February 21.
Seasonable Rules.
On [p. 187] there is a “Letter,” delivered to a favourite servant at parting, which deserves to be printed in letters of gold, or, what is better, because it is easier and more useful, it should be imprinted on the memory of every person who reads it. There are sentiments in it as useful to masters and mistresses as their domestics. The following “Rules” may likewise be perused with advantage by both; they are deemed “seasonable,” because, as good-livers say, good things are never out of season.
Rules for Servants.
I. A good character is valuable to every one, but especially to servants; for it is their bread, and without it they cannot be admitted into any creditable family; and happy it is that the best of characters is in every one’s power to deserve.
II. Engage yourself cautiously, but stay long in your place, for long service shows worth—as quitting a good place through passion, is a folly which is always lamented of too late.
III. Never undertake any place you are not qualified for; for pretending to what you do not understand, exposes yourself, and, what is still worse, deceives them whom you serve.
IV. Preserve your fidelity; for a faithful servant is a jewel, for whom no encouragement can be too great.
V. Adhere to truth; for falsehood is detestable, and he that tells one lie, must tell twenty more to conceal it.
VI. Be strictly honest; for it is shameful to be thought unworthy of trust.
VII. Be modest in your behaviour; it becomes your station, and is pleasing to your superiors.
VIII. Avoid pert answers; for civil language is cheap, and impertinence provoking.
IX. Be clean in your business; for those who are slovens and sluts, are disrespectful servants.
X. Never tell the affairs of the family you belong to; for that is a sort of treachery, and often makes mischief; but keep their secrets, and have none of your own.
XI. Live friendly with your fellow-servants; for the contrary destroys the peace of the house.
XII. Above all things avoid drunkenness; for that is an inlet to vice, the ruin of your character, and the destruction of your constitution.
XIII. Prefer a peaceable life, with moderate gains, to great advantage and irregularity.
XIV. Save your money; for that will be a friend to you in old age. Be not expensive in dress, nor marry too soon.
XV. Be careful of your master’s property; for wastefulness is a sin.
XVI. Never swear; for that is a crime without excuse, as there is no pleasure in it.
XVII. Be always ready to assist a fellow-servant; for good nature gains the love of every one.
XVIII. Never stay when sent on a message; for waiting long is painful to your master, and a quick return shows diligence.
XIX. Rise early; for it is difficult to recover lost time.
XX. The servant that often changes his place, works only to be poor; for “the rolling-stone gathers no moss.”
XXI. Be not fond of increasing your acquaintances; for visiting leads you out of your business, robs your master of your time, and often puts you to an expense you cannot afford. And above all things, take care with whom you are acquainted; for persons are generally the better or the worse for the company they keep.
XXII. When out of place, be careful where you lodge; for living in a disreputable house, puts you upon a footing with those that keep it, however innocent you are yourself.
XXIII. Never go out on your own business, without the knowledge of the family, lest in your absence you should be wanted; for “Leave is light,” and returning punctually at the time you promise, shows obedience, and is a proof of sobriety.
XXIV. If you are dissatisfied with your place, mention your objections modestly to your master or mistress, and give a fair warning, and do not neglect your business nor behave ill, in order to provoke them to turn you away; for this will be a blemish in your character, which you must always have from the last place you served in.
⁂ All who pay a due regard to the above precepts, will be happy in themselves, will never want friends, and will always meet with the assistance, protection, and encouragement of the wealthy, the worthy, and the wise.
The preceding sentences are contained in a paper which a young person committed to heart on first getting a place, and, having steadily observed, obtained a character for integrity and worth incapable of being shaken. By constantly keeping in view that “Honesty is the best policy,” it led to prosperity, and the faithful servant became an opulent employer of servants.