As the jury seems to have thought the tap was
in charge of the ship's safety, so mistresses now seem to think the
house is in charge of itself. They neither know how to give orders, nor
how to teach their servants to obey orders--i.e. to obey
intelligently, which is the real meaning of all discipline.
Again, people who are in charge often seem to have a pride in feeling
that they will be "missed," that no one can understand or carry on their
arrangements, their system, books, accounts, &c., but themselves. It
seems to me that the pride is rather in carrying on a system, in keeping
stores, closets, books, accounts, &c., so that any body can understand
and carry them on--so that, in case of absence or illness, one can
deliver every thing up to others and know that all will go on as usual,
and that one shall never be missed.
[Sidenote: Why hired nurses give so much trouble.]
NOTE.--It is often complained, that professional nurses, brought
into private families, in case of sickness, make themselves
intolerable by "ordering about" the other servants, under plea of
not neglecting the patient.
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