————
We feel persuaded that the following work, professedly written for the
use and instruction of Domestic Servants, may, with great propriety,
be dedicated to the Illustrious Heads of Families in the United
Kingdom;—to you, who are the immediate _Patrons_ of that numerous Class
of the Community. We are aware too, that, by endeavouring to instruct
and improve those around you in the moral and practical Duties of their
respective Stations, we best evince our attention to your particular
Interests, and indirectly promote your Domestic Comforts:—and we feel
further assured, that the same precepts that are calculated to teach
servants the duties of their several occupations, will serve to remind
their masters and mistresses of what they have to expect from them.
Under these impressions we presume, with the greatest deference and
respect, to claim your patronage and protection.
And, though Domestic Servants are the principal Agents by means of
whom the greater part of all Household Concerns are transacted, yet,
there are many important branches of family arrangement, the direction
and controul of which, either directly or indirectly, fall within the
sphere of the Heads of Families, some of which are exclusively their
own Concerns, and others necessarily and unavoidably connected with
the business of Servants, but respecting which no instruction can be
given to _them_. On these points, therefore, we shall, in this place,
take the liberty, respectfully, to offer a few observations previous to
entering on a subject of so comprehensive and complicated a nature as
that of _A General Directory for Servants_.
DR. JOHNSON held as a _maxim_, that “_Every man’s first care
is necessarily Domestic_.” Independent, therefore, of public
Engagements,—of Politics, the Arts, Sciences, and Literature;—of
attention to Horses, Hounds, &c. it is considered that the first care,
and the peculiar province of the Master of a Family, is his _Revenue_;
and that attention to his Land-Stewards, Agents, and Tenants, and to
his _Expenditure_, are the principal objects that most immediately
solicit his regard; and when a gentleman has satisfied himself that
his real or _net_ Income exceeds his Expenditure, then, and _not till
then_, may he consider himself as an Independent Man—for, “it is not
abundance that maketh rich, but Economy;” and Lord Chesterfield has
truly remarked, that “great Fortunes frequently seduce their possessors
to ruinous profusion.” The great _Bacon_ has also observed, “that he
would live _even_ with the world should calculate his Expenses at
_half_ his Income, and he who would grow Rich; at _one-third_.” A few
Minutes in every Day, spent in keeping a regular Account of all Monies
_received_ and _spent_, _Dr._ and _Cr._ will afford any gentleman the
satisfaction of knowing the true state of his affairs,—will operate
actively against excess of Expenditure,—will imperceptibly teach him
the art of _practical Economy_, and will enable him to appropriate due
portions of his Income to the support of his different Establishments.
With a view to this latter point, the following _Rule_, though given
in round numbers, may be considered as affording Gentlemen a brief,
but tolerably correct, idea of the most eligible and practical mode of
appropriating a large Income.—
Viz. 33 per Cent. or One-third, for Household Expenses, including
Provisions and all other Articles of Household Consumption.
25 per Cent. or One-fourth, for Servants and Equipage including
Horses, Carriages, and Liveries.
25 per Cent. or One-fourth, for Clothes, Education of Children,
Medical Assistance, Pocket, Private, and Extra Expenses; including
Entertainments, &c.
12½ per Cent. or One-eighth, for Rent, Taxes, and Repairs of
House and Furniture.
4½ per Cent. as a Reserve for Contingencies.
Hence may be deduced the following general Table of Expenses according
to Income, viz.—
+--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+
|Net Ann.|Househ^d. |Servants &|Clothes & | Rent and | |
|Income. |Expenses. |Equipage. | Extras. | Repairs. |Reserve.|
+--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+
| |33 pr. Ct.|25 pr. Ct.|25 pr. Ct.|12½ pr. Ct.| 4½ per |
| |or 1-3rd. |or 1-4th. |or 1-4th. |or 1-8th. | Cent. |
+--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+
| £. | £. | £. | £. | £. | £. |
| 1000 | 333 | 250 | 250 | 125 | 42 |
| 2000 | 666 | 500 | 500 | 250 | 84 |
| 3000 | 1000 | 750 | 750 | 375 | 126 |
| 4000 | 1333 | 1000 | 1000 | 500 | 168 |
| 5000 | 1666 | 1250 | 1250 | 625 | 210 |
| 6000 | 2000 | 1500 | 1500 | 750 | 252 |
| 7500 | 2500 | 1875 | 1875 | 937 | 315 |
| 10,000 | 3333 | 2500 | 2500 | 1250 | 420 |
+--------+----------+----------+----------+-----------+--------+
Thus may any Gentleman, with very little trouble, apportion his
Income:—and as no two Gentlemen live _exactly_ alike, this Table
will shew, by inspection only, what branch of Expense may best be
curtailed, so as to afford an addition to any other branch, and still
keep his whole Expenses short of his actual Revenue. It will also
point out, to those who are economically disposed, in what departments
_saving_ may best be effected, as an addition to the fund of reserve,
for the augmentation of the fortunes of Children, or for unforeseen
Contingencies.
Smaller Incomes must be appropriated in a different manner; and
according to the number of Children in the family: thus the Expense
of a family with Children will be from 1-4th to 1-3rd for each of the
Principals, and about 1-10th or 1-12th for each Child.
As Hints to the _Formation_ of a Household, or the _Reformation_ of
an Establishment, we insert the following list of the number and
description of Servants that are usually employed, according to Income;
viz.—
Income per Annum.
£100 or guineas. _A Widow_ or other _unmarried Lady_, may keep a
_Young Maid Servant_, at a low salary; say from
5 to 10 Guineas a year.
£150 to £180. _A Gentleman and Lady without Children_, may afford
to keep a better _Servant-Maid_, at about 10 or 12
Guineas.
About £200. _Ditto. A professed Servant-Maid of All-Work_, at
from 12 to 14 Guineas.
£300. _Ditto, with one, two, or three Children._ Two
Maid-Servants.
£400. _Ditto, Ditto._ Three female Servants, or two and
a Boy; viz.—A Cook, House-Maid, and Nursery-Maid, or
else, instead of the latter, a Boy,—with a Gardener
occasionally.
£500. _Ditto, Ditto._ Three females and a Boy; viz.—A Cook,
House-Maid, and Nursery-Maid, with a Boy as Groom, and
to assist in the House and Garden. A Gardener
occasionally.
£500 to £600. _A Gentleman and Lady with Children._ Three Females and
one Man; viz.—A Cook, House-Maid, and a Nursery-Maid,
or other Female-Servant; with a Livery-Servant, as Groom
and Footman. A Gardener occasionally.
£600 to £750. _Ditto, Ditto._ Three Females and two Men; viz.—A Cook,
House-Maid, and another Female servant; a Footman, and
a Groom, who may assist in the Garden, and a Gardener
occasionally.
£1000 to £1500. _Ditto, Ditto._ Four Females and three Men;
viz.—A Cook, two House-Maids, a Nursery-Maid,
or other Female Servant; a Coachman, Footman,
and a Man to assist in the Stable and Garden.
£1500 to £2000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Six Female and five Men-Servants;
viz.—A Cook, Housekeeper, two House-Maids,
Kitchen-Maid, and Nursery-Maid, or other Female
Servant; with a Coachman, Groom, Footman, Gardener,
and an assistant in the Garden and Stable.
£2000 to £3000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Eight Female and eight Men-Servants;
viz.—A Cook, Lady’s-Maid, two House-Maids, Nurse,
Nursery-Maid, Kitchen-Maid, and Laundry-Maid; with
a Butler, Valet, Coachman, two Grooms, a Footman, and
two Gardeners.
£3000 to £4000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Nine Female and eleven Male
Servants; viz.—A Housekeeper, Cook, Lady’s-Maid,
Nurse, two House-Maids, a Laundry-Maid, Kitchen-Maid,
and a Nursery-Maid; with a Butler, Coachman, two
Grooms, Valet, two Footmen two Gardeners, and a
Labourer.
£4000 to £5000. _Ditto, Ditto._ Eleven Female and thirteen Male
Servants; viz.—A Housekeeper, Cook, Lady’s-Maid,
Nurse, two House-Maids, Laundry-Maid, Still-Room
Maid, Nursery-Maid, Kitchen-Maid, and Scullion,
with Butler, Valet, House-Steward, Coachman, two
Grooms, one Assistant Ditto, two Footmen, three
Gardeners, and a Labourer.
We have been favoured with the following as the present Household
Establishment of a respectable Country Gentleman, with a young family,
whose Net Income is from 16,000l. to 18,000l. a Year, and whose
expenses do not exceed 7000l.; viz.—
_Guineas._
House-Keeper 24
Female Teacher 30
Lady’s-Maid 20
Head Nurse 20
Second Ditto 10
Nursery-Maid 7
Upper House-Maid 15
Under House-Maid 14
Kitchen-Maid 14
Upper Laundry-Maid 14
Under Ditto 10
Dairy-Maid 8
Second Ditto 7
Still-Room Maid 9
Scullion 9
A French Man-Cook 80
Butler 50
Coachman 28
Footman 24
Under Ditto 20
Groom.—His Liveries and a Gratuity.
Lady’s Groom 12
Nursery-Room Boy, Clothes and a gratuity.
Head Game-Keeper 70 Guineas a year, and
13s. per Week for Board-Wages;—a
Cottage and Firing.
Under Ditto, one Guinea per Week.
Gardener 40 Guineas a year, and 13s. per
Week for Board-Wages;—a House and
Firing.
Assistant Ditto, 12s. per Week.
The Board Wages of Servants in general, when the family is absent, is
10s. per Week, for the females, and 12s. per Week for males.—Perhaps
all the servants on a large establishment may be reckoned at an average
of 10s. per head, per Week, expense, for Board. The Men are allowed a
Pot of Ale per day, and the Women a Pint, besides table-beer.
Besides the ordinary Establishment of Servants, Noblemen and Gentlemen
of superior fortune employ Land-Stewards, Bailiffs, Wood-Wards,
Game-Keepers, Park-Keepers, Hunts-Men, Whippers-in, Racing-Grooms,
Jockies, and others of inferior capacities: also Men-Cooks, Groom
of the Chambers, Page, Lady’s-Coachman, Postillion and Footman,
Seamstress, Second Lady’s-Maid, Chamber-Maids, Boy for the Steward’s
Room, another for the Hall, and various other Servants.
Having premised thus much as to income, and its proportionate
appropriation, we next proceed to offer a few hints on such parts of
interior management, as in most families are considered as belonging to
the lady, or mistress of the house.
The first is, naturally, the attention due to her husband and
children—to make home, “_sweet home_,” the pleasing refuge of a
husband, fatigued, perhaps, by his intercourse with a jarring world,—to
be his enlightened companion, and the chosen friend of his bosom.
“Oh, speak the joy, ye, whom the tender tear
Surprizes often, when ye look around,
And nothing strikes your eyes but sights of bliss.”
The attention of an amiable woman, will next be directed to the care of
her offspring,—to raise them up in the ways of virtue and usefulness,—
“——To rear the tender thought,
To teach the young idea how to shoot,—
To pour the fresh instruction o’er the mind,—
To breathe the enlivening spirit,—and to fix
The gen’rous purpose in the glowing breast;”
“these, these are woman’s duties, and delightful ones they are! Happy
the man who can call her his wife; blessed are the children who call
her mother!” For the foregoing sentiments we are indebted to an amiable
and celebrated authoress of the present day, and to the no less
celebrated and amiable _Thomson_; and we feel impelled to quote the
concluding sentence of the above-mentioned lady, on this interesting
subject.
“When we thus observe the mistress of a family exercising her activity
and best abilities in appropriate cares and increasing excellence, are
we not ready to say she is the agent for good, of that benevolent being
who placed her on earth to fulfil such sacred obligations, and not to
waste the talents committed to her charge.”
“Next to the care and attention due to your husband and children,”
says another female writer, “your servants claim, as your nearest
dependents; and to promote their good, both spiritual and temporal,
is your indispensable duty.—Let them join your family devotions, and
endeavour to make them spend their Sabbath properly.” She further adds,
“It was the remark of an old domestic, that the worst mistresses a
servant can live with are young married women—They are unreasonable,”
said she, “in their commands; they expect too much; nor do they rightly
know when to commend, or when to blame.”
In your manner to your servants, be firm, without being severe, and
kind, without being familiar. Never converse familiarly with them,
unless on business, or on some point connected with their improvement;
but with this reserve, and distance of manner, be particularly careful
to maintain kindness, gentleness, and respect for their feelings.
Their patience is often unnecessarily exercised, and their tempers
wantonly irritated. “I have been sometimes shocked,” says the same
amiable writer, “with the want of politeness, by which masters and
mistresses provoke impertinence from their servants.”—A lady, who
filled every station of life with honour, both to her head and heart,
attending the death-bed of an old domestic, who had been thirty years
in her service—“How do you find yourself, to-day, Mary?” said the
mistress, taking hold of her withered hand. “Is that you, my _darling
mistress_!” and a beam of joy overspread the old woman’s face; “O,
yes,” she added, looking up, “it is you, my kind, my _mannerly_
mistress!” The poor old creature said no more; but she had, by that
last simple sentence, expressed volumes of panegyric on her amiable
mistress. Human nature is the same in all stations; and if you strive
to convince your servants that you have a generous and compassionate
regard for their comfort, they will, in return, evince their gratitude.
If to protect and encourage virtue be the best preventive from vice,
then will your deserving female servants be liberally encouraged.
Let your commands to your servants be consistent and reasonable; and
then mildly, but firmly, insist on obedience to them.—“My servants
never remember what I tell them to do,” is a complaint but too common,
but that might, in some degree, be obviated. Let them see that you
will not pass over any neglect of orders; and when they find that this
decisive measure is accompanied with kindness and consideration, and
that you are not to be disobeyed with impunity, they will soon learn
to remember what you command them to do. A little effort very easily
overcomes a bad memory.
It is very disheartening to a poor servant to be continually found
fault with. Praise and reward them when you can;—human nature will not
bear constant chiding.
Never keep servants, however excellent they may be in their stations,
whom you know to be guilty of immorality.
When servants are ill, their mistress will, doubtless, recollect that
she is their _patroness_ as well as their employer, and will not only
remit their labour, but render them all the assistance of proper
medicine, food, and comfort, in their power.—_Tender assiduity is half
a cure_; it is a balsam to the mind, which has a powerful effect on the
body—soothes the severest pains, and strengthens beyond the richest
cordial. The poor _dependent_ creatures may have no where to go to—no
one else to turn to; and their pale and impaired looks will always have
a claim on your sympathy.
As we shall have occasion to make further remarks on the management of
servants, when treating of the business of the _Housekeeper_, we beg
leave, in order to avoid repetition, to refer to that subject, under
the head—HOUSEKEEPER.
“Economy,” says Mr. Cobbett, “is management.”—The fact is, that
_management and regularity, is Economy verified by practice_; and all
persons ought to regulate their conduct by circumstances. A moderate
income, appropriated to the expenses of housekeeping with prudence
and economy, without _parsimony_, but banishing _superfluities_ and
_preventing waste_, may be made sufficient to furnish every comfort in
life; and, strange as it may appear to those in affluence, an income
of from 150l. to 200l. a year, will be enough to maintain a man and
wife, with two or three children, and a servant girl; _nor “beyond that
amount, need they spend one shilling per week_, whatsoever may be their
income.”
It is an excellent plan to have a set of rules for regulating the
ordinary expenses of a family, (such as are given in the Appendix to
the PRACTICAL ECONOMY,) in order to check any innovation or excess,
which otherwise might, unawares, have occurred to derange the proposed
distribution of the annual income.
The mistress of a family will always recollect that, _in all cases_,
the welfare and good character of her household depends on her own
active superintendance.
Though habits of domestic management are now generally precluded in
the education of young ladies of the superior class, yet, happily,
attention to family concerns is not unfrequently found in those of
less exalted rank, whose minds, amidst the blandishments of modern
accomplishments, have been taught to relish, as in days of yore,
the more rational, solid, and lasting pleasures, of a social and
comfortable home. And were young ladies early instructed in the
delights of domestic occupation, before they enter the delusive scenes,
presented by modern modes of dissipation, we should probably find
the number of votaries to private happiness greatly increased, and
a life of domestic employment would become the source of numberless
gratifications. In short, were they on all occasions, when at home,
under the immediate eye of their mother, to be taught the science of
practical economy—the business of examining and keeping accounts,—and
a few other of the leading points in the management of a family, they
would imperceptibly become competent, and the happiest results, as to
their future conduct in life, might be most pleasingly anticipated.
Many families have owed much of their advancement in life to the
propriety of female management.
One of the principal objects of the mistress of the house is, the
economy or management of the _table_, the general display of which
will evince her judgment and taste; and this will be shown, not so
much by the profusion with which the table is covered, as by its _neat
and pleasing appearance_, according to the present fashion, so far as
regards elegance, combined with frugality,—the circumstances of fortune
and condition being also considered.—People in business should not
imitate the pomp and splendour of high rank, nor should those of the
higher circles descend to such frugal arrangements as in them would
appear to be parsimonious.
The prudent manager will consider the _number_ of her guests, and
consult their appetites, rather than feast their _eyes_; thus will she
be enabled to entertain them _much oftener_, and _much better_, at the
same expense.
It is well understood that the mistress of a family should have, at
least, a competent knowledge in the art of carving, not only as it
enables her to do _the honours of the table_ with propriety, but with
a view to frugality also; and if the young ladies of a family were
to practise, under the direction of their mother, when there is no
company, they would, in time, become quite _au fait_ to this graceful
and elegant accomplishment; as much practice is required to make a
good carver, even when the theory has been previously acquired. (_See
Instructions for Carving_, under the head HOUSEKEEPER.)
An esteemed writer of the present day, has introduced to public view,
a pleasing picture of a small and well-regulated family, of which the
following is a slight sketch:—
“The mistress of the family is a good manager, without any
ostentatious display of it.—Elegantly nice, without being a slave to
dress or furniture—Easy and affable with her servants, but firm in
her commands,—every one appearing to be contented and happy.—The
household business going on regularly, like a good clock;—and every
thing being kept in its proper place. No scolding in the kitchen or
servants’-hall.—The table plentifully covered, but not with incitements
to luxury; the food plain and in season, and sent up well dressed;—with
a few well chosen luxuries introduced, when company is asked.”
Ladies, whose minds are framed for the practical enjoyment of domestic
comforts, will admire and copy this beautiful picture!