Letters to Persons Who Are Engaged in Domestic Service

by Catharine Esther Beecher

They seemed to think it was indispensable

that it should be poured on all over the floor, so as to cover every part of it, before commencing the use of the mop or floor cloth. They insisted on it that this was the way the prince directed them to use it—that he had it put on in this manner himself, and that, in the book of directions, he was very exact in stating that it must be used thus. And they insisted upon it, as one of the most important of all their duties, that the water should be used in this particular way, so that their thoughts and efforts were much taken up with this matter.

Then there was another party, and they thought that it was of the greatest consequence that the servants should understand who were to be their overseers to direct in the way the work was to be done. They maintained that the young prince had expressly directed who should be overseers and who should not, so that even if a man was well qualified to direct, and his fellow servants were willing to be directed by him, it would not do to go on so. And they spent a great deal of time and labour and feeling, in arguing with their fellow-servants to try to convince them that most of the

overseers were not put in their place in the proper way, and did not direct others in the proper manner.

Then there was another large party, who insisted that it was indispensable, that their fellow servants should believe every thing that was written in the Book of Directions, exactly according as they understood them. They maintained that if men did not believe right they never could work right. They were sure that they themselves did understand and believe the Book of Directions, just as the prince intended, and they spent a great deal of time in arguing and contending about what was to be believed. And they insisted, that before any man went to work in their part of the house he should declare what his belief was, and how he understood the meaning of the directions in the book.

Now all these things no doubt were important. It certainly was needful to have the water hot, and it was desirable that it should be put on the floors in the way directed by the prince, and it was important that the proper overseers should direct the rest, and that they

should do it in the proper way, and it was very important that the Book of Directions should be understood and believed, in the sense intended by the young prince.

But the difficulty was, that they became so much engrossed about the particular points where they differed, that they were in danger of forgetting the great thing about which they all agreed, viz. the cleaning of the house. And some of them got into such contentions about these matters, that instead of cleaning the house, they really made it more disorderly and unclean.

But there was a considerable number in all these parties, who looked at these things more wisely. And they managed matters in this way. They concluded, that as it was needful to have the water hot, they would not hinder those who were heating it, but get all the warm water they could from them, or from any one else, and go to cleaning the house with it. They concluded that as they could not all agree as to the proper way of putting on the water, that each should put it on in the way he believed the prince had taught, and not quarrel

with the rest, who thought another way was right. They thought it was important to have the right overseers, and to have them direct the rest in a proper manner, but as they could not bring this about, they concluded to go to any place where they could do the most work, and put themselves under the overseer who was there, and do as well as they could.