20. IN GIVING A CHARACTER, it is scarcely necessary to say that the mistress should be guided by a sense of strict justice. It is not fair for one lady to recommend to another, a servant she would not keep herself. The benefit, too, to the servant herself is of small advantage; for the failings which she possesses will increase if suffered to be indulged with impunity. It is hardly necessary to remark, on the other hand, that no angry feelings on the part of a mistress towards her late servant, should ever be allowed, in the slightest degree, to influence her, so far as to induce her to disparage her maid's character.
21. THE FOLLOWING TABLE OF THE AVERAGE YEARLY WAGES paid to domestics, with the various members of the household placed in the order in which they are usually ranked, will serve as a guide to regulate the expenditure of an establish-
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ment:--
When not found in When found in
Livery. Livery.
The House Steward From PS10 to PS80 -- The Valet " 25 to 50 From PS20 to PS30
The Butler " 25 to 50 -- The Cook " 20 to 40 --
The Gardener " 20 to 40 --
The Footman " 20 to 40 " 15 to 25
The Under Butler " 15 to 30 " 15 to 25
The Coachman -- " 20 to 35
The Groom " 15 to 30 " 12 to 20
The Under Footman -- " 12 to 20
The Page or Footboy " 8 to 18 " 6 to 14
The Stableboy " 6 to 12 --
When no extra When an extra
allowance is made for allowance is made for
Tea, Sugar, and Beer. Tea, Sugar, and Beer. The Housekeeper From PS20 to PS15 From PS18 to PS40
The Lady's-maid " 12 to 25 " 10 to 20
The Head Nurse " 15 to 30 " 13 to 26
The Cook " 11 to 30 " 12 to 26
The Upper Housemaid " 12 to 20 " 10 to 17
The Upper Laundry-maid " 12 to 18 " 10 to 15
The Maid-of-all-work " 9 to 14 " 7-1/2 to 11
The Under Housemaid " 8 to 12 " 6-1/2 to 10
The Still-room Maid " 9 to 14 " 8 to 13
The Nursemaid " 8 to 12 " 5 to 10
The Under Laundry-maid " 9 to 11 " 8 to 12
The Kitchen-maid " 9 to 14 " 8 to 12
The Scullery-maid " 5 to 9 " 4 to 8
These quotations of wages are those usually given in or near the metropolis; but, of course, there are many circumstances connected with locality, and also having reference to the long service on the one hand, or the inexperience on the other, of domestics, which may render the wages still higher or lower than those named above. All the domestics mentioned in the above table would enter into the establishment of a wealthy nobleman. The number of servants, of course, would become smaller in proportion to the lesser size of the establishment; and we may here enumerate a scale of servants suited to various incomes, commencing with--
About PS1,000 a year--A cook, upper housemaid, nursemaid, under housemaid,
and a man servant.
About PS750 a year--A cook, housemaid, nursemaid, and footboy. About PS500 a year--A cook, housemaid, and nursemaid.
About PS300 a year--A maid-of-all-work and nursemaid.
About PS200 or PS150 a year--A maid-of-all-work (and girl occasionally).
22. HAVING THUS INDICATED some of the more general duties of the mistress, relative to the moral government of her household, we will now give a few specific instructions on matters having a more practical relation to the position which she is supposed to occupy in the eye of the world. To do this the more clearly, we will begin with her earliest duties, and take her completely through the occupations of a day.
23. HAVING RISEN EARLY, as we have already advised (see 3), and having given due attention to the bath, and made a careful toilet, it will be well at once to see that the children have received their proper ablutions, and are in every way clean and comfortable. The first meal of the day, breakfast, will then be served, at which all the family should be punctually present, unless illness, or other circumstances, prevent.
24. AFTER BREAKFAST IS OVER, it will be well for the mistress to make a round of the kitchen and other offices, to see that all are in order, and that the morning's work has been properly performed by the various domestics. The orders for the day should then be given, and any questions which the domestics desire to ask, respecting their several departments, should be answered, and any
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special articles they may require, handed to them from the store-closet.
In those establishments where there is a housekeeper, it will not be so necessary for the mistress, personally, to perform the above-named duties.
25. AFTER THIS GENERAL SUPERINTENDENCE of her servants, the mistress, if a mother of a young family, may devote herself to the instruction of some of its younger members, or to the examination of the state of their wardrobe, leaving the later portion of the morning for reading, or for some amusing recreation. "Recreation," says Bishop Hall, "is intended to the mind as whetting is to the scythe, to sharpen the edge of it, which would otherwise grow dull and blunt. He, therefore, that spends his whole time in recreation is ever whetting, never mowing; his grass may grow and his steed starve; as, contrarily, he that always toils and never recreates, is ever mowing, never whetting, labouring much to little purpose. As good no scythe as no edge. Then only doth the work go forward, when the scythe is so seasonably and moderately whetted that it may cut, and so cut, that it may have the help of sharpening."
Unless the means of the mistress be very circumscribed, and she be obliged to devote a great deal of her time to the making of her children's clothes, and other economical pursuits, it is right that she should give some time to the pleasures of literature, the innocent delights of the garden, and to the improvement of any special abilities for music, painting, and other elegant arts, which she may, happily, possess.
26. THESE DUTIES AND PLEASURES BEING PERFORMED AND ENJOYED, the hour of luncheon will have arrived. This is a very necessary meal between an early breakfast and a late dinner, as a healthy person, with good exercise, should have a fresh supply of food once in four hours. It should be a light meal; but its solidity must, of course, be, in some degree, proportionate to the time it is intended to enable you to wait for your dinner, and the amount of exercise you take in the mean time. At this time, also, the servants' dinner will be served.
In those establishments where an early dinner is served, that will, of course, take the place of the luncheon. In many houses, where a nursery dinner is provided for the children and about one o'clock, the mistress and the elder portion of the family make their luncheon at the same time from the same joint, or whatever may be provided. A mistress will arrange, according to circumstances, the serving of the meal; but the more usual plan is for the lady of the house to have the joint brought to her table, and afterwards carried to the nursery.
27. AFTER LUNCHEON, MORNING CALLS AND VISITS may be made and received. These may be divided under three heads: those of ceremony, friendship, and congratulation or condolence. Visits of ceremony, or courtesy, which occasionally merge into those of friendship, are to be paid under various circumstances. Thus, they are uniformly required after dining at a friend's house, or after a ball, picnic, or any other party. These visits should be short, a stay of from fifteen to twenty minutes being quite sufficient. A lady paying a visit may remove her boa or neckerchief; but neither her shawl nor bonnet.
When other visitors are announced, it is well to retire as soon as possible, taking care to let it appear that their arrival is not the cause. When they are quietly seated, and the