The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-08-10
ENGLISH HOUSE SERVANTS.
Service i'm Mrs. Potter's Home Taken
as Model.

Good Housekeeping
Though a small establishment according
TO the English standard. Mrs. James Brown
Potter's house may be taken as a model in
it's excellence of rule and conduct. She
has no men servants in the house, her
menage consisting of her maid, a most
superior person, who to a certain extent
takes upon herself the duties Of house
keeper, and seven other servants. The
maid housekeeper is what is called an up
per servant" and has no communication
except in the way of business with the
kitchen Each morning she goes TO her
mistress before breakfast, takes the orders
for the day, which she in turn transmits
to the cook, who is assisted by a kitchen
maid. There are two parlOr maids, whose
duties are entirely confined TO the drawing
room floor. Everything to do with the
drawing room, the dining room, the
boudoir and the music and billiard rooms
comes under their care. The two house
maids have their duties entirely confined to
the bedrooms, the stairways and all such
portions of the house come in connection
with bedroom service. a boy and "A man
are employed in the stable, while, OF course,
gardeners, who do not have anything TO
do with the house service, take care OF
the charming grounds in which Bray Lodge
is standing. The etiquette concerning the
costume of English female servants is
rather curious, and to American ideas in
teresting A woman of the superior type
of Mrs Potter's maid housekeeper wears
no cap or white apron. She is usually ex-
pected to dress In black and to wear
small, neat silk stuff apron. Her duties
are only in connection with her mistress.
She has none of the homework whatever
to do, and only sees after her lady room.
She does no busting or sweeping, however,
her charge being only the arrangement of
the toilet table and the making of the bed.
This important parsonage in the household
has her own sitting room, where she also
eats her meals, which always brought
up TO her and served with as much pre-
cision as if they were 10 so into the dining
room proper When any guests are staying
in the house and the ladies bring their own
maids and the gentlemen their Wallets, they
also take their meals with the housekeeper
and are not concerned with the kitchen
people in the least.
Next in point of social standing in the
household is the cook, an important per-
sOnage, whose realm is bounded by the
back door on the one side and the dining
room door on the other. She has complete
control Of all matters pertaining TO the
kitchen. and has as her special slave and
factotum a kitchen maid who does all such
offices as preparing vegetables, washing up
saucepans and generally looking after the
dirty work. of the kitchen. Mrs. Pot
ter's kitchen quarters are peculiarly COM
plete The kitchen itself is quite a picture
OF cleanliness and brightness, with its
white-tiled walls, polished oak floor, and
beautiful array of saucepans. She uses a
large gas stove as well as an ordinary
kitchener" they are called here, and
in the photograph the kitchen maid is seen
putting on the vegetables.
Each grade of servant in England is sup
posed to wear a different shaped cap. The
correct shape for the parlor maid, for in
stance, who attends to the dining room, the
drawing room and the lower part of the
house generally, is sort of modification
of mob cap, the crown encircled by mar
row line of black ribbon or velvet and the
edge daintily frilled. A parlor maid also
wears large rather elaborate apron with
a bib. The housemaids, whose duties are
confined TO the upper and sleeping apart
| ments in the house, wear a sort OF three
cornered arrangement. much fatter and
| less elaborate than those which are denned
| by the partlor maids. A housemaid's apron
| is very large and full but has no bib.
The hours that are usually prescribed for
| the English house servants are not spec
| tally severe according TO American ideas
| The cook and the kitchen maid are expect
| ed to rise first. usually about a quarter
| past 6. the others being expected to be
| about their duties by a quarter to at the
| latest. Kitchen breakfast is served at half
| past Z, the dinner at a quarter to l, tea at
| half past and supper at 9.