Read Ebook: Journal des Goncourt (Deuxième série troisième volume) Mémoires de la vie littéraire by Goncourt Edmond De

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Ladies, whose minds are framed for the practical enjoyment of domestic comforts, will admire and copy this beautiful picture!

ADVICE

TO SERVANTS IN GENERAL.

"--from this chain whatever link you strike, Tenth or ten-thousandth, breaks the chain alike."

Carefully avoid all reproachful, indecent, or even familiar terms in speaking of your master, mistress, or superiors; and, on the other hand, endeavour, at all times, to vindicate them from the open aspersions or latent insinuations of others. There is nothing more detestable than defamation.--Avoid it.

"The man who filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not enriches him, But makes me poor indeed!" SHAKSPEARE.

"Delays are dangerous;--take a friend's advice, Begin,--be bold, and venture to be wise:-- He who defers his work from day to day, Does on a river's bank expecting stay, Till the whole stream that stopt him shall be gone, Which, as it runs, for ever will run on."

Above all things, then--Be temperate.--Avoid excess in eating and drinking--"One expensive mouth, will wear out several pairs of hands,"--and, "one shilling will appease the wants of nature as effectually as a pound." Nor is it because you may for a time be able to indulge those vicious habits at the expense of others, that they are the less exceptionable.

The loss of health and the loss of character are the certain consequences; and the debauch of the evening is followed by pains and sickness in the morning, when that which was before poison, is administered as the cure! Practice becomes habitual, and thus a whole life is frequently wasted in debauchery; poverty itself only cutting off the means, not the inclination; and the unhappy object himself, destitute of health, character, and friends, is left to pine and sink in misery and contempt.

Quarrels are much more easily avoided than made up; let it not, therefore, be in the power of trifles to ruffle your temper. A weathercock is the sport of every wind; and a choleric man is sometimes exposed to the scorn, at others to the resentment, and always to the abhorrence of all around him. For these reasons rather wink at all small injuries than study to avenge them--"He that to destroy a single bee that has offended him, should throw down the hive, instead of one enemy will have made a thousand."

Whilst on the important subject of frugality, we cannot do better than to recommend to your notice THE SAVINGS BANK.

We have already remarked, that those who are fond of telling all that they hear, are very naturally suspected of telling more than they hear. The best rule is, to do your own duty conscientiously, and leave others to take care of theirs: by this means you will preserve peace and acquire the love of all your fellow servants, without offending your employers; who, even though they may appear to give countenance to your tale, will not in their hearts approve of your conduct.

Give nothing away without the knowledge and approbation of your employers, nor commit wilful waste, for that is a crime which seldom goes unpunished.

All duties are reciprocal. If you hope to obtain favour, endeavour to deserve it. A steady perseverance in the duties of your station is the only sure course infallibly to promote your progress to independence.

As far as you can, give good advice to your fellow-servants, especially younger ones--read the Bible to those who cannot, and, if you have time, teach them to read it for themselves, and pray with them, and for them. This conduct will promote good will, and may preserve the young and unwary from evil.

If a virtuous affection seems to be rising, be sure you instantly calculate on the age and temper, religious conduct, and probable ability of the man to maintain a family, before you suffer your mind to be carried away, lest your affections run headlong, and at length are taken advantage of, to the complete loss of your comfort.

"When your master or lady calls a servant by name, if the servant be not in the way, none of you are to answer, for then there will be no end of your drudgery: and masters themselves allow, that if a servant comes when he is called, it is sufficient.

"When you have done a fault, be always pert and insolent, and behave yourself as if you were the injured person; this will immediately put your master or lady off their mettle.

"When you are chid before company, it often happens that some stranger will have the good-nature to drop a word in your excuse;--in such a case you will have a good title to justify yourself, and may rightly conclude, that, whenever he chides you afterwards, on other occasions, he may be in the wrong; in which opinion you will be the better confirmed by stating the case to your fellow-servants in your own way, who will certainly decide in your favour;--therefore, as I have said before, whenever you are chidden, complain as if you were injured.

"If you find yourself to grow in favour with your master or lady, take some opportunity in a very mild way to give them warning; and when they ask the reason, and seem loth to part with you, answer that you would rather live with them than any body else, but a poor servant is not to be blamed if he strives to better himself;--that service is no inheritance,--that your work is great, and your wages very small. Upon which, if your master hath any generosity, he will add five or ten shillings a quarter rather than let you go: but if you are baulked, and have no mind to go off, get some fellow-servant to tell your master, that he hath prevailed upon you to stay.

"Write your own name, and your sweet-heart's, with the smoke of a candle, on the ceiling of the kitchen, or the servants'-hall, to shew your learning.

"If you are a young sightly fellow, whenever you whisper your young mistress at tea-table, run your nose full in her cheek; or, if your breath be good, breath full in her face; this I have known to have had very good consequences in some families.

"When you have broken all your earthen drinking-vessels below stairs , the copper pot will do as well; it can boil milk, heat porridge, hold small beer, or, in case of necessity, serve other purposes; therefore apply it indifferently to all these uses; but never wash or scour it, for fear of taking off the tin.

"The general place for rendezvous for all the servants, both in winter and summer, is the kitchen: there the grand affairs of the family ought to be consulted; whether they concern the stable, the dairy, the pantry, the laundry, the cellar, the nursery, the dining-room, or my lady's chamber: there, as in your own proper element, you can laugh, and squall, and romp in full security.

"When any servant comes home drunk, and cannot appear, you must all join in telling your master, that he is gone to bed very sick; upon which your lady will be so good-natured as to order some comfortable thing for the poor man, or maid.

"When your master or lady comes home, and wants a servant who happens to be abroad, your answer must be, that he had but just that minute stept out, being sent for by a cousin who was dying.

"When your lady sends for you up to her chamber to give you any orders, be sure to stand at the door, and keep it open, fiddling with the lock all the while she is talking to you; and keep the handle in your hand, for fear you should forget to shut the door after you.

"The servants' candlesticks are generally broken, for nothing can last for ever. But you may find out many expedients; you may conveniently stick your candle in a bottle, or with a lump of butter against the wainscot, in a powder-horn, or in an old shoe, or in a cleft stick, or in the barrel of a pistol, or upon its own grease on a table, in a coffee-cup, or a drinking-glass, a horn-can, a tea-pot, a twisted napkin, a mustard-pot, an ink-horn, a marrow-bone, a piece of dough, or you may cut a hole in the loaf, and stick it there.

"When you invite the neighbouring servants to junket with you at home in an evening, teach them a peculiar way of tapping or scraping at the kitchen-window, which you may hear, but not your master or lady, whom you must take care not to disturb or frighten at such unseasonable hours.

"Lay all faults upon a lap-dog, or favourite cat, a monkey, parrot, a child; or on the servant who was last turned off: by this rule you will excuse yourself, do no hurt to any body else, and save your master or lady from the trouble and vexation of chiding.

"There are several ways of putting out candles, and you ought to be instructed in them all: you may run the candle-end against the wainscot, which puts the snuff out immediately: you may lay it on the ground, and tread the snuff out with your foot: you may hold it upside down, until it is choaked with its own grease; or cram it into the socket of the candlestick: you may whirl it round in your hand till it goes out: you may spit on your finger and thumb, and pinch the snuff till it goes out. The cook may run the candle's nose into the meal-tub, or the groom into a vessel of oats, or a lock of hay, or a heap of litter: the house-maid may put her candle out by running it against a looking-glass, which nothing cleans so well as candle-snuff: but the quickest and best of all methods is, to blow it out with your breath, which leaves the candle clear, and readier to be lighted.

THE

COMPLETE SERVANT.

THE HOUSEKEEPER.

Although it is obvious that a good education can be no impediment to domestic management, but may be of material assistance in the furtherance of family comforts, yet it is pleasing to reflect that many of the essential duties of life are within the reach of less exalted attainments; and that the woman who has been reared in useful pursuits, and whose chief aim is to perform the social obligations, will seldom fail of acquitting herself with credit and satisfaction, and especially if accompanied with that well-directed ductility of mind which bends its attention to the lesser objects of life, and is frequently found to be essential in the management of a family.

She ought to be a steady middle-aged woman, of great experience in her profession, and a tolerable knowledge of the world.--In her conduct, she should be moral, exemplary, and assiduous, as the harmony, comfort, and economy of the family will greatly depend on her example; and she must know, that no occurrence can be too trifling for her attention, that may lead to these results, and whereby waste and unnecessary expense may be avoided.

Female servants who would pursue an honest course, have numberless difficulties to contend with, and should, therefore, be treated kindly. The housekeeper in a great family, has ample means of doing good; and she will, doubtless, recollect that it is a part of her duty to protect and encourage virtue, as the best preventive from vice.

It behoves every servant to maintain a good character, nor ought it to be refused when due.--Servants have nothing to depend on but their good name, which it would be the height of injustice wantonly to deprive them of. It ought to be made a point, by all persons hiring servants, most scrupulously to enquire into their characters, from their last places.--To refuse countenance to the bad, and to encourage the good servant, are indispensable duties which we owe to society.

In families where there is a house-steward, the marketing will be done, and the tradesmen's bills will be collected, examined, and discharged, by him; but in many families, the business of marketing, and of keeping the accounts, devolves on the housekeeper. It is, therefore, incumbent on her to be well informed of the prices and qualities of all articles of household consumption in general use; and of the best times and seasons for procuring them, in order that by comparing prices and qualities, she may be able to substitute those that are most reasonable, but equally to her purpose, and best attainable, for others that are more costly or more scarce.

Before the housekeeper goes to market, she will look over the larder with the cook, especially when company is expected, and on a Saturday, and consider well what things are wanted, not forgetting even the smaller articles, that so there may be no necessity for sending out in a hurry, or on a Sunday, for any thing.

But, by whomsoever the provisions may be bought, it behoves the housekeeper to examine them as they come in,--to see that in weight and measure they agree with the tickets sent with them,--and to make the necessary arrangements, in conjunction with the cook, for their due appropriation.

Besides being a good market-woman, the housekeeper ought to be ready at figures, and to understand the nature of common accounts, as it will generally be her business to keep the detailed accounts of the family, to examine the tradesmen's bills by the checks, to pay them, and pay for all miscellaneous articles as they are brought in, for which vouchers must be given, to be produced when the account is settled; and to avoid the possibility of mistake, this should be done weekly, or at short and stated periods; for this purpose, a book must be kept, in which entry should immediately be made, of all monies paid, and in the evening, the book should be cast up, and compared with the cash in hand, by which means, any omission that might have taken place in the course of the day may easily be recollected and set right, and the account will be ready for inspection when called for.

The only certain road to regularity, is to do every thing in its proper time--keep every thing in its proper place--and apply every thing to its proper use.

The want of regularity gives to families the appearance of chance and confusion; on the contrary, order in a family is productive of much happiness.

As some preparation is necessary in all families for accidental visitors, care should be taken to have things in readiness for lunch, chocolate, sandwiches, &c.

An inventory of furniture, linen, china, plate, &c. should be kept, and the articles examined by it twice a year, at least, or oftener if the servants be changed, and a correct list of the articles delivered into the care of the new servants should be kept.--House-cloths, knife-cloths, &c. should be numbered, and always be accounted for, either whole or in part--which would be done if a note were inserted at the top of the list of the articles delivered out.

Tin fenders, and other things that are painted, should be painted every year or two.--Tin vessels, if suffered to become damp, soon rust, and are eaten into holes.

THE STORE-ROOM AND STILL-ROOM.

These rooms are entirely under the management of the housekeeper. The STORE-ROOM is appropriated as a depository for such imperishable articles of household consumption as are in continual request, and may be laid up, when purchased in quantities,--at times when cheapest,--most in season, or best--to be ready at hand when wanted.

CANDLES and SOAP made in cold weather, are best; and when the price of these articles are likely to be high, a reasonable stock of both should be laid in.--Candles, if kept packed in a chest, will be the better for keeping eight or ten months, and may be kept well, if necessary, for two years.

STARCH should be bought when flour is cheap, and may be kept in a dry warm place, if closely covered, as long as may be necessary.

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