THE SERVANT OF ALL WORK.

In small families where only one female servant is kept, the servant of all work will be required to do all the work of the house, which in large establishments is very properly divided into several departments.

This description of servant is usually taken from the industrious and labouring classes of the community, who are bred up with a view to the situation, having no other prospect or dependence; and are taught, from their earliest age, to assist in the management of the house, the care of the younger children, preparing the meals, making the beds, scouring, washing, and in every other branch of domestic business:—In short, no girl ought to undertake, or can be qualified, for such a situation, who has not been thus bred up. And if, in addition to these preparatory qualifications, she comes from a sober, well-disposed family, and is of a tractable disposition, there can be but little doubt of her acquiring the good-will of her master and mistress, of qualifying herself for a superior service, and of finally succeeding in her sphere of life.

She will receive her first instructions from her mistress, or probably from the former servant, as to the peculiarities of the house, and will very soon, with attention, become versed in all.

Industry and cleanliness, with a determination to be useful, and to please, will speedily overcome all difficulties.

To rise early is indispensably necessary. “Those who would thrive, must rise by five.” And, recollect, that “the servant who begins her work late, will have to run after it all the day, but will never overtake it.”

Every morning, the first business will be to light the kitchen fire, brush up and clean around the grate and fire-place, take up the ashes, sweep the floor and hearth, and having made all quite clean, rinse out the tea-kettle, and set it on the fire, with clean spring water, preparatory to the family breakfast; and also another kettle to heat water for household purposes. She next takes the tray, carpet-broom, hair-broom, hearth-rug, a clean dry duster, and the basket or box, containing the brushes, rags, leathers, brick-dust, scouring-paper, and other things for cleaning the grate and fire-place, and proceeds to the parlour, or sitting-room, to get that in order, before the family comes down to breakfast. She begins there by clearing away the candlesticks, dirty glasses, and such other things as may have been left there the preceding night. She then rolls up the hearth-rug, so that no dirt or dust may drop from it, as it is carried out to be shaken; she next turns back the carpet, with the drugget, baize, or other covering, if any, and lays down a piece of canvas, or coarse cloth, to keep the place clean; after which she rakes out the ashes from the grate, takes them up, and brushes up the dust and dirt; then rubs the bright bars of the grate, and the fire-irons, with emery paper, No. 3, or brick-dust; or if there be very fine steel stoves, fenders, &c. they should be first rubbed with oil, then with emery, till clear and bright, and afterwards with scouring paper, which is an excellent article to use every second or third day in summer-time, when stoves are not in constant use, as it will take off all the spots they may have acquired.

After the stove and fire-irons are cleaned, and the back and sides of the hearth are washed over with black-lead mixed with water, and rubbed dry and bright with a hard brush, light the fire, and proceed to wash the marble hearth.

For this purpose, take a piece of flannel dipped in a strong, hot, lather of soap and water, and having washed off the dirt, wipe it dry with a clean linen cloth. The jambs and chimney-piece need only be cleaned thus, once or twice a week, or as the custom of the family may be. Soap and sand, with cold water, will answer for washing free-stone hearths, &c. which must be afterwards wiped dry with a clean house-cloth. The next business will be to clean the brass locks, finger-plates, and other brass furniture; for which see the receipt.—If the locks are stiff, or hang, put a very little sweet oil on the bolts with a feather; the same ought to be done occasionally to the hinges, latches, bolts, and locks of every door in the house. A few minutes thus employed, when necessary, will prevent most of the disagreeable noises of creaking hinges, rusty bolts, and useless locks.

For the finger-plates, and other brass ornaments about the room, you must have pieces of pasteboard, with holes cut in them of the size of the respective articles, to prevent soiling or rubbing the door or furniture to which they are fixed.

The carpet next requires attention; this must generally be swept with the carpet-mop, to clean off the lint and dust, but, occasionally with the carpet-broom, or long hair-broom, first strewing it over with a few damp tea-leaves, (which should always be saved for the purpose, when the tea-things are washed up.) Then remove the chairs, and other furniture, to the middle of the room, turn up the sides of the carpet, and sweep up all the dust and flue round the sides of the room before replacing the carpet.

Always rub and dust the chairs, tables, and other mahogany furniture, in the middle of the room, and return them to their places, one by one, as you finish them; this will prevent your scratching or soiling the walls or wainscot. The window-curtains and hangings may not require to be shaken and brushed every day, but the windows should be brushed with the long hair-broom, and cobwebs and other filth, on the ceiling, and upper corners of the room, should be occasionally sought for, and removed. When she has swept the room, and rubbed and dusted the furniture, she must dust the window-frames, ledges of the wainscot, and doors, chimney-pieces, glass, china, and other ornaments, and having seen that every article is in its proper place, stir the fire, and taking all her brushes, &c. leave the room perfectly clean, and fit for the reception of the family at breakfast. She next proceeds (if the parlour be up stairs) to sweep and dust the stairs, which she does one by one, sweeping the dust from each into the dust-pan, and afterwards dusting the windows and balustrade as carefully as she had done the room.

She should also sweep the passage in the same way. The floor-cloth in the passage, for the daily cleaning, need only to be swept and rubbed with a damp flannel first, and afterwards with a dry one. The steps, at the front door, should be cleaned every morning, after the passage is swept out, and the street-door and the knocker, &c. must be cleaned or polished. The kitchen stairs also, and the steps at the back-door, if any, are to be cleaned. Above all, the kitchen must now be put in order.

She then washes her hands and face, and puts on a clean apron, &c. so as to be cleanly before the parlour bell rings for breakfast. Directions for setting out the breakfast table will be found in the Instructions to the Footman, as well as for dinner, lunch, tea, &c.

As soon as the family is seated at breakfast, she throws open the bed-room doors and windows, and uncovers the beds to be aired, and placing the bed-clothes across a chair at the foot of the bed, leaves them in that state till breakfast is finished, when she proceeds to make the bed.

On going down, she takes the slop-pails, night-candlesticks, and the water-ewer and carofts to be filled with fresh water, and brought up again immediately, lest they should be wanted. When she goes up after breakfast, if there have been fires, the fire-places must be swept up, the fires laid, and before she makes the beds, she should wash her hands and put on a clean apron. Every bed should be well shaken daily, and the mattresses turned, at least, once a week. The head of the bed, the curtains, vallance, &c. will often require attention; when they should be brushed with a whisk-brush, and well shaken, the bed-side carpets having been first taken up. After she has made the beds, and before the carpets are laid down again, the chairs, glasses, and other articles of furniture in each room are to be properly rubbed and dusted, and the floors swept clean. The sleeping rooms being thus prepared, and the stairs swept down, she will scarcely have occasion to go up again till evening, when she turns down the beds, lets down, or draws the curtains, and puts the rooms in order for the night.

At intervals, she will, perhaps, be called to bring coals for the parlour fire, in the winter time; (see directions to the footman;) but, in addition to this, little will occur to take her from the regular routine of the morning’s work, till the preparation for dinner requires her attention. She will find ample instructions for the care of the kitchen and larder, and for dressing dinners, under the directions to the cook.

If she is required to wait at table, she will find instructions for the purpose in the directions to the footman. After the dishes, &c. and the cloth and table-cover are removed, when there is no company present, her mistress will, perhaps, require her to bring a piece of cloth, with bees’-wax on it, and a hard furniture brush, to rub the dining-table, and take out the stains of the hot dishes.

When all things are set right in the parlour, as her mistress may direct, she will get her own dinner, (which she will contrive to keep as warm as circumstances will allow;) meanwhile the water must be heating to wash the dishes, and all the kitchen utensils, which being washed, and the several articles (particularly the tinned ones) wiped out clean and dry, they are to be put away, always in their proper places, in the cleanest and nicest order, and fit for immediate use.

This done, she is to make up the fire, (having due regard to the very expensive article of coals) and put on the kettle for tea. The kitchen is next to be set to rights, and every article in and about it is to be made quite clean, and disposed in perfect order. In fact, the cleanly and orderly state of the kitchen ought, at all times, to claim her utmost attention, as it is there that all the food of the family is prepared, and nothing does, nor, indeed, can, more deservedly contribute to the good character of a servant, than the well-regulated state and cleanly appearance of her kitchen.

The situation of a servant of this denomination is, as we have seen, one continued round of activity, but industry becomes habitual, and she will reap the benefit of it throughout life. To be content is the main thing, and others, seeing her good tempered, and disposed to be happy, will study to make her so; while experience and habit will greatly contribute towards it, by daily rendering the routine of the service more familiar, and consequently, more easy.

There are times, however, when the regular course of business will be interrupted. Once a week is the appointed day for a thorough scouring and cleaning, viz. Saturday. But even this day is rendered less formidable by an attentive servant, and by a little charitable consideration in the mistress, (which is generally the case) who will contrive that there shall be less of the ordinary business of the family to be done on that day than on any other. The maid will, perhaps, manage to get the bed-rooms thoroughly scoured on Friday. This should be done as early in the day as possible, and in the winter, fires should be made in the rooms, in order that they may be quite dry and safe by bed-time. For cleaning calico and other bed-furniture, and for scouring rooms, see Head House-Maid. The Sitting-room, and the spare rooms, if any, instead of the usual every-day cleaning, should now be thoroughly cleaned, the floors scoured, the grates, hearths, chimney-pieces, carpets, curtains, and furniture rubbed, scrubbed, dusted, and otherwise cleaned in the best manner; the kitchen, it is presumed, is already clean—always clean; the pots, pans, kettles, and every other culinary utensil being always cleaned as soon as done with;—scoured, wiped out dry, and put away in their proper places, fit for use at a moment’s notice. However laborious the work of the Saturday may appear, it is but getting up an hour or two earlier, and setting about it with a good heart, and all the extra business of the house, in every part, is completely finished, and you sit down, in the evening, to tea, rejoicing that all is comfortable, and in order.

Another, and more laborious deviation from the regular routine of family business is—the appointed “Washing-day,” which is, indeed, a day of bustle and activity; perhaps the only one that can be called a hard day’s work, from one washing-day to another. But, here also, if the intervals between the washings be long, a washer-woman will be hired, and the mistress will probably lend her aid, in sorting the clothes, getting up the small linen, ironing, &c.

In proportion to the arduous and active duties of a situation, is the satisfaction to be enjoyed from a regular and attentive discharge of those services: hence no servant has it in her power to render herself and her employers more comfortable, than the maid of all work. By a methodical division of her time, she is enabled to keep in order every apartment in the house, from the kitchen to the attic, all of which may be accomplished without any extraordinary effort on her part: and while she thus promotes the comforts of her master and mistress by her industry and regularity, they will not be backward in rewarding those meritorious qualities. Wages from 8 to 12 guineas.

TO LIGHT AND MANAGE A PARLOUR FIRE.