Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-02-17
A Worthy Helping Hand.

My house is the average small private
house in New York city. my family three
adults. my circumstances moderate. 50
that | am compelled 10 manage with
the help of one servant who must have
Il fairly good brain, and be willing to
learn, says Helen Mar in Good House
keeping. With these two qualities,
can soon make her capable, and Il few
days trial always reveals the presence
or absence of these requisites.
My first talk with a maid amounts 10
this: Il expect my orders to lie promptly
obeyed always. If an order seems unjust
or il you ind that Interruptions max" t
difficult to carry it out, come to saY AMI
say so" | have never yet found tnat Il
maid accepts this in the wrong spirit.
Sudden company, the non-arriyal of
provisions, a larger wash than usual
none of these things affects us seriously,
for when my maid is troubled she and
talk over the difficulty and together
smooth things out.
Ny experience has taught me just this:
Our servants are not our equals in point
of education. Then let the educated
mind be high in authority. No system
can be strong where there is not Il good
leader. Let our servants feel and see
that we know just as much. Il not more,
about their work than they do. To do
this we must look into things carefully.
Tor no NOHldll 4EiUAdilL VI tut ltiS anu
outs of house can control her maid.
Any mind will always respond to the
superiority of knowledge. Ii IS not
; necessary to parade this knowledge. But
! if Mary knows that by coming to her
: mistress she will be helped out of any
difficulty, she respects that mistress.
! Yet while we are above our servants
/ in the management of our homes, the
/ mistress and maid are equals under the
( laws of the land. The mistress who is
/ wise will not pry into the private af-
! fairs of her maid. We cannot. and do
/ not. demand al. her time. \ ten-hour
/ day seems to me impracticable, for
I homework in its nature does not admit
! of Il ten-hour day unless we can resolve
/ it into specialties. That may work well
where there is more than one maid. but
! to the average American housekeeper 1t
would mean great deprivation.
( In my family we are fond of evenings
ut home My maid is free To 20 out
whatever evenings L am at home. 50
! that she has at least five evenings a
/ week mt her disposal, provided she is IN
/ at IA Seasonable hour. ! never set spe-
cial hour. but make it felt that ut clos
/ ing-up-time" like my maid To be in
! Then she has her regular days out, with
which | seldom. if ever. let anything in
/ terfere. If special entertainment
promises late hours. she tells us freely
( that she cannot be home early, and goes
away with light heart, knowing that
/ trust her to come into my house witt
! her key but knowing. too. that | shall
! be wakeful until | hear her step on the
I Stairs-as when q member of my family
Z keeps late hours.
+, For months spent half an hour every
( evening teaching a faithful C0lored cir
to read and write. Now. though i'll a
little home Of her own. she is still my
devoted slave. Later | spent much tim,
with a Swedish girl. helping her to read
in English With a cookbook with til,
recipes carefully explained. | call on hel
for many dishes.
The real. true. earnest spirit of leader
ship always counts. There is no hu
initiation in prompt obedience. BY
{ strength | ~ not mean a show Of boss
ism hut "a quiet. just. earnest spirit thai
will Impress Others with "a desire 10 do
good work.-Phiadelpha Evening Bull
letin.