Those offices which profess to recommend good domestics, are “bosh,—­nothing.”  In nine cases out of ten, the keepers are in league with the servants; and in the tenth, ignorance, dishonesty, or carelessness will prevent any benefit resulting from,their “intelligence.”  All that you can do is, to take the most decent creature who applies; trust in Providence, and lock every thing up.

Never speak harshly, or superciliously, or hastily to a servant.  There are many little actions which distinguish, to the eye of the most careless observer, a gentleman from one not a gentleman; but there is none more striking than the manner of addressing a servant.  Issue your commands with gravity and gentleness, and in a reserved manner.  Let your voice be composed, but avoid a tone of familiarity or sympathy with them.  It is better in addressing them to use a higher key of voice, and not to suffer it to fall at the end of a sentence.  The best bred man whom we ever had the pleasure of meeting, always employed, in addressing servants, such forms of speech as these—­“I’ll thank you for so and so,”—­” Such a thing, if you please,”—­with a gentle tone, but very elevated key.  The perfection of manner, in this particular, is, to indicate by your language, that the performance is a favour, and by your tone that it is a matter of course.

While, however, you practise the utmost mildness and forbearance in your language, avoid the dangerous and common error of exercising too great humanity in action.  No servant, from the time of the first Gibeonite downwards, has ever had too much labour imposed upon him; while thousands have been ruined by the mistaken kindness of their masters.

Servants should always be allowed, and indeed directed, to go to church on Sunday afternoon.  For this purpose, dinner is served earlier on that day than usual.  If it can be accomplished, the servants should be induced to attend the same church as the family with whom they live; because there may be reason to fear that if they profess to go elsewhere, they may not go to church at all; and the habit of wandering about the streets with idlers, will speedily ruin the best servant that ever stood behind a chair.

Servants should be directed to announce visitors.  This is always done abroad, and is a convenient custom.

Never allow a female servant to enter a parlour.  If all the male domestics are gone out, it is better that there should be no attendance at all.

Some ladies are in the habit of amusing their friends with accounts of the difficulty of getting good servants, etc.  This denotes decided ill breeding.  Such subjects should never be made topics of conversation.

If a servant offends you by any grossness of conduct, never rebuke the offence upon the spot, nor indeed notice it at all at the time; for you cannot do it without anger, and without giving rise to a scene. Prince Puckler Muskaw was, very properly, turned out of the Travellers’ Club for throwing a fork at one of the waiters.