_DRESS._
Few young servants understand the importance of dressing well. When
I say “well,” I do not mean expensively or gaudily, but properly and
suitably.
Nothing makes so favourable an impression on a stranger as a neat,
clean appearance; and justly so, because we judge that the girl who
keeps her own hands and clothes clean, will keep our food and utensils
so also: we judge, too, that the girl who has method and neatness
to get through her work without disordering her dress--for it is,
of course, a little difficult to do so--must have generally good
habits, and be able to manage in all other respects as well as she
does in this. Besides, a stranger has no opportunity of discovering
the good qualities of heart and mind which a girl may possess, and
must therefore be influenced by what can be seen in a short time; and
only dress and manners discover themselves on a first acquaintance.
In going for a place, therefore, these two things are of great
importance--dress, perhaps, even more than manners. I know, for my
own part, that were I obliged to choose between an ill-mannered but
neat and clean girl, and a slovenly, dirty girl of graceful manners, I
would let the graceful sloven go, and choose the neat bungler; not only
because awkward manners would vex me less than dirt and untidiness, but
because I should feel they were sooner mended than habits of disorder
and dirt. Ill-manners may exist in a nice girl, from mere ignorance,
and be gladly cast aside on her receiving a little teaching; but the
habits of a slattern can never exist without faults throughout the
character, which are very difficult, if not impossible, to shake off,
after womanhood. Let every young girl, then, begin early to prize
neatness of person, which may be attained by even the poorest. The
oldest dress, neatly patched, and even soiled, if the dirt be the
unavoidable collection of long wear, and not careless grease spots
and mud stains, may be consistent with a neat appearance. Clean skin
and smooth hair, a collar nicely pinned, and the fastening of the
dress perfect, will display the neatness of mind, which is all that
we really care for. The girl who can keep so good an appearance with
such poor means, will be sure to look nice in service, when her wages
will enable her to get a new dress oftener. The poorer you may be, the
more difficult you will find it to keep neat. This, instead of being a
drawback, is really a help, inasmuch as it gives you better practice.
Let every young girl begin at once; for the earlier she tries to form
good habits, the easier she will find it. But I am now going to speak
more particularly to those who have passed through their poorer days at
home, and have now no longer poverty, but only work, to contend with.
It is not so difficult for a single servant to keep neat as many
suppose. Let her do all her dirty work early. Clean shoes, grates,
knives, candlesticks, &c., before or directly after breakfast; and,
while she is about this, let her wear a large coarse apron, and, when
sleeves are worn tight, holland cuffs, or, when loose, let her turn
them a little way up. Let her also wear housemaid’s gloves for all
work that allows of them. These can be easily drawn off, and the apron
untied, should the street or up-stairs bell ring. If the hands get
blacked, or otherwise soiled, by any accident, wash them at once.
Nothing makes so much dirt on the clothes, and about the house, as
dirty hands. Every time you touch your dress or face they leave a mark.
The doors, walls, shutters, &c., are continually soiled by a servant
who is not careful of her hands; but the girl who is not afraid to
spend a little money in working-gloves, or to take the trouble to wash
her hands often, soon saves the money in caps, ribbons, and dress, and
the trouble in washing and scrubbing both clothes and paint, besides
getting credit and comfort from her cleanliness. The dirty work being
done, it will only require a little care to keep clean and tidy during
the rest of the day.
It is best to have cotton dresses for morning wear, as they will always
look clean and fresh with washing. A girl, on first going to service,
will be wise to get two dark cottons for the morning, as it is likely
that she will not manage her dirty work quite so cleanly at first, as
she will after a little practice. As she improves in this respect, she
may wear lighter dresses. I have had servants who could wear light
lilac cottons for all their morning work, and yet keep them well for
a fortnight. It is a great advantage when a girl can manage so well
as this, as the family enjoy food and waiting better from a servant
whose cleanliness they can see. A dark dress hides cleanness as well as
dirt. But, should you not be able to manage the light morning-dress at
once, take care always to have a clean cap and collar on. Do not let
the difference between morning and evening dress be a greater and less
degree of dirt; let it be merely a difference of kind. The morning cap
clean, but of a simple kind, that will wash well; the collar plain, the
dress of cotton: while the afternoon-dress may be of a handsomer sort;
perhaps a cap that will not wash, or is more carefully made up; the
dress better; the collar newer, or of different material. You must, of
course, often wear things a little less clean in the morning than in
the afternoon; but you should not allow this to be perceptible. Do not
let any one say, “I know Mary has not dressed yet, for she is dirty,”
but only, “I know Mary has not dressed yet, for she has on her common
cap--her dark gown--or her thick collar,” as the case may be. Many
servants will wear a cotton dress the first week for afternoon, and the
second for morning. There is no objection to this, provided that the
dress is still in good condition at the end of the first week; for it
is, of course, most important to look well when you are dressed, and
you thus secure a nice smooth clean dress for afternoons once a-week.
Though a light _cotton_ dress looks well for morning, it is not wise
to choose a dress _that will not wash_, of a light colour, for morning
work. Should you have one of such a description, a little too old for
afternoon wear, it will be better to make it into a petticoat, or give
it to a younger sister, rather than spoil it, and your own appearance,
by doing dirty work in it.
Do not ever choose gay patterns or colours. Not only are such dresses
unfit for morning work, after they are a little worn, but they never
can look becoming for servants. If you wish to be particularly well
dressed, choose neat plain dresses of good material, and let your love
of good dressing display itself more particularly in the smoothness of
your hair, the cleanness of your hands and nails, the whiteness of your
caps, collars, and under-sleeves, and the freshness of your cap and
neck-ribbons.
A gaudily-dressed servant looks, at best, like a coarse and vulgar
lady; for with all the fine ribbons and gay colours that London can
produce, a girl cannot whiten or soften the skin of her hands, or
make her movements as graceful as those of a finished lady. Her fine
and unsuitable dress only causes people to notice these deficiencies,
because it is unusual to see fine dress, and coarse hands; flounces
and bows, with an awkward walk. But a neatly dressed girl, with
clear-starched sleeves and glossy hair, though a hundred times more
attractive than the gaudy one, does not draw attention to the natural
distinctions between a hard-working woman and a lady, because there is
nothing in her appearance to make us forget her station, and expect
the qualities that do not belong to it. A servant girl need never be
ashamed of her good useful hands, made red by honest labour, unless
she has so clothed her arms, that they seem to deny her position, and
contradict the notion of her having hard work to do.
Many girls wear a crimped frill round the throat, instead of a collar:
this is very pretty and neat. French merino, though dear at first,
wears well, will bear washing, and looks good to the end. All cheap
dresses are dear in the end; even cheap cottons, which wash out, and
soon look shabby. In shoes, this is more particularly the case. A pair
of boots at ten or twelve shillings will last more than double as long
as a pair of half the price, besides looking better and feeling more
comfortable all the time. A good woollen shawl at fifteen shillings
will outlast half-a-dozen cotton and wool mixed, at five or six
shillings. A good straw bonnet at three or four shillings will wear
double the time of one at eighteen-pence or two shillings; and after
that will turn, and be as good as new again.
A neat dresser will always have good underclothes. Here remember that
by giving two-pence more a yard for calico, you get a cloth that will
last much longer, and so save making each article twice. Unbleached
cotton stockings at about a shilling or fourteen pence a pair are the
most economical.
A girl on first entering service will not be able to give the prices I
have been mentioning; but, as soon as she can afford it, she will find
it the best economy.
On going for a holiday, to visit your friends, you are at liberty to
dress with less strictness than for your mistress’ house. You need wear
no cap; and should you choose to put on unsuitable and gaudy ornaments,
it will be no offence to your mistress, as when you are out of her
house, and among your own friends, you are free to do as you please;
but you will make a great mistake if you think to gain admiration,
even among your own class, by unbecoming dress. Even here, a really
good dress, with spotless collar and sleeves, shining hair, and clean
hands, will be your best adornment. A wise young man, in choosing a
wife, will like better to see her adopt a style of dress which she is
likely to keep up after marriage, than one which, were she to wish to
retain it, would be as ridiculous for her position as unsuitable to
his means. Gaudy dressers, before marriage, on being obliged to change
their style of dress, invariably turn into slovens; and the young man,
who admired and married the smart girl, grows careless and indifferent
when he finds a slattern in her place; while the neat dresser finds
no reason for throwing off the habits which gained her lover, and so
continues after marriage to please him with the same bright and comely
appearance that first won his regard.
It is difficult to take leave of you, my dear girls, without saying a
word on those subjects, so much more important than either manners or
dress, Honesty, Truthfulness, Industry, Steadiness, &c. But my object
was not to speak of these; and I should only do dishonour to such
subjects, were I to crowd in a few remarks on them, at the end of six
chapters given to matter so far less important. I will therefore leave
them altogether, only reminding you, that all the polish of manner
and neatness of dress that my book, or any other teaching, can give
you, are as nothing, compared to the more stirling qualities I have
just named. A dishonest or idle servant can scarcely be said even to
be bettered by good manners and appearance. No addition to absolute
evil can make it good, or even better; but rather worse, because it
deceives. Yet, should you possess these excellent qualities, Honesty,
Truthfulness, Steadiness, Industry, which are of a thousand times
the value of those I have been trying to teach you, the addition of
the graces of manner and appearance will almost double your value as
servants.
THE END.
R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL.
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Transcriber’s Note
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
Small capitalized text is surrounded by plus signs: +Small Caps+.
Erroneously placed or missing punctuation has been silently corrected.
Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been retained.
The following printer error has been retained:
p. 96: Publisher’s address is given as 136 FLEET STREET instead of 186
FLEET STREET as on other pages.