his task, and was rewarded by the plaudits of the
diners. Such difficulties as these our servants never have to encounter,
and a cheerful endeavor to make the best of everything should be the
rule. Yet, let us spare them all the labor we can, or rather make it as
easy and pleasant as possible; they will be more proud of their
well-furnished kitchen, more cheerful in it, than they will of one where
everything for their convenience is grudged, and such pride and
cheerfulness will be your gain.

There is always a great deal of talk about servants in America, how bad
and inefficient they are, how badly they contrast with those of England.
Certainly, they are not so efficient as those of the older country; how
could they be? There, girls who are intended for servants have ever held
before their eyes what they may or may not do in the future calling, and
how it is to be done. But take one of these orderly, efficient girls,
put her in an American family as general servant or as cook, where two
are kept, washing and ironing to do, and a variety of other work, and
see how your English servant would stare at your requirements. She has
been accustomed to her own line of work at home; if housemaid, she has
been dressed for the day at noon; if cook, she has never done even her
own washing.

She may, and will no doubt, fall into the way of the country, after a
while, and on account of her early habits of respect, will make a good
servant perhaps. But many of them would be quite indignant at being
asked to do the average servant's work here. I am speaking now of the
_trained_ servants; but, comparing the London "maid-of-all-work" or
"slavey" with our own general servants, and considering how much more is
expected of the latter, the comparison seems to me vastly in the favor
of our own Bridgets. We may rest assured, however smoothly the wheels of
household management glide along in wealthy families across the water,
people who can only keep one or two have all our troubles with servants
and a few added, and their faults are just as general a subject of
conversation among ladies.

France (out of Paris, from Parisian servants deliver me!) and Germany
seem the favored lands where one servant does the work of three or four.
Yet even they, are, they say, degenerating. Let us, then, be contented
and make the best of what we have, assured that even Biddy is not so
hopeless as she is painted. Kindness (not weakness), firmness, and
patience