will be
conveyed, only perfect realization that
one way and no other. The best plan
of all is for the mistress to perform each
duty once herself in the quite deft man.
ner in which it should be done, the serv-
ant an attentive Onlooker. This is
especially true in regard to dining room
service, though very important in dust
ing and sweeping room and making a
bed. Information is conveyed in a
more lasting flashing through the
medium of several senses than through
that of hearing alone. For a servant to
stand on one side of the dining-room
while the mistress performs the table
service Throughout an entire meal is a
drill worth dozen verbal lessons; but
if the hOuSekeeper miss one little detail,
as, for instance, retiring at the proper
can never be sure the waitress will do
this properly.
One must be sure of
THE GROUND
to give any lessons, and a housekeeper
is ineXcuSable who does not thoroughly
understand every detail in housekeep-
ing very short time after she under
takes the cares. A record kept of what
work should be done on each day of the
week both upstairs and downstairs is a
great aid to a systematic and even dis
tribution of the weekly recurring duties.
1t is invaluable when changing SER
wants. A copy should be given to each
domestic.
1t many times happens that good
faithful girl may be leaving to get mar
ried or because she is needed at home,
or for some equally good reason, then
may the housekeeper take advantage of
her opportunity and make up her mind
to pay double wages the last two weeks.
The new girl will come and be taught
by the old one, who thoroughly under
stands how everything is wanted. There
are instances where such an arrange
ment has been carried much further. a
valued servant, who married in the
same city where she had been employed,