The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-04-14
MISTRESS AND MAID.

One of the rudest shocks. says the
Brooklyn Eagle, which travellers from
abroad appear to experience in coming
to our country Is our system-or rather,
our want of system-re gsrding servants.
They are surprised that the greater pro-
portion of our people reside in hotels and
boarding houses, regardless of the sane
tity and privacy OF home life. Every
foreign tourist, who writes of us at all
for general readers makes much OF these
topics-our lawless servants and our Bo-
hemiau or vsgabond habit of living,
Mre. Trollope began it in good earnest.
and scores of her country people have
followed her example. We do not like
such criticism, but must admit it is just
The question is, How are we to avoid the
situation ? Servantgirlism has become
a serious question. The lowest, the most
deplorably ignorant, the most poverty
stricken inhabitants of other countries
emigrate to America by the shipload and
expect to be as good as anybody when
they arrive here. They expect to pick up
gold in the streets and ride in their own
carriages within year or two. The women
20 from CASTLE garden to Brooklyn homes
as cooks or Mattresses when they do not
understand the boiling of potato or the
setting Of table. Tho men sometimes
become coachmen or footmen when they
have never driven any other quadruped
than COW or opened any other than a
cabin or stable door. They are auda-
cious, at any rate at the outset they are
dszed and bewildered and somewhat
humble, but a six-months' residence
opens their eyes, enlarges their ideas as
to opportunities. and their numerous
cousins who contemplate their arrival
educate them as to the general relations
of masters and servants in America.
With this knowledge many of them be-
come nomads, carrying all their worldly
possessions in a carpet bag, or large pa
per parcel, and spend several days of each
month in an intelligence office waiting
for new situation. Even in these offices
they carry their independence to remark
able lengths. A woman of this descrip-
ton who dared to call herself cook ask.
ed gentleman who wished to engage
her services from an intelligence office in
New York il there was Croton. water in
his residence IN Brooklyn.
"No," he replied impatiently.
"Well, is there carpet on the floor Of
the cooks room, and is there bureau ~
II think not. but it is comfortable
room," replied the gentleman.
"Then, indeed, sir, I'm sorry for you, "
said she, "snd I'll not go to any house
where they are too poor to have Croton
water ora bureau and carpet for the
lady that cooks for them.
The best bred people are the politest
and kindest to their servants. They fol-
low the pretty foreign fashion of saying
"Good morning" to them and paying
them some little trifing attentions which
are so pleasant and so easy of perfor-
nance. The true position between mas
tiers and servants is that of friendship.
The maid may be the humble friend of
her mistress, the valet may be the hum
BILE friend of his master, albeit the mas
ter is not hero to his servitor. "High
life below stairs" is often played in man
sions Of wealth, it is said, with astonish-
ing fidelity, where the grimacee, the con-
ccits, the vanities, the tollies of master
the mistress are aped with true appre-
citation.