Reversing Roles in Golden Celebration

Fans of the period drama, Downton Abbey, will certainly remember the time lady’s maid, Anna Bates, went into labor and had her baby in Lady Mary’s bedroom, much to the dismay of Carson the Butler.

To celebrate their 50-year relationship as mistress and maid, a 93-year-old Cleveland housewife and her 67-year-old maid decided to swap roles on the day of their “golden anniversary.”

On that day the mistress, served the maid, and the maid did the relaxing. If finding a maid continues to be as difficult as it is today and if maid’s wages don’t drop a little we may find mistresses and maids switching their roles for more than a day.

And why not? Mrs. Brown could lead a life of ease for a year, hiring Mrs. Smith to do all of her work for her. And Mrs. Smith could save her money and the next year hire Mrs. Brown to help her do her work.

We’re getting there by gradual stages, anyhow. In order to keep a maid these days Mrs. Brown assumes a lot of her maid’s responsibilities

She may drive her to and from work. She may let her can for her own family when she is canning for Mrs. Brown’s, and so on.

There was a story in the paper not long ago about a woman who even moved to be nearer her maid’s apartment when she learned the maid was going to quit rather than take a long bus ride every day.

The war has proved that women will do almost anything to have a maid even to snatching them from under the noses of their friends.

So why shouldn't they go the whole way and say, “You do my work this year-or this week-and I'll do yours next?” – By Ruth Millett in the Salinas Californian, 1944

 🍽Etiquette Enthusiast, Maura J. Graber of The RSVP Institute of Etiquette, is the Site Editor for the Etiquipedia© Etiquette Encyclopedia