HOUSEMAIDS' WORK.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3359, 27 September 1879, Page 1

HOUSEMAIDS' WORK.

(fhom the queen.) -

While impressing on the mistresses of households the duty, to themselves and their servants, of first knowing how everything ia a house ought to be cleaned and kept in proper order, I feel that this ia a difficult matter which can only be accomplished from a vnry strong sense of duty. Girls tire educated nowadays in in suck a way, aud so much devotion, to study is required from them, that no time is left for learning to be useful in the' house. After the schoolroom days are, over, then comes an equal devotion tsV:; pleasure and society and an unprofitable leisure, and they marry without any of the knowledge necessary for the guidance and government of servants. As servants are now, unless the mistresses learn and teach thum, we shall never have good servants; and unless the ladies teach their own*little girls' housework, we shall > never hare good housekeepers, ready to take their proper places as wives, mothers, and mistresses. Let us walk round the drawingroom, and soe if we know how to clean everything in it on a turning-out day. I have already said everything about a carpet. Let us learn now to cicanse the mirror*. For the gilding use a very good feather , brush, with a very long handle; and erery three months, by mounting on tall steps, clean it thoroughly with an old soft silk handkerchief. For the glass, mix in a saucer some powdered bluo and gin to the consistency of thick cream. Hab this mixture over the mirror—not all over at once, but in divisions; rub it off with a soft old linen cloth, aud finish with achamois leather. The mirrors will look beautiful after this, and will have a dark steely polish. Keep a chamois leather entirely for mirrors; mark it- with your name in large letters, and print underneath " mirrors." Have another leather for bedroom toilet glasses, marked in the same way, another, marked " bedroom water bottles," and anolhcF marked " sideboard," to keep for your own use in one of the sideboard drawers. You can clean bedroom toilet glasses in the' same way; bub it is better to have, separate leathers, because there, are often greasy marks on bedroom glasses. Chamois leather always become damp, apd retain damp, wherever you. may keep them; therefore, you should. always! teach your housemaid to dry them before a five before she uses them. The next day she will find them damp again., and they must again be dried. Nothing disappears sooner in a house thau the, chamois leathers, and that is why I make a rule of marking them. I have also for. years found it necessary to mark my dust - sheets in several places with, my name and ■ with " dust sheets." The powdered bln» and gin are not n«Sccssary to be used more frequently than every three months, for a soft duster arid the leather will keep them in good order it used every week or'fortnight. If you have two housemaids, or if you have a footman under a butler, th« Continued in Fourth Fage.