The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1895-03-30
IN ThE GOOD OLD TIMES.
Light on the Eternal Servant Cues
ton in 1885

Aikh vi bho ScENduL dunS-
ton in 1885
1t there be one point on which
modern housewives are agreed it j.,
certainly the leganeracy of modes n
housemaid,. And yet there is room
for doubt as IT, whether this is not a
popular fallacy. In curious old
tract entitled "A Trip Through a
Town; Containing Observations on
the Humors and Manners of the
Age" published in l735, there is a
chapter devoted to maid Servants"
which would cause even a fin de-
steele matron to gasp. The writ r
says:
women servants are now so
scarce that, from thirty to forty
shillings year, their wages are ia.
creased to six, seven and eight
pounds per annum, insomuch that
an ordinary tradesman cannot we'll
keep one; but his wife, who might
be useful in his shop or business,
must do the drudgery OF the house.
hold affairs, and all this because our
servant girls are so pulled up with
pride nowadays that they never
think they go fine enough. It is a
hard matter to know the mistress
from the maid by the dress--nay,
very often the maid is the finer OF
the two. Our wooden manufacturers
suffer much by this, for nothing but
silks and satins will 60 down with
our kitchen wenches, to support
which tolerable pride they have in
sensibly raised their wages to such
a height as was never known in any
age or nation but this"
Moreover, there was in those days
something very like a trades union
among maid servants for keeping up
an exorbitant scale OF wages. BE.
fore country girl has been a week
in service in town." says the author
Of "The Trip" "a committee OF ser.
want wenches are appointed to ex-
anime her, who advise her to raise
her wages, or give warning, to en-
courage her to which the herb NO.
man, or chandler woman, or some
other old intelligencer, provides her
a place OF four or FIVE pounds year.
This suits Madame Cock hoop,
and she thinks OF nothing but walls
(tips) and high wages, and SO gives
warning from place to place, till she
gets her wages up 70 the top"
The maid servant in those days
not only robbed her mistress; she
lay;o1 III ri, mail TOO ,,0o, b.r mi,
tress' guests, in shape of "vails," or
tips, as we should call them. For
now" says the author, "they make
it q perquisite, a material part OF
their wages, nor must their master
give a supper but that the maid ex-
poets the guests should pay for it
nay, sometimes through the nose.
Thus have they spirited people up
to this unnecessary and burdensome
piece Of generosity, unknown to our
ancestors, who only gave gifts at
Christmastide, which custom is yet
kept up into the bargain; insomuch
that a maid shall have Is per an
mum, and, il her master is a man OF
free spirit, and receives much COM
pany, she very often doubles her
wages by her walls. Thus, having
meat, drink, washing and lodging
for her labor, she throws her whole
income upon her back, and by this
means looks more like the mistress
OF the family than the servant
wench."
And those we're the "good old
times| Who would care to substi.
tute them for our owni The mis-
tress OF to-day, with all that she suf-
fers at the hands Of servants, may
take heart when she thinks OF the
maids OF l6O years ago.