The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-23
QUEER SERVANT GIRL IDEAS.

4
| QUEER SERVANT GIRL IDEAS.
superstitions InduIged by Many
Household Domestfcs.
(From the New York WORLDLY
Every trifiing incident in the daily work
of some servants is to their Imagination
big with the mystery of fate. Their at
mosphere is full Of portents and omens.
Good luck and bad luck have their signs
and tokens in the factors of domestic Ia
Dor. To understand the servant girl, you
must understand her superstitions.
| Psychologists account for the fact that
gamblers are usually superstitious on the
ground that they are trying to create
some law for events in the world of abso-
lutte chance. 1t is much the same with the
! servant girl. She Is at the mercy of the
/ whims of her mistress. the unaccountable
/ accidents of the kitchen, the gamble of
finding good or bad positions. As a re-
suit her superstitions are varied and
picturesque. and. as might be expected.
they are for the most part absolutely IL
| logical.
Many servants believe implicitly, for in
stance, that il lady with red hair should
chance to call on the mistress of the
house on rainy day the servant will
within few hours be given the custo-
| mary two weeks notice to leave. The
combination Of red headed visitors and
| rainy days Is OF course, unusual
One of the strongest omens of coed luck
! is for servant while out with baby
coach to see a dog fight. This indicates
| general good luck for days to come. The
! charm is not effective il the dog fight Is
! seen without the attendant baby coach,
nor is there any luck connected with the
baby coach minus the dog fight
| Another omen, which is of interest to
the mistress as well as the servant, Is
! for the pet canary bird of the house to
die. This small tragedy foreshadows a
big tragedy-that the family will soon be
| obliged to take boarders. Servants for
obvious reasons consider this very bad
luck indeed. II may be that the canary
has foreknowledge of the inevitable piano
! playing boarder, and dies OF fright.
! The fatal number thirteen also enters
! into the superstitions of the handmaiden.
: Like many of her social superiors. she Is
I fearful Of the thirteenth day of the month,
and of living In a house numbered thir-
teen but her especial dread is to serve at
table on which thirteen covers are laid
She has, however. devised a means of
breaking the spell. To dodge the fate
which follows such an omen a servant
must turn completely around twice be-
fore leaving the room. This precaution
renders the thirteen bugaboo harmless.
Good luck is invited If the domestic
passes several times behind chair at ia
BILE occupied by hunchback. The luck
is increased by the number of times she
can thus honor the deformed guest-and
hunchback guest is more potent infiu-
ence for good luck than huchback mem
Der of the family. This may serve to ex-
plain to many puzzled housekeepers why
their servants viii sometimes go the long
est way about the table In leaving the
diningroom.
Domestic troubles are foreshadowed n
many ways. Bridget believes she can
foretell visit from a number of coun-
try relatives-an event greatly to be
dreaded because II Is likely to increase
her work. The portent in this case is
for the kitchen clock to stop during the
night.
This superstition, at least, has a GER
tain value. for most servants are the
more particular to keep the clock care
fully wound up. Some servants believe
they can foretell such catastrophe even
several weeks in advance
Many of the superstitions of the kitchen
are familiar the world over. The same
beliefs are often to be found in different
countries. among people speaking entire
ly different languages. This would seem
to indicate that they had a common
origin. perhaps dating back into remote
antiquity
For a person to ask for dish when he
already has the same food on his plate Is
sign that some one is coming hungry.
This superstition is doubtless centuries old.
Among Intelligent people it is. of course.
no more than a pleasantly.
II may readily be understood from this
how an ignorant mind would take all such
traditions seriously.
superstition is that II the doormat be
fG.;nd lying upside down the person who
fnds it will not be married for at least one
year. This may explain to many puzzled
mistress why the domestic should appear
go disturbed at this trifiing accident.
To find the ash can upset in the morn
ing on the other hand, is a sure sign that
the girl who first discovers it will soon
have a proposal Of marriage. Many serv-
ants, it will be found, look after this de-
tail carly each morning before doing any
thing else.
A superstition which often serves to
disturb the regular routine is the belief
that when the family is very late to reach
the breakfast table it viii be very bad
luck to sweep the dining-room the same
day. When girl has this idea well fixed
in her mind 1t is useless to urge her to
sweep as usual.
II Is also dangerous, according to the
servant girls philosophy. to change the
regular days for washing, sweeping, and
ironing. There may be widespread IN
dercurrent of belief that sweeping of any
kind is unlucky, but If so 1t is not openly
avowed
There is very general prejudice
against service in boarding houses. This
is due not alone to the fact that there is
more to do in such houses than in pri-
vate home. Il is an old belief that girl
who marries out of a boarding house will
inevitably be divorced from her husband.
But then there are persons with large
appetites who aver that it is unlucky
even to board in a boarding house.
1t is often difficult to hire girls to work
for a mistress who has cast in her eye.
Many servants also object to working for
family when any member has red hair.
The superstition governing this is that
ii gives bad luck to help red-headed
man more than twice at the same meal, |
and it is great nuisance to be obliged |
to be constantly on ones guard for fear
OF making such a mistake.
British Workn,en Mt Play.
(From the London Telegraph.)