Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-11-09


such thraldom to be encountered. Now
a-days the relation of master and servant
IN England is that of two persons who
make voluntary contract. which either
can break at will with the usual conse-
quence that the party in the wrong Is liza
BILE to pay damages for TIE breach. The
servant undertakes to have competent
skill for the duties, is bound to use due
diligence, to conduct himself respectfully,
and to obey all lawful orders of his mas
ter during the engagement, II within the
scope ofthe particular services for which he
was engaged. A coachman is not bound
to do the duties of a COOK, or vice vesa.
Every servant is bound to take due care
III his masters property, ana 10 liable to
an action at the suit of his master for
gross negligence, and also Tor fraud and
misfeasance. The grounds on which a
servant may be lawfully discharged are
wllful disobedience, gross immortality,
habitual neglect, and incompetence. Do
me site servants are engaged generally by
the month, and the engagement may be
terminated at any time by giving q
months notice on either side; or on pay
ment of q months wages. In case of dis
charge without cause, a servant can claim
a months wages, but not board wages. IL
ihe discharge is for cause, of course no
wages can be claimed.
In the matter OF giving q character to q
servant an English enploye must eXer-
else great caution. While not at all com
PEELED to give a character to servant for
1t is entirely optional, if he should decide
20 give it, it must be perfectly true one.
Otherwise, if bad an action will lie for
defamation; while on tho other hand if a
master knowingly gives a false character
to a servant who is engaged on the
strength of it by third party, such third
party can sue such first party, should the
former have been robbed by the servant
who was recommended servants show
70 oh. q lNl lt1f
marty convicted ana fined 30 pounds or
imprisoned in default of payment. Any
person writing such q character Is subject
10 the same penalty.
To keep a servant at all is something Of
/ responsibility in England. The master
! Is to a certain extent liable for his ser
wants actions. Thus if coachman run
down person on the highway the master
Is liable. If, however, he was driving the
masters carriage without or contrary to
| the masters orders, then the servant alone
is liable. To keep q man-serVant entails
tax in England; greater If in livery .
greater still if he wear powdered hair.
For this reason, together with the annoy
ance brought about by drunken men ser.
wants, many families in England, some OF
COnSdera lie wealth, are dispensing with
the services of men in the house and are
employing women as buffers, table wait
resses, etc. If master undertakes to
clothe aservant, wit h livery or otherwise,
he must provide clothing suitable for the
season also proper food II he has engaged
to give food, NegleCung to do this he in
ours a penalty not exceeding 90 pounds.
A master has some peculiar privileges
relating to his servant. Should any per
son entlce the servant away and thereby
cause loss to the master, the latter may
sue such person for the injury. If a fe-
male servant Is seduCed, the master can
BRING suit against the Seducer for loss Of
/ n nf L.
ruptcy OF the master preference is given
TO servants wages if due and unpaid, but
on for two months wages, the servant
being An ordinary creditor after that SUN
The death of the master is discharge OF
the contract
Such, i'll the main, is the law of maste,
and servant in England and Ireland. IL
Scotland the conditions are somewhat
more favorable to the servant. as the hir-
ing engagement is understood generally to
be for six months instead OF one month
and in case of discharge without cause
the servant Can Claim not only the SIX
months wages, but board wages for that
period also. Forty days warning of the
termination of the enlargement is Ieuuir-
ed on either side in Scotland,
From my own experience in hnusekeep-
ing III England, which lasted several
years, feel empowered 10 say that it is
principally through the difficulty which
exists Ill dissolving the engagement that is
due the general permanence of servants in
places, In fiji of temper mistress or SER
want may give the u-ual notice to quit
but before the period for parting comes
around each takes sober second view of
| me matter. and comes to the conclusion
that the Old conditions may as we'll contin-
lie. The power to leave mistress or send
oil servant without an hours notice
which is possessed in America is at the
very root of all the trouble concerning do
nestle service Many a decent girls char
acter has been lost because she was turn
ed OIL by caprlcious mistress and found
herself without a shelter and many u
home has been sacrificed because the mis-
tress could not endure the burden of
heavy homework which had been thrown
on her repeatedly by rebellious servants,
who left her without warning.
l have often heard American ladies
speak in unstinted admiration Of the neat
and pretty appearance of the women ser
wants who always open the front door in
what are known as middle class house
| holds in England Great families of course
have their buffers, their valets, their foot
men, their groom of the chambers; but
modest households have generally only
two women servants, and 90 when you
Will, one or the other OF these will be
found bright, clean and smiling, ready to
| open the front door An memorable though
unWritten law governs this matter, which
mlSuI Win advantage be enforced III
some American houses 1t is this The
cook must be dressed, and do no dirty
work from to II every morning and be
ready to answer the door bell the second
girl must have got through all her dirty
| work and be dressed at y, ready to take
| the cooks place in answering the door
bell. The cook then goes to her kitchen,
| (after taking off her nice clothes) and there
she works until after the dinner is over
Evening door duty they take on alternate
evenings. The girl who is dressed is sup
| posed to do needle work either for the
family or for herself, in the intervals OF
the door bell
English servants speak OF my master"
and my mistress" exactly rs the South
ern slaves used to do. To address an EN-
ployer as "Mr." or Mrs" SO and so,
would be considered great impertinence
on the part of "A servant. "Sir" or Mad
am" is expected to accompany every re.
mark, and while employers very rarely
say thank you" to a servant, servants
frequently say "thank You" to employers
when there is nothing whateN er to thank
for. American listeners often look upon
! this as fearful Obsequiousness. In reality
1t is only meant and received as one OF
the forms of polteness IN vogue in the
servant world of England.
While young servants are carefully
trained for domestic service, old servants
L