JAPANESE MAIDS

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 156, 28 March 1939, Page 3

JAPANESE MAIDS

Must Observe Elaborate Etiquette QUAINT CUSTOMS A Japanese women's magazine has just codified the elaborate etiquette which Japanese maids are supposed to observe. At breakfast time the maid is supposed to bow to the family' and give the greeting: “Good morning, ladies and .gentlemen.” When she takes a meal, either by herself or with the family (as is not uncommon in humbler Japanese households), she is expected to preface the meal with “By your leave” and to say, “I have partaken of your excellent fare” when it is finished. When the day’s work is completed, etiquette requires that the maid should say: “Is there anything more I can do, sir (or madam)?” There is also quite a ritual, which is pretty faithfully observed, about seeing the master or mistress to the door and welcoming them on their return. The maid is supposed to sit and bow when one of her employers leaves, and give the customary salutation: “Itteirashaimasu.” Literally this means, “Go, and come back” ; but there is an implication of hope that the visit maybe propitious. The maid is supposed to kneel when she is handing mail, newspapers, or other objects, and also when she is reporting something or receiving orders. Clothes Must Not Be Seen. When called she is supposed to answer immediately “Hai,” which is an expression both of acknowledgment and of obedience. “It is contrary to the rules of etiquette,” the women’s magazine continues, “for the maid to receive orders while walking or busy with her tasks. If the maid has something in her hands she should put it down. Another point to be remembered is that a maidservant should never change clothes or adjust her hair in the view of her master or mistress. Iler clothes should also be kept in a place where they cannot be seen; they should not be left lying about.” Some of these requirements of “etiquette” may sewn burdensome and unusual to the less formal West. But all Japanese, from the highest to the lowest social classes, are bound by certain rigid formalities as regards words, gestures, and general behaviour in social intercourse.

A good many ceremonial features of the old-fashioned Japanese household are relaxed or a.>t observed in foreign households or in those of Western educated Japanese.