Matters
Over the last few years I have begun to form in my own mind the belief that there may be some connection between the Physiognomy of a servant and his character. It has not escaped my attention that a skinny, ill-tempered looking girl will often prove to be just that, whereas a fat creature of amiable countenance will fail to surprise by behaving just as her appearance might suggest. For instance, from personal experience, my own Nanny P. could not have been a more lovely character and her good temper was well expressed in her rosy apple cheeks and plump homely figure. On a note not unrelated to the preceding, I am also intrigued by the notion that just as there is a “type‘ of person that is naturally rebellious and naughty, there are also those that are born with the desire to serve—the inherently obedient. If such inherently obedient persons were found to have similar physical attributes—the same shape of face, for example, or ears set low on the head— how much easier then would be our task of hiring, since we could tell with one glance who would render good service and who would not!
As a preliminary measure, I will henceforth record descriptions of the physical attributes of each girl, including measurements of the proportions. By observation, I will also record the girl’s general temperament and—specifically—her inclination to obedience. This information, once collated, can then be used as a basis for analysis…
One further area of interest to be explored is the notion that a servant will respond not only according to circumstances and background but also according to how he or she is treated by their master or mistress. I suspect all would become clear if only one could see directly into the mind of the domestic. To know how and what they think—surely then one would understand how to get the best out of them…
… Of course, readers may raise an eyebrow at the fact that we employ only one girl in the house, in addition to our farm servants. However, my husband believes that it is better to fully employ one servant than to waste money in keeping several idle. He also sees great benefit in my taking an active part in the running of the household and I quite agree, as how dull would life be if one had nothing to do!…
After this the entries became more detailed, they included the girls ages and a brief physical description. Then there would be a list of measurements of their bodies and faces, just like missus had done with me. And then some account of how they had acquitted themselves while in employment, if they could read, what books she had give them if so, when and if they had misbehaved and so on. None of it was particularly interesting to me so I flipped on through the book until I came across this more intriguing entry.
Tragic Loss of a Servant
All being well, a servant will remain with the household until such time as it is mutually agreeable for him or her to leave. Unfortunately, there are times when Fate steps in and removes a girl from the world before we are ready to let them go—and how then are we to deal with the loss? Of course, I am not suggesting for a moment that the death of a servant is of the same magnitude a tragedy as losing a family member or a friend or even an acquaintance of the same class. A servant is a servant and, in some cases, one would be hard pressed to remember their names a few days after they have gone on to work elsewhere (unless one keeps a record, as I do). However there are those among them who can—be it that they are particularly adept at work or pleasant in countenance or obedient to us—find a corner in our hearts. Should something befall one of these servants the loss can be harder to bear.
For example, it so happens that a girl of ours—Nora, the Irish girl previously mentioned in these pages—recently disappeared. The general opinion, in the first day of her absence, was that she had run away. Of course, anyone who knew her would
Over the last few years I have begun to form in my own mind the belief that there may be some connection between the Physiognomy of a servant and his character. It has not escaped my attention that a skinny, ill-tempered looking girl will often prove to be just that, whereas a fat creature of amiable countenance will fail to surprise by behaving just as her appearance might suggest. For instance, from personal experience, my own Nanny P. could not have been a more lovely character and her good temper was well expressed in her rosy apple cheeks and plump homely figure. On a note not unrelated to the preceding, I am also intrigued by the notion that just as there is a “type‘ of person that is naturally rebellious and naughty, there are also those that are born with the desire to serve—the inherently obedient. If such inherently obedient persons were found to have similar physical attributes—the same shape of face, for example, or ears set low on the head— how much easier then would be our task of hiring, since we could tell with one glance who would render good service and who would not!
As a preliminary measure, I will henceforth record descriptions of the physical attributes of each girl, including measurements of the proportions. By observation, I will also record the girl’s general temperament and—specifically—her inclination to obedience. This information, once collated, can then be used as a basis for analysis…
One further area of interest to be explored is the notion that a servant will respond not only according to circumstances and background but also according to how he or she is treated by their master or mistress. I suspect all would become clear if only one could see directly into the mind of the domestic. To know how and what they think—surely then one would understand how to get the best out of them…
… Of course, readers may raise an eyebrow at the fact that we employ only one girl in the house, in addition to our farm servants. However, my husband believes that it is better to fully employ one servant than to waste money in keeping several idle. He also sees great benefit in my taking an active part in the running of the household and I quite agree, as how dull would life be if one had nothing to do!…
After this the entries became more detailed, they included the girls ages and a brief physical description. Then there would be a list of measurements of their bodies and faces, just like missus had done with me. And then some account of how they had acquitted themselves while in employment, if they could read, what books she had give them if so, when and if they had misbehaved and so on. None of it was particularly interesting to me so I flipped on through the book until I came across this more intriguing entry.
Tragic Loss of a Servant
All being well, a servant will remain with the household until such time as it is mutually agreeable for him or her to leave. Unfortunately, there are times when Fate steps in and removes a girl from the world before we are ready to let them go—and how then are we to deal with the loss? Of course, I am not suggesting for a moment that the death of a servant is of the same magnitude a tragedy as losing a family member or a friend or even an acquaintance of the same class. A servant is a servant and, in some cases, one would be hard pressed to remember their names a few days after they have gone on to work elsewhere (unless one keeps a record, as I do). However there are those among them who can—be it that they are particularly adept at work or pleasant in countenance or obedient to us—find a corner in our hearts. Should something befall one of these servants the loss can be harder to bear.
For example, it so happens that a girl of ours—Nora, the Irish girl previously mentioned in these pages—recently disappeared. The general opinion, in the first day of her absence, was that she had run away. Of course, anyone who knew her would
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