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Servants and service

Chapter 2: PREFACE.
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About This Book

A practical guide for household employers and domestic servants offers clear, everyday counsel on mutual duties, respect, and Christian conduct. It argues for regarding servants as members of the family while stressing corresponding responsibilities, and advocates patient teaching and fair treatment. Chapters cover nursery care and influence over children, thoroughness in tasks, time economy, care of property, punctuality, dress, visitors, fault-finding, notices to leave, and providing references. The volume also suggests practical helps and gifts for young servants, recommends spiritual resources for moral strength, and summarizes the legal rights and obligations of both employers and employees.

PREFACE.

Some years have elapsed since these chapters on ‘Servants and Service’ were first issued as a series in the Girl’s Own Paper. I have reason to know, from many subsequent communications, that they have not been written in vain, but have proved useful to, and been highly commended alike by, mistresses and maids. Members of both classes have borne testimony especially to the fairness with which a somewhat difficult social question has been treated therein.

Whilst rejoicing over the good results which have already followed the serial publication of these papers, I hope and pray that their re-issue as a volume may greatly increase their usefulness.

I must not omit to mention that I am not the author of the appended chapter, No. XI., on ‘The legal rights of employers and employed.’ It contains most valuable information, but is contributed by a writer much better informed on legal subjects than I can claim to be.

Ruth Lamb.