The Van Buren press., 1897-03-06
BOY "HOUSEMAiDS."
What Would Result from Their Presence
In English Households.

What Would Result from Their Presence
In English Households.
Outside certain palaces in India is a
wall on which are seen imprinted in
red paint the hand-prints of the queens
as they rode to the Suttee. Something
not unlike this rite would be sure to
be practiced by ones boy housemaid
but in black rather than in red. Imagine
turning down ones bed to find two or
three fine thumb-marks, or maybe a
whole hand, silhouetted in coaldust on
ones sheets. And then think of the
orgy which would take place when the
boy turned out" the drawing-room.
That mystic process is not unlikely to
diminish ones collection of china even
when practiced by woman. Think of
the pandemonium produced by boy
vases destroyed and sofas overthrown
and, raging through the chaos of his
own creation, his broom borne aloft
like battle TX, the boy housemaid.
The picture called up of ''the stair
rod and silver day" is not less harrow
ing. How strong and willing boy
would "stove' in the sides of the old
Caroline drinking cups, wrench the
ornamental rings off the punchbowl and
make the great sugar castor stand all
awry. The staiTods might come out,
but would they ever go back? But there
is no use in pursuing the matter fur
ther. We leave the boy housemaid be-
fore he attempts to lay the cloth for
dinner; nor will we endcavor to can
yass the fate of that household which
should attempt to have a whole staff
of boy servants. Yet such houses there
must be if we are to adopt Mrs. Hayes
advice. One boy could "do for FAM
lily of ten, unless, indeed, by inducing
suicide. The big families must have
couple of boy housemaids and boy
parlormaid, and even a boy "up-and-
down girl"
But think for moment what would
come Of a servants hall of boys. Can
ming, speaking of the meetings of the
directory, describes 1.-THE frequent ink
stand hurtling through the air." In
such servants hall as that of which
we speak it would be the chairs and
knives and forks that would hurtle.
Each course would be free fight and
legs of mutton would have to be barred
because of the easiness with which a
freeepirited boy could use them as a
club, No, we shall not help ourselves
by taking to boy housemaids.
Therp iS n preat deal of nonsense in
all this talk of the badness of servants
OF course there are bad servants, just
as there are bad mistresses, and always
will be, but in spite of that the normal
housemaid and parlor maid are very
efficient. They have the passions OF
their kind; but if they are not wor-
ried by impertinent suggestions as to
their religious views, their matrimonial
intentions and the form of headgear
couture and costume affected by them
out of Office hours they are very efficient
We doubt, indeed, if the world can any
where produce anything more efficient
in the way of service than that rem
dered by the capable British maid
servant. She has her feelings and her
rights, but she is neither q thief mol
sloven, and knows how TO respect
herself and her mistress. After this are
we to decline on a boy of 16 with dirt
begrimed hands, a smutty face and q
love of mischief for its own sake found
otherwise only in the ape or the jack.
daw w?"-London Spectator.