Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1887 — What Charles Kingsley’s Daughters Did. [ARTICLE]

What Charles Kingsley’s Daughters Did.

Let me tell you how we were taught to help those who helped us in our old home at Eversley Fectory. Of course in a busy house, where everyone has work to do, the servants cannot he helped much week days, except by thoughtfulness in little things. But there is the seventh day, when the children have no lessons to do. This was whitt we were taught to look upon as the “helpers” day of rest, as far as we could make it so. In the morning breakfast was earlier than usual. While we were breakfasting the maids were emptying our baths, for they were too heavy for us children. As soon as breakfast was over we trotted off to our rooms, made the beds, folded up and put away all our clothes, dusted —and in fact put things straight all around. Then we' ran down to the dining-toom and laid the table for dinner; and capital butlers we all became, I assure you. By these means the maids were all ready, in their nice Sunday dresses, to go to church with us at 11. Dinner Sunday—no matter who was with us—was at 1 o’clock instead of 7. This was the only hot meal in the day. No cooking was done after 1 o’clock, as our supper was cold. At both dinner and supper the servants were sent away, and we waited at table. I laugh now when I think of the faces of horror of learned men or gallant soldiers who had come down to spend Sunday .....in the dear old rectory, or riddUfi over from Sandhurst or Aldershot to the morning service. The agonies they went through at being waited on by the daughters of the house! The struggles they made to be allowed to change their own plates! And their resigned submission when, quietly told by their host: “It is the way of the house.* That washowwe we¥?T made to help the faithful and devoted servants who spent their lives in helping ns. It was not much; but it gave them an almost free Sunday. —Rose Kingsley, in Wide Awake.