THE GREAT SERVANT QUESTION
In the chapter about the kitchen arrangements, the most burning question
of the hour was just touched upon, and a few hints were thrown out as a
species of guide to solve the knotty problem, which certainly is more
acute in the suburbs than in any other place. First, because it is often
found impossible to coax the best maids away from the wiles and
entrancements of the town; and secondly, because the accommodation for
them is often little short of disgraceful. Though for the matter of
that, I have seen worse servants’ rooms in big houses in grand
localities in London than in any other, while the rooms set apart for
them in flats would be ludicrous if they were not so pernicious, and did
not so largely account for the unpopularity of what ought to be an
almost ideal place of residence for a husband and wife, who have either
settled their children in life, or have no children to settle or think
about in any way.
We have described at length how we should circumvent the ordinary
suburban kitchen, now for a while, let us think about the servants’
bedrooms, which are often quite as difficult to manage, and are all too
often much too few to be in any way comfortable or decent. Should the
general number of four maids be kept, or should a fifth be required, it
is almost impossible to make an arrangement that only allows of the work
being done properly and in order. I have had a large, a very large,
experience of servants in more ways than one, and I venture to remark
that where they are a nuisance it is because, first of all, they have
not been chosen with care and common sense; secondly, because no attempt
is made to make them comfortable or cause them to feel part of the
household; and thirdly, because what I may call ‘composite maids’ are
engaged. That is to say that the cook is required to clear the
breakfast and answer the bell in the morning, and do a certain amount of
housework; while the parlour-maid has to help with the beds, and the
nurse to do the washing as well as look after, dress and walk out with
the children. Now I state boldly that such a division of labour can
never be either necessary or successful, and if the dwellers in the
suburbs will amalgamate the several duties of a servant in this way,
they can never know the least peace, for no servant worth her wages or
even her salt will take such a nondescript position unless under very
exceptional circumstances. These may include places where the mistress
has taken her maids from the first, and has carefully instructed and
brought them up herself, or they may be personally greatly attached to
her themselves, and value not only her kindness but the comfort and
comfortable home she gives them. But these circumstances are as rare as
they are satisfactory. Therefore unless these things are the case, let
no one abuse the maids unmercifully because they will not one and all be
maids of all work, but rather consider how best to arrange the day’s
routine, so that each shall stick to her task cheerfully, giving
presently a helping hand to another out of real good-will, and not
because she is imperatively requested to do so as a matter of course.
Unfortunately there are hundreds of women who can neither give good
wages nor keep a sufficient number of maids; and these are the
miserables who join their wails to those others who, more unhappy still,
have not the slightest idea how to manage another woman, whose one idea
is that a maid is a thing whose capacity for work is endless, who can
never tire, never want to go out, and who, above all, can never be ill.
Such a mistress treats her servant as he or she does a horse who has
never been used to possess this quadruped, and seeing only that it is
made to go, drives or rides it to death, because previous experience has
been wanting to teach the driver or rider the amount of work which can
be obtained without undue exertion and pressure. Now it is necessary to
point out that, if a sufficient number of servants cannot be employed to
do the work decently and in order, the work must be lessened in some
way or another, by the mistress herself giving a helping hand, and not
only directing it but doing some of it. She must be content to call a
spade a spade, and not have any hankerings after ‘agricultural
implements.’ A cook she may not possess, a good general servant is what
she requires, while a housemaid who can wait at table replaces the house
parlour-maid who never did and never could have a decent existence or be
anything save a miserable sham! If a good general servant, who can cook
is engaged, at once the way is made plain before all concerned. Such a
woman cheerfully keeps her own kitchen, the hall staircase (if in a
basement), and front steps in order, and has the dining-room under her
charge. She will likewise clear out the breakfast and answer the front
door up to twelve, but she must not be called a cook; if she is, she
will cook, but she will not for one moment step out of her province to
do anything else whatever.
In the same way must the housemaid be managed, for in such an
establishment the parlour work can but be of the most meagre
description, and if the mistress is house-proud, and really has desires
after fine and careful living, she must keep silver, glass and china
clean herself, and see herself to the laying of the cloth and all the
thousand and one items which go to form the finer portions of
housekeeping. An occupation which will no doubt trouble and disgust the
woman who demands to ‘live her own life’ and ‘develop her soul’ at the
expense of the comfort of the household which she has undertaken to
guide when she became the wife of the bread-winner. I am not going to
express an opinion on the merits of a career, bounded by the nursery on
the one side and the kitchen on another, there will always be a
difference of ideas on the subject; but I am going to say very forcibly,
that when a woman marries she undertakes this special business; and
should she regret it or allow the reins to slip out of her hands, she is
‘obtaining money under false pretences,’ and is undoubtedly neglecting
the work she solemnly promised to perform. Therefore, all women who
marry must be prepared to face the situation and to know that before
they can ‘live their own lives’ and ‘develop their souls’ as mentioned
before, they must see that their houses are in order and that their
houses are homes in the widest sense of the word.
People are continually writing to me, and also to everyone else who
gives advice on the special subjects of house management and decoration,
about this servant question, and, moreover, as continually ask how to
divide or apportion their special incomes to their special wants; but
they cannot see how utterly impossible it is for a complete stranger to
do more than vaguely generalise on either subject. The servant question
has always been simplicity itself to me, and I cannot understand the
difficulties which beset so many women in these days, simply because I
have never come across them myself. But then, I do not expect
perfection. I give fair wages, and am as considerate to the maids as
they are to me, and I am not unduly dismayed or cast down when I discern
faults and failings that are human after all, and denote that at
present, at least, we have not reached the golden age. At the same
time, I am convinced that the real trouble, as I said before, is caused
in small houses by the ‘composite maid’ being called a cook, or house
parlour-maid, when she is just either a general servant, or else a
housemaid; and in larger ones by sufficient care not being taken to
obtain the kind of maiden one really does want, and by expecting too
much from her when she is in our service.
The life of the ordinary domestic servant, despite the delirious joy of
the tradesman’s daily calls, is an extremely dull one. The routine is
everlasting, the relaxations few, and the changes still fewer. In many
households a friend to tea is a crime; an unexpected holiday an
impossibility; while the days follow each other in a wearisome routine
which would tell on the nerves of anyone even far more highly educated
than is the orthodox maid-servant. How many brilliant summer days pass,
and no one suggests an afternoon or evening stroll, or even a drive
through the country lanes. How many dreary winter days go by, and no one
says there is a good play at such and such a theatre, go and see it. Or
who takes concert seats, and sends off the maids for a couple of hours
from the everlasting kitchen and the weary round of unending duties?
Well, some people do, and where this occurs there the maids often stay
on and on, giving real and loving service, and doing their utmost for
those who try to do their utmost for them.
Then once more how few maids really have and possess their mistress’s
confidence. They hear a vast amount of grumbling about ‘the books,’ and
the dreadful waste which does go on, often enough more through ignorance
than through their carelessness; but they do not comprehend that there
is an all-important reason why such waste should not be allowed, because
the mistress has never explained matters to the maids, or told them
there is necessity for great care in all the household departments. As a
rule servants have what they consider the ‘honour of the house’ very
near their hearts; and they cannot endure the notion that their mistress
shall even be suspected of ‘meanness.’ And this is often the cause of
the needless orders given in those establishments where the tradesmen
are allowed to call; for, rather than send them away without an order,
the servants will rack their brains to think of something, not because
they really desire to swell the bills, but because they like their house
to be one of which the tradespeople speak well, and because they will
not have it spoken of as a ‘mean sort of place, where every halfpenny is
counted and made to do the duty of a penny piece.’ Then too, at the
bottom of a great deal of domestic mismanagement is the utter and really
ghastly thriftlessness of the lower classes, which no one who has not
seen it could credit.
I have had to be a great deal away from my own house, owing to
long-continued illness, and in consequence I have seen a great deal of
the way in which other people manage, and I boldly say that I have seen
more waste and real extravagance among people who ought to save
absolutely every bone and piece of bread than among those who could
really afford to waste, did they not consider it wicked to do so. While
the lower one goes in the social scale, the more one finds waste the
order of the day; and not only actual waste, but the waste of having the
best joints, the most expensive butter, and the continual variety of
food that no one in the upper middle classes can afford, even should
they think it necessary to have it. I have noticed real want existing
among a specially improvident set of people, while, at the same time, I
have been shocked to see great lumps of meat and bread (unpaid for) in
the pigs’ tub. The young people of these households would have their
boots blacked for them, their hot water and bath water carried up for
them, and be waited on, before they went out to their shops or work, as
one’s own children would never dream of being waited on, in a much much
higher rank of life. In these households the servants have simply an
awful time of it, and hence class prejudice is fostered terribly, while
the unthrifty ways of the household leave their mark on all who pass
through it, and help to build up a class that is in every way
unsatisfactory.
We hear a great deal of the competition of the foreigner, and there are
loud shouts for ‘protection’ and ‘fair trade,’ but the ‘protection’ we
want is against our own wasteful habits and ways of living, and we can
never have ‘fair trade’ until we comprehend what waste really is, and
know what is necessary to keep a household going and what is not. And
this servant question is the very _crux_ of the whole matter, and, alas!
is very little understood by the public at large, which seems quite
incapable of grappling with the problem, although few people exist who
have not a more or less loudly-expressed opinion on the subject.
It is also a problem which can never be solved until all have learned
real thrift and carefulness, and until all classes learn how to trust
each other, and the special conduct which should be maintained in all
relations in life. Though the tendency nowadays to live in flats, and
have as many meals as one can at a restaurant or hotel, may solve the
servant question quicker than in any other way, regardless of the fact
that a class of useful women will thus be improved off the face of the
world in a manner I, for one, shall be extremely sorry to see. But
flats are fleeting joys at best. I have heard of many people going to
live in them, and have never known anyone renew his or her lease; so
perhaps the pendulum may swing back again, and houses become the order
of the day.
As long as servants are required, the best way to obtain them at first
is for the young mistress to train them herself, always keeping on hand
an under-study for the part of the upper-servant in the shape of kitchen
and under-housemaids; in this way lie a sure success and comfortable
domestic arrangements. Of course there are hundreds of small
establishments where a couple of maids is all that can be allowed. These
must be as described before, general and housemaid, then all will go
rightly, providing care is taken to obtain good girls from good
families, who have not been spoiled by a careless or bad mistress, or
ruined by an unhappy and thriftless home training, which is often indeed
worse than none. In a larger house where there are children; six maids
and a boy to help, are the maximum; namely, cook and kitchen-maid,
parlour-maid and housemaid, nurse and nursemaid; here again things will
be all right, and there will be no over-work or under-work in the
matter. Lucky is she who, by tie of birth or friendship, is connected
with some country town or village, which shall act as her preserve, and
from whence she can always draw fresh supplies should matrimony or other
cause thin her domestic ranks and compel her to look out for another
maiden.
But in all and every case should the registry office be most carefully
avoided. If a servant or mistress has a ‘good name,’ exceptional indeed
must be the circumstances that drive her to make use of these places. If
a decent maid is leaving her place, the tradespeople know all about her
and will tell her of the good places which may be open; and in the same
way a really ‘good place’ doesn’t go begging. The tradesmen know of that
too, and often act as a sort of informal registry-office which I have
invariably found most useful in every manner. Then having caught one’s
maids, let us consider how best to keep them, and undoubtedly is this
done by making them as comfortable as we can, and by showing that we
have a real interest in whatever they may have or do.
I have already written about the room they should have to sit in. Now
let us consider those they should have for sleeping purposes, for often
these are as badly arranged as they can be; economy is studied on the
one hand, which on the other results in an amount of expenditure which
is as unnecessary as it is worrying and distasteful to all concerned.
One of these petty economies is that which consists of making a couple
of maids share one bed, and that one anything but a comfortable place of
rest and refuge. Now this should never be done. The economy consists in
the saving of the washing of a pair of sheets, the misery comes in when
the unwilling bedfellows quarrel and determine to move on elsewhere. In
no case should more than two maids sleep in one room, and in every case
such room should hold a couple of beds and a double set of
washing-stands, drawers and toilet-table, and, moreover, there should be
a good hanging wardrobe of some kind. If possible, once more the
ever-useful P. T. C. from Wallace’s should be pressed into the service,
and should decorate a couple of the room corners, one being devoted to
the use of each maid, whose dresses will last twice as long if she have
proper room for them, and if she have not to cram them into her small
chest of drawers, shared all too often by her fellow-servant.
I consider Knowles’s sanitary papers quite ideal for the maids’
bedrooms, and there is a dainty ‘daffodil’ paper that no one can dislike
or despise, and which can be wiped over once a month, if necessary, with
a damp duster and come out as clean as a new pin. With this paper we
could have earth-brown paint, and Liberty’s ever-useful dark blue and
white butterfly cretonne, edged with frills, and blue and white dhurries
on the stained floor. But if the floor is bad, and in the least degree
draughty, it must first be covered with cork carpet, on which rugs or
the ever useful dhurries can be laid down. Some suburban floors are
amenable to no other treatment. We may plane them carefully, and ‘stop’
them as carefully too, but they will begin to gape at the smallest
change in the weather, or at the sight of the first fire, and one can
neither keep out the draughts nor the gently-drifting dust that
penetrates at every corner, and spoils tempers and properties alike.
Cork carpet I consider a most blessed invention, as it makes a capital
background, and is warm and comfortable and quite spotlessly clean. This
should be ‘gone over’ once a week in bedrooms of this class with a damp
duster; and once a month should have a healthful polish with Jackson’s
camphorated beeswax polish, made on purpose. The rugs should be shaken
out of doors once a week, and, whenever possible the beds and bedding
should be alike exposed to the sun and air in the garden; or, if not, in
the rooms themselves, taking care that all windows and doors are open
and a thorough draught ensured.
Indeed if we got more sun and more air into all our houses, every girl’s
health would be far better than it is now; but despite all the preaching
in the world, English women stuff up the windows with blinds and
curtains, and shiver at the idea of fresh air, while they dread the
fading of their curtains and carpets in a manner that would be ludicrous
were it not so essentially harmful. Naturally too the genus domestic
servant dreads open windows more than her mistress does, and will not
air her bed if she can possibly avoid doing so. But if there is a rule
that a fine, hot day shall see the mattresses, blankets and pillows on
chairs in the garden for at least an hour after breakfast, the airing is
ensured without the ‘poking and prying about,’ which is as distasteful
to the mistress as it is disagreeable to the maid. In all cases too, the
beds here as elsewhere, should consist of good hair mattresses laid on
chain mattresses. These chains should be covered first by a square of
holland, tied at the four corners, and this should be sent to the wash
about every three months. The mattresses and pillows should be covered
also, either with crash or holland cases, capable of being washed
whenever necessary, and these covers will save the beds immensely from
wear and tear, and ensure cleanliness at the same time. Wallace has a
very good suite of servant’s furniture to sell for something under £5,
but I think we should spend rather more on the bed, which is a very fair
one, but not quite good enough if we are very particular, as we should
be, about the comfort of the bed, as a hair mattress is impossible for
this sum, and a hair mattress must be had if the bed is to be a real
place of rest. Furthermore, I think the beds should have two pillows, as
well as a bolster, and a second pillow should therefore be added, and
all beds should have five blankets: one for the under blanket, and two
pairs for over use. These should be sent to the wash in the spring; one
pair at a time; and the beds should be supplemented with good heavy
coloured counterpanes; the colour looks cheerful, and also ensures the
quilts not looking dirty before they ought to.
The simpler the sets of ware the better, for, somehow, china never lasts
long in the ordinary servant’s room. I think she rushes up at the last
moment to wash and dress; she certainly gets up in the morning at the
last possible instant she can, and the usual results of haste ensue. The
handles come off the carelessly-seized jug, the soap-dish flies about,
and the basins are literally ‘whacked’ down, because there is not time
to treat them properly, therefore the excellent sets of blue and white
ware Wallace sells at about 4s. 6d. should be the outside price to which
we should go, taking care all the sets are alike; then one can
supplement the other when smashes begin; and quite plain glasses and
water-bottles should also be procured, in as stout a make as possible.
Glass tumblers literally vanish in servants’ bedrooms, and I am often
amazed at the way in which they disappear, one after the other, to a
grave on the ash-heap or in the dust-bin.
Another thing on which we may with advantage spend a little more money
is the looking-glass, and that without unduly encouraging vanity, for
the usual one sold with the cheap suits is much too small to be of any
real use. A girl cannot do her hair and arrange her dress neatly unless
she has a glass large enough to allow of her doing so by its aid, and we
should therefore choose the maid’s looking-glass as carefully as we
should our own; but we should allow one each, if we wish for peace. More
domestic quarrels are caused by the usual one small glass than many
house mistresses are probably aware take place at all.
It is certain that all mistresses should, at least twice a year,
thoroughly inspect all the furniture in the maids’ rooms, and replace
then if possible, all that has been worn out during the past six months,
but under no circumstances should this inspection take place without the
presence of the maids, or when it is not expected. Nothing is more
disagreeable to the ordinary mind than the idea that one’s room is not
one’s castle; and many mistresses have made themselves eternal enemies
by insisting on their undoubted right to enter any room in their own
houses whenever they wish to do so. That the right is so undoubted
should render it unnecessary to exact its performance. By all means see
the rooms are all right, but do it at a proper season, and without the
smallest idea of ‘pounce’ in it.
I do not think it wise to have gas in the maids’ rooms, unless it is
turned off at the meter by the master at a certain hour, and yet it is
undoubtedly safer than any other light, and is as undoubtedly cleaner.
I have for years used nothing save the little ‘Butterfly’ lamps sold by
A. & A. Drew, of Wareham, Dorset, but these are not good in careless
hands, because the chimneys are so constantly being broken, and because
the oil is capable of being spilled. Candles are worse possessions, as
so many maids will read in bed, will smash the shades without which no
candle can possibly be safe, and will drop grease from them on every
available space. Remembering also that the dark winter mornings have to
be considered, I am fain to retract my old belief that gas in a
servant’s room spelt ruin, and to allow it reluctantly, placed near the
looking glasses and not near the beds, and having woven-wire globes to
protect the flame, similar to those used in places of business and in
large schools; as the ordinary glass globe has even a shorter existence
than the tumbler, and is broken in less time than it takes to tell about
it.
If in any way possible, the beds should be placed against the wall, and
foot to foot, with about 2 feet space between the ends of the beds. In
this case a dado should be run round that portion of the wall where the
beds stand, and this should be of plain brown patternless oil-cloth, and
should have a real dado rail; this would keep the wall tidy for years.
In no case must the dressing-tables be placed in the window, and blinds
must never be allowed. If there is much sun, the dark blue and white
cretonne curtains can be lined with still darker blue sateen, and if the
windows are large muslin can be stretched upon them as in all other
windows in the house; but blinds are an expense and an abomination. They
are always out of order, are very rarely drawn up straight, and are as
needless as they are dear and unsatisfactory. The dark curtains draw
easily and cannot be drawn crooked, and are in every way much more
sensible and useful than blinds.
I think that there should be fireplaces in all servants’ rooms. First
because of the ventilation a chimney affords,--and the bi-annual
inspection should include a glance at the chimney to see it is in nowise
stuffed up--and secondly, because it is imperative that we should be
able to have a fire there if necessary. It may sound improbable, but it
is true, that the average suburban villa is colder than the cottages
from which country maids come, where the thatched roofs and the thick
walls often keep out extremes of temperature in a manner a jerry-built
house ever can.
And here is one more hint. Let the roof of the house be white-washed in
summer, if it be slated and the bedrooms come right up under it, for
this makes an enormous difference to the temperature of the rooms, which
is often enough simply awful even in a merely average summer without any
very abnormal heat, while, should we have any real heat, these rooms
become similar to ovens, and are really terrible for anyone to have to
sleep in. Then have outside blinds of some kind; plain strips of dark
green or blue linen placed outside the glass are better than nothing,
though Williams’ green reed blinds are the best things in the world, if
they can be afforded; and above all white-wash your roofs. You will be
rewarded in the difference in the maids’ tempers, and health, which, are
very often one and the same thing.
Now just one word more, and that on the vexed subject of food. You
should feed the servants as much as possible as you feed yourselves, and
then will you have peace and not otherwise. In another place I have
dwelt at large on this matter; here it is sufficient to say that if a
thing is good enough for the dining-room, it is good enough for the
kitchen. Allowancing should never be resorted to, there is something
about it that revolts the kitchen or servants’ hall, and it is as
unnecessary in a well-managed house as it is useless and suspicious.
It will be seen, from the perusal of this little book, that the art of
living in a suburban house is not quite as easy as it appears at first
sight. At the same time it is without doubt one that can be acquired,
and if our lot should be cast in the suburbs, it is positively necessary
that we should learn to live there comfortably, unless we wish to be
always on the move. Should what I have written on the subject help
anyone to circumvent the special house he or she has selected, and to
turn it from an unsatisfactorily-built villa into a comfortable home, I
shall not have written in vain. At all events, the book has one merit,
it is the outcome of real experience, and there is not a single ounce of
imagination in the whole of it!
THE END.
_Colston and Coy., Limited, Printers, Edinburgh._
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9 feet by 10 feet 6 in., =39/6=
9 feet by 12 feet, =45/-=
10 feet 6 in. by 10 feet 6 in., =47/6=
10 feet 6 in. by 12 feet, =52/6=
12 feet by 12 feet, =60/-=
12 feet by 15 feet, =75/-=
_‘The Roman Carpet’ can also be had in Stair and Corridor Widths_
CURTAIN FABRIC SECTION--Colbourne & Co.’s Exclusive Designs
Forwarded post free on application
* * * * *
B. BURNET & CO.
MANUFACTURERS OF
SPECIALITIES FOR FURNISHING PURPOSES
UNIQUE IN COLOUR, TEXTURE AND DESIGN
PILE FABRICS
24 in. Silk Plush
24 in. Utrecht Velvet
24 in. Frieze Velvet
24 in. Genoa Velvet
50 in. Venetian Velvet
50 in. Linen Plush
50 in. Plushette (Plain and Printed)
27 in. Plain Velveteen
27 in. Corduroy Velveteen
27 in. Printed Velveteen
WOVEN FABRICS
50 in. Cotelaine
50 in. Satin Sheeting
50 in. Silk Damask
50 in. Silk Gauze
50 in. Cotton Tapestry
50 in. Wool Tapestry
50 in. Silk Faced Tapestry
50 in. Wool Brocatelle
50 in. Silk Tapestry
SPECIAL FABRICS
Bordered Table Covers
Washable Bed-Spreads
Butter Muslins
INDIAN, PERSIAN and TURKISH RUGS and CARPETS
LININGS
50 in. Italian Silk
54 in. Merino
31 in. Koula Cotton
31 in. Sateen
31 in. Cotton Twill
EMBROIDERY
FABRICS
36 in. Italian Linen
54 in. Tapestry Canvas
45 in. Leather Cloth
54 in. Leatherette
36 in. Embroidery Linen
54 in. Embroidery Linen
72 in. Embroidery Linen
PLAIN FABRICS
72 in. Diagonal Cloth
54 in. Diagonal Cloth
72 in. Curtan Felt
72 in. Yorkshire Serge
54 in. Printed Serge
54 in. Yorkshire Serge
54 in. Wool Serge
50 in. Wool Damask
63 in. Plain Bolton Sheeting
50 in. Dyed Flax
36 in. Kabul Canvas (for Floors)
PRINTED FABRICS
60 in. Printed Bolton
24 in. Glazed Chintz
31 in. Cretonne
31 in. Reversible Cretonne
31 in. Dimity
31 in. Queen Anne Cretonne
50 in. Printed Muslins
60 in. Madras Muslins
31 in. Quilt Sateens
UPHOLSTERY DEPARTMENT
Curtains, Portières, Blinds, &c., made to order in a few days. Fringes,
Cords and Trimmings kept in stock or made to match all fabrics. Curtain
Poles, etc.
The above list includes many novelties both in colour and design, not
procurable elsewhere. We shall, however, be pleased to forward samples
of any other class or quality of material specially required.
42 KING STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON
Branch Establishment--226 REGENT STREET.
* * * * *
[Illustration: ARTISTIC FITTINGS
Oil + Gas & Electric
STRODE & Co
Electric Light & Gas Engineers
Art Metal Works + Showrooms
48 Osnaburgh S^{T} + 188 Piccadilly · W
London·N·W + 67 S^{T} Pauls Chyp·E·C]
* * * * *
IRISH LINENS
DIRECT FROM THE LOOMS
_WALPOLE BROS._
(ESTABLISHED 1766)
Offer THREE great inducements to the public to give them a trial--
SUPERIORITY OF TEXTURE ...
BEAUTY AND NOVELTY OF DESIGN
EXTREMELY MODERATE PRICES ...
=WALPOLE BROTHERS= are the only Irish Linen Manufacturers who offer the
public the great advantage of selecting goods
IN LONDON AND DUBLIN AT BELFAST PRICES
_Samples and Price List are sent free_
They will enable any lady to mark the great saving and greater
satisfaction gained by buying direct from the Manufacturers
Cambric Handkerchiefs from 2s. 2d. per doz.
Damask Table Cloths from 3s. 6d. each.
Damask Napkins from 3s. per doz.
Glass Cloths from 4d. per yard.
Dusters from 1s. 9d. per doz.
A complete set of Linens, consisting of Blankets, Quilts, Table Linen,
Sheets, &c., suitable for a small house, for £7, 19s.
WALPOLE BROTHERS
Irish Linen and Damask Manufacturers
16 Bedford Street, Belfast; 8 and 9 Suffolk Street, Dublin
89 NEW BOND STREET (Two Doors from Oxford Street) {LONDON, W.
and 102 KENSINGTON HIGH STREET, {
Established over a Century
W. Bros’. Special Designs in Table Damask are different from, and
superior to, those to be seen elsewhere
* * * * *
HEWETSONS
House Furnishers and Decorators
212 TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD
[Illustration: HEWETSONS’ ‘Princess May’ Bedroom Suite
Enamelled White Carton Pierre Mountings, Brass Handles, and
comprising:--Wardrobe (Glass Door), Dressing Chest with Glass,
Washstand (Marble Top, Tile Back, and Brass Towel Rail), and Two
Cane-seated Chairs.
£7, 15s. 0d. THE SET]
Hewetsons’ New Illustrated Catalogue
Is the best and most complete Furnishing Guide published, and is
forwarded free of charge. It contains =Estimates for Furnishing
Houses= for £150, £300, £500, £1000, &c., each article in detail,
illustrated and priced.
Decorating {=Hewetsons give Estimates Free of Charge= for
{Painting and all kinds of Interior Decorations,
Structural Alterations, Sanitary Work, Electric Lighting, &c.
The Largest Stock of ...
ENGLISH CARVED OAK FURNITURE
... IN THE WORLD
* * * * *
JAMES SHOOLBRED & CO.
TOTTENHAM HOUSE
Tottenham Court Road
LONDON, W.
Direct Carpet Importers
Bedding Manufacturers
Cabinet Makers and Upholsterers
Blind Manufacturers
Artistic Decorators, and
Complete House Furnishers
Three Passenger Lifts convey Customers to all Departments above Ground
Floor
JAMES SHOOLBRED & CO.
_TOTTENHAM HOUSE_
LONDON
* * * * *
BARTHOLOMEW & FLETCHER
[Illustration]
Chippendale Cabinet, £6 10 0
Old Mahogany Vase or Lamp Stand, £2 5 0
‘Richelieu’ Settee, in Tapestry, £5 18 6
Catalogues Free
Most Moderate
Prices
in London
219 Tottenham Court Road, W.
CARPETS
‘REVIREDIS’ Regd. SPECIALITIES
‘ISIS’ Art Rush Matting
‘ROYSSE’ Hand Loom Carpets
‘ARTS and CRAFTS’ Rugs
THE ABINGDON CARPET MANUFACTURING CO.
_ABINGDON-ON-THAMES_
JOHN HARRIS & SONS, LIMITED
ART LINENS. PURE FLAX. Over 40 Artistic Shades.
Unrivalled for excellence of Quality and Colour. Of Special Manufacture
and Dye. Suitable for every kind of HOUSE DECORATION and ORNAMENTATION.
Embroideries of every description. Patterns and Estimates for Curtains,
Portières, Hangings, &c., on application.
Showrooms--
25 OLD BOND STREET, LONDON
Works
Derwent Mills, Cockermouth, Eng.
* * * * *
BOOKS TO BUY
Mrs PANTON’S Books on the Furnishing and Decorating of Houses, and the
Management of a Household.
=1.= =From Kitchen to Garret=: Hints for Young Householders. By J. E.
PANTON. A New and Revised Edition. Crown 8vo, cloth, 6s.
This work of Mrs Panton was first published in December 1887. It
has since been seven times reprinted. The work has now been closely
revised by the Author, new information on many subjects has been
incorporated in the text, and many new Illustrations have been
added.
=2.= =Nooks and Corners.= A Companion Book to ‘From Kitchen to Garret.’
By J. E. PANTON. Crown 8vo, 6s.
‘A veritable encyclopædia of useful information in all matters
pertaining to the home.’
=Our Viands.= Whence they come and how they are Cooked. By A. W.
BUCKLAND. Crown 8vo, cloth, price 6s.
‘She has succeeded in giving us a very interesting history of our
own ordinary dishes, and of the most curious and characteristic
dishes of other countries.’--_Spectator._
=Ladies in the Field=: Sketches of Sport. Edited by the LADY
GREVILLE. Crown 8vo, cloth, price 6s.
Contents: Riding in Ireland and India, by Lady Greville--Hunting in
the Shires--Horses and their Riders, by the Duchess of
Newcastle--The Wife of the M.F.H., by Mrs Chaworth Musters--Fox
Hunting--Team and Tandem Driving, by Miss Rosie Anstruther
Thomson--Tigers I have shot, by Mrs C. Martelli--Rifle Shooting, by
Miss Leale--Deer Stalking and Deer Driving, by Diane
Chasseresse--Covert Shooting, by Lady Boynton--A Kangaroo Hunt, by
Mrs Jenkins--Cycling, by Mrs E. R. Pennell--Punting, by Miss Sybil
Salaman.
‘The several chapters are entrusted to skilful hands, and deal with
sport, as practised by ladies, in a very sensible and business-like
fashion.’--_Times._
‘It is not often one comes across such a tempting book.... We
cannot too strongly recommend "Ladies in the Field" to our readers,
and think that it is a book to be on every sportswoman’s library
table.’--_Sporting Life._
=In Ladies’ Company=: Sketches of the Lives of Six Notable Women. By
Mrs F. F. MILLER. One vol., fcap. 8vo, cloth, price 5s.
‘A volume to be grateful for.’--_Daily Chronicle._
‘Ample, suggestive, and neatly finished--turned out with true
literary skill.’--_Globe._
=Love in a Cottage=; or, Making the most of a Small Income. By AGATHA
HODGSON. Post 8vo, paper covers, price 1s.
_FROM ALL BOOKSELLERS_
Or from the Publishers} WARD & DOWNEY LTD.
12 YORK BUILDINGS, Adelphi, W.C.
* * * * *
A GOLD MEDAL
HAS BEEN AWARDED TO
Wm. Wallace & Co.
FOR THE ARTISTIC FURNISHING AND DECORATION OF
‘OUR FLAT’
AS EXHIBITED AT THE INDIAN EXHIBITION.
‘How to Furnish "Our Flat" or House for £100,’
AND ALSO FOR £300
By =Mrs J. E. PANTON=, may now be had, post free, on application to
WM. WALLACE & CO.
151 to 155 CURTAIN ROAD, LONDON, E.C.
Mrs PANTON says, in the ‘Gentlewoman’:--‘I should strongly advise,
before buying Furniture anywhere, to send to Wm. Wallace & Co., of
Curtain Road, for sketches of their New Furniture Catalogue. All
Goods are Carriage Paid anywhere in the United Kingdom, and if you
require really good Furniture, go to Wm. Wallace & Co., the wood
being properly seasoned, and the workmanship seems to me to be as
good as it possibly can be.’
BEFORE placing your orders, send for our New Catalogue, entitled
=‘Beauty, Skill and Economy.’ Post Free.=
The ‘Daily Telegraph’ says:--‘Wm. Wallace & Co. have an
artistically designed catalogue, which is a most instructive guide
to householders.’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
‘OUR FLAT’
WM. WALLACE & CO.
_Artistic House Furnishers and Decorators_
151, 152, 153, 154 and 155 Curtain Road
LONDON, E.C.
* * * * *
HEALTHY. ECONOMICAL. ARTISTIC.
JACKSON’S
VARNISH STAINS
FOR
FLOORS & FURNITURE
HAVE THE LARGEST SALE
Staining and
Varnishing in
one operation
_No Preparation
required._
[Illustration]
Made to represent the following woods--
Mahogany
Walnut
Rosewood
Light and
Dark Oak
Satinwood
Ebony
Leaf Green
&c.
Packed in Tins
Pints, 2/-
Quarts, 3/6
½-Gallon, 6/-
1 Gallon, 10/-
_Cans Free_
Bottles
6d. and 1/- each
The Stain dries in twenty minutes with a brilliant hard surface equal to
French Polish with no unpleasant smell. Used in Hospitals, Asylums,
Schools, Hotels, &c. Recommended by Professor Wanklyn, the eminent
analytical chemist, and many members of the medical profession, for its
sanitary properties as a floor covering. Besides very numerous private
testimonials, these Stains are being constantly recommended by the
principal writers on domestic matters.
Dr Andrew Wilson, in _Health_, says:--‘We hope it will be used by
all who value health, economy and beauty in their homes. It will
cost but a few shillings to stain the floor, where pounds would be
spent in carpets, and rooms where it is used can always be kept
clean, healthy and bright.’
The _Court Circular_ says:--‘We predict that =Jackson’s Combination
Varnish-Stain= will become a household word, and that it will be
used as a floor covering in every home where health, beauty and
cleanliness are appreciated.’
The _Lady’s Pictorial_ says:--‘You cannot possibly do better than
use =Jackson’s Varnish Stains.= They are most excellent.’
The _Queen_:--‘Have found =Jackson’s Varnish Stain= very good. As its
name implies, it requires no varnishing, dries quickly, and gives a
beautiful polish.’
These Stains are sold by all high-class Stores throughout the World, and
must not be confounded with any of the low-class rubbish, which will
only cause disappointment and trouble. Coloured picture labels on all
packages. Manufactured only by
T. S. JACKSON & SONS, 186 OLD KENT ROAD, LONDON, S.E.
[Established 1853
* * * * *
By Special Appointment To Her Majesty
WARINGS
_Specialists_
_and_
_Manufacturers_
_of_
_Decorative_
_Furniture_
[Illustration:
ECONOMY
IN
DECORATING
AND
FURNISHING
]
_The largest_
_bona-fide_
_Manufacturers_
_in_
_the Kingdom_
_Messrs WARING invite inspection of their Suites of completely furnished
Rooms, illustrating how to furnish tastefully at the lowest cost_
ESTIMATES AND DESIGNS FREE
181 Oxford Street, London, W.
MANCHESTER
End of Project Gutenberg's Suburban Residences, by J. (Jane) E. (Ellen) Panton