Fig. 40 is an article for a bedchamber, and remarkably convenient for dressing the feet. In one drawer are kept stockings of all sorts, and in the other shoes; it has a cushion and handles, and is set on castors. It is to stand by the bedside, and a person can change the dress of the feet with the greatest comfort and convenience. These are the dimensions:—Twenty inches square and twelve inches high from castors to cushion.
Housekeepers are much troubled to keep dippers in order. The only sure mode is to have two made of copper, with iron handles fastened on very tight, one to hold a pint, and another two or three quarts. These will never rust or leak, and may be kept for years. Let them be hung by the fire. Keep trivets on which to set kettles over coals, so as not to burn the articles while cooking.
The most successful mode of securing the proper care of utensils, is to make a definite agreement with the cook, on hiring her, that after dinner, she shall examine kitchen, cellar, and pantry, and wash every article that needs cleansing; and that once a month she shall scour all that need scouring. Then, at least once a week, and once a month, the housekeeper should examine herself whether this agreement is fulfilled.
[CHAPTER XXX.]
SUGGESTIONS IN REGARD TO HIRED SERVICE.
There is no subject on which young housekeepers need wisdom and instruction more, than in regard to the management of domestics, and therefore some farther suggestions will be offered, in addition to those presented in the Domestic Economy.
Success in the management of domestics very much depends upon the manners of a housekeeper towards them. And here, two extremes are to be avoided. One is a severe and imperious mode of giving orders and finding fault, which is inconsistent both with lady-like good breeding, and with a truly amiable character. Few domestics, especially American domestics, will long submit to it, and many a good one has been lost, simply by the influence of this unfortunate manner.
The other extreme is apt to result from the great difficulty of retaining good domestics. In cases where this is experienced, there is a liability of becoming so fearful of displeasing one who is found to be good, that, imperceptibly, the relation is changed, and the domestic becomes the mistress. A housekeeper thus described this change in one whom she hired: “The first year she was an excellent servant; the second year, she was a kind mistress; the third year, she was an intolerable tyrant!”
There is no domestic so good that she will not be injured by perceiving that, through dependance upon her, and a fear of losing her services, the mistress of the family gives up her proper authority and control.