When the entire management of the servants is deputed to her, her situation becomes the more arduous and important. She will invite and excite their integrity, frugality, and assiduity, by her own liberal conduct towards them, and will shew them, that “according to their pains will be their gains.” Thus will she give encouragement to merit, ensure to herself respectful attention, inspire zeal, and exact a grateful return from all whose dispositions are tractable; she will also find such conduct tend much to her own comfort, and greatly to promote the interest of her principals. She will never discharge a good servant for a slight offence; but will remember, that “to bear and to forbear is the great art of living.” She will endeavour to govern with suavity and mildness; ever stimulating to good conduct, by admonition or praise, when deserved, rather than seeking by threats or harsh measures to correct trifling faults or inadvertencies;—imposing no commands that are unreasonable, nor reproving but with justice and temper. If servants have hardships to undergo, she will let them see, that she feels for the necessity of urging them. To cherish the desire of pleasing in them, she will convince them, that they may succeed in their endeavours to please her. Human nature is the same in all stations. Convince the servants that you have a considerate regard for their comforts, and they will be found to be grateful, and to reward your attention by their own assiduity: besides, nothing is so endearing as being courteous to our inferiors. A most excellent maxim is,
“Be to their faults a little blind,
And to their virtues very kind.”
By these, and similar means, bad servants may be converted into good ones, and the whole household rendered comfortable and happy.
The prudent housekeeper will carefully avoid all approaches to familiarity; as that destroys subordination, and ultimately induces contempt; and then, “Her occupation’s gone.” When servants are indisposed, she will best consult the feelings of her superiors, as well as her own, by remitting their labours, paying them attention, giving them advice, and the assistance of suitable food and comfort. Tenderness and assiduity, in such cases, have great effect;—and in the language of humanity, is half a cure.
Female servants who would pursue an honest course, have numberless difficulties to contend with, and should, therefore, be treated kindly. The housekeeper in a great family, has ample means of doing good; and she will, doubtless, recollect that it is a part of her duty to protect and encourage virtue, as the best preventive from vice.
It behoves every servant to maintain a good character, nor ought it to be refused when due.—Servants have nothing to depend on but their good name, which it would be the height of injustice wantonly to deprive them of.[5] It ought to be made a point, by all persons hiring servants, most scrupulously to enquire into their characters, from their last places.—To refuse countenance to the bad, and to encourage the good servant, are indispensable duties which we owe to society.
In families where there is a house-steward, the marketing will be done, and the tradesmen’s bills will be collected, examined, and discharged, by him; but in many families, the business of marketing, and of keeping the accounts, devolves on the housekeeper. It is, therefore, incumbent on her to be well informed of the prices and qualities of all articles of household consumption in general use; and of the best times and seasons for procuring them, in order that by comparing prices and qualities, she may be able to substitute those that are most reasonable, but equally to her purpose, and best attainable, for others that are more costly or more scarce.[6]
Before the housekeeper goes to market, she will look over the larder with the cook, especially when company is expected, and on a Saturday, and consider well what things are wanted, not forgetting even the smaller articles, that so there may be no necessity for sending out in a hurry, or on a Sunday, for any thing.
The best and most economical way possible for marketing, is to pay ready money for all that you can, especially for miscellaneous articles, and to deal for the rest with the most respectable tradesmen, whose bills should be settled weekly, or, at any rate, frequently, to prevent mistakes; without these precautions, even those of much experience, may chance to be cheated by unprincipled strangers, with old poultry—stale fish—tough mutton—or cow beef.—It should always be recollected, that without good provisions the skill of the cook will avail nothing.