MANNERS, ETC. 365 



Obedience and discipline are necessary and your man, or 

 men, should, if ordered, put a horse in backward without any 

 question. 



When a servant is sent on an errand or with a note, he 

 should take the precaution to inquire if there is an answer. 

 Upon returning the man should report immediately stating 

 what the answer is, or giving the written reply, or saying that 

 there is no answer, as the case may be. If the servant has 

 been sent with a horse he should report to one of the house 

 servants or fasten his horse and deliver the reply himself. 

 Very often servants " put the horse up " before reporting, 

 which causes a delay in rectifying a mistake, in case one has 

 been made in taking the message or receiving the reply. 



MANNERS, ETC. 



Swearing and all other forms of offensive language are 

 a very evident indication of the character of the servant and 

 should never be allowed. Tippling, even though not carried 

 to excess, must be considered a serious detriment even in the 

 case of an otherwise excellent servant, as it prevents implicit 

 confidence being given. Many men who have been accus- 

 tomed to taking " a drop " now and then become drunkards 

 in consequence of the necessity of fortifying themselves 

 against the exposure of long hours on the box during inclem- 

 ent weather or on winter nights. There are many hundreds 

 of thoughtless and heartless owners who keep their men and 

 horses waiting out in bad weather for several hours, when a 

 little more judgment in ordering the equipage or self-sacrifice 

 in departing from a ball or dinner, would be both humane 

 and to the owner's interest from an economical standpoint. 

 Such exposure day and night and every day simply drives 



