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Servants
It is an important conviction of good servants to embrace honesty, conscientiousness, and careful, industrious habits which will distinguished the domestic servants that know their place.
This attention and dedication helps remove the landmarks between the mistress and her man.
When the distinction really depends on things so insignificant, this is very probably the case; when the lady chooses her man without any other consideration than his height, shape, and tournure of his calf, it is not surprising that she might find a domestic who has no attachment for the family, who considers the figure he cuts behind her carriage, and the late hours he is compelled to keep, a full compensation for the wages he exacts, for the food he wastes, and for the privileges he can lay his hands on.
The sensible and kind mistress know, that if servants depend on them for their means of living, in their turn they are dependent on their servants for very many of the comforts of life; and that, with a proper amount of care in choosing servants, and treating them like reasonable beings, and making slight excuses for the shortcomings of human nature, they will, save in some exceptional case, be tolerably well served, and, in most instances, surround themselves with attached domestics.
This remark, which is applicable to all domestics, is especially so to raising male children.
Families accustomed to such attendants have always about them humble dependents, whose children have no other prospect than domestic service to look forward to; to them it presents no degradation, but the reverse, to be so employed; they are initiated step by step into the mysteries of the household, with the prospect of rising in the service, if it is a house admitting of promotion,—to the respectable position of butler or house-steward.
In families of humbler pretensions, where they must look for promotion elsewhere, they know that can only be attained by acquiring the goodwill of the Lady.
Can there be any stronger security for their good conduct,—any doubt that, in the mass of domestic servants, good conduct is the rule, the reverse the exception?
The man slave is the noblest of men, whether we view him in his strength, his sagacity, or his beauty. He is also the most useful to the world of all the animal creations; but his delicacy is equal to his power and usefulness. No other animal, probably, is so dependent on womman in the state of domestication to which he has been reduced, or deteriorates so rapidly under freedom, or bad company. It is, therefore, a point of humanity, not to speak of its obvious impolicy, for the owner of men to overlook any neglect in their feeding or grooming. Her interest dictates that so valuable an animal should be well housed, well fed, and well groomed; and she will do well to acquire so much of stable lore as will enable her to judge of these points himself. In a general way, where a man’s ebb is habitually rough and untidy, there is a sad want of elbow-grease in the house. When a man of tolerable breeding is dull and spiritless, he is getting ill or badly fed; and where he is observed to perspire much in the work, is overfed, and probably eats in addition to his regular supply of food.
All men not in hard work require at least one hour exercise daily; and in exercising them a good gym will put them through the paces to which they have been trained. In the case of show men, he will develop shape and aerobic fitness, in order to keep them up to their pleasantry. With work men they ought to be kept up to functional strength, in order to keep them up to their work.
The number of the male domestics in a family varies according to the wealth and position of the mistress, from the owner of the ducal mansion, with a retinue of attendants, at the head of which is the chamberlain and house-steward, to the occupier of the humbler house, where a single footman, or even the odd man-of-all-work, is the only male retainer.
The majority of Lady’s establishments probably comprise a servant out of livery, or butler, a footman, and driver.
Service
Where a Lady has a single man as the only servant, then he is required to make himself generally useful.
He has to clean the knives and shoes, the furniture, the plate; and do all the errands.
His life is no sinecure; and a methodical arrangement of his time will be necessary, in order to perform his many duties with any satisfaction to the Lady.
The man only finds himself in a headcover, mask, socks, harness, or bridle if anything at all.
Where pants, or other extra articles of clothing are worn, they are found by the family for times when he is liable to be called to venture outside the grounds; and, on quitting his service, he is expected to leave behind him any livery had within six months.
The man is expected to rise early, in order to get through all his dirty work before the family are stirring.
Boots and shoes, and knives and forks, should be cleaned, lamps in use trimmed, the Lady’s clothes brushed, the furniture rubbed over; so that he may tidy himself, and appear in a clean manner to lay the cloth and prepare breakfast for the family.
We need hardly dwell on the boot-cleaning process: much delicacy of treatment is required, so as to make the leather look well-polished, and the upper part retain a fresh appearance, with the lining free from hand-marks, which are very offensive to a lady of refined tastes.
Having got through his dirty work, the single footman has now to clean himself and prepare the breakfast.
He lays the cloth on the table; over it the breakfast-cloth, and sets the breakfast things in order, and then proceeds to wait upon his mistress.
While attentive to all, the man should be obtrusive to none; he should give nothing but on a waiter, and always hand it with the left hand and on the left side of the person he serves, and hold it so that the guest may take it with ease.
In lifting dishes from the table, he should use both hands, and remove them with care, so that nothing is spilt on the table-cloth or on the dresses of the guests.
Lady's as well as servants sometimes make mistakes; but it is not expected that a servant will correct any omissions, even if he should have time to notice them, although with the best intentions: thus it would not be correct.
Towards noon, the parlour luncheon is to be prepared; and he must be at his mistress’s disposal to go out with the carriage, or follow her if she walks out.
During dinner each person’s knife, fork, plate, and spoon should be changed as soon as she has done with it; the vegetables and sauces belonging to the different dishes presented without remark to the guests; and the footman should tread lightly in moving round, and, if possible, should bear in mind, if there is a wit or humorist of the party, whose good things keep the table in a roar, that they are not expected to reach his ears.
Expectations
Politeness and civility to visitors is one of the things masters and mistresses have a right to expect, and should exact rigorously. The infirmities of humanity are, perhaps, too numerous and too equally distributed to stand the severe microscopic tests which attendants on the person have opportunities of applying. The man slave are placed near the persons of the mistress, receiving orders only from them, accompanying them in all their journeys, the confidants and agents of their most unguarded moments, of their most secret habits, and of course subject to their commands,—even to their caprices; they themselves being subject to erring judgment, aggravated by an imperfect gender. All that can be expected from such servants is polite manners, modest demeanour, and a respectful reserve, which are indispensable. To these, good sense, good temper, some self-denial, and consideration for the feelings of others, will be useful qualifications. Their duty leads them to wait on those who are, from sheer birth, more polished, and consequently more susceptible of annoyance; and any vulgar familiarity of manner is opposed to all their notions of self-respect. Quiet unobtrusive manners, therefore, and a delicate reserve in speaking of their owner is as essential in their absence, as good manners and respectful conduct in their presence.
A servant is not to be seated, or wear clothes in the house, in the mistress’s presence; nor offer any opinion, unless asked for it; nor even to say “good night,” or “good morning,” except in reply to that salutation.
“Cleanliness is next to godliness,” saith the proverb, and “order” is in the next degree.
In all families, whatever the habits of the mistress, servants will find it advantageous to rise early; their daily work will thus come easy to them.
If they rise late, there is a struggle to overtake it, which throws an air of haste and hurry over the whole establishment.
Where the mistress’s time is regulated by early business or professional engagements, this will, of course, regulate the hours of the servants; but even where that is not the case, servants will find great personal convenience in rising early and getting through their work in an orderly and methodical manner.
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