It was printed just after WWII, in 1945, and what caught my eye immediately upon randomly opening it, was a section entitled 'The Well-Appointed House". The good lady holds forth on her opinion on using the word 'servants': "...this obloquy (I had to look it up too) of the word 'servant' spread that everyone sensitive to the feelings of others avoids it exactly as one avoids using the word 'cripple' when speaking to one who is slightly lame. Yet are not the best of us 'servants' in the church? And the highest of us 'servants' of the people and the state?"
Having gently chided us all for our reluctance to call a servant a servant, she goes on with a section called "How Many Servants?"
Fascinating. This is a topic I needed to know more about. We have just the one servant in this house, and I've had a great deal of difficulty with her.
Tonight, I started reading the book, and I began on page 286. I needed to know more this well appointed house and the servant business. My education has been sadly remiss.
The topic is covered in great length and I read it with interest. The servant in this house is a slatternly thing who does a poor job of maintaining our home, falling short of the ideal servant who "cleans incessantly, maintaining the house to flawless standards". This servant also displays "a quiet manner, a low voice and correct behavior, such as is exercised by a well bred politeness everywhere." (The present servant can get a bit mouthy.)
It seems the minimum requirement to have an efficient household is three. One for the kitchen, and one for cleaning. The third? She reminds us that the cook and the maid will need a day off every couple of weeks, and that sometimes people are indisposed.
(What ever shall we do?!!! Fetch me the smelling salts!)
You must have an alternate on hand for those days and for the special occasions when extra help is needed. I read this and found myself nodding. The current servant would probably be a bit easier to get along with if she had help.
A sensible weekly schedule is laid out for us, beginning at 6:45 and ending at 8PM six days a week Of course, if there is a special event going on, the servant is expected to work late, without complaint.
The employer has certain responsibilities. The help must have an attractive place to take their meals. Servants should all be treated the same or it causes problems. One should never say "Selma, the silver is dirty!" Instead, you should trustingly say, "You have not had the time to polish the silver, have you?" It gives her the benefit of doubt, allowing you to point out that the silver is dirty, but kindly, in case she has truly not had the time to polish the silver. It also warns that if you know that she has had the time and simply not done it, well, that is carelessness, and must NEVER be tolerated.
(I wonder what she would think of the servant here who has stuffed a beautiful silver coffee service into a steamer trunk and has steadfastly avoided looking at it ever since because she can't be arsed with keeping that stuff polished and gleaming?)
This particular chapter begins on 286 and continues on until 315. I've learned a great deal, and very little of it is applicable, but it's given me a good laugh.
But, alas. I am a 'vulgarian'.
Women of good breeding do not howl with laughter.
Thanks for the giggle. The servant in this house is pretty slack, too.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to more insights from the wonderful Ms Post!
Of course there is still a section of society for whom most of this still applies. It's also worrying how happily we all slip back into these roles when eating out or staying in a hotel.
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ReplyDeleteContinue reading to discover how a wife should present herself to her husband.
ReplyDeleteThen go to the section how to improve the behaviour of servants. If their workplace morale is low, beat them until morale improves. If that fails, beat them harder.
I need that book.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post, made me chuckle. The maid here leaves a lot to be desired!! She hates cleaning, dusting, and vacuuming!
ReplyDeleteMy maid is pretty poor too on the cleaning front but she likes baking cakes so I'll keep her!
ReplyDeleteThere's a book here called "How to run your home without help" that's for when the servants have left in disgust.
We learn something new every day!
ReplyDeleteVery good precis and writing with an ironic edge. Oddly enough I was just very recently thinking of polishing silverware and how it isn't necessary anymore, unless one has servants, I suppose. And not too many care about 'good dishware' either. My mother lovingly assembled a nice set of dishes. The remain in our cabinet and when I looked them up online, a set was worth about $20. She paid $100s for them, adding a piece at a time.
ReplyDeleteI happened to comment that I was babysitting my grandson for the weekend, "Why can't the nanny do it?" piped up my partner's granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteAt 4 she had no understanding of privilege.
My own servant is sadly lacking as well. Thanks for the laugh this morning.
ReplyDeleteOmg, I do indeed howl with laughter, as I am not a lady! Years ago, one of the men I worked with found a post or something online like this, and printed it out for "us women" to read. Well, he nearly ended up in HR! He was thrashed thoroughly by most of "us women" in the department and hung his silly head and kept his tail tucked in, for ever after! Too funny.
ReplyDeleteMy mother has two books that I have dibs on for when she wants to downsize - "The I Hate to Cook Book" and "The I Hate to Housekeep Book". The latter has such gems as "if you need to throw a dinner party for your husband's work, for only a small amount more effort have two" (the logic being if you have cleaned the telephone you might as well have twice as many people's approval)
ReplyDeleteI wonder why servants aren't more common these days. Is it just that better paying, less hard working jobs have opened up in other sectors, we have become used to just doing more personal chores ourselves or our wages haven't kept up with inflation. I'm guessing it is a combination of all three and possibly other factors that elude me this morning.
ReplyDeleteThis made for a very entertaining entry. Thanks for the smiles.
ReplyDeleteOh, how times have changed.
ReplyDeleteThank heavens for the middle class, which came about after WW II. And my mother worked a full time job as well as dad...but guess who the servant was. I have been fortunate to have mates who pitch in when needed, and have trained my sons (hopefully) to also do their share. But alas, I sure could use a deep cleaning of my little apt. and there's nobody advertising any more. It used to be an alternative job to working at the local super market, or waiting tables...I thought. The last girl who helped me stole a day's worth of my meds...which wouldn't have given her any highs unfortunately, just lowered her blood pressure!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that a hoot! I should care more about the state of my home, but I don't!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading a book about the life of Emily Post. She told about some live terrapin that came in a crate and got loose in the basement. When they wanted one to cook for dinner, they strung meat on a string to a stick and held it out standing on the stairs. When one of the terrapin came out of hiding, snapping, they charged down the stairs to kill it and wrestle it up to the kitchen. She did not have an easy life.
ReplyDeleteReading stuff like that can be very entertaining, but you know what? There are some rules of etiquette that I'm sorry have fallen by the wayside. Maybe it's just my southern upbringing.
ReplyDeleteI remember someone pointing out that we do have servants now -just mechanical ones. The stove that heats with the touch of a button instead of being stoked with wood; the dishwasher; the refrigerator that keeps things cool without having to chop ice; and my favorite- the washing machine and dryer. No more hand washing everything or trying to dry it when the weather is bad. So I'm grateful for my servants. Of course my duties do run slack. Lini from Petaluma
ReplyDeleteI must get that for my wife. She might then treat her servant more with a little more consideration.
ReplyDeleteThis is totally hilarious. Art does the house cleaning as far as vacuuming and cleaning the toilet goes. He prefers doing it because for some strange reason he doesn't think I'll do it as precisely as he would. So can I call him my servant? Please don't tell him I wrote this.
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