The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser., 1900-03-02
A HOUSEKEEPERS.

I'll you want 10 know why we nave
no first class professional housekeepers
in this country volunteered the i'm
porter of an English specimen, sit is
because the American woman is too
proud and far too Independent to al
low an employee to manage her home.
That is also the reason why we with
the best ordered, most luxurious
homes in the world, suffer from crimi-
nally wasteful domestic anagement
and the worst service of any highly
civilized pelple. In France or Eng
land, where half as much money is
spent there is twice the work for the
servants to do and third of the con-
veniences here put at their disposal,
the fashionable country or city house
is conducted with Il noiseless regulari-
tv that fills the American visitor with
nothing short ofamazement. In houses
where the incomes are by no means
large a corps Of finished servants will
be found that only millionaires over
here can afford.
"Just so long as the American wo-
man is head of modest household she
is the most all around capable house
keeper in the world she can face stlffer
odds and rout them more utterly than
ary French or English woman living.
We are the only women in the world
who when deserted at a critical mo-
ment, can cook a meal and yet sit at
the head of the table, while that same
meal is being served, in fetching
frock, carrying on a conversation as
though nothing had happened. 1t is
a charming faculty, but when she is
put at the head of corps of twenty
servants and a great country house her
system fails.
"A big, fashionable household is
just like big ship, itss got to have
captain to direct its course and an eE-
gineer to run the machinery, and in
the foreign countries they realize and
~rovidr for this. In France it is usu-
ally Il maitre u'hotel who shoulders the
domestic burden. He has worked up
in the service and his word is law to
the servants. He hires and dismisses
them, plans their work, sees that it is
done and he guarantees to keep the
men and maids well fed on Il stated
allowance. The mistress gives him a
fixed sum every month and on this he
caters for the servants table that is by
no means supplied from the lader that
feeds the family. Every servant is
entitled to the scraps he or she leaves
and has his or her own plate, knife.
fork, spoon, &c, and when meal is
over these are washed and set away
by their owners in their special cup
boards. Scraps are an important
item to the thrifty French domestic.
"In England there is Il woman who
does this, and every handsome Eng
lis house is built with special house
keepers quarters, a sitting room and
bedroom. Some American houses arc
now being provided with these special
two rooms.
"My housekeeper is OF the typical
sort. She is about forty, plump,
pleasing and settled widow who en-
tered service at sixteen as scullery
maid and has worked up. She is adj
dressed by the household az Mrs.
Brown, and every afternoon her tea
is served in her sitting room at 1
O'Clock by maid. She drinks tea and
elts her dinner alone, later wearing
plain black silk gown, a muslin
wreath cap and small lawn apron
Every servant in the house, with the
exception of the butlcr, is unltr her
direct control, and for the good or evil
that every servant does she is respon-
sible
"She accepts my directions with a
humility no decayed gentlewoman
would show, and with a respectfulness
no confidential lady's maid ever feels.
She gets $50 a month and and an al
lowance for paying the servants wages
and catering to their table, and she it
is who sees that NJ waste goes on in
my house"