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Page 5
For those who are fortunate enough to have servants to help with domestic
tasks, it is extremely important that the correct etiquette of servants
be thoroughly known and understood. And those who serve as butlers and
maids and valets must also know the little rules of good conduct that
govern their duties and responsibilities. The information contained in
the following paragraphs is meant for both the servant and the mistress,
and we hope that both will find it valuable.
A WORD TO THE MISTRESS
In the home where guests are frequently entertained and where the hostess
holds many formal social functions, servants are essential.
Every family that can afford to do so, should have one, or two, or more
servants according to social requirements and the appointments of the
house. They should be well instructed in their duties and they should be
expected to carry them out faultlessly. Untidy, noisy, ill-trained
servants reflect upon the manners and conduct of the mistress herself.
The most common method of engaging a servant is through an agency. Here
different types of men and women can be found, and the mistress of the
household may be fortunate enough to find one suited to her requirements.
Sometimes she secures a maid or butler by the recommendation of some
other housekeeper. This method is usually more satisfactory than any
other because it puts things on a rather friendly basis from the start.
But whether the maid or butler be engaged by recommendation or through an
agency, it is important that it be clearly understood from the beginning
just what his or her duties will be. And the mistress should not engage
a servant unless she feels sure that he will be able to fill the position
satisfactorily, for it is both an expensive and provoking process to
change servants frequently.
The first few days in a new home are always difficult for the servant.
The mistress should be patient and considerate and do all she can to make
the newcomer feel at ease in her new surroundings. Her directions should
be requests, not commands, and she should overlook blunders for they may
be the result of the servant's unfamiliarity with the household and its
customs.
After the servant has been in the household three weeks or a month, the
mistress has every right to expect him to carry out his duties correctly.
But we are all human, and we all make mistakes. When a servant blunders
through carelessness a reprimand may be necessary, but to scold in loud,
angry tones is most ill-mannered. The well-bred woman will never forget
that there is as much demand for courtesy and kindliness in her relations
with her servants as in any other relation in which she is placed. There
is absolutely no reason why "please" and "thank you" should be omitted
when we speak to the people who live in our homes and labor for our
comfort and happiness.
A WORD TO THE SERVANT
Among real Americans, with their democratic views, there can be no
objection to the word "servant." It is a noun, a name, to denote people
in a certain occupation; just as "brokers" and "salesmen" and
"housewives" denote certain people in other occupations. Therefore the
servants who read these sentences, and the women who have servants in
their households, should interpret the word in the spirit it is written,
that of true American courtesy and respect.
Domestic service requires a certain character lacking in most other
professions. As a servant, you care for the things of others and it
should be done with as much attention and regard as if they were your
own. You attend to your duties day after day, persisting in work which
may sometimes become monotonous and which would be easy enough to shirk,
but which you do for the comfort and pleasure of your mistress. You find
yourself in the position of keeping other people's property attractive,
putting other people's visitors at ease and being economical with other
people's money. And we repeat again that it requires a certain high
stamp of character that is not found in most professions.
Tidiness is very important in both men and women servants. The maid who
serves at the dinner table must wear a fresh new blouse and a crisp
apron. Soiled finger-nails or unclean hands are inexcusable. The
well-trained servant presents always an immaculate, well-groomed
appearance.
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