Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 May 1894 — GOSSIP OF SERVANTS. [ARTICLE]

GOSSIP OF SERVANTS.

A Malicious Practice that Is Liable to Lead to Much Trouble. Often the most vicious and malicious gossip is disseminated through the medium of vindictive and irresponsible servants, who curry favor with their new mistre s by telling tales of those for whom they formerly worked, says the New Ycrk Advertiser. It is useless to remonstrate that real ladies will not listen to the gossip of servants, so” even real ladies are only human, and, alas it is very human to be interested in the misbehavior of others. The writer was told the other day of a maid who has wrought incalculable h irm in numbers of families, and whose calumnies are so serious that they really ought to bs punished. She has spread her evil slime of calumny everywhere where it will stick. Hairdressers are notorious scandal-mongers, and so are many nurse girls, and many a • tale that has wrought ruin and sorrow has had its evil beginnings in the kitchen or from the mouth of the peripatetic hairdresser, who “amuses” her ladies w.:i e smoothing their plaits. In the t outh our “hired help” is particularly irresponsible. Most of the cooks aie r icked up in the streets, as it were, a d their temporary mistress knows neither the name of their last employer mr even their own homes. What such a creature may have to say of their ta-t “madame" has about as much moral value with a fair-minded woman as an anonymous letter—that scurrib u . stealthy stiletto that is the weapon f the traitor, whose deceit is thus un rch.d by the equal stain of cowardice.